Germany Blog

Stories, tips, and reflections about life, travel, and culture in Germany.

  • Germany, the Land of Poets and Thinkers

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    I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many pages on MyGermanCity.com that have the names Goethe or Schiller mentioned in them. These two contemporaries aren’t even the tip of the iceberg of writers and poets that have made Germany known as Das Land der Dichter und Denker — the Land of Poets and Thinkers.

    So, here’s your chance to get to know some famous German writers in honor of next month’s Leipzig Book Fair in Leipzig (March 15th – 18th) and the lit.COLOGNE, the International Literature Festival in Cologne (March 14th – 24th).

    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

    Born in 1749, Goethe’s works were considered part of a movement known as Sturm und Drang, or in English Storm & Stress. His The Sorrows of Young Werther would have topped all the “bestseller” lists, had there been any in his day.

    Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller

    Fritz (as he was called) was buddies with Goethe, and founded the Weimar Theater with him. He is, however, known for his works — like Don Carlos, The Wallenstein Trilogy (about the Thirty Years’ War), and The Robbers — a story of violence, money, power, and revolution. Utterly brilliant.

    While Schiller and Goethe were part of the Sturm und Drang, a number of writers were known for Exilliteratur — exiled writers (like these next two guys) that opposed the Third Reich and all it stood for.

    Thomas Mann

    A Nobel Prize winner from Germany who emigrated to the U.S. during the Nazi years, Thomas Mann was first translated into English in 1924. So now German and English readers can enjoy his ironic works (Death in Venice, The Magic Mountain, etc.). You can also read his children’s works too, since three of his children (Erika Mann, Klaus Mann, Golo Mann) became writers.

    Bertolt Brecht

    Oh, this guy was busy — poet, director, and playwright he was. His anti-fascist sentiments can be found in his Life of Galileo, the Good Person of Szechwan, and the Fear and Misery of the Third Reich. He returned to what was then East Germany after being blacklisted by Hollywood during the Cold War.

    Although the next writers might not have been part of the Sturm und Drang or Exilliteratur crowd, they’re still Nobel winners for Literature.

    Gerhart Hauptmann

    Go figure, another Nobel Prize winning author. Mr. Hauptmann wrote 37 plays, and a large collection of novels and short novels. Too bad he didn’t have as much success after World War II as he did beforehand.

    Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen

    Not only was Theodor Mommsen a prolific writer (finishing 1500 works), this guy was an archaeologist to boot. He won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902 on his works of Roman history. He died over a century ago, yet his writings are still relevant.

    Schiller said, “The voice of the majority is no proof of justice.” Then let me say that the voice of the majority that still loves these writers’ stories is proof that good taste still exists in the world.

  • Real Football Is Played Outside America

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    It’s February, it’s freakin’ cold in Europe, and the American public was warm, toasty, and glued to the television with beers in hand for its annual football ritual, the Super Bowl. Last Sunday, that is.

    Uh, guys, as exciting as the Super Bowl is or was for the two teams on the hunt for the infamous Lombardi Trophy, you’re not playing FOOTBALL.

    Yeah, as if that’s not gonna get a reaction out of some of you. ;-)

    Just to set the record straight, guys ‘n girls, we (i.e., the rest of the world) call it football, you call it soccer (huh?), and we (i.e., the rest of the world) call yours distinctively American football.

    Anyway, German teams that play real football are on the hunt for the coveted DFB Cup. Hmm, bragging rights alone should be good enough. But this 12.5 pounds of silver is worth more than €100,000; and can actually hold 8 liters of liquid to boot.

    I’m guessing it wouldn’t be filled with cola after winning this baby; especially since Bayern München won it 15 times (and that artificial liquid called cola is not really a German drink, or is it?). ;-)

    The competition starts at the end of July with 64 teams, ending in May the following year (the 2011 season kicked off July 30) with the final match to be played at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

    The DFB League, called Bundesliga, is only of Germany’s top football leagues. The Bundesliga is the highest men’s league in the country. The creme-de-la-creme of the sport. The NFL of soccer, if you will.

    They’re all competing for the Champions Trophy, or what’s so eloquently called the “Salad Bowl.” This trophy weighs in at a whopping 11kg (24 pounds), and kind of reminds me of the Ladies Single’s Rosewater Dish trophy from Wimbledon.

    Sorry, Manly Men, but it looks like a dinner plate. ;-)

    Sure, I make jokes but football is huge in Germany. So much in fact, the game’s played in big arenas like the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg, the Allianz Arena (the home stadium for Bayern München) in Munich, and the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart.

    I mention these so if you’re here visiting you might want to see a game or two. You’ll find tens of thousands of screaming fans all decked out in their team colors who are playing real football. :-)

    Now that you know what German football teams are playing for, I’ll fill you in on the rules soon enough. Stay tuned…

  • If You Can’t Be German, Eat Like One

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    My friend makes jokes that there are two types of people in the world — Italians and those who want to be. In her world she might be right, but in mine — if you can’t be German, you can, at least, eat like one.

    Now, I’m guessing you’re aware that Germany has 16 federal states — and encompasses a pretty large area. None of which are alike. So, it’s not hard to believe that the food varies by region; and I’ve got the Rhineland area in my culinary sights today.

    Meats, breads, sweets, whatever, you’ll find it all in the cooking of the Rhineland.

