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...
The GW Expat Blog
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Berlin
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...
Berlin Nuts
Without much of a summer, it was like I turned around and it was fall. Luckily, I love fall. Adore. It is my favorite season. But is was still shocking to see the trees suddenly aflame in orange and red. Walking became difficult as the ground was bumpily carpeted in...
On the campaign trail
In case you missed it, there was a general election last week in Germany. Receiving most of the international media coverage was, understandably, the fact that the AfD (Alternativ für Deutschland) won just under 13% of the popular vote, making them the third strongest...
4 Ways in which Berliners are Actually Nice
I don't want to say Berliners get a bad rap, because they can be incredibly rude. They live up to the standard German reputation of shutting doors in your face, non-existent customer service, and refusal to engage in simple pleasantries - then up the ante with...
Summer holidays: a postcard from England
As every summer, we are holidaying in the north of England, where compared to Berlin the days are cooler and the evenings longer. I should be used to it because this is where I grew up and it has the unpredictable (or all too predictable) summer climate of my...
German and Austrian Pioneers in LGBTQ Rights
Update: This post was last updated in April 2023 to reflect new laws and to add information for Switzerland. Although we tend to think of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) rights movement as a modern, fairly recent phenomenon, the advocacy of...
What’s in Your German Basement?
Don't worry - this is nothing to do with Josef Fritzl...although mentions of basements seem to bring up that imagery. (To be fair, Fritzl was from Austria like another infamous German speaker). This post is about the German basements (Keller or Souterrain or...
Summer: an ongoing Berlin love affair
It always comes upon you suddenly, the Berlin summer. One day you’re shivering in your down coat at the playground, lamenting with friends how it is already May but barely 10 degrees celsius. The next day you’re sweating in your shirtsleeves, the powerful sun beating...
Days for the Frauen and Männer
Holiday Alert! It is Muttertag (Mother's Day) this Sunday which means elegant brunches and bundles of flowers - no matter which side of the pond you are on. Mother's Day in Germany But the history of the holiday in Germany, Switzerland and Austria has a unique...
Berlin’s Abandoned Tempelhof Airport Becomes a Vast Park
I first wrote about Tempelhof Airport when I was living in Berlin, just before the air terminal shut down in 2008. In fact, my post about Tempelhof's closing (now deleted) was one of the very first German Way Expat Blog posts. Berliners' "nein" vote in an April 2008...
An Afternoon in Berlin’s Botanic Garden
An impossibly high greenhouse, all glass and steel arches, rises up against the first blue sky we’ve seen in February. Surrounding it, the vast landscaped garden seems austere with its winter branches but a few proud evergreens scatter touches of dark green at least....
Auto Factory and Museum Tours in Germany for Car Buffs and Car Buyers
Tours: From Audi to Volkswagen Audi | BMW | Ford | Mercedes-Benz | Opel | Porsche | Volkswagen LAST UPDATED: 7 July 2022. Seven major automakers manufacture automobiles and trucks in Germany. The automobile is a German invention, and the auto industry in Germany is...
It’s not all about the fireworks – 4 other New Year’s traditions in Germany
I’ve written about the German obsession at New Year’s with pyrotechnics for this blog before. This year Berlin was the same as always - air thick with smoke, sky alight with brilliant explosions of colour, and our ears filled with the constant cracking of bangers....
Martin Luther King, Jr. in Berlin – East and West!
I'm still stunned. How could I never have heard of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to Berlin? He even outdid JFK and Reagan by not only going to West Berlin in 1964, but crossing the Berlin Wall into East Berlin – where he gave not one, but two sermons! Do you...
How to Dress for Winter in Germany
It's hard to tell what the weather will be like day-to-day in Berlin. You can wake up to bright sunshine, leave your Wohnung (apartment) amidst deep fog and return home to an epic downpour. Other places like Freiburg may boast more sunshine than anywhere else in the...
A Prussian in Hawaii: Heinrich Berger and the Royal Hawaiian Band
The story of Heinrich (later Henry) Wilhelm Berger has fascinated me ever since I first learned about the Prussian military musician. Berger traveled all the way from Berlin to Honolulu in 1872 - no simple journey in that day and age. Prussian Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm...
What to Do if you Get Pregnant in Germany
When I first found out I was pregnant in Germany, I freaked out. I was married and happy, we were kinda trying but I was still terrified. I suspect I would have been apprehensive no matter where I was, but there were so many questions about how this would go in...
Lost Pets in Germany
Losing a pet is an experience I don't like to relive, but I am sharing my trauma in the hopes it will relieve your drama if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. Here's the story of how we lost our cat in Berlin - and got her back. At first, we were puzzled....
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