For the month of July, Laney, the 16-year-old daughter of a close friend, came to visit us on her own. She had one request: Please, speak only English with me. At the end of July, we sat down for a brief interview to talk about her month-long English immersion experience here in the US.
Laney lives in a French-speaking town in Switzerland. She has a very good knowledge of school English. She also came with a lot of enthusiasm. I also asked her about the progress she felt she had made. (This is not a photo of Laney.)
Tell me a little about yourself:
I am 16, and maybe in what you call grade 11 in the US. My native language is French, but I go to a French-German bilingual school and also speak German. I love reading and running.
Are you a shy person?
Depends on the person I'm with, sometimes I'm more and sometimes less extrovert or introvert. At home I'm medium.
What is your background in English?
Oh, English was always there. I started in English day care. We did songs and little games. In primary school, I had English for six years as a subject, but also private lessons and group lessons.
For English classes in my school now, we read literature, do grammar exercises and speaking exercises. Our teacher speaks German as a native language, but never uses German or French in class. His English has an American accent because he went to university in the US.
Literature: We read books, do quizzes about the story. We discuss what we think about it, share opinions and write essays about philosophical questions. For example, we read The Giver by Lois Lowry. We looked at the film. And as a project, the class had to create a film about it.
Grammar: We have grammar books with homework exercises to practice. The teacher goes fast over the topics. I think grammar is helpful. But sometimes you need to search for more rules to understand it. Rules help at the beginning. But when you talk you can't think. It just sounds right because you said it so often.
Speaking: We do presentations and the teacher makes us speak a lot. In class he puts us into groups to debate topics and questions, why you like something, and why you don't.
What has improved the most for you with the English immersion here in the US?
Just to be in the US has improved my English a lot. Especially conversations. I was forced to understand what other people said and I needed to speak so that they can understand.
In class at home, students don't use the words that people use in conversations here. Actually, I often feel that my classmates don't really like English. They have a French accent, can't seem to get off it. Native German speakers have a better accent in English. The French really hang on to their French accents! Maybe they think it's charming?
I listen a lot to podcasts and audio books but the language is also different from conversations.
What has been the most difficult about English here?
The most difficult thing? Making mistakes. I say something, then I hear that it's a mistake, but I can't take it back. I've said it!
Mistakes that I do the most: not get the ending right for the 3rd person, to add the -s. That is really hard for me. I often just don't do it.
Any words or expressions that you found especially puzzling?
Yes, there are a few things that people said and I could not figure out:
> Something is "low key". (meaning, relaxed, not stressed) > That's "101". (meaning, introductory, beginning level) > The question, what's your "ETA"? (meaning, estimated time of arrival) > Someone would be talking, and then say "Period." (meaning, definitely, that's final) > The difference between "grapes" and "raisins". In French we use "raisins" for "grapes".
What has been the easiest for you during your English immersion here in the US?
I don't need to make a big effort to speak, I just did it. Well, I like English better than French. That is about using the language. For me: when you say something in English it sounds better. French is good when you write and so, but English is a friendlier language.
Did you notice customs that are different from home?
Yes, people are friendlier. It's easier to have contact at the beginning. We spent most of the month in a mountain village with tennis courts, a pond for swimming, restaurants with an outside terrace.
So it was easy to meet others my age. But when I thought I made plans to get together with a girl my age, she didn't show up. This happened twice, with two different people. If you do that in Switzerland it is really bizarre. So I don't know.
Restaurants: The Caesar salad in the US is different. For example, in Switzerland, you automatically get the chicken, here you have to pay more for it.
Shopping: When you shop clothes, they have candy at the check out, even at clothing stores like Old Navy and Primark. Not in Switzerland. The supermarkets have a lot of processed food, so many more here than in Switzerland. We know that, it's not surprising.
Why are you learning English?
I like language, I like to speak in other countries without using my phone or a translation app. Maybe I'll study in the US later.
It's good for our brain plasticity to switch between languages. I like to do a little bit of everything. Mathematics, music, languages, they are different skills. I like all of them, they are fun.
This was my first time really immersed in English. Two weeks are short to be immersed. One month is pretty good. There are days that are better than others. There were days when I made so many mistakes. But you learn that way too.
Any advice for language learners?
Do lists of expressions of words that are more difficult. Use a little notebook. Put the list on your phone. Talk with people. I managed to get together with people my age, that made it fun and interesting.
Thank you, Laney! So, you're flying back home tomorrow. We're going to miss you! Have good flight!
Understanding Swiss German dialects is a real challenge for German learners. But they are not alone: Even German natives often have great difficulties with some Swiss German dialects.
When traveling in Switzerland, hearing different languages spoken is just part of the experience. Sitting in a café, riding on a tram, going by train, standing in a chairlift line, walking in the countryside - you're bound to hear people speak Swiss German with each other.
As you can also see on the map above, the (Swiss) German Cantons occupy the largest region of Switzerland.
But why are Swiss German dialects such a big challenge for German learners? There are a few reasons.
When we say “Swiss German”, we are not referring to a unified language. As they grow up, Swiss Germans learn to speak different versions of the Alemannic German dialect, depending on the region in Switzerland they live in. Only when they start kindergarten or school are they exposed to "standard" and written German. One could therefore argue that all Swiss Germans grow up bilingually.
Any of the Swiss German dialects differ from standard High German in sound (phonology), grammar and vocabulary. Because of the different sound systems, people from northern Germany do not easily understand Swiss German.
There is also no standard written Swiss German. In writing, Swiss Germans use their dialect mostly just for some informal communication, sometimes in emails, text messages, on social media, occasionally in personal letters etc. The words are then written phonetically, just the way they are said. The sign left we saw at a restaurant wishes "Guten Appetit" (Enjoy your meal). People also say it to each other before a meal. In all official and business communication, standard German ("Schriftdeutsch" i.e. written German) is used.
But Swiss Germans from different regions in Switzerland (and some Austrians, e.g. from Vorarlberg, who also speak an Alemannic dialect) do mostly understand each other, maybe with the exception of some remote mountain dialects.
To simplify: Swiss German dialects range from Low Alemannic, to High Alemannic, and to Highest Alemannic, with Low, High, and Highest referring to the geography of Switzerland.
Low Alemannic is spoken in the northernmost parts of Switzerland, which include the city of Basel.
High Alemannic is spoken spoken on the Central Plateau, an often hilly stretch of land that extends between the Jura mountains (south of Basel) and the Alps. Both cities of Bern and Zurich are located on the Swiss Plateau.
Highest Alemannic is spoken in the alpine regions of Switzerland, which include the Canton of Valais.
A Sample
Remember, there is no standardized spelling of Swiss dialects. In the examples below, you'll hear how this typical conversational exchange sounds in the four different regions. There are some differences in the sounds, but listen especially to the music (intonation) of each phrase. (See the German translation in parenthesis. Please note: The spelling of the dialect reflects what we as German speakers hear. If you have other suggestions, please write us.)
