German titles (degrees and more)
Germans like their structure and their order and names are not exempt. Don’t even consider jaywalking, but that’s another post. This…
Du, Sie, and ihr – German pronouns and formality
Du kannst ‘du’ benutzen. (pronounced as ‘doo kahnst doo binootzen’). Quick note all pronunciations are in parentheses after the word. English…
Cognates in German: Useful or confusing?
Cognate, as defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, means ‘same or similar in nature’. Applying this definition to languages, cognates are words…
St. Nikolaustag – origin of the stocking?
Imagine: 3 toddlers running around holding an orange screaming “orange!” and “open!”. This year upon finding the tangerine oranges in their…
Samichlaus – the Swiss Santa Claus
Have you ever been to a mall Santa? You wait in line, you sit on their lap, tell them what you…
Christkindlesmarkt – German Christmas Markets
Christmastime in Germany or Switzerland is not complete without a visit to a local Christkindlmarkt. From the Gluhwein to the handmade…
All About Bread in Germany and Switzerland
There’s something different about the bread in Switzerland and Germany. It still tastes and looks like bread. But it’s better. Why…
Swiss Water Fountains
Have you ever been a tourist in a new town and found your water bottle empty? Typically your options are to…
Playgrounds in Switzerland
When traveling with young children, it’s valuable to know where playgrounds are! At one point while traveling Switzerland, my husband and…
Toddlers Favorite Parts of Lucerne
Each city has its own flair and interesting parts. Our trip to Switzerland included a visit to the historical city of…