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....

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....

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....

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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....

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A knack for snacks

When is a snack a meal? It depends on what country you’re in, as Germans....

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Christmas cookies: good, better, and German

I loved Christmas cookies growing up and thought they were pretty good, but have since....

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....

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....

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....

No Halloween? No way. My sneaky and successful plot

Some Germans celebrate Halloween, but not all of them. I was determined to find a....

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....

Bombs away! The WWII gift that keeps on giving

30 July 2022 One of the punctuality challenges to the Munich train system, as noted....

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....

I tried to escape the Oktoberfest. I failed.

15 October 2021 For the second time, the Oktoberfest has been canceled due to corona.....

The library, the monk and the sandals

14 September 2021 “Take their books! They’re useless propaganda. Get rid of them!” This actually....

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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.....

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....

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Vaccination Fascination

25 July 2021 A strange thing has set upon us. Suddenly, we’re all doctors. Better....

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The Prussian Rock Star in my Wardrobe

18 July 2021 Many people have been using their downtime from the pandemic to tackle....

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Grave Thoughts Indeed – Part 3 – Royal rollicking and frolicking

The Alter Südfriedhof dates to the 14th century, but most of its graves tell the....

How war shaped the Alter Südfriedhof

Grave Thoughts Indeed – Part 2 Small German towns have monuments to the dead of....

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Grave Thoughts Indeed

The Alter Südfriedhof in Munich is more of an open air museum reflecting the history....

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From Munich to Philadelphia with love

A chat group of expat Americans provides moral support during a days-long chat leading to....

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Italiano – no problemo for meo

I walked into Italian class and saw a room full of pensioners. But I didn't....

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Spectators turned spectacle

Corona’s surprising effect on an evening at the theater My favorite small theater has reopened....

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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....

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The Oktoberfest was canceled due to COVID-19

Munich's Oktoberfest was canceled due to COVID-19, but locals are celebrating anyway.....

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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....

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Berlin, lost and sometimes found

Berlin's history spans three eras and each one has some surprises in store ....

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The Secret Second Life of Balconies

Balconies are great in summer, but they can be useful in winter in surprising ways.....

Count Tree Music

The Berlin Wall is long gone, but its impact can still be felt everywhere, on....

Hot wine and cold toes

Every town has its Christmas market. I try my luck fitting in at a local....

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The 37 Days of Christmas

From late November to early January, it's one long holiday season in Germany.....

Thanksgiving? No, thanks

Americans like to think of Thanksgiving as being the ultimate American holiday, but it's actually....

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St. Martin’s Day

Feel like a walk in cold rain with a blustery wind while trying to keep....

30 after the Wall

Many people did not expect Germany to be reunified. Thirty years later, it is still....

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