“Punctuality is the courtesy of kings,” says a German proverb. “Five minutes ahead of time is the German punctuality,” says the vernacular.
The German has the reputation of being diligent, efficient and punctual.
In many travel guides it is said that arriving too late for appointments is strictly frowned upon in German lands. This old-fashioned opinion comes from a time when there were no phones. Although it is not considered nice to let the others wait, you can also stand in German cities in traffic jams or the S-Bahn does not come.
Just do not keep your date waiting and call if you’ll be late. Otherwise it can happen that the other one has disappeared after 15 minutes … and maybe forever.