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The German Word ‘Sitzfleisch’ Posted by Constanze on Oct 31, 2018
Guten Tag! Today I’d like to talk about another ‘untranslatable’ German word, namely: Sitzfleisch. This is a word that has been adopted by the English language, too, and which some think explains the German people’s efficient and productive nature. But before we get into that, let’s look at the word in more detail. Das Sitzfleisch…
Witches In Germany’s Harz Mountains Posted by Constanze on Oct 29, 2018
Guten Tag! Recently I gave you the creepy story of Walpurga Hausmannin, one of Germany’s most famous witches from the 16th Century. In today’s post we’ll continue on the witch theme by talking about a place in Germany that is famous for its association with witchcraft. To get to this place you need to visit…
Germany’s Most Famous Witch Posted by Constanze on Oct 17, 2018
Guten Tag and Happy Hallowe’en! OK, so we’re a bit early, but to prepare for the most gruselig (creepy) time of year, I’ll be bringing you a few posts related to some of the spookier aspects of Germany & German history. Today I am bringing you the story of Walpurga Hausmännin – one of Germany’s…
Old German Handwriting Posted by Constanze on Oct 10, 2018
When I was young there was an old German poster in my family kitchen that used to drive me insane, because although I knew it was in German, I couldn’t read what was written on it. It looked to me like another language! “It’s because that is old German handwriting”, my mum told me. “Some…
3 German Things That Aren’t So Efficient Posted by Constanze on Sep 26, 2018
Guten Tag! We often talk about Germans being ultra-efficient. In fact, one of the first things that comes to people’s minds when asked to describe Germans is usually a comment about their effizient (efficient) nature. So is there anything about German life and culture that’s actually… not so efficient? Here are three things that may…
The German Kur Posted by Constanze on Sep 19, 2018
When you need to take a period of sick leave from work, you generally stay at home during that time, right? In Germany, when you`re ill, as part of the Krankenkasse (German health insurance), you can request to be sent on a Kur – a type of spa break. Die Kur – literally ‘the cure’…
What’s Your Star Sign In German? Posted by Constanze on Sep 14, 2018
Guten Tag! Whether die Astrologie (astrology) interests them or not, most people are aware of what their Sternzeichen (star sign) is. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at the star signs in German! In German, the term das Sternzeichen literally translates to ‘star sign’, but another word for it is das Tierkreiszeichen, which translates to…