Understanding Signs and Sayings in German Public Transport Posted by Larissa on Mar 15, 2016
Hallo! Sometimes it can be tricky if you’re in a different country and have no idea where to go as you don’t understand the signs or what people are saying. This post will give you the most common words and sentences you will hear as you use die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel (public transport). To start…
German Nationalparks – Part 6: Bayerischer Wald Posted by Sten on Mar 11, 2016
This is part 6 of the series here on the German Blog, the German Nationalparks, a series on the 16 National Parks of Germany. Last week, the beauty of the central Harz was highlighted. The week before, we went to the natural glory of the forests of the Eifel. Preceding that, I discussed Park Müritz, and before that park Berchtesgaden, and the mysterious Schwarzwald. Today, it…
Truly Grimm: German Fairytales Posted by Constanze on Mar 11, 2016
Guten Tag! Most people will have heard of die Brüder Grimm (the Brothers Grimm) and their Märchen (fairy tales). Perhaps you’ll have read a few of them, or seen the Disney adaptations of these gruesome stories. But who exactly were these famous German brothers, and what is it like reading their fairy tales in German?…
German Vocabulary: Drinks Posted by Constanze on Mar 8, 2016
Guten Tag! Germany is famous for its food and drink, including Wurst (sausage), Sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) and Bier (beer). German beer is arguably the best in the world (not that I’m biased or anything), and many a friend has joked to me that the only German they know is ‘Ein Bier, bitte’ (‘A beer, please’)…
German Nationalparks – Part 5: Harz Posted by Sten on Mar 4, 2016
Travel This is part 5 of the series here on the German Blog, the German Nationalparks, a series on the 16 National Parks of Germany. Last week, we went to the natural glory of the forests of the Eifel. The week before, I discussed Park Müritz, and before that park Berchtesgaden, and the mysterious Schwarzwald. Today, we will travel to one of the…
German Words Associated With Nazism Posted by Constanze on Mar 1, 2016
Guten Tag! Have you ever said a word or phrase in all innocence, only to receive shocked gasps from those around you, and be told ‘You can’t say that!’? Or be laughed at because the word you’ve used doesn’t mean what you think it does? Language is ever-changing, and words’ meanings can change over time…
Das Schaltjahr – 3 Things To Know About The Leap Year In Germany Posted by Sten on Feb 29, 2016
A Schaltjahr (leap year) is held every four years, except century years, unless they are divisible by 400. It dates back to Roman times, and was introduced by Julius Caesar as a solution to our 365-day long year being just about 6 hours too short to be perfectly aligned with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. But this day…