Monthly Archives: December 2011
Winter Begins
In one of my happiest childhood memories, it is nighttime in north Texas, and I am standing with my brother Anthony in the middle of the street in the thickest snowfall I have ever seen. Enormous, fluffy flakes, pink in …
A couple of weeks ago, we learned what German lumberjacks say, but what about German stores or restaurants that need to warn patrons about hazards like low ceilings? The polite word of warning in these situations is “Vorsicht!” From vor …
‘Tis the Season
Ask someone to give you a one-word description of a German Christmas market, and that word will probably be “Glühwein.” You’ll find this hot spiced wine drink, pronounced “glue-vine,” wherever people are outdoors in the cold. At French markets, look …
Last night, as I was wandering through my local German grocery store, looking for interesting products to try, I came across Thunfisch Brotaufstrich. What is that? Let’s break it down. Der Thunfisch is pretty self-explanatory: it’s tuna. Das Brot is …
The Pillar of Angels
The most beautiful sight in the Strasbourg Cathedral is a tall, slender pillar surrounded by graceful statues. It seems impossible that such a delicate structure could hold up a cathedral roof, but this pillar, called the Pillar of Angels or …
Last night, Joe and I were watching a show on Bavarian lumberjacks. “This is great!” I said. “Now I’ll learn how Germans say ‘Timber!’” And how do Germans say “Timber”? They yell, “Obacht!” Die Obacht means care or attention, so …
Inside Strasbourg Cathedral
Cathedrals look like rooms. But they act like cities. Take the Strasbourg Cathedral, for instance. I walk inside the door, and I say to myself, “This is nothing but a very large room. It has the same thing cathedrals always …
This weekend, my daughter chuckled over my using entspannen in an English sentence. But I love the word! The verb spannen means to tighten, stress, stretch, or otherwise put tension on something. The prefix ent- suggests something at a distance. …
A Prodigy of Grandeur and Delicacy
Did I say we would be going inside the Strasbourg Cathedral on Friday? I lied. It’s Monday, and we’re still lingering on the steps. But I can’t help it. The facade of this cathedral is one of the most beautiful …
This weekend, I opened up my Rheinland-Pfalz bus-and-train circular and learned that the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums in Mannheim are hosting an exhibition that will run until late April dedicated to der Schädel. More than 300 items are on display: carved, painted, …