Monthly Archives: February 2015

Today my students and I journeyed to one of the must-see sites in Leipzig: the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei. The site bears ample witness to Leipzig’s historical importance as a center for German industry.  A Baumwollspinnerei is a “cotton spinning plant.” The Leipzig Baumwollspinnerei dates from 1884. … Continue reading →

So a quick preposition question for anyone reading who is fluent in German.  What is the right preposition to use when you want to say that something is “better than _____”? My German dictionary makes me think that als is the … Continue reading →

Vaterlandsliebend means “love of country,” and it’s the word I chose after our visit yesterday to the Monument to the Battle of the Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal) in Leipzig. At various points during our visit I thought that the monument might better be labeled monument … Continue reading →

Yesterday was extraordinary.  Before coming to Leipzig I had heard many good things about the local zoo. Suffice to say that our time at the Leipzig Tiergarten surpassed all my expectations.  It’s not going too far to say that after over … Continue reading →

I’m going to risk being wrong with today’s Words of the Day, my attempt to translate the English phrase “Boys’ day out” into some sort of German equivalent.  I’m confident that the genitive plural Jungen is correct, but German confounds the … Continue reading →

This afternoon I had the pleasure of taking my first real “ramble” in Leipzig.  I love rambling.  When I don’t have so many kids to take care of (my own, not my college students) I dream of doing long weekend … Continue reading →

It’s been a while since I’ve posted any reflections on the German language.  There is one in particular I’ve been considering the last few days.  Recently I began reading a wonderful book by Stephen Pinker, The Sense of Style: the Thinking … Continue reading →

The last few days have been quite busy, with two days in Weimar and Eisenach.  I had good internet access, but the hustle and bustle of traveling makes for tiring evenings, so I opted to wait until I was back … Continue reading →

Today Tara and I enjoyed the company of two of our dear friends, Calvin and Alicia Groen. It’s been a thrill catching up with them after nearly 15 years apart.  Today’s word of the day, Freundschaft, means “friendship,” and times like … Continue reading →

Today’s blog post will be short.  In a Study Abroad semester you sometimes encounter days that are, well, mundane. The German word for “mundane” is alltäglich. No exciting adventures, no curious happenings that have me wondering more deeply about the world. … Continue reading →