Author Archives: Clare Dunkle
Der Geist is a ghost. Der Fahrer is a driver. Put them together, and you have a terrible phenomenon but the perfect word to describe it. Der Geisterfahrer drives the wrong way on a divided highway, usually at excessive speeds. …
The Bostalsee
Yesterday, Joe took a half-day holiday. The weather was perfect: 76 degrees F (24 C) and not a cloud in the sky. We wanted to spend it outdoors because the big H on the weather map is drifting south, and …
Noch means something like more, but in an adverbial way, as in the expression children hear from their Omas: “Iss noch!“–“Eat something else!” Wieder means again, as in the expression everybody knows even if they don’t know its exact meaning: …
Leaf Fall
The leaves have started to change in Germany. That’s a very big deal to this Texas girl because where I come from the leaves don’t bother to fall off the trees until spring. We rake live oak leaves from February …
Last night on Tatort, Inspector Borowski of Kiel had his hands full when eine Leiche showed up in a septic system. Then, not five minutes later, up popped another one, and before the show was over, Inspector Borowski himself had …
By Bread Alone
The other day, we asked a man who had lived in Germany for many years what he missed most when he went back to America. Without hesitation, he answered, “The bread.” He was probably thinking of breakfasts like this one, …
If die Jagd is a hunt, then die Schnitzeljagd is a hunt for schnitzels, right? This makes perfect sense to me–I’m on a hunt for the best Rahmschnitzel (schnitzel in cream sauce) money can buy. But no, that’s not quite …
Zwiebelkuchen
Just like many an American who shops in the German stores close to base, I have been looking at this sign next to the supermarket off the Opel circle for years now, and every time I’ve seen it, I’ve said: …
The other night, my husband almost ran over an Igel who was out foraging at night. Yesterday, completely by coincidence, my daughter bought an Igel as a pet. What is this mysterious little animal? Here’s a hint: just about every …
Wandering among the Vines
Last weekend, Joe and I visited Freinsheim along with Rainer and Heidi and some of their good friends. Freinsheim is a picturesque little town surrounded by vineyards and orchards just off the Deutsche Weinstrasse, and this was the weekend of …