Posts in March 2009

Das Sandmännchen

Posted by Nathalie

Guten abend!

What is your nightly bedtime ritual? Schauen Sie gerne Fern? Oder vielleicht lesen Sie ein bisschen. If you were a child in Germany, you would watch “Das Sandmännchen” (the Sandman) Als kind, freute ich mich immer auf diese Sendung. I used to watch it with my little Schwester, it was part of our nightly bedtime routine. Jeden abend, at 7 o’clock sharp, we would sit down in front of the TV and anxiously await the return of our little Freund. Since we only had three channels, this was about as exciting as it was going to get!

I hope you enjoy the Sandman and his story as much as I did as a child — actually, I still do. Of course, I might add that the melodie ist unvergesslich and is forever embedded in my brain. Just don’t blame me if you can’t get it out of yours!

Note: There are (or there used to be) two Sandmen: a West Sandmännchen (the one I grew up with and that I am sharing with you) and an Ost Sandmännchen. Ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher, aber ich glaube that, after Germany reunited, the Ost Sandmännchen became more popular, and so eventually it was decided, in 1991, that the West Sandmännchen would be retired (such a shame, I miss my Jugendfreund) I guess there was just not enough room for the both of them.

Vokabel:

  • Schauen Sie gerne Fern? - Do you like watching TV?
  • Oder vielleicht lesen Sie ein bisschen - Or maybe, you like to read a little.
  • Als kind, freute ich mich immer auf diese Sendung - As a child, I always looked forward to this program.
  • Schwester - Sister
  • Jeden abend - Each evening.
  • unvergesslich - Unforgettable
  • Ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher, aber ich glaube… - I am not sure, but I believe…
  • Jugendfreund - Childhood friend.

Tschuss, und alles Gute!

Nathalie

 

Some Interesting Facts

Posted by Nathalie

Hallo,

Do you know how many neighbors Germany has? Or maybe you’d like to know the name of its highest mountain. Look no further because I have put this short list of facts together for you; hopefully you’ll find them just as interesting as I did!

  1. Bevölkerung (population) - about 82.3 millions Einwohner (inhabitants); the largest population in Europe
  2. 16 Bundesländer (federal states)
  3. Nationalfeiertag (State holiday) - October 3 (day of German Unity)
  4. Deutsch (German) is the Muttersprache (mother tongue) of over 100 million people
  5. Größte Städte (largest cities):
    • Berlin - 3.4 million inhabitants
    • Hamburg - 1.8 million
    • München (Munich) - 1.3 million
    • Köln (Cologne) - 1 million
    • Frankfurt am Main - 662,000
  6. Höchster Berg (highest mountain) - The Zugspitze 2963 m (9,718 ft)
  7. Längste Flüsse (longest rivers):
    • Rhein - 865 km (537 miles)
    • Elbe - 700 km (435 miles)
    • Donau 647 km (402 miles)
  8. Germany is located in the heart of Europe and has 9 Nachbarstaaten (neighbors):
    • Frankreich (France)
    • Österreich (Austria)
    • Belgien (Belgium)
    • Tschechien (Czech Republic)
    • Dänemark (Denmark)
    • Luxemburg (Luxembourg)
    • Polen (Poland)
    • Niederlande (The Netherlands)
    • Schweiz (Switzerland)
  9. There are around 300 theaters, 130 Berufsorchester (professional orchestras), and 500 Kunstmuseen (art museums)
  10. Every tenth book that is published worldwide is written in German!

If you want more interesting facts about Germany, check out this website: http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/

Tschüss,

Nathalie