"How are you?" (Wie geht es Ihnen?) "I am fine, thanks. And how are you?" (Gut, danke. Und wie geht es Ihnen?)
Worried about getting the sound right? If you're greeted when you enter a shop, for example with the universal Swiss ”Grüezi“, it may be best for you to just echo the greeting back.
Our visits to Switzerland have been mostly to the bilingual city Fribourg, which straddles a language border between French and the Swiss German. To find out more about bilingualism in Fribourg, click on the article by Antilia Wyss HERE.
Can you decipher this sign in the "Hochzeitergasse" (Bridal Couple Lane) in Fribourg? (A hint: It is not politically correct...!)
We've also gone many times to the Berner Oberland to ski. Read about our Bärndütsch language lessons in Gstaad.
How Many Swiss German Dialects Are There Really?
Hard to count. One YouTube video presents 23 different Swiss German dialects. There is also an iOS app that's called Diäläkt App, where Swiss Germans can record local words and find out what region(s) they come from. You can listen to various examples. One could also say that each village has its own dialect that people continue to use.
Why Are There So Many Swiss German Dialects?
A brief summary helps to understand why: "The need for a standardized German written language came up in early 15th century at the time of the Reformation. There were practical reasons behind it: The Bible, later also newspapers, works of literature, political declarations, etc. should be read and understood by all. It would have been impossible to translate these into the various dialects.
Most Germans accepted the written language also as the basis of its spoken form. However, Swiss people did not. To this day, they have continued to use their dialects in private and business conversations, even in schools and universities." (The above is a translation of a paragraph from this Switzerlandical blog post.)
To listen to four different dialects: Basel, Zurich, St. Gallen (a city in the east of Switzerland) and Bern, click HERE. If you're a tennis lover, you'll recognize Roger Federer in the interview on the video clip: He speaks the Basel city dialect.
German in Switzerland by Numbers
German is the sole official language in 17 (out of 26) Swiss cantons; French and German are co-official in 3 cantons. In 2020, 62.3% of the population of Switzerland were native speakers of German (either Swiss German or Standard German at home), 22.8% French (mostly Swiss French); 8% Italian; and 0.5% Romansh. From Wikipedia: Languages of Switzerland.
Lessons and Courses
If you're moving to the Swiss German part of Switzerland, you may want to take lessons and learn a particular dialect. You can search for YouTube lessons. There are also a couple of iOS apps: - "Grüezi Switzerland" - a travel app with many practical phrases and sentences in 19 different Swiss German dialects; - "Swiss German: with Kathrin Erni" - with live lessons videos and flash cards; - "Swiss Words by Philipp Egli" - a vocabulary app with audio.
All others might enjoy finding out a little more about the dialects, and try out a few of the expressions.
Disclosure: The audio for the dialect versions of of the phrases "Wie geht es Ihnen?" and "Gut, danke. Und wie geht es Ihnen?" are taken from the iOS travel app "Grüezi Switzerland". On the app you can find the audio of a large number of sentences and phrases in 19 different Swiss dialects. We have no relationship with the "Grüezi Switzerland" app, or any of the other apps mentioned above.
Bio: Ulrike & Peter Rettig are co-founders of Gamesforlanguage.com. They are lifelong language learners, growing up in several European countries before moving to Canada and the United States. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Since 2021, the word "inflation" has become a topic of conversations, opinions and forecasts in the US, Europe and other countries. And so, questions by my sons and grandchildren about the German hyperinflation made me look for our German stamp collection from that time. My grandfather, and my father as a young boy, had put it together in the early 1920s. Some of the numbers on those stamps truly boggle your mind.
The US Experience
Let's first look at what's happening here. For the younger generation in the US, “inflation” is a term that they know. But they have started only recently to experience its effects themselves.
We've all now noticed that many goods have become more expensive over a short time. Indeed, only after 2020 did the US annual inflation rate move above the 5%, something we had seen in the seventies and eighties and then again, briefly, in 2008. The chart below shows the spike around 1980, which was close to 14%, and then the more recent jump in 2020.
The Chart below shows the 12 month Change of the Consumer Price index for selected categories for the last 20 years by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Note also the spike and decline after the “Great Recession” 2007/8)
(After spiking to 9.1% in June 2022, the annual inflation rate for the United States has leveled off to 6.5% for the 12 months ended December 2022, according to U.S. Labor Department data published Jan. 12, 2023.)
The fear of inflation had some worried last year that the US might follow other countries with double-digit inflation rates. Or that the US might even head towards a so-called “hyperinflation”, which Germany experienced during the early 1920s.
These fears were and still are clearly unwarranted, especially when one understands the specific reasons that caused the German hyperinflation.
German Hyperinflation
Germany's currency had already started to lose its value at the beginning of the war in 1914: In order to pay for its costs, the Reichsbank suspended the paper Mark's convertibility to gold. After having lost the war in 1918, Germany was obligated to make substantial reparation payments in "Goldmark" or hard currency.
Therefore the Reichsbank attempted to buy foreign currency on the international market with German paper money. When the first reparation installment was due on June 1 1921, the value of the German Mark had fallen from 48 paper Marks per 1 US Dollar (late 2019) to 330 paper Marks per 1 US Dollar.
Germany failed to make another agreed-upon installment payment by the end of 1922. To ensure reparation payments, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr Valley, an area that was heavily industrialized, in January 1923.
A weak German government, more afraid of Communists and unemployment, but also cognizant of the public outrage about the occupation, encouraged its own workers to engage in “passive resistance” and, through the labor unions, called a general strike.
The only way for the Treasury to make good on the government's promise and pay the wages for the +/- 2 million workers and civil servants on the Ruhr Valley was to turn on the money printing presses.
As a result, Germany was soon swamped with paper money, chasing a limited supply of goods. Moreover, as money started to lose its value, people started to buy anything they could, especially, if they could barter with it. Speculation as well as hoarding of food and goods became rampant, initiating a vicious cycle: Germany's economy slid from inflation to hyperinflation. (Not coincidentally, Hitler's failed "Beer Hall Putsch" in Munich occurred November 8/9, 1923 at the peak of the inflation and national misery.)
The Wiki chart left shows how German's paper currency inflation started slowly after 1918, accelerated during 1921/22, then really took off after the occupation of the Ruhr Valley in January 1923.
(You can read more about the German Hyperinflation in this Wiki entry, and in this PBS essay, or specifically about the Ruhr Occupation.)
The US Inflation Experience since 2002
Back to the US: While much has been written about the Federal Reserve also turning on “the printing presses” especially after the 2008 Great Recession, the Bureau of Labor Statistics chart above shows that inflation in the US did not really become an issue again until the Covid Pandemic in 2020.
