Archive for 'Culture'
German-Dutch in the mix Posted by Sten on Sep 27, 2014
The Netherlands and Germany are two countries that could not oppose each other in certain ways: soccer, language, some cultural traits, morals, fashion styles… But they also find harmony. There are many activities that connect both countries. Not only economically. I grew up in a small German town on the Dutch border and went to…
The etiquette of Sie and du at the workplace Posted by Constanze on Sep 25, 2014
As many German language learners know, in German there are two different ways of saying the word ‘You’. There is ‘du’, which is informal, and ‘Sie’, which is formal. This is entirely different to the English language, which only uses one word (You) for both. I wanted to touch on this subject to discuss the…
German cooking: meatballs with cauliflower and potatoes Posted by Sandra Rösner on Sep 23, 2014
German cooking is very rustic. A common meal consists of meat, potatoes and vegetables. One of my favorite dishes of my childhood is Buletten mit Blumenkohl und Kartoffeln (meatballs with cauliflower and potatoes). My mother usually cooked it for Sunday’s lunch. Below you can find the Rezept (recipe) for this very easy dish. In the…
Ozapft is! Oktoberfest 2014 has begun! Posted by Constanze on Sep 20, 2014
Today marks the start of the annual Oktoberfest in München! Here are a few facts about the world’s largest and most popular beer festival. A brief history of Oktoberfest Oktoberfest began in 1810 – a whopping 204 years ago – when King Ludwig I married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, and invited all of the…
Sayings + Expressions 8: The Fall and The Cosmetics Posted by Sten on Sep 15, 2014
Liebe Leser! First of all, sorry for the delay, but here we are again… The next sayings + expressions! This time, we are concerned with falling, and… cosmetics? The saying, please! Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall Pride/Haughtiness goes before a fall The meaning of this saying is quite clear, and originates in the Bibel (Bible), in Sprüche (Proverbs) 16,18…
Holiday Destination: The Unspoilt Islands of Germany. Posted by Constanze on Sep 2, 2014
As I am going on holiday this week I am in great spirits, and so I felt inspired to write this holiday-themed post for all of you who want to escape the cold weather (remember: It’s still summer somewhere in the world!). When people think of beach holidays in Europe, they think of places like…
Sayings + Expressions 7: Old Love or the Casanova? Posted by Sten on Aug 27, 2014
Dear readers! Welcome to yet another Sayings + Expressions. Today it is all about love, or rather, romance. Because what is love, how do we interact with each other on that intimate plane? German has a very nice saying for this, and at the same time a very famous expression… First, as always, the saying. Enjoy!…