Do you remember disc parking? A conversation in a Facebook group reminded me that I still had mine. In Devizes we had the disc parking scheme until 2003 and most people binned theirs afterwards, but I kept mine because it is still used in Germany and because mine is a German disc. The German disc … Read more
Did you have a great time over Christmas? Did you get some great presents? Or did you get something you don’t like or already have? While on holidays in Germany I spotted the above poster (which was behind glass, hence the reflection of other things in the photo) about a ‘Wichtelsonntag’, which intrigued me and … Read more
The Germans like to collect words of the year. There is the most used word of the year “Wort des Jahres”, the worst word “Unwort des Jahres” and since 2008 there is also the youth word of the year, “Jugendwort des Jahres”. Youngsters can submit their favourite word of the year and from mid year until the … Read more
These cups and saucers belonged to my grandmother. As a child I was always fascinated by them as they were so tiny – just right for using with dolls. Nowadays you could say they are Espresso cups as that’s the size they are. But I only know them as Sammeltassen -ornamental cups and saucers. … Read more
The picture on the TV above is a view across a valley. I took it last week as it was such a lovely far view. The German word fern means far, remote or distant, and sehen is to see, look, view. So, literally ‘fernsehen’ means to see far or into the distant – and that … Read more
The other day I walked past a playground. There were no children and I was very tempted to use the equipment … instead I just took a picture 😎 The verb ‘spielen’ means ‘to play’, so every noun starting with ‘Spiel…’ means it’s something to play with/ in … etc … der Spielplatz – playground das … Read more
Did you know the Germans drink more tea than the British??? Really? That can’t be true … and you’re right. According to Wikipedia, Germany is way behind the UK when it comes to drinking tea. But … The East Frisians (die Ostfriesen) are known for their wonderful tea ceremonies, but I won’t tell you about it … Read more
Today I’m taking you to the fair, die Kirmes, also known as ‘der Jahrmarkt’, but you don’t have to go on any of the rides Can you guess what some of the rides are called in German? Yes, rides like the ‘Vortex’ are called Vortex in German! The same goes for many of the named rides, but … Read more
Shortly after I posted Thursday’s post about school I spoke to a student about school subjects and the question came up:”What subject do German children learn?” In the four years at primary school they learn the following general subjects: Deutsch – German Mathe(matik) – Maths Musik – Music Kunst – Art Heimat- und Sachunterricht – general … Read more
The other day I was asked by a German friend if I still had a poem book and if I remembered the following verse: “Willst du glücklich sein im Leben, trage bei zu Anderer Glück Denn die Freude, die wir geben, kehrt ins eigne Herz zurück.” I said yes, and then went looking for mine. … Read more
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