Angelika Davey 
Those who have learnt German at an English secondary school may remember the BBC programme ‘Hallo aus Berlin’ – short videos from 1996 with some children from Berlin and, of course, the songs by Rita and Rolli. Who still remembers Rita and Rolli? When I taught at a secondary school we sometimes watched the videos and … Read more
As it’s Valentine’s Day in a few days, I thought it’s only a fitting service to offer those who may have a loved one in Germany the opportunity to say a few nice or as some may say, cheesy sentences to them. So, how to start?Mein Schatz! My treasure!Mein Liebling! My darling! And then?In deinen … Read more
This is me ( a few years ago!) ‘reading’ one of my favourite books! Many of you will have heard about the Struwwelpeter, or the shock-headed Peter, as he is also known – a very famous children’s book written by German doctor Heinrich Hoffman in 1844. He was looking for a picture book Christmas … Read more
When you’re driving through Germany and you need to fill up with petrol, you may come across an aditional pump at the petrol station, as it is now possible to get a biofuel with 10 percent ethanol called Super E10. It is not available at every petrol station yet as it will take months to adjust … Read more
When I took my driving test many years ago in Germany we had to be 18 before we could drive, but there have been changes in the last few years. Lower-Saxony started it seven years ago and since January 2011 is has become law in all of Germany: the possibility of driving at 17! However, … Read more
If you are driving to Germany this winter you will need winter tyres. As from Monday 29th November 2010 it is mandatory to use winter tyres (or snow & mud tyres) in Germany. Failure to do so can result in a instant fine of 40 Euros. If you cause a traffic disruption because your car has summer … Read more
All day today I have either read on blogs, heard on the radio, seen on TV or spoken to some of my students about Armistice Day and it made me realise that apart from my post about St Martin’s Day there should be another blog today: about living with guilt. You see, as a German living in … Read more
In many areas of Germany children will go out tonight with their lanterns and sing this song. But why? The 11 November is St Martin’s Day (Martinstag). Martin was a Roman soldier who was always very kind and helpful. One legend tells the story of Martin meeting a beggar in a snowstorm. Martin cut his … Read more
Luckily not literally! You’ve heard these holiday stories: holiday makers go to the beach and find all good places have been taken by the Germans who got up early and put towels on favourite spaces in order to claim them 😉 This habit has moved to university libraries. Students arrive early and leave their books … Read more
When I still lived in Germany there was no Halloween. The only time we heard about it was when we watched American horror films or any other American films which happened around Halloween. I didn’t really know anything about Halloween until I moved to England and the first children came knocking on my door calling … Read more
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