#31 Travelogue Germany: Berlin
Berlin has changed a lot over the years as it became the capital of reunified Germany. It’s a very creative city (see the pictures).
1990-2000: The wild years
The economy of ex-communist East Germany collapsed and many Easterners went to the West for work. East Berlin was full of abandoned houses and life was cheap. Subcultures thrived in squatted houses and hidden, illegal bars.
2000-2010: “Poor but sexy”…
… is how the mayor famously described Berlin. The city’s easygoing atmosphere had become very popular. It was the “party capital” and Berlin set new trends in art, music and film.
2010-2020: Gentrification
One district after the other became more expensive and less exciting. Investors bought up lots of houses and ordinary people could no longer pay the high rents.
---Vocab---
📍reunified = together again 📍subculture = culture of one group in society 📍thrive = be strong and healthy 📍squat = illegally occupy a house
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Berlin has changed a lot over the years as it became the capital of reunified Germany. It’s a very creative city (see the pictures).
1990-2000: The wild years
The economy of ex-communist East Germany collapsed and many Easterners went to the West for work. East Berlin was full of abandoned houses and life was cheap. Subcultures thrived in squatted houses and hidden, illegal bars.
2000-2010: “Poor but sexy”…
… is how the mayor famously described Berlin. The city’s easygoing atmosphere had become very popular. It was the “party capital” and Berlin set new trends in art, music and film.
2010-2020: Gentrification
One district after the other became more expensive and less exciting. Investors bought up lots of houses and ordinary people could no longer pay the high rents.
---Vocab---
📍reunified = together again 📍subculture = culture of one group in society 📍thrive = be strong and healthy 📍squat = illegally occupy a house
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#32 Travelogue Germany: Patriotism
Patriotism, or I should probably say the lack of it, is always an interesting topic when it comes to Germany. Interesting because Germans are so ambivalent about it. Let’s explore three German concepts:
“Erbsünde”
This means basically “inherited sin” – a sin that isn’t actually your own but your parents’ or grandparents’. What sin could that be? Of course it’s about Nazi Germany.
“Lokalpatriotismus”
“Local patriotism” can be the better kind of patriotism, at least for Germans. They can be very proud of their “Heimat”, i.e. hometown, and rarely try to hide their dialect.
“König Fußball”
“King Football” has proven to be an effective remedy for Germans’ lack of self-love. Especially since Germany’s 2006 World Cup it’s completely okay to wave German flags again, but for football only.
---Vocab---
📍ambivalent = unsure about one’s feelings 📍remedy = medicine 📍wave (verb) = move sth from side to side
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Patriotism, or I should probably say the lack of it, is always an interesting topic when it comes to Germany. Interesting because Germans are so ambivalent about it. Let’s explore three German concepts:
“Erbsünde”
This means basically “inherited sin” – a sin that isn’t actually your own but your parents’ or grandparents’. What sin could that be? Of course it’s about Nazi Germany.
“Lokalpatriotismus”
“Local patriotism” can be the better kind of patriotism, at least for Germans. They can be very proud of their “Heimat”, i.e. hometown, and rarely try to hide their dialect.
“König Fußball”
“King Football” has proven to be an effective remedy for Germans’ lack of self-love. Especially since Germany’s 2006 World Cup it’s completely okay to wave German flags again, but for football only.
---Vocab---
📍ambivalent = unsure about one’s feelings 📍remedy = medicine 📍wave (verb) = move sth from side to side
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#46 Travelogue Germany: Psychomarkets
When you go to the outdoor market you buy what you need, but when you go to a supermarket you somehow always buy more than you actually need. What’s going on there?
It's psychology. Here’s what German supermarkets do:
Braking zone
People want to save time. Some supermarkets put messy shelves full of special offers right at the entrance to slow customers down and make them forget what they wanted to buy.
Eye-level displays
People are lazy. They don’t want to stretch or bow down to the ground. As you can see, the products placed on our eye-level are more expensive.
Keep right
People usually keep right, not only when driving but also when walking. Most supermarkets make you move towards the checkout in an anti-clockwise direction so you need more time to find your way out.
They have more tricks, read about them here.
---Vocab---
📍stretch = make your arms/legs long 📍checkout = where you pay
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
When you go to the outdoor market you buy what you need, but when you go to a supermarket you somehow always buy more than you actually need. What’s going on there?
It's psychology. Here’s what German supermarkets do:
Braking zone
People want to save time. Some supermarkets put messy shelves full of special offers right at the entrance to slow customers down and make them forget what they wanted to buy.