The stock market (even more than real estate prices) clearly benefited from the “easy money” after 2008. The chart below shows the changes in both the S&P 500 and the Case-Shiller Home Price Index over the last 50 years.
Courtesy of Longtermtrends.net (https://www.longtermtrends.net/stocks-to-real-estate-ratio/)
There are many explanations why the US did not experience more of a currency inflation that many had predicted. But this would be the topic of another post.
Our Hyperinflation Stamp collection
Here are some images of our family “heirloom”, a stamp album titled:
“Eine Sammlung von Viererblocks aus der Zeit der Deutschen Inflation” (A collection of blocks of four from the time of the German inflation)
The stamp album starts off with what is likely the highest denomination of any stamp in history:
A block of four (4) stamps, each with a 50 Milliarden Mark “value”.
It was issued in November 1923, shortly before the end of the German hyperinflation.
(Also note, as explained below: 1 German "Milliarde" = 1 US Billion!)
Even as stamp values started to increase they still showed German landmarks, or original designs, e.g. German workers, etc.
But soon stamps lost any originality and their values were changed by simply overprinting.
And the values started to increase ever more rapidly, until by the end of 1923 we had reached the Milliarden (billions) denomination.
Billions vs Milliarden
By November 1923, one US Dollar was worth 4,210,500,000,000 German paper Marks. If you have trouble figuring what to call this number, you are not alone. English speakers would call it “4 trillions and 210.5 billions”, while German speakers would say “4 Billion and 210.5 Milliarden”. It is confusing that the English “billion” is the same as the German “Milliarde”, and that the English “trillion” is the same as the German “Billion”. The English “billion” is: in French: “milliard” in Italian: “miliardo” in Spanish: “mil millones”.
So, talking about "inflation" with our young families has been interesting, both as a way of understanding the present economy, and looking at some family history using fascinating family documents.
How did the German Hyperinflation end?
The Wiki entry Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic, mentioned above, describes the end quite well. Key was the introduction of a new currency, the “Rentenmark”, whose value was backed by bonds that were indexed to the price of gold. This monetary reform took place towards the end of 1923. By August 1924 the new monetary law allowed the exchange of a 1-trillion paper mark for one (1) Rentenmark, or one (1) “Reichsmark”. More complicated were the laws and rules that determined how creditors were to be compensated for the catastrophic reduction in the value of debts. This included mortgages, bonds and other debt instruments that were reinstated at various rates. It led to many corporate bankruptcies, court challenges, negotiations with many stake holders, etc., but in the end the government's actions proved successful. The ills of hyperinflation are still part Germany's national memory. They also explain Germany's insistence on fiscal prudence and restraint.
Bio: Peter Rettig is the co-founder of Gamesforlanguage.com. He's a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact.
Foreign language skills may not always be required, but the benefits multilinguals bring to organizations are real — especially now that the market is getting more competitive. “[Multilingual] employees greatly enhance your company’s capabilities to interact with a larger swath of the population; they help foster a more innovative and diverse business and give you in-house capabilities,” explains Salvador Ordorica, the CEO of The Spanish Group, in an article on bilingualism. This is why multilingual employees are paid better. But what exactly about knowledge in foreign languages will help you advance in your career? Here are three important reasons:
1. Foreign Language Skills Boost Cognitive Power
Learning new languages doesn’t just give you an extra skill, it also boosts your problem-solving ability, creative thinking, and memory. In our post on the benefits of being bilingual, some studies show that those who know more than one language are better at remembering sequences, for instance. Those who work in math-related professions like economics and insurance might see their career advance faster because of this. The increased vocabulary may help with your ability to communicate — an essential soft skill you need in higher positions no matter the department.
Students who have completed a full four-year language course even score more than 100 points on the Scholastic Aptitude Test compared to those who only knew one, further emphasizing how well the brain works better if you’re multilingual.
2. Foreign Language Skills Increase Your Ability to Understand Your Team
If you’re aiming for the top, know that you need to learn how to understand and guide the people below you. Knowledge of your team’s native languages can help you with this. For instance, they might more thoroughly explain their findings in their first language than they would in English. Furthermore, top careers in business, like HR and operations management, rely heavily on communicating and connecting with others both within and outside your team. For example, operations managers are tasked to inform and guide other departments within their organization. If you belong in these people professions, know that multilingualism will come in handy during your assessments.
Your chances of advancement are better if you work for companies with ongoing diversity and inclusion efforts, as it’s proof of how they value their employees, regardless of background.
3. Foreign Language Skills Open Better Networking Opportunities
Not all prospective partners will have English as their primary language (nor will they be fluent in it), so knowledge of their native language can help you build valuable connections with more people. For example, did you know that the Fortune Global 500 is slowly being dominated by Chinese CEOs? Many successful businesses like Trader Joe’s, 7-Eleven, and Holiday Inn are also run by foreigners. Therefore, it’s not surprising that a lot of your business’ prospective partners' first language won’t be English. If you’re aspiring for a higher position, you will need to communicate with them frequently. This is why multilingualism is a very sought-out skill in leaders.
If you run your own business or have a freelance career, the situation is the same. You might find yourself in networking events, which your foreign language skills will prove useful in.
Whether it’s by boosting your memory or introducing you to more prospects, a foreign language can help boost your careers in multiple aspects. Fortunately, learning a new language is something that can be done in your free time via online classes, podcasts, or even games.
Author’s bio: Vienna Dennis is a freelance writer with an expressed interest in foreign languages. Her goal is to learn at least one European and one Asian language before she hits 30.
With international travels taking off again, a visit to Bordeaux and Arcachon (France) could be also on your itinerary this year.
In September 2019, as we flew from Amsterdam to Bordeaux, Ulrike and I had no idea yet how different our life would be in a few months. I am writing this post just about a year after our trip.
Checking the websites of the places which we visited during our week-long stay in Bordeaux and travels through the Périgord region, I realize that many activities are out of reach at the moment: exploring Bordeaux by tram and bus, visiting museums, a wine tasting class in the Cité du Vin (see picture above), a river cruise with Bruno, visiting castles and the Lascaux caves, wine tasting in vineyards, etc, etc.
Fortunately, the memories and pictures from that trip will last us for a while. And maybe this post will motivate some readers to explore Bordeaux and its surroundings once the Covid-19 period has passed!
A Very Brief History of Bordeaux
As we usually do in a new city, we visited the local history museum, here the Musée d'Aquitaine. This gave us a quick and comprehensive overview of both Bordeaux's ancient and recent history.
We learned that Bordeaux's importance as a major port increased after the marriage in 1152 of Eleanor of Aquitaine with Henry Plantagenet (who is better known as Henry II and was King of England from 1152-1189).
