Short answer - EVERYWHERE. No matter whether you call it soccer, football or Fussball, almost everyone in Germany will be watching a few games in this massive tournament of skill. This is the 21st FIFA World Cup and there will be 32 national teams vying for...
The GW Expat Blog
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History and culture
Konichiwa Germany
On a recent holiday to Japan I found myself comparing the people, culture and etiquette to what I have experienced and learnt about as an expat in Germany over the past two years. It started to make me think about how many of my German Way blogs posts have focused on...
The Month of May in Germany
After the long, dark winter and the uncertainty of April weather (April, April, der macht, was er will), everyone is ready for summer by the time May rolls around. No matter the first official day of the season is a month and a half away, Germans are reveling in the...
Der Handwerkerbaum – or how traditions travel
My first experience of May 1st (Erste Mai) celebrations was as a student in Berlin in 2002 drinking beer in a park Kreuzberg. I don’t much like beer - not then and not now - but that was what everyone else was drinking and it felt like the right thing to do. Along the...
City life or village life?
I get a lot of emails from potential expats asking where they should live in Germany. Is the city the place to be? or would a village be better? If I have experience in the place that they are asking for I feel able to give them a decent idea of what to expect but...
A Nine-To-Fiver in Germany – What’s in the Bag?
What's it like to be a nine-to-fiver in Germany? A very hard question to answer since everyone has had their very own experiences, but after a while in Germany, and more than one job in this land behind me, I feel like it could be safe to make some general comments...
Reasons to love Germany in spring
Der Frühlingsanfang (beginning of spring) holds lots of special memories for me. My first time in Germany was in the spring of 2016. There was a lot riding on this visit. It wasn't just any long weekend away in Europe but a chance for me to check out Bremen before...
How Kohl is that?
If you've recently moved to the north of Germany don't be alarmed if a group of people pass you in the streets playing Schlager music from a Bollerwagen (wooden pull along wagon). It won't be the last time you witness this. From the end of January to March, Kohlfahrts...
Is It True That German Men Can’t Flirt? (Asking for a Friend…)
Not so long ago I had the chance to spend a year surrounded by a large group of twenty-somethings coming from all corners of the world, we were scattered all over Germany and every three months we had to meet up in different cities each time for week-long seminars....
Ride Berlin Transportation like a Boss
Coming from a place with pitiful public transport (looking at you Seattle), it took me all of 10 seconds to develop eternal love for Berlin's comprehensive public transportation. It only took a few seconds longer for me to have strong opinions on what is and what is...
Winterferien (already!)
The timing of most German school holidays match my British expectations. Two weeks at Christmas, two weeks at Easter, six weeks in the summer, plus the odd week somewhere in the middle of these blocks. This is not so different from home and behind each is a clear...
Follow that broom
One of my favourite German words is Gemütlichkeit, which has been adopted by the English-speaking world since it can’t be simply translated. Roughly it pertains to the feeling of comfy cosiness when getting together with friends and family, usually with good food and...
Help! The Holy Season is Over but the Cold is Not.
After you dutifully participated at -and maybe even organized, the Christmas celebrations at the office, attended several advent parties, strolled through many Christmas Markets, ate shameful amounts of Plätzchen (X-mas cookies), drank enough hot chocolate to fill...
American Versus German Parenting – The Distance
I am fresh off the holidays back in America and along with other oddities of reverse culture shock (how much water is in American toilets!?), I have a new one. Even though all of my experience as a parent is in Germany, I would assume that - as an American native -...
Thrill-Seeking in Germany’s South
Now the new year is here I will start planning adventures for the next twelve months. This time last year my partner and I began organising a springtime two week road trip around southern Germany. It wasn't what we originally had in mind for 2017, but we put a visit...
Christmas Means Cookies
For almost a month already, we have been floating in the yearly jolly atmosphere that smells like cinnamon, shines with the twinkle lights and tempts us with delicious food. Germany is famous for its wonderful bread and it’s a very well-deserved reputation, however,...
Guide to German Nutcrackers
I had a nutcracker or two growing up, gaily dressed as soldiers and watching over me as I slept. Once I moved out, my mom pulled them out for the holidays and added a few new friends. Then a few more..til there was a horde of nutcrackers to accompany our tree for the...
My top ten German experiences in 2017
Cliché I know, but this year has flown by and I struggle to remember everything I have fitted in these past twelve months. So I thought what better way to reminisce than by writing down and sharing my top ten highlights of living in Germany in 2017. So here goes......
If You’re Happy and You Know It, Make a Demo
One of my first brilliant conclusions almost upon arrival on my first time living in Germany, was that Germans are undeniably active when it comes to politics. Of course all of my appreciations came from what previous first-hand experiences I had had in the past,...
Is it Germany or is it France?
If you like your French with a side of German, the Alsace-Lorraine is the region for you. Traded back and forth between the two countries as borders changed throughout time, France came out the winner with this lovely little territory. Alsace-Lorraine might sound like...
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