Ratingen is located in immediate proximity to Düsseldorf. With more than 90,000 inhabitants the town is middle-sized. People who like being outside in nature, can explore the woods which surround Ratingen. There are many paths for walkers, bikers and people on horseback. Furthermore the recreation parc “Green Lake” and the open air theatre at the “Blue Lake” are popular destinations.The centre of Ratingen is the townplace with its fountain and the surrounding old houses. Three times a week it is market day.  Then it is possible to buy meat, cheese and flowers here. Extremely favored are fresh vegetables and fruits, which are mainly grown on farms in the Ratingen’s environment. In combination with “St. Peter and Paul”, the old church,... Show more

Every country and culture has their own unique way of defining what is proper behavior when meeting someone new. In Germany, you may have seen that people sometimes hug of exchange kisses on the cheek, like the French do. However, it is a recent trend, as  only young people will get as close as that. As a rule of thumb, most Germans will shake hands while bowing their heads a little, kind of like a nod. Another thing to be taken into consideration when greeting someone, is also the rank of the person. The older or higher-ranking person should offer his hand first. If you offer your hand to somebody ranking higher than you, a few will even snub it, but fortunately they are the minority. Of course, a general cultural rule is... Show more

Is Your Coffee as Strong as Your German Apologies? One of the most important things to learn about a language, aside from introductions, is how to apologize in case you find yourself in the unfortunate situation that you need to do so. In the case of German, the most general word of apology is "Entschuldigung“. This literally means "apology“, and it's used in most situations: when you've accidentally done something bad when you want somebody's attention when you want people to make room Keep in mind though, that you should not use it when somebody tells some sad news about themselves, because that is not something you should apologize for – unless you had any stake in it. If you need something stronger than... Show more

Kamp-Linfort is a small town between Duisburg and the Netherlands, about 40 minutes from Düsseldorf, with an interesting past dating to more than 800 years ago. Nowadays, about 60,000 people live here, and they sure love their small town, offering both nature and the benefits of the big cities. The name‘Kamp-Lintfort’ indicates the names of the two original settlements that formed it: 'Kamp' and 'Lintfort'. 'Kamp' was a settlement that succesfully evolved around a French monastery, encouraging the founding of more monasteries, as these ended up extending up to the Baltic states. However, In 1802, Napoleon occupied Kamp and dissolved the monateries. Today, however a few monks are living there again, and the monastery has become a... Show more

Siebenschler is refered to as “Seven Sleepers Day,” which means if it rains on a particular day, the belief is that it will rain seven weeks in succession or the remaining summer days. It reminds people of the Legend of Seven Sleepers and is a German holiday, but particular in the southern parts of Germany. This belief started with the Egyptians five thousand years ago and was adapted by the Romans. However, it was the Christians that used it to connect with their annual weather calendar year. July 7th of each year is the correct date for Seven Sleepers Day except for the Julian calendar’s version. The legend stands that during the Roman Emperor persecution, there were seven young men who were blamed for adapting the Christian... Show more

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Johannistag is Midsummer’s day in Germany. It is held in June of each year and is centered on summer solstice. It is also said to represent the day of John the Baptist. During this time, people were of the impression that the midsummer plants had healing and miraculous powers. The celebration begins with a lit bonfire that is indicative of getting rid of evil spirits who were thought to be on the loose when the sun turned to the south, which was when the midsummer began. In Germany, a decree was issued by the Nuremberg town council on June 20th 1653, which allowed the people of Germany the right to celebrate this occasion around their bonfires as they carried out their superstitious activities of ridding their town of all kinds of... Show more

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