The “English era” gave Bordeaux protection, and the wine trade and tax-free status with England made the city flourish right into the middle of the 15th century. Annexed by France in 1453, Bordeaux eventually entered into another golden era in the 18th century, when it became France's busiest port, supplying much of Europe with coffee, sugar, cotton, etc from overseas. (Image by Hugo d'Alesi, 1899, Archives de Bordeaux métropole.) After World War II, two long-serving mayors were responsible for Bordeaux's development: Jacques Chaban-Delmas from 1947-1995 and Alain Juppé from 1995-2019, both with various interruptions, as they also served as Prime Ministers under Jacques Chirac and Georges Pompidou respectively.
Today the Bordeaux metropolitan area has a population of about 780,000 with about 250,000 living in the city. As such, it is France's sixth largest city, the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the center of a major wine-growing and wine-producing region.
Exploring Bordeaux by Tram
Neither Ulrike nor I had ever been in Bordeaux or that part of France before. We especially looked forward to exploring the surrounding wine country as well.
Our rental apartment was near the Place Gambetta, right in the center of town. This allowed us to explore “la vieille ville” and other quarters on foot, and by using several tram lines that were nearby.
Eager to use the public transport system, trams and buses, we made the mistake of purchasing a seven-day transport card online. Why a mistake? Because each time we used a tram, we had to use our smartphone and internet connection to validate. (A better choice is to purchase a 7-day card in one of the public transport offices.)
And as the tram was our favorite mode of transport, we noticed one thing right away: there were no overhead wires in the city. We were intrigued. (See picture above of tram in front of the Bordeaux Opera.) I noticed that there was a center rail set in the pavement, but people normally walked over it, so obviously it could not be electrified.
A Google search and our visit to the Historical Museum solved the mystery: Mayor Chaban-Delmas had the last of the 38 tramlines, with their over 120 miles of tracks, removed in 1958. But plans for a subway failed because of the sandy soil and related costs.
The “Bordelaises and Bordelais” (women and men of Bordeaux) had to wait until 2003, when the first of the now 3 lines (about 40 miles) of a modern tramway were opened. Mayor Alain Juppé had insisted that no overhead wires should spoil the view of the buildings in the city.
Thus a ground-level power supply operates in the city, called APS (Alimenation Par Sol). The center rail is not continuous, but connected with what look like ceramic isolators. (You can see the center rail with the light brown isolator in the picture.)
In the city, electric power is supplied to the tram by the center rail with only the portion under the tram electrically live. Reportedly, the system had problems at the start, but seemed to work well while we were there. (We wonder, however, how it would work during snow and ice conditions.)
Once the tram leaves the inner city, the overhead lines appear again and each tram raises its collector arm (pantograph) to connect.
Cité du Vin
One of the must-see sites when you visit Bordeaux is Cité du Vin, the Bordeaux Wine Museum. You can get there either by tram or by water shuttle on the Garonne river.
At the museum, you will learn more about the world's wine cultures than you'll likely remember. The permanent exhibition explains how “humans cultivate vines all over the world in a wide variety of natural conditions. Winegrowers have adapted, invented and modeled their landscapes and shaped them through their traditions.” We also decided to take a wine tasting class in French. The teacher was entertaining and familiarized an international audience with the basics of French wine terminology.
And while it certainly takes more than a one-hour class to become a real wine connoisseur, we became fully aware of how many vivid adjectives the French language has for describing wines.
For example: The level of “acidité” (acidity) can be described by words like “mou, vif, nerveux” (soft, lively, nervous); the level of “tanin” (tannin) with “souple, charpenté, âpre” (flexible, framed, harsh); the level of “onctuosité” (smoothness) with “creux, gras, lourd” (hollow, fat, heavy).
And most importantly, we learned: When you “name” (i.e. pin down with words) your own impression of the wine that you're sampling, you'll better remember a similar taste next time. (But it requires that you equip yourself with the relevant vocabulary to describe your impressions! Here is a link to such a wine glossary in English.)
The shop at Cité du Vin has a large selection of wines from the region (see picture above), and from the top of the spectacular building (where more wine tasting occurs), you have a spectacular view of Bordeaux and the Garonne river.
We recently came across an interesting article about The History of Wine. The article describes many of the historic facts that you'll learn about in the Cité du Vin's informative and interactive exhibitions.
Indeed, when we visited the Maritime Museum, we were also intrigued by the nearby submarine bunkers. An unattractive remnant of World War II, which had housed the Italian submarine fleet at the time, its thick concrete walls and roof have made demolition cost-prohibitive.
At the time of our visit, parts of this base were just being converted into the Bassins de Lumières. While not yet open to the public then, the above link and picture give you an impression of a spectacular exhibit, which appears well worth visiting.
La Garonne and Le Miroir d'Eau
For many cities a waterway adds to their special appeal and Bordeaux is no exception (see also Lisbon, Portugal).
Pictures in the Musée d'Aquitaine showed us that before World War II and even into the 1960s, the Garonne river's waterfront had been a busy port, with ocean-going ships docking right up to the Pont de Pierre.
Today commercial harbor terminals and pontoons, especially for container ships, have moved downstream. But major cruise ships can still dock downtown, close to the Place de la Bourse and the Miroir d'Eau.
There is now a wonderful promenade that stretches from beyond the Pont de Pierre to the row of converted warehouses downstream. These hangars house various expositions and events as well as brand-name discount shops.
The Miroir d'Eau, in front of the Place de la Bourse is reportedly the world's largest reflecting pool with 37,100 sqft. It is indeed quite spectacular, both as a mirror and also when the rising mist begins to hide the people walking around.
I would be amiss if I didn't comment on the color of the Garonne river. I had already noticed the brown color of both the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers from the plane as it made its approach to the Bordeaux airport.
Bruno, our Garonne river cruise guide, made it his first point of business to explain why the Garonne is NOT “dirty”: the color is the end-result of a natural phenomenon.
The sediment that the Garonne carries downstream meets the oceanic tides that come up the estuary. With salty water being heavier than fresh water, the undercurrent brings the sediment to the surface and coagulates in the form of microscopic flakes, producing the brown color. Nevertheless the Garonne is ranked as one of Europe's cleanest rivers!
Arcachon and the Dune du Pilat
At the end of our one-week stay in Bordeaux we rented a car to explore the surrounding wine country. (More about that in another post.)
We had heard from friends that a visit to Arachon was also a must: both for its famous oysters as well as for the “Dune of Pilat”. Arcachon is only a 40 mile drive from Bordeaux and a favorite weekend spot for many locals.
For centuries the name of Arcachon has been related to “great oysters”, and keeping the Arcachon Bay unpolluted is of key concern for many area residents.
(Over the last 50 years there have been a number of natural and man-caused disasters affecting the oysters in the bay.) The area's oyster industry grows oysters for the French restaurant market as well as seed oysters for oyster growers all over Europe.