Eye-level displays
People are lazy. They don’t want to stretch or bow down to the ground. As you can see, the products placed on our eye-level are more expensive.
Keep right
People usually keep right, not only when driving but also when walking. Most supermarkets make you move towards the checkout in an anti-clockwise direction so you need more time to find your way out.
They have more tricks, read about them here.
---Vocab---
📍stretch = make your arms/legs long 📍checkout = where you pay
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#47 Travelogue Germany: Political stickers
Walk through any university town in Germany and you’ll find these little stickers on lamp-posts, traffic light poles, bus stops and so on. It’s a form of political activism. What are the messages? Mainly these three:
Anti-capitalism
Capitalism makes rich people richer and poor people poorer and is therefore the root of all injustice in the world. Bring back communism!
Environmentalism
There are two ways to save the climate – back to nature or geoengineering. Let’s choose ‘back to nature’ and criticise consumers and governments!
Anarchism
Wouldn’t you like to live in a country without government or in a world without countries? Oh and no police either. Total freedom, that is!
---Vocab---
📍lamp-post = poles to hold street lights 📍pole = long stick made of metal or wood 📍activism = trying to change society for the better 📍geoengineering = changing the climate with technology
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Walk through any university town in Germany and you’ll find these little stickers on lamp-posts, traffic light poles, bus stops and so on. It’s a form of political activism. What are the messages? Mainly these three:
Anti-capitalism
Capitalism makes rich people richer and poor people poorer and is therefore the root of all injustice in the world. Bring back communism!
Environmentalism
There are two ways to save the climate – back to nature or geoengineering. Let’s choose ‘back to nature’ and criticise consumers and governments!
Anarchism
Wouldn’t you like to live in a country without government or in a world without countries? Oh and no police either. Total freedom, that is!
---Vocab---
📍lamp-post = poles to hold street lights 📍pole = long stick made of metal or wood 📍activism = trying to change society for the better 📍geoengineering = changing the climate with technology
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#48 Travelogue Germany: Berlin Airport
Germans are known for their punctuality and planning skills, or are they? The story of Berlin’s new airport is a different story:
Bureaucracy
Rules and standards above all else. In another country they might have just opened the airport anyway and solve the little problems later, but not so in Germany.
Cost explosion
The cost of the airport was three times higher than estimated. Some of the construction was of low quality and there were plenty of scandals.
Delays
Construction began in 2006 but it was opened in 2020. That’s fourteen years. By contrast, Beijing’s new airport is several times bigger than Berlin’s and was built in just five years.
In the end it’s still a beautiful, modern and much needed airport.
---Vocab---
📍estimate = guess 📍scandal = bad behaviour that shocks people
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germans are known for their punctuality and planning skills, or are they? The story of Berlin’s new airport is a different story:
Bureaucracy
Rules and standards above all else. In another country they might have just opened the airport anyway and solve the little problems later, but not so in Germany.
Cost explosion
The cost of the airport was three times higher than estimated. Some of the construction was of low quality and there were plenty of scandals.
Delays
Construction began in 2006 but it was opened in 2020. That’s fourteen years. By contrast, Beijing’s new airport is several times bigger than Berlin’s and was built in just five years.
In the end it’s still a beautiful, modern and much needed airport.
---Vocab---
📍estimate = guess 📍scandal = bad behaviour that shocks people
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#55 Travelogue Germany: Election time
Tomorrow is Germany’s general election and chancellor Merkel will step down after 16 years in office. Which party would you vote for?
⚫️ The Christian Democrats (CDU)
Merkel’s conservative party – a symbol of stability and tradition but no vision for the future.
🔴 The Social Democrats (SPD)
The party that helped Merkel stay in power but actually wants more social justice for low-income citizens.
🟢 The Green Party (Grüne)
The party of environmentalists and climate activists. They’re big now and want to save the planet by starting in Germany.
🟡 The Liberal Democrats (FDP)
They want a small, business-friendly government.
🔵 The Alternative for Germany (AfD)
The populist anti-immigration party that wants to give Germany back to the German people.
🟣 The Left Party (Linke)
Diehard communists mostly from the former communist East.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Tomorrow is Germany’s general election and chancellor Merkel will step down after 16 years in office. Which party would you vote for?
⚫️ The Christian Democrats (CDU)
Merkel’s conservative party – a symbol of stability and tradition but no vision for the future.
🔴 The Social Democrats (SPD)
The party that helped Merkel stay in power but actually wants more social justice for low-income citizens.