    The most versatile is the Schwarzbrot (Dark Bread) that’s made with whole grain rye; tasting so delicious on its own or topped with any kind of wurst or cheese. Eat up, it’s good for you too.

    When fried foods are calling your name, you got a choice of either Frikadellen (ground beef or pork) that can be eaten hot or cold (hmm, a multi-tasker, I like that). Or, try some pan-fried potatoes in oil or butter, and goes great with schnitzel or a wurst.

    One meaty dish that’s been around for centuries is Sauerbraten. Made with either venison or beef, this marinated meat is usually served with red cabbage or potato dumpings.

    OK, enough of the real food — I want dessert. Don’t you? Ahh, life’s short — eat dessert first! ;-)

    Anyway, the Rhineland’s got the most delicious Obstkuchen, a fruit cake (not the Christmas re-gifting fruit cake) that’s made with either a sponge or yeast dough bottom.

    My buds over at the Germanfoodguide.com say it goes good with whipped cream and a cup of java. Inasmuch as I agree — I think the fruitty goodness can stand alone. Here’s a fruit cake recipe, in case you’ve got a hankerin’ to make your own.

    I will, however, take the cup of java with Kreppel. Similar to Berliner, this is a fried pastry that’s not really a donut. Who cares, we Germans have been making them since the 15th century. Hmm, looks like we were the original Dunkin Donuts, huh?

    After eating meals like that, is it even possible to feel even MORE German? Uhhh, yeah! :-)

  • The Hidden Groundhog Connection In Germany’s Candelmas

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    Groundhog’s Day is well-known to our American and Canadian readers. This rather silly holiday revolves around the small furry animal that peeks its head out of its hibernating shelter each year on February 2.

    According to the tradition, if it’s a cloudy day and the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, then that means winter will soon come to an end. But if it’s sunny and the animal glimpses its shadow, it signifies another six weeks of winter.

    The biggest celebration takes place in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in the United States and its famous little critter Punxsutawney Phil (made famous in the Bill Murray movie about the holiday, called simply Groundhog’s Day).

    However, most people don’t realize that this North American holiday has roots that can be traced right back to Germany! This annual tradition derives from the medieval holiday of Candelmas. As the old German saying goes…

    Ist’s zu Lichtmess mild und rein
    wirds ein langer Winter sein.

    That is, “If Candlemas is mild and pure, winter will be long for sure.”

    So what, exactly, is Candelmas?

    This takes us to a famous story about the young Jesus Christ from the Christian Bible. Candelmas is when the baby Jesus made his first public appearance, at a temple forty days after his birth. Prophecies were made about the young boy and how he would one day redeem the nation of Israel.

    But how did this religious festival celebrating the Virgin Mary’s purification following child birth lead to furry rats predicting the weather?

    The answer is all about timing.

    First, when the ancient Romans established Christmas as December 25, Candelmas logically fell forty days later, on February 2. Just as Christmas was changed by the Romans to coincide with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, Candelmas also fell at the time of an important Gaelic holiday, Imbolc.

    This day is also called Saint Brigid’s day for the goddess-turned-saint. She walks the earth and leaves signs of her presence. She is responsible for bringing the light of summer to the darkness of winter.

    So her holiday marked the beginning of spring in medieval Ireland. Imbolc traditions included watching nature for signs of an early spring. Participants might go the fields and look for snakes or badgers that had come out of hibernation.

    So, this springtime holiday of weather prognostication eventually found its way to America, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Germans.

    While they may have been searching for the more traditional harbingers of springtime, which in Europe was the badger or even a bear, they apparently made do with the small creature that now gives its name to this most unusual holiday, the Groundhog.

  • Thank You To Our US And UK Friends

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    I don’t believe it. After more than sixty-something years there will be a reduced number of U.S. and U.K. military personnel in Germany. Not that we have totally minded you being here, it’s just… well, I’m getting ahead of myself.

    Let me see if I can make sense out of this — since you have to go all the way back to May 8, 1945. At the end of World War II, Germany was carved up into pieces by the Allies — the United States being one of them.

    To this very day American military presences are still maintained in Germany, albeit not in the regard they once did back in the late 1940’s. And thanks to the U.S. Government trying to “cut the fat” from its budget during its war in Iraq and Afghanistan, they’re about to reduce their presences in two of their stations.

    For most people, these two are pretty hard to find or guess (that is, if you’re not in the military). Let’s see…

    Ever heard of the town of Grafenwöhr? What about Baumholder, anyone?

    See? Too bad, they’re pretty awesome — and Elvis Presley was stationed in Grafenwöhr when he was there.

    Yes, I’m aware that nothing is written in stone yet, but since three-quarters of the country’s brigades are stationed in Germany, someone’s got to go.

    A German/American alliance is nothing new, BTW. It were the Prussians who helped a newly formed United States of America during the American Revolution in the late 18th century against the Brits.

    The thank-you letter to Prussian officer, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, from George Washington over at Hohenzollern Castle kind of says it all, BTW.

    Oh yeah, speaking of the Brits, we’re grateful for their presence too. But, they too are pulling out some of their troops over the next few years; and will be totally gone by the end of this decade.

    Throughout the decades we’ve suffered together, prospered together, and grown united together. So, it is only fitting that we Germans extend a heart-felt THANK YOU to our British and American friends — whether serving now, or in the past.

    I know that many of you fell in love with Germany, our culture, and the peaceful live you enjoyed here. Well, it is peaceful because of YOU!