The delightful little Hôtel du Parc, where we stayed, was in walking distance to the Plage Pereire. After renting bicycles directly at the hotel, we were soon using the bike paths up and down along the beach.
We even made it all the way to downtown Arcachon and its harbor. The downtown area is not very attractive, as it is overbuilt with hotels and condominiums.
However, the promenade along Arcachon Bay with its beach, promenade, restaurants and large marina is lovely. It was still bustling during the weekend even at the end of September. Sitting in one of the many restaurants, "people watching" can be a great pastime!
We sampled the famous “huitres” (oysters) at several restaurants. Our favorite was the Restaurant du Soleil, right at the beach, with a fabulous view of the sun set each evening.
Climbing up the Dune du Pilat was an amazing experience. Located just south of the entrance to the Bay of Arcachon, the dune rises to over 300 feet above sea level and is about 1.7 miles long.
The name “Pilat” (or “Pyla”, to the locals) originates from the Gascon word “philar”, which means heap or mound.
On the last September weekend there was a stream of visitors climbing up and down the dunes, some picnicking on top, others just watching the para gliders making their turns and – because of the upwinds – often landing above from where they started.
The dune has been observed to move backwards at the rate of about 15 feet per year, encroaching on the pine forest and swallowing up houses built at its base. This explains why the visitor center and large parking lot have been placed far in the back.
After our stay in Arcachon we still had a few days left to explore the “Médoc region” to the left of the Gironde estuary, but we'll report on that in our next post.
Bio: Peter Rettig is the co-founder of Gamesforlanguage.com. He's a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact.
Planning a trip abroad is a lot of fun. Deciding where to go, whether to stay in one place or travel around, etc. can already fill you with the pleasure of anticipation.
Now, if it's a country where you don't speak the language, you typically have four choices:
1. Don't bother learning anything new – just rely on your native language, or whatever you already know. 2. Learn and practice a few useful words and phrases, a few minutes a day. 3. Spend time and effort to relearning the language, if you studied it in school. 4. Invest time and effort to learn the language from scratch.
Obviously, your decision depends on other factors as well, including: • How much time will you spend in the foreign country, or countries? • How likely is it that your native language will be understood there? • How much time and/or money can you invest?
For many English speakers who travel abroad, the obvious choice is: Don't learn anything new. That is because English has become more and more a “lingua franca” for travelers. (Pamela Druckerman's recent article in the New York Times points up some pitfalls for monolingual English speakers.)
But think about it. Even if English is your native language and the only one you speak fluently, learning just a few words and phrases of the local language can make your stay in a place so much more interesting and enjoyable. It can become the starting point for more tips and insights, or simply the beginning of a conversation with a local resident - even if it continues in English.
The Case for Useful Words and Phrases
From every country we visited and whose language we don't speak, we have a couple of anecdotes that remind us how useful it was to know at least greetings, polite phrases and some numbers in the language locally spoken.
Several years ago, we visited Japan and China. We learned and practiced the basic numbers, and a few common phrases and greetings: thank you, please, excuse me, good morning, goodbye, etc. For us, knowing the numbers in Japanese and Chinese proved especially useful.
In Hiroshima, we ventured out one evening and found a restaurant on the second floor of a building. As we entered, we soon realized that nobody spoke English. Nor did anyone speak any of the other European languages we know. The restaurant was crowded. But because we knew the Japanese word “fifteen”, we understood that we could have a table in about fifteen minutes.
So, we decided to wait. We had read earlier that it's a Japanese custom to overestimate such waiting times. Still, we were pleasantly surprised that after less than 10 minutes our booth was ready. It was a memorable Japanese dinner. We had dishes we had never tasted before and savored the sake that overflowed our small ceramic cups. We were glad we had waited.
In China we visited the Great Wall and afterwards our tour guide led us into one of the government-run shops that lined the road. Being able to negotiate prices in Mandarin, proved not only to be fun but also made us feel that we got some bargains. (That was very likely just wishful thinking.)
On a trip driving from Germany to Denmark to catch a ferry, we wanted to get some Danish Krone at a bank ATM. (Denmark, as well as the UK, Sweden, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania don't use the Euro.)
In one of the small towns we drove through, we stopped and asked a passerby: “Undskyld, hvor er en bank?” and immediately got a fast Danish response, which we didn't understand. It prompted us then to ask: “Taler du engelsk”?
And we realized that when you ask for directions in a foreign language, you should also know a few of the typical directional responses, e.g. left, right, straight ahead, around the corner, etc. We then had a very pleasant conversation with the woman in English and she also showed us the way to a Bank ATM.
In Stockholm, Sweden, we asked for directions in Swedish to one of the museums. We were delighted that the older gentleman continued in Swedish when giving us directions. That was maybe a bit unusual for a Swede, as most of them speak English quite well. But we felt great that our 3 months of studying Swedish beforehand paid off. Not only did we understand his directions, but we found the museum quite easily.
Last year we stayed in Prague, the Czech Republic. (See also European Travel 10 – Prague in 2018). As we had rented an apartment for a week, we went to a neighborhood grocery store for some breakfast items.
The young man at the cash register was able to say in English how much we owed. But he did not understand the English words jam/marmalade, butter, cereal, etc. Nor could he explain what the word “polotucné” on the milk carton meant. (We wanted to make sure we weren't buying skim milk. The word in fact means “half fat” or “part skim”, as we later found out.)
We now also look up and practice the foreign words of our typical breakfast items ahead of time, if we travel to a country whose language is new for us . (And we'll add some basic food terms to our Lingo-late Essential Words and Phrases.)
Useful and Essential Words and Phrases
In fact, our experience at our next stop, Budapest, Hungary caused us to start our new site, Lingo-late.com, for those who choose #2 above: Travelers who invest a little time to learn and practice just a few useful or “essential” words and phrases.
What are useful or essential phrases for YOU? We believe that the first +/-10 polite phrases and greetings in a local language could and should be learned by any traveler. They include words and phrases such as: • Yes • No • Thanks/Thank you • Please • You're welcome • Excuse me • Good morning • Hello/Good Day • Good evening • Goodbye • Do you speak English (for English speakers) (You'll find the translations for 12 of the European languages on Lingo-late.com)
What else you then want to learn and practice may depend a little bit how you travel and where to. We took part in a tour to Japan and China, but we have never used organized tours for our travels in Europe. So, for European countries we like to be able to ask “Where is...?” questions.
We do this not only to ask for directions. We have found that politely asking “Where is...?” questions can also be the beginning of a conversation with someone who lives locally. And even if our conversation partner's English turns out to be better than our foreign language skills, we often have a nice exchange. Many times we've ended up with tips and local information that has enriched our stay.
