Europa-Park

If you've already ridden the white knuckle rides at Alton Towers or sampled the thrills and spills on offer at Eurodisney then you might be ready to pay a visit to Europa-Park, Germany's biggest theme park.

The park is located In the beautiful Black Forest (Schwarzwald) between the cities of Freiburg and Strasbourg, not too far from the border with France.

The park has roller coasters galore to choose from, including Europe's first wooden roller coaster. For younger children there is Hansel and Gretel's Lebkuchenhaus, with a strong Germanic flavour. Fans of fairy tales can go to the Grimm Library to see the magic mirror and talking furniture and even take part in an interactive story along with other visitors.

To find out more about the park you can visit their website.

Here is a taste of the amazing attractions the park has to offer:

The Smart Choice - German at Primary Schools in the UK

This 10 minute clip from the Goethe Institute helps explain why it is so important to learn German.


 

Wort der Woche: Feuerwerk

In Great Britain many children are getting ready for Bonfire Night, November 5th. On this night you will see and hear the bright colours and loud explosive noises of hundreds of Feuerwerke in the evening skies.


German people tend to buy Feuerwerke at the end of December to mark their New Year's Eve festivities. In fact in a year they set off over 30,000 tonnes of fireworks.


Feuerwerke is pronounced Foy-uh- verker.

These are some of the fireworks which are popular at German parties.

Raketen

Chinaböller

und Sternspritzer

St Martins Laternen

The lanterns carried in processions on St Martin's Day are colourful and bright and no two are the same. Here are a few examples:

St Martin's Day

November 11th is widely celebrated in Germany because it is the day when St Martin is remembered and revered.

St Martin was a knight in Roman times and one cold winter's day he was out riding on his horse. He saw a beggar at the roadside and took pity on him. The story goes that St Martin used his sword to cut his cloak in two and he gifted one half of the cloak to the shivering soul at the side of the road.

In some parts of Germany St Martin's Day is schulfrei, in other words there is no school. For German children St Martin's Day is a day to look forward to. When it gets dark, children wrap up warm and join their friends and other children in lantern processions. Many children have prepared home made lanterns which they take with them. They sing special songs and eat sweet bread rolls shaped like little men, called Weckmann. Sometimes there is a bonfire or children may go from door to door and they might be given small treats like cakes or sweets.

St Martin's Day lanterns are usually made of paper and lit by candlelight.

Skifahren in Deutschland

Germany's mountains may be smaller than those in neighbouring Austria and Switzerland, but Bavarian ski resorts provide excellent skiing and hospitality.

Many German children live in or near Alpine ski resorts and cold, snowy winters mean that they can spend winter holidays perfecting the art of skiing. 

Can you guess the meanings of these German words? 

Skiort

Skilift

Skijacke

Skistiefel

A Skiort is a place where you can go skiing. It is usually a mountain village next to a series of snow covered slopes with a network of lifts connecting the slopes. You will usually find busy mountain cafés selling tasty hot snacks and warming drinks, and shops offering a range of ski equipment and clothes. One of the most famous German ski resorts is Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria.

If you want to get to the top of a ski slope, carrying a pair of heavy skis, the best way to get there is on a Skilift. There are cable cars, chair lifts, poma lifts and gondolas. A poma is a special disc which you put between your legs and sit on while it pulls you up the mountainside. Excellent fun!

No self-respecting skier would venture down a ski slope without a decent Skijacke and a sturdy pair of Skistiefel. Although the Skistiefel are difficult to walk in, they are comfortable and protective when skiing and probably prevent many broken bones. A Skijacke is warm and waterproof and will keep your top half dry when you fall over into a pile of snow. Which everyone does.

  

Germans are enthusiastic skiers and love the party atmosphere you get at lively ski resorts. They are welcoming and friendly places where you can relax in good company and spend time outside, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise. If you ever get the chance, have a go!

Der Nikolaus

Find out more about the generous 2nd century Turkish bishop who became a saint and whose name day is widely celebrated in many European countries.

O Nikolaus

This is a simple song in German about St Nicolas who comes to visit good children in Germany, Austria and many other European countries on the night before der Nikolaustag (December 6th). He leaves sweet treats and small gifts in their boots if they leave them out for him. Naughty children are visited by Krampus who leaves coal and twigs in their boots.

Wort der Woche: Apfel



This ancient fruit is known the world over. Der Apfel ist rund, saftig und süß; round, juicy and sweet.



Used throughout Germany this humble fruit provides refreshing juice (Apfelsaft) and glasses of foaming cider (Apfelmost) and is an important ingredient in many cakes and puddings. One of the most famousof these is Apfelstrudel which is so well known it goes by its German name in many non German-speaking countries.

 

Apfelstrudel is a Viennese pastry, with a juicy filling made of apples spiced with cinnamon and flavoured with sharp lemon juice and sweet rum. The whole cake is dusted with icing sugar and usually served witha good Austrian coffee. To find out how to make this delicious teatime treat, click here.

Can you work out what this proverb means?
Einen Apfel pro Tag, mit dem Doktor keine Plag.

I think you might have guessed this one. The english version is: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Wort der Woche: Silber

Silber is the colour of the medal for the second best competitor in a sporting event. It is the precious metal used to make Schmuck ( rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches). A Silberschmied uses traditional techniques to make items from Silber.

An German proverb claims that Reden ist Silber, Schweigen ist Gold. Although speaking (Reden) is deemed valuable enough for silver, it comes second place to silence (Schweigen). And a married couple who reach the dizzy heights of 25 years of marriage may celebrate their silberne Hochzeit.

Silberweiß could be used to describe moonlight, and the white willow is known in German as die Silber-Weide.