🟢 The Green Party (Grüne)
The party of environmentalists and climate activists. They’re big now and want to save the planet by starting in Germany.
🟡 The Liberal Democrats (FDP)
They want a small, business-friendly government.
🔵 The Alternative for Germany (AfD)
The populist anti-immigration party that wants to give Germany back to the German people.
🟣 The Left Party (Linke)
Diehard communists mostly from the former communist East.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#56 Travelogue Germany: The Green Republic
Germany is already pretty green and is set to become even greener with the Green Party’s likely role in the future government. Let’s look at a few past achievements:
Renewable energy
About half of all the energy used in Germany comes from renewable sources, such as wind power and solar power. The countryside is dotted with wind turbines and many people have solar panels on their roofs.
Bottle refund
Littering the nature with empty bottles is a costly habit in Germany. When you return your empty bottles to the supermarket you get a bit of money back. Unfortunately the system is quite complicated and fails to reduce the amount of rubbish.
Single-use plastics
You can’t easily find single-use plastic spoons or cups, it’s all been outlawed. Alternatives are made from cardboard or wood, and sometimes you can even find edible plates. But then again, how much of a difference do these items make in the great scheme of things?
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germany is already pretty green and is set to become even greener with the Green Party’s likely role in the future government. Let’s look at a few past achievements:
Renewable energy
About half of all the energy used in Germany comes from renewable sources, such as wind power and solar power. The countryside is dotted with wind turbines and many people have solar panels on their roofs.
Bottle refund
Littering the nature with empty bottles is a costly habit in Germany. When you return your empty bottles to the supermarket you get a bit of money back. Unfortunately the system is quite complicated and fails to reduce the amount of rubbish.
Single-use plastics
You can’t easily find single-use plastic spoons or cups, it’s all been outlawed. Alternatives are made from cardboard or wood, and sometimes you can even find edible plates. But then again, how much of a difference do these items make in the great scheme of things?
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#59 Travelogue Germany: Cycling in Germany
You thought Germany was a nation of cars but today it is just as much a nation of bicycles. How so?
Bike paths
There’s a whole network of roads that are not for cars but for bikes. You can get special maps for cycling.
Bike compartments
Should I take the train or the bike? You can do both at the same time. Even on the metro!
Signposting
If you don’t have a map just follow the arrows and you’ll be fine. You can also see the distance to your destination in kilometres.
Equipment
Germans are serious cyclists. Most of them wear helmets and bright-coloured clothes for better visibility.
eBikes
Nowadays you may get overtaken by some old geezers. How do they do it? A lot of them have eBikes now that are battery-powered.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
You thought Germany was a nation of cars but today it is just as much a nation of bicycles. How so?
Bike paths
There’s a whole network of roads that are not for cars but for bikes. You can get special maps for cycling.
Bike compartments
Should I take the train or the bike? You can do both at the same time. Even on the metro!
Signposting
If you don’t have a map just follow the arrows and you’ll be fine. You can also see the distance to your destination in kilometres.
Equipment
Germans are serious cyclists. Most of them wear helmets and bright-coloured clothes for better visibility.
eBikes
Nowadays you may get overtaken by some old geezers. How do they do it? A lot of them have eBikes now that are battery-powered.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#61 Travelogue Germany: The covid controversy
Germans seem to have different opinions about how to deal with covid:
1. Local governments
No matter which political party, all local governments remind people of the need to wear masks and get vaccinated.
2. Shops
Businesses want to show how much they care. Cash is now unhygienic and paper slips can help you avoid touching the surface of a trolley.
3. Public transport
Catching corona on a crowded train is a horror scenario that must be avoided with strict mask mandates and ritual hand sanitising.
4. Vaccines for all
Some activists demand that vaccines be available to all people in the world, free from commercial interests.
5. Freedom fighters
Some see in the covid thing a road into a dystopian future where everyone is controlled all the time.
Where people stand doesn’t depend on covid but on who they trusted in the first place – the government, companies or themselves.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germans seem to have different opinions about how to deal with covid:
1. Local governments
No matter which political party, all local governments remind people of the need to wear masks and get vaccinated.
2. Shops
Businesses want to show how much they care. Cash is now unhygienic and paper slips can help you avoid touching the surface of a trolley.
3. Public transport
Catching corona on a crowded train is a horror scenario that must be avoided with strict mask mandates and ritual hand sanitising.
4. Vaccines for all
Some activists demand that vaccines be available to all people in the world, free from commercial interests.
5. Freedom fighters
Some see in the covid thing a road into a dystopian future where everyone is controlled all the time.