Plus – based on our experience in Denmark – we also like to learn and practice a few of the directional phrases: left, right, straight ahead, around the corner, at the light, etc.
Food and drink items vary quite a bit from country to country. Menus in the big cities often include English or are even multilingual. However, in the countryside, the local language prevails and you may well want to know the foreign names for chicken, fish, snails, clams, beef, tongue, lamb, mutton, tripe, sweetbread - that is, any food or drink items that you may want to order or or want to avoid ordering.
Useful Words and Phrases for Special Circumstances
Obviously, if you just learn a handful of words and phrases, you won't be able to have a conversation in the foreign language. But even you can understand and speak the language, you may come across special circumstances that require you to learn new terms.n
This occurred to us in Seville a couple of years ago. On the way to our apartment after a late dinner, we used a bank's ATM to get cash. However, there was a problem, and the ATM did not dispense the cash to us. The next day though, we saw that our account had been charged Euro 500.
When we tried to explain this in Spanish to a bank official, we realized that we needed to brush up on some banking vocabulary. Nobody in the bank's branch office spoke much English. So it was clearly better to use our Spanish. The branch manager even declared proudly: “No hablo ingles”. You can read more in 5 Tips for Dealing with ATM Troubles Abroad (and at Home).
The Benefit of Useful/Essential Phrases
In a foreign country, using polite phrases and customary greetings in the local language is always a good idea. This is even more so when you leave the big cities and venture out into the countryside or to places that are off the beaten track.
Our best memories from our car trip from Seville to Madrid are visits in towns like Carmona, Almagro, Aranjuez and conversations with locals there. Often these conversations start when we ask for a restaurant, or how to get to a museum or a church. Yes, in some cases we could use our smart phone (if we have Wifi or phone reception), but then we could not practice our foreign words and phrases and have a conversation either – even in English.
Traveling is not just about seeing new sites or monuments. What you'll remember more are the interactions with the people you meet, the conversations you have. Just knowing a few words and phrases in the local language can get you a smile, and sometimes a conversation and valuable local insider tips.
And yes, English may well be the "Lingua Franca" of the World. But you'll never go wrong by learning just a few "essentials" for your next travels.
Whatever little sightseeing my travel friend and I had done on the preceding day - Charles Bridge, the Castle (see picture), Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square - was eclipsed by the chaotic events of that night and the next day, when Warsaw Pact and Soviet tanks rolled into the city.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 was followed in January 1993 by the split of Czechoslovakia into two countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia, both parliamentary republics.
Since that time, Prague has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe. It was high time for me to go back and see what I had missed 50 years ago. We rented an apartment for a week in the New Town (Nové M?sto).
Getting ready for a trip is always fun and interesting. My husband Peter and I like to read up on the history of a country and its language. (For anyone who'd like to learn more about the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, I can only recommend Mary Heimann's “Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed”.)
For our Prague trip, we were also bent on learning some Czech language basics. In fact, I was particularly motivated to learn some Czech because my grandfather was born in Bohemia in 1880, when the region was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He was born in the village of Netrebice (near Cesky Krumlov).He spoke only Czech as a child before being sent to live with an uncle in the neighboring, German-speaking region of Styria, Austria. He was five at that time. And that's how my father's family came to Austria.
WHY LEARN SOME CZECH
In our past travels, we've often found that English has its limits, that learning some of the local language has huge benefits. For Czech, we spent fifteen minutes or so a day for three months learning to say and understand basic phrases and to practice pronunciation.
In Prague, we noticed that older people - those not in the tourist industry - often did not speak any English. That was quite understandable because during the Soviet era, Russian was the compulsory foreign language taught in all schools in Czechoslovakia.
We also noticed that younger people did tend to speak English. But, if they weren't working in the tourist industry, it sometimes had its limits.
This became clear the first night when we tried to buy some breakfast items at a small neighborhood market. The young man at the cash register was able to say in English how much we owed. But he did not understand the English words jam/marmalade, butter, cereal, etc. Nor could he explain to me what the word “polotucne” on the milk carton meant. (I wanted to make sure I wasn't buying skim milk. In fact, it means “half fat” or “part skim.”)
In all though, we got by very well with English and, occasionally with German.
Still, learning some Czech before the trip was worth every minute. People would greet us automatically in Czech and only switched when we spoke English. By using greetings and polite phrases in Czech, we were making an effort that was clearly appreciated.
I can well imagine, that locals in Prague are sometimes overwhelmed by the hordes of tourists constantly present in their city, and by the barrage of English that often confronts them.
Don't we expect visitors to the US to greet and address us in English and not in German, French, Czech, Danish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, etc.?
Prague well deserves its popularity as a travel destination. There is lots to do and to discover.
In addition to the exhibits, museums, and public art works that we saw – the Caltrava and Kupka exhibitions, the Mucha, Kafka, and (new) National Museum, the often controversial David Cerny sculptures, – here are six (6) more highlights of our stay.
1. A WALKING TOUR
Walking is a great way to get to know a city. Peter's sister, who had joined us in Prague, speaks German and French. So we arranged for a German-speaking guide for a four-hour walking tour the first day of our stay. (see photo on Charles Bridge)
Vaclav, whose Austrian-tinged German was delightful, took us first through the Lesser Town of Prague. With him we discovered special places we may not have found on our own.
He showed us Wallenstein's Garden, the Kampa Island, the Maltese and Grand Priory Squares, etc., and entertained and educated us with many historical facts (the fate of the Templars, the Hussites, etc.) and stories, some of them quite personal.
Vaclav The John Lennon wall (see photo) had very special memories for him:Vaclav related to us how scared he (and his parents) were when they were visited one evening by a policeman. Together with some classmates Vaclav had been part of a demonstration at the Lennon Wall during the “Prague Spring” and had not realized that they were all being filmed or photographed. He was a fourteen-year-old school boy at that time. The policeman's “advice” was easy to understand: If Vaclav wanted to finish school – he should stay away from demonstrations!
After the tour of the Lesser Town, we went over the Charles Bridge, to the Jewish Quarter, and finally to Old Town Square (see photo). We waited for the famous Astronomical clock to ring at 6 PM, but in vain – it was still being repaired.
Since there were just three of us taking the tour and Vaclav's approach was quite casual, it felt like we were just having a conversation with him, not getting a tour lecture. Such a very personal introduction to Prague at the beginning of our seven-day stay was wonderful.
2. TOUR OF PRAGUE CASTLE
With Prague's Castle complex towers high over the river Vltava, the original building dating back to the 9th century, the Castle area was built and rebuilt over the centuries. It now holds several palaces, three churches, a monastery, defense towers, and gardens.
It was fascinating to walk around the Castle complex. Its buildings combine architectural styles from several historical periods: Romanesque, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Mannerism and Neo-classic. For art lovers, the Castle's Picture Gallery and the collections in the Lobkowicz Palace are a special treat.
