Archive for 'Culture'
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’…
Celebrating Birthdays in Germany Posted by Larissa on Sep 18, 2018
Hello, my birthday was a couple of weeks ago which inspired me to write this post. I love birthdays – there is nothing better than a day of giving or recieving presents, eating cake and just generally being happy! Germany celebrates birthdays pretty much the same way as in the UK or USA, there is…
Sayings + Expressions 18: Life Posted by Sten on Sep 6, 2018
In the long-standing series Sayings + Expressions, we look at Ausdrücke (expressions) and Sprichwörter (sayings) in German. There are some really crazy ones, so have a look at the other posts at this link. Today, we are looking at das Leben. What other Thema (theme) inspires so many weise (wise) things to say than life itself? As always, let’s dive right in with the Sprichwort first! Das…
How to describe your bike in German Posted by Larissa on Sep 4, 2018
Servus, one of the things I love most about living in Munich is that there are cycle paths everywhere. I find cycling so much quicker than taking the bus or the U bahn, and it gives you some fresh air and exercise too! One thing that might get annoying is when your bicycle breaks (I…
Is The German Language Sexist? Posted by Constanze on Aug 29, 2018
German has three genders for its nouns: der (masculine), die (feminine) and das (neuter). A common point of confusion amongst German language learners is why each noun has its assigned gender – especially when there is no pattern to it and/or its gender doesn’t appear to make sense. For example, a table in German is…
The Edelweiss And Its Meaning Posted by Constanze on Aug 22, 2018
Guten Tag! Today’s post is all about Edelweiss. I have countless pieces of jewellery from Germany with the Edelweiss on it, but it was only recently that I stopped to wonder: Why, exactly, is the Edelweiss so symbolic of Germany? What does it mean? Why is it everywhere? First of all, it came to my…
Let’s Count Insects! – Insektensommer 2018 Posted by Sten on Aug 9, 2018
It is a hot Sommer (summer), an besonderer (exceptional) one. But there is also something not that besonders about this Sommer: In general, more and more Germans say: Es gibt immer weniger Insekten (There are fewer and fewer insects). Some claim that they had to start the Scheibenwischer (windshield wiper) to remove all the Insekten from their Frontscheibe a few years ago. Now, they may have just a single Fleck (spot). Aber…