Germany has many food icons, what are the first ones that spring into your mind? Sauerkraut? Lebkuchen? Wurst? Maybe if you’ve visited Germany you’d have thought of Currywurst, Spaghettieis or Spezi? Why some products don’t breech international borders and not others...
The GW Expat Blog
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Tips, advice, suggestions
More German Everyday Expressions You’ll Never Learn in School but Will Help You Blend in
Trying not to sound excessively formal in a foreign language requires practice and attention. It can happen that in your aim to sound colloquial you will pick up words and phrases that you think are everyday material you can use with your colleagues at work, in a...
What’s Up with Wasps in Germany?
I forgot it was almost August until I walked up to the KiTa (daycare) where my husband teaches, and saw the sign on the front gate: Achtung! Erdwespen auf der Wiese. (Caution! Wasps in the meadow/garden.) Aw, yes. Just like the seasonal Eis (ice cream) stands and the...
Top five summer music festivals in Germany
Whilst living in Germany, we've developed a bucket list of things we'd like to do whilst here. One activity on our list was to go to a music festival in Germany to see what it is like and how it compares to those back home in the UK. The first step was choosing which...
Eat yourself cool in a hot German summer
Whilst the mercury stays steadfastly in the thirties (centigrade) and the German summer is bursting with events like Breminale, weinwanderungen (wine walks) and freiluftkino (open air cinemas) it is easy to find the heat somewhat oppressive when you're crushed between...
German Everyday Expressions You’ll Never Learn in School But Will Help You Blend in
As every other responsible expat that moves to Germany with the intention of making of Goethe’s land their new home I briefly attended formal German lessons at my arrival. The teacher was nice, some of the people I met there were overly nice (if you know what I mean)...
German Salad
When you think of German cuisine, you usually think of Wurst (sausage), mountains of Kartoffeln (potatoes), and liters of Bier (I mean, c'mon. "beer"). Rightfully so. Those things are delicious and make up a good portion of the German diet. But that's not all... The...
Many Kinds of Noise – “vielerlei Lärm”
Germans don't mind noise — as long as you don't make any. I have no solid comparative data to back it up, but I would rate the German tolerance level for noise (Lärmempfindlichkeit) as among the lowest in the world. This is especially true for Germans living next door...
Engaged in Germany
Recently I got engaged whilst on holiday in Japan. I spoke about my great passion for the country in 'Konichiwa Germany' but missed out this very special part. Most people would say how romantic (it was!) but I questioned my fiancé's intentions. No, he wasn't asking...
What’s “Karlsruhe” and why is it in the news the whole time?
If you happen to watch German TV or read German newspapers or simply follow German news, you know that more often than not, notices either begin or end with words along the lines of "Karlsruhe will give an answer by the end of next week" or "meanwhile Karlsruhe will...
When Nature Calls: Public Toilets in Germany (Toilette, WC)
8 Essential Facts About Public Toilets in Germany Wo selbst der Kaiser zu Fuß hingeht One of the first useful phrases any language student should learn is: "Where is the restroom?" in the target language. In German that would be "Wo ist die Toilette?" Of course, in...
Epic Places to Watch the World Cup in Germany
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...
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...
Sportschulen: Sports Schools in Germany
Eliteschulen des Sports - Eliteschulen des Fußballs - Sportbetonte Schulen The education system and schools in the German-speaking world have traditionally emphasized academics over athletics or sports. Although all German secondary schools include physical education...
Things that Happen in a German Bathroom.
We spend a considerable amount of time in the bathroom and I am sure we do not often reflect about that, it is such a familiar space that we don't stop to make great observations. But that's back at home, because if there is a place where you will 100% sure get...
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...
An Expat U-turn
What happens when you decide the expat life is not working out? You've changed your mind. Fallen out of love with Germany. Mentally checked out, bags are packed and you're on that plane home. This was the reality for me towards the end of the year. Mic drop. Bear with...
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...
Best Swimming Pools for Kids in Berlin
On days like today (the end of Ostern or Easter holidays with no family nearby and only medium-nice weather) there is a question of what exactly to do. We've already had 3 glorious days off, admired our Osterstrauch (Easter tree), celebrated the holiday with enough...
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