St.Vitus Cathedral - whose spires give the castle its distinct presence is not to be missed. Begun in 1344, the stunning Gothic/Neo-Gothic cathedral was finally finished in 1929. The work by the early architects, Peter Parler and his sons, Wenzel and Johannes Parler, is particularly interesting. The so-called Parler vaults (or net-vaults) are said to have heavily influenced Gothic architecture in Slovenia, Austria, and Croatia. And, art historians speculate: Did St. Vitus Cathedral influence English Gothic, or was it the other way around?
The gorgeous stained glass windows of St. Vitus Cathedral were created by Czech artists of the early 20th century. A sweet discovery was the new window in the north nave, designed by the famous Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. (It was installed in 1931.)
The way out of the Castle area took us past the Golden Lane, a narrow street with small colorful houses. Built in the late 16th century in the Mannerism style, they housed the families of Castle guards. Somehow it seemed fitting to me that Kafka lived in one of them for a year (number 22).
3. A TRAM RIDE TO VYSEHRAD
We made extensive use of Prague's public transportation system. With all three of us having passed the 70 year milestone, we could use it entirely for FREE! (We could first not believe it when we wanted to buy a ticket!) Vysehrad was only a short tram ride away along the scenic Vltava River.
Originally an 11th century fortress, Vysehrad has great historical significance for Prague. Legend has it that the fort was the first seat of Czech dukes. It stands on a hill surrounded by a large park. From the walls of the fortress, you have a fantastic view of Prague and the Vltava River. The Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul is part of the Vysehrad complex.
Inside, besides more traditional art, you'll find amazing Art Nouveau frescoes covering the walls. They are by the painter Frantisek Urban and his wife Marie Urbanova-Zahradnicka (done in the early 1900s). We toured the cemetery, where many Czech luminaries are buried, including the composers Smetana and Dvorak. (By the way, Dvorak's name is a good example of how the Czech “accented-r” is pronounced: it's “r-zh”, that is r + zh, as in “measure”. Sorry, but my font doesn't support Czech accents.)
On the way back down to the tram stop, we had lunch at a small bistro that was obviously a favorite with locals.
4. DAY TRIP TO PILSEN
On one of the days, we took a train to Pilsen, home of the famous Pilsner Urquell. The town is located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) southwest of Prague. Trains go every hour and it takes about 90 minutes to get there.
At the Pilsen train station, we looked for a tram to take us to the center of town. We didn't see a ticket dispenser, so we tried to buy tickets from the driver as we got on. There was clearly a problem. It turned out that she had run out of tickets, so we rode free again.
We've been to plenty of breweries before, so we skipped the one in Pilsen. Instead, we took a 2-hour walking tour through the historical center of town. Tatjana, our guide, started us out on Republic Square. In its center stands the Gothic Cathedral of St. Bartholomew with ist high spire. (The cathedral is currently undergoing extensive renovations.)
Around the square are buildings from varying periods, including an impressive Renaissance Town Hall. A curious contrast to the historical buildings are the three modern gilded fountains (built 2010) standing at three corners of the square. They symbolize three motifs from the Pilsen coat of arms (Camel, Greyhound, and Angel), and have caused plenty of controversy. (The one on the picture is the Greyhound.)
Pilsen, with 178,000 inhabitants is the Czech Republic's fourth largest city, and capital of the Pilsen region. After the hustle and bustle of several days in Prague (1.4 million), we enjoyed the more relaxed and quiet day in Pilsen. Our tour was also quite “private”, as it only included a young couple from Germany besides us.
5.VIDEO EXHIBITION: INVAZE 68 (Invasion 68)
Invasion An exhibition of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact Invasion of 1968 at the Fair Trade Palace was just being held as we were in Prague. The exhibition marked the invasion's 50th anniversary. The show included a videoinstallation based on photographs by the Czech-French photographer Josef Koudelka, together with authentic sound recordings.
Jan Archival footage of the 1968 invation, by the classic filmmaker Jan Nemec was also part of the exhibit. The powerful images of burning tanks and trucks together with the sound recordings of gunfire brought back to me how chaotic those days were.
And how lucky my travel friend and I were to be able to get out of Prague in time.
6. WALK UP TO PETRIN PARK
There On the last day of our one-week stay in Prague, we walked up to the Petrin Park to take a last look at the city from above. There is a Funicular Railway to the top of Petrin Hill, built for the national Jubilee Exhibition of 1891. We passed up the ride, however, for a leisurely but invigorating walk.
The path led us up through woods, past several open spaces and along the “Hunger Wall”. The story behind the name of the wall (of which about 1,300 yards remain) goes back to 1360 when Charles IV began its construction during a period of famin. At the top of the hill stands the Petrin Lookout Tower, a small version of the Eiffel Tower.
The Petrin Tower was built as part of the 1891 Exhibition, only two years after the completion of the original. At 200 feet high, this famous Prague landmark is about one-fifth of the height of the real Eiffel Tower.
We took the lift up the tower, though you can also walk up via 299 stairs.
The view from the lookout platform was magnificent. We had hit a clear day and could see far and wide beyond Prague into the verdant region of Bohemia.
OTHER THOUGHTS
I was glad to have visited Prague again. My memories of tanks, people running, long lines of shoppers in front of dark facades and buildings in disrepair have been replaced.
What I remember now is a modern city, with modern architecture, side by side with well-restored Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings and the charm of times passed.
The Czech Republic was only born in January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. However, this year the country also celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the formation of Czechoslovakia, the initial multi-cultural state that formed in 1918 after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
We heard that relations between Czechs and Slovaks are better now than during the 75 years when they both were part of one country.
For anyone visiting Prague, we can only recommend staying in New Town. There are fewer tourists, and you can walk and use public transport to wherever you want to go.
And, if you are a beer lover, you'll like both Czech beers and their prices.
Postscript: After our stay in Prague we continued to Hungary, where we stayed in Budapest for a few days. As we did not learn any Hungarian words and phrases beforehand, we felt quite handicapped not even knowing the basic greetings and "essentials", such as yes, no, thank you, please, etc. In Duolingo and many other apps and online programs it often takes a while before you can get to or even find such language "essentials". We therefore started Lingo-Late.com and plan to add - over the weeks and months - 50-100 essential words and phrases for most of the European languages. Initially, each lesson post will have 10-15 words and phrases, with translation, audio and voice recording feature. Later-on we we may add some simple dialogues and games. We'll start with French, German, Italian and Spanish, add Portuguese, Icelandic, then Dutch etc.
Bio: Ulrike Rettig is the co-founder of GamesforLanguage.com. She's a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments right here below!