Where people stand doesn’t depend on covid but on who they trusted in the first place – the government, companies or themselves.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#65 Travelogue Germany: The German Mittelstand
Germany is smaller on the map than it is in people’s minds. This has to do with its economy. It’s actually not the big multinational corporations and brands, it’s the small and medium-sized companies known as “Mittelstand” – the backbone of the German economy.
Specialisation
Mittelstand companies are very specialised. They may produce only a few types of things but do this so well that they are among the best in their field.
Decentralisation
Even villages have their own industrial parks. They provide a lot of jobs to the people and taxes to the government.
Globalisation
Germany has benefitted a lot from international trade and has a huge trade surplus as Germany exports more than it imports.
There are challenges though. More of the “hidden champions” of the German economy are found in the West than in the East. And as part of the ‘old economy’ they rely on others for their technological development.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germany is smaller on the map than it is in people’s minds. This has to do with its economy. It’s actually not the big multinational corporations and brands, it’s the small and medium-sized companies known as “Mittelstand” – the backbone of the German economy.
Specialisation
Mittelstand companies are very specialised. They may produce only a few types of things but do this so well that they are among the best in their field.
Decentralisation
Even villages have their own industrial parks. They provide a lot of jobs to the people and taxes to the government.
Globalisation
Germany has benefitted a lot from international trade and has a huge trade surplus as Germany exports more than it imports.
There are challenges though. More of the “hidden champions” of the German economy are found in the West than in the East. And as part of the ‘old economy’ they rely on others for their technological development.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#68 Travelogue Germany: East vs West
On my last visit to Berlin I saw the new city castle, and that’s a pretty nice little case study of German history in one spot. It’s also quite controversial.
The war
The castle was part of Berlin’s impressive cityscape. Sadly, much of it was destroyed in the war and the new communist government of East Germany decided to demolish it.
East Germany
A new “Palace of the Republic” was built in the castle’s place. The ugly rectangular building housed the East German parliament.
Reunification
The Palace of the Republic was found to contain poisonous asbestos and rich West Berliners wanted the castle back. Despite protests from Easterners the ‘Palace’ was knocked down and a modern version of the castle was built.
Was it right to erase East German history to build a beautiful but somehow ahistorical castle?
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
On my last visit to Berlin I saw the new city castle, and that’s a pretty nice little case study of German history in one spot. It’s also quite controversial.
The war
The castle was part of Berlin’s impressive cityscape. Sadly, much of it was destroyed in the war and the new communist government of East Germany decided to demolish it.
East Germany
A new “Palace of the Republic” was built in the castle’s place. The ugly rectangular building housed the East German parliament.
Reunification
The Palace of the Republic was found to contain poisonous asbestos and rich West Berliners wanted the castle back. Despite protests from Easterners the ‘Palace’ was knocked down and a modern version of the castle was built.
Was it right to erase East German history to build a beautiful but somehow ahistorical castle?
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#72 Travelogue Germany: Weird products
People lack very little in an advanced economy like Germany but, damn, they don’t know that! They need all kinds of peculiar products. Let’s take a look at some:
Stamped vegetables
Save the planet? Don’t use labels then, plastic or paper, all bad.
Covid soft toys
You feel that covid is so much more than just a virus and the vaccine is really THE vaccine? Cuddle up to these little life changers.
Rainbow hand cream
Can’t get proud enough of LGBT? Celebrate every day with a specially themed hand cream.
Flood bread
Do something good for flood victims, your local bakery and yourself all at once? That’s well worth a few extra pennies.
Cheese melting dome
You’re upset that your cheese on the grill refuses to melt while the meat under it gets burnt? Get yourself some professional gear.
Dog poop bags
Wanna walk your dog like a pro? Get a roll of dog poop bags in a cute little container.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
People lack very little in an advanced economy like Germany but, damn, they don’t know that! They need all kinds of peculiar products. Let’s take a look at some:
Stamped vegetables
Save the planet? Don’t use labels then, plastic or paper, all bad.
Covid soft toys
You feel that covid is so much more than just a virus and the vaccine is really THE vaccine? Cuddle up to these little life changers.
Rainbow hand cream
Can’t get proud enough of LGBT? Celebrate every day with a specially themed hand cream.
Flood bread
Do something good for flood victims, your local bakery and yourself all at once? That’s well worth a few extra pennies.
Cheese melting dome
You’re upset that your cheese on the grill refuses to melt while the meat under it gets burnt? Get yourself some professional gear.
