Tag Archives: Germany
‘Tis the season of the Wiesn: The Oktoberfest for locals and tourists
What some probably don’t realize is that while the Oktoberfest is the biggest folk festival....
Oct
Spicing up an e-mail is as easy as 1-2-3
Every language has its peculiarities, which should be respected. But when you translate into another....
Sep
The tiniest stars of the Oktoberfest live in a drawer
The Oktoberfest is synonymous with beer for most people. Yet half of the fairgrounds consists....
2 Comments
Sep
Germans delight in overengineering, taking helicopter mothering to new heights
Any foreigner in Germany knows all about the country’s love of overengineering. All it takes....
2 Comments
Aug
A knack for snacks
When is a snack a meal? It depends on what country you’re in, as Germans....
2 Comments
Mar
Christmas cookies: good, better, and German
I loved Christmas cookies growing up and thought they were pretty good, but have since....
Dec
The 100 meters between fascism and democracy in Munich
On just a 10-minute walk through Munich, I passed a murder scene leading to the....
Nov
Led astray by my naïve trust in a native speaker, but I should have known better
My trust in native speakers was boundless, and it caused me to maneuver myself into....
Nov
What is the Inquisition doing in 21st-century America?
Looking at U.S. politics over the past few years, Germans recognize many patterns from the....
Nov
No Halloween? No way. My sneaky and successful plot
Some Germans celebrate Halloween, but not all of them. I was determined to find a....
Oct
Welcome back, fleas! The Oktoberfest is on
Following a three-year hiatus, Munich’s favorite party returned. Corona didn’t dampen people’s spirits, but I....
Oct
Bombs away! The WWII gift that keeps on giving
30 July 2022 One of the punctuality challenges to the Munich train system, as noted....
Jul
Get that rotten banana peel out of the plastic recycling
Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash 13 February 2022 My muesli stuck in my throat....
Feb
I tried to escape the Oktoberfest. I failed.
15 October 2021 For the second time, the Oktoberfest has been canceled due to corona.....
Oct
The library, the monk and the sandals
14 September 2021 “Take their books! They’re useless propaganda. Get rid of them!” This actually....
2 Comments
Sep
The 400-year-old Marketing Flop You’ve Never Heard of
26 August 2021 They told me in college that marketing was invented in the U.S.....
Aug
Give us our daily bread, but please let it be German
2 August 2021 A good friend of mine recently returned to the U.S. after several....
2 Comments
Vaccination Fascination
25 July 2021 A strange thing has set upon us. Suddenly, we’re all doctors. Better....
2 Comments
Jul
The Prussian Rock Star in my Wardrobe
18 July 2021 Many people have been using their downtime from the pandemic to tackle....
2 Comments
Jul
Grave Thoughts Indeed – Part 3 – Royal rollicking and frolicking
The Alter Südfriedhof dates to the 14th century, but most of its graves tell the....
Mar
How war shaped the Alter Südfriedhof
Grave Thoughts Indeed – Part 2 Small German towns have monuments to the dead of....
3 Comments
Mar
Grave Thoughts Indeed
The Alter Südfriedhof in Munich is more of an open air museum reflecting the history....
3 Comments
Mar
From Munich to Philadelphia with love
A chat group of expat Americans provides moral support during a days-long chat leading to....
6 Comments
Dec
Italiano – no problemo for meo
I walked into Italian class and saw a room full of pensioners. But I didn't....
6 Comments
Oct
Spectators turned spectacle
Corona’s surprising effect on an evening at the theater My favorite small theater has reopened....
7 Comments
Oct
Mail-in ballots are sometimes the only way to vote
Mail-in ballots should be simple and foolproof. The technology is there, so why not use....
2 Comments
Oct
The Oktoberfest was canceled due to COVID-19
Munich's Oktoberfest was canceled due to COVID-19, but locals are celebrating anyway.....
3 Comments
Oct
The Race for Space is Over (but not the way you think)
Shopping pre-corona in Germany used to be a contact sport - that changed overnight....
4 Comments
May
Berlin, lost and sometimes found
Berlin's history spans three eras and each one has some surprises in store ....
2 Comments
Apr
The Secret Second Life of Balconies
Balconies are great in summer, but they can be useful in winter in surprising ways.....
Jan
Count Tree Music
The Berlin Wall is long gone, but its impact can still be felt everywhere, on....
Jan
Hot wine and cold toes
Every town has its Christmas market. I try my luck fitting in at a local....
1 Comment
Dec
The 37 Days of Christmas
From late November to early January, it's one long holiday season in Germany.....
Nov
Thanksgiving? No, thanks
Americans like to think of Thanksgiving as being the ultimate American holiday, but it's actually....
1 Comment
Nov
30 after the Wall
Many people did not expect Germany to be reunified. Thirty years later, it is still....
4 Comments
Nov
- 1
- 2