Since this post is sandwiched between Halloween and a truly terrifying presidential election in the USA, I thought this was the perfect time to go over some German superstitions, or Aberglauben. Every culture has them, but when you aren't raised around them they can...
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History and culture
Thomas Jefferson’s German Connections
Jefferson's European Education In 1788, while serving as an American diplomat in Paris, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) spent two weeks on the road for an unofficial private journey along the Rhine. In my article, Germany’s Route 66: A Road Trip on Bundesstraße 3, I...
Day Trips from Berlin that Deserve More Love
COVID-19 has changed a lot of things. Some things suddenly and drastically, while more changes are sure to continue happening for the foreseeable future. Life is different than it used to be just a few months ago. I am doing my best - like so many of us - to embrace...
The German Who Named America
America • The Americas • American: What's in a Name? How did the American continent (Erdteil in German, "earth part") get its name? America, considered one continent or a "double continent," was the fourth one to be discovered by Europeans. When (in 1606) they found...
What to Eat for Every Season in Germany
I walked into the grocery store last week to discover the seasons are changing once again. The proof? A colorful display of Kürbis (pumpkin and assorted squash). I welcome the change as this really is my favorite season, and the bouts of intense sweaty heat this...
Oh the Animals You Can See in Berlin
If you missed the story about the wild boar who took a man's bag at the lake, only to have the nude bather pursue, you missed out. (Just kidding: a link to the original post or just google "Berlin", "nude", "boar" and it will come up). The man had been peacefully...
Who invented the bicycle? The German connection
"Bicycle" in German: das Fahrrad and das Velo The bicycle is one of those everyday things we take for granted. Almost everyone as a child learns to ride a bike (trainer wheels with mom or dad as coach). I grew up riding various Schwinn bicycles (more on that below)...
Park Life in Germany
We are fresh off our third weekend straight spent relaxing and socializing in the park. We have steadily shifted to life outside here in Germany as the number of Covid infections hovers and mostly holds steady and the weather warms. After months indoors, Germans are...
Germany’s Other Dark Chapter: The Colonial Past and Genocide in Africa
'Black Lives Matter' is Also a German Concern The Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and around the globe, including in France, Germany, and the UK, have led people to confront the issue of racial discrimination in their own countries and elsewhere. Both...
What Protests are like in Germany and the USA
Sometimes it feels like every day of 2020 can't get any worse...and then it does. Caught in the standstill of Covid-19 malaise, I find myself paying rapt attention to everything happening in the USA. Seattle, where I hale from, is one of the places at the epicenter of...
David Bowie in West Berlin and the ‘Berlin Trilogy’ Recordings
"Heroes" is the only Berlin Trilogy album fully created and recorded in Berlin Most music fans know that the British singer and musician David Bowie lived in West Berlin and created three albums there, commonly referred to as the "Berlin Trilogy" (Low, "Heroes", and...
Walt Disney’s European Tour in 1935: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
The Nazi Rumors and Disney Over the years, at various times, Walt Disney's been labeled anti-Semitic, a Nazi sympathizer, and a racist. When Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003) visited Hollywood to promote her Olympia film in 1938, Walt Disney was the rare exception of a...
The Baltic Sea and the German Riviera
Germany's Baltic Resorts and Attractions You've heard of the French Riviera, the Italian Riviera, and maybe even the Mayan Riviera of Mexico, but how about the German Riviera? Although Germany has no Mediterranean Sea coast it does have coasts on two seas: the North...
6 German Toys You’ve Never Heard Of
In the lead-up to Christmas, full of company parties and gift shopping and Christmas Markets, we had a new German word to look-up: Schrottwichteln. It had my German-fluent husband stumped with Schrott roughly translating to "garbage" and Wichteln to "gnomes." Garbage...
Why Is There 230-Volt Power in Europe and 120 Volts in North America?
When It Comes to Voltage, It's All About the History – and the Money We take electric power for granted. That becomes painfully obvious when there's a power failure (Stromausfall). In total darkness, carrying a flashlight, we absentmindedly try to switch on the light....
Dreaming of a Move to the Netherlands
I have heard this period between Christmas and New Years described as Zwischen den Jahren, or "between the years". It is a quiet time where Germans spend quality time with friends and loved ones, chatting and drinking and eating at homes as many restaurants and shops...
How Generous Are the Germans?
Germany and Altruism Do YOU donate to causes or charitable organizations? How much did you donate last year? How often do you open your wallet to help a person, cause or an organization? Your answer to those questions depends at least in part on your nationality....
Best Museums for Kids in Berlin
It is birthday party season for us in Berlin. After my little girl's 5th birthday (5th!), we had two other kids' parties at some of the city's best museums. Apparently we are running with a fashionable kiddie crowd. In this season of cold weather and celebrations, it...
An ABC Cultural Manual for Germany (Part 1)
A Field Guide to Cultural Differences Between Germany and the USA We have written a lot about daily life and cultural comparisons between Germany and other places here at The German Way, but it's a vast topic. Just when you think you've covered it all or experienced...
30 Years Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall
About 5 years ago, on November 9th 2014, I watched from the hospital as Berlin put on a grand display to celebrate 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I had been looking forward to attending the event - a spectacular display where thousands of lighted...
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