Dog poop bags
Wanna walk your dog like a pro? Get a roll of dog poop bags in a cute little container.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#76 Travelogue Germany: Greener than Green
Germans have always been sure about one thing – to save the world you have to start at home. Under Hitler it was about saving the human race from degeneration and in the pandemic Germans have proven to be particularly zealous about combatting the virus with tons of rules. But let’s focus on the good side of that same coin – the environment!
Renewable energy
Half of the electricity produced comes from renewable sources like wind and solar energy. You can see many houses that have solar panels on their roof.
Cyclism
Riding a bike is no sign of poverty in Germany. On the contrary, it shows that you care about the environment and your health.
Climate action
Some people, especially young and left-leaning ones, demand more government action when it comes to climate change.
You could praise the Germans for their commitment to save the world, but you could also argue that they moralise and lack real-life problems.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germans have always been sure about one thing – to save the world you have to start at home. Under Hitler it was about saving the human race from degeneration and in the pandemic Germans have proven to be particularly zealous about combatting the virus with tons of rules. But let’s focus on the good side of that same coin – the environment!
Renewable energy
Half of the electricity produced comes from renewable sources like wind and solar energy. You can see many houses that have solar panels on their roof.
Cyclism
Riding a bike is no sign of poverty in Germany. On the contrary, it shows that you care about the environment and your health.
Climate action
Some people, especially young and left-leaning ones, demand more government action when it comes to climate change.
You could praise the Germans for their commitment to save the world, but you could also argue that they moralise and lack real-life problems.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Forwarded from Hoffmann's Old Travelogue
Travelogue 🇩🇪Germany #30: Race track
▶️ Germany has two major race tracks (=special road used for racing), and one of them is here in the middle of a hilly nowhere, about an hour from Cologne. Not that I'm into (=I like) motorsports but the area is quite impressive and car racing has a place in Germany, the home country of cars.
Nürburgring has a history of 100 years and almost every curve (=part of a road that turns left or right) there has a name. It is also among the deadlier tracks in the world with casualties (=victims, dead people) in the hundreds (=several hundred). Formula 1 races used to be there and will possibly return in some years to come.
Interestingly they built a rollercoaster (=mini train that people ride for fun) that goes through a building but after completion never got clearance (=permission) from Germany's rather tough technical inspection (=checking) organisation "TÜV".
#travel #germany
▶️ Germany has two major race tracks (=special road used for racing), and one of them is here in the middle of a hilly nowhere, about an hour from Cologne. Not that I'm into (=I like) motorsports but the area is quite impressive and car racing has a place in Germany, the home country of cars.
Nürburgring has a history of 100 years and almost every curve (=part of a road that turns left or right) there has a name. It is also among the deadlier tracks in the world with casualties (=victims, dead people) in the hundreds (=several hundred). Formula 1 races used to be there and will possibly return in some years to come.
Interestingly they built a rollercoaster (=mini train that people ride for fun) that goes through a building but after completion never got clearance (=permission) from Germany's rather tough technical inspection (=checking) organisation "TÜV".
#travel #germany
Forwarded from Hoffmann's Travelogue (Joho)
Travelogue 🇩🇪Germany #3: Visit to a primary school
▶️ My beautiful friend Käthe showed me around her not that beautiful primary school in Berlin:
1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ The buildings with front and back yard
4️⃣ 5️⃣ 6️⃣ The classroom where she teaches her 6th-graders
7️⃣ 8️⃣ 9️⃣ The entrance area with project displays (=things to show)
🔟 The teachers' lounge (=comfortable public room)
What's interesting? The school is named, not numbered. It's not a fancy (=beautiful and rich) place but you can feel that pupils are most important people here. They do lots of projects, have extracurricular (=in addition to classes) activities (8) and can campaign (=convince the public) for things they want the school should buy for them (9).
📍Berlin, Germany
👉Hoffmann's Travelogue👈 #germany #society #friends
▶️ My beautiful friend Käthe showed me around her not that beautiful primary school in Berlin:
1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ The buildings with front and back yard
4️⃣ 5️⃣ 6️⃣ The classroom where she teaches her 6th-graders
7️⃣ 8️⃣ 9️⃣ The entrance area with project displays (=things to show)
🔟 The teachers' lounge (=comfortable public room)
What's interesting? The school is named, not numbered. It's not a fancy (=beautiful and rich) place but you can feel that pupils are most important people here. They do lots of projects, have extracurricular (=in addition to classes) activities (8) and can campaign (=convince the public) for things they want the school should buy for them (9).
📍Berlin, Germany
👉Hoffmann's Travelogue👈 #germany #society #friends