Going through my late father's belongings, I came across a newspaper clip from September 1968. He had published excerpts from my (German) letter to my parents in the “Canada Kurier”, a German newspaper in Winnipeg, Canada under the title: “Erlebnisse und Eindrücke eines Besuches in Prag”. (Experiences and Impressions of a visit to Prague)
In the letter, I wrote how I was experiencing the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968, while in Prague. (I also found a few of my old photographs.) It was a scary situation.
As an Austrian immigrant to Canada, I still remembered the Russian occupation of Vienna after the War. And the Iron Curtain was still a real and psychological barrier for many Europeans at that time.
How I Got to Prague
A student from Canada, I was spending a couple of years as an exchange teacher for English in Freiburg, Germany. I was off for the summer and in my old Volkswagen Beetle, my American friend Harris and I drove from the Black Forest, through Bavaria into Austria.On our way to Vienna, we decided to take a detour to Prague, Czechoslovakia, to see what the "Prague Spring" was actually like.
On Monday August 19th, 1968, we arrived in Prague. We had heard that Alexander Dubcek, First secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, had started a reform program to establish "communism with a human face". The period of political liberalization got to be known as the "Prague Spring".
Dubcek had vehemently reassured Moscow that Czechoslovakia had no intention of leaving the Warsaw Pact (a political alliance between the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries, established in May 1955).
We arrived in Prague late afternoon on that Monday, August 19th, 1968 and got accommodations at a student residence. There they rented rooms over the summer to tourists. [I don't know if that particular building still exists, but it was located about 4.5 km from the city center.]
The Published Excerpts From My Letter (Freely translated and edited)
Tuesday [August 20th], we toured the city: the Town Hall with its old astronomical clock, the Synagogue, the Castle, Kafka's house, the Charles Bridge.
On the bridge, hippies drew modern religious images and Dubcek slogans with chalk onto the sidewalks. Some of the young people were singing folk songs.
In the evening, before returning to the student residence, we strolled by the Vltava river and chatted [in German] with one of the locals. He painted us a rosy picture of growing freedom in his country.
That night I dreamt of grey airplanes in my room but I didn't sleep badly. The next morning [Wednesday, August 21st], as I was in the women's washroom for a shower, a man rushed in and looked for his wife. He was Italian and kept shouting "russi, russi".
Later, at the reception, we were told that Soviet troops had unexpectedly entered the city with tanks and armored vehicles. It was to be a full fledged occupation.
Our first thought: Let's get out of here. We checked out of the student residence and tried to find gas for the car. But that seemed like a hopeless undertaking. We were told that all gas stations had been out fuel for hours. So we drove to the train station to call the Canadian and American embassies. But there we encountered Soviet tanks and troops.
We didn't want to leave the car on the street. For now, it seemed best to stay calm, get a place to stay and to wait and see. We drove back to the student residenceand were lucky to get beds again for the night. We left the car there and walked back into the city center.
In front of the grocery stores, we saw long lines of people hoping to stock up on food. An open truck drove down our street. On it people were waving flags. A bystander told us that they were chanting "long live Dubcek".
As we got closer to Wenceslas Square, we heard shots. But when we got there, things had calmed down. A large crowd of people had gathered on the square in passive demonstration.
A little farther on, we saw that the National Museum was riddled with bullets. When we asked a passerby why that building, he said: "Why, yes, why? They are Russians and they don't need a reason. Today, the 21st of August is a historic day for us".
Right then, a huge cloud of smoke rose up and we could smell rubber and gasoline. At the same time we heard the noise of automatic rifles and tank guns. Our passerby told us: "Oh, that's Radio Prague being blown up". Armored tanks thundered by. The soldiers on them shot periodically into the air. All around, people shouted and cursed, refusing to be intimidated.
Finding the Embassies
When things calmed down again, we took a side street and walked in the direction of the Canadian and American embassies. It seemed like a good idea to register with them. But the embassies weren't that close. And to get there, we had to cross the Vltava River.
The bridges were all guarded by soldiers in tanks. As pedestrians we could still move around freely, but traffic was at a standstill. We were afraid that once across the Vltava River, we would be cut off from our student residence.
Besides, a large part of the occupying forces were located around the Prague Castle, where Svoboda and Dubcek were being "isolated". The embassies were just around the corner from there. [Ludvic Svoboda was president of Czechoslovakia from 1968 to 1975. He achieved great popularity by resisting the Soviet Union's demands during and after its invasion of August 1968. (Brittanica)]
Still, we continued on and crossed the Vltava River over the Charles Bridge. Just like the local pedestrians, we zigzagged our way through the rows of armored vehicles that stood guard there.
A group of soldiers called something to a young woman. She swore back at them. They cursed in return. The woman lifted her fist and shouted. Swastikas had been chalked on some of the walls and we even saw one on the inner side of a tank wheel.
Local Czechs clustered around armored vehicles and spoke with the soldiers. Some even handed out flyers to the troops.
Later, we met an Englishman who told us the following: His girlfriend, who was Russian, had spoken with some of the soldiers. They told her that many of the occupying Soviet or Warsaw Pact soldiers were surprised to be in Prague and not in Poland. Others only knew that they were fighting a "counter revolution". Still others only shook their head and said: "We don't know anything, we only follow orders."
We finally reached both the American and the Canadian embassies and left our names there. By now it was three in the afternoon and it seemed wise to return to the student residence. After all, we had a long walk in front of us and who knew what problems we would still encounter. Luckily, going back over the Charles Bridge went without a hitch.
But now all bridges were being guarded even more heavily. On all larger streets stood rows of armored vehicles. On the public squares you could see an increased number of soldiers, each with an automatic rifle. It seemed to me, though, that their uniforms looked a little ragged and not really adequate for an occupying force.
Food and Gasoline
The lines in front of the grocery stores had not gotten shorter. We needed bread, but couldn't find any. All we could get was a package of crackers and beer.
A few people carrying flags were still walking around or driving back and forth in small cars. Some of the flags were torn and spattered with blood. We heard shouts of "Dubcek, Svoboda". But in general, people were passive. Once we arrived at the student residence, we knew we were in for a long evening.
Upstairs while we ate, we discussed our "gas problem". We knew we had enough gas for about 40 km. But the nearest border crossing was at Gmünd into Austria, and that was about 175 km away. Other border crossings were even farther and we feared running into a blockade or being forced to take detours.
An East German man from Leipzig explained to us how utterly hopeless the situation was. But he mentioned that the only station that still sold gas was only about a kilometer away. We hopped into the car and drove there. A long line and a long wait, just to get 10 liters of gas. It was not enough to reach the border, but it was something.
Information and Rumors
In the hall of the student residence, the radio brought the news, always the same bad news. Everything seems so unreal. Waking up in the morning of Thursday, August 22 we heard no airplanes, only the constant noise of Soviet trucks bringing supplies, cannons, and new troops.
In the women's washroom - the place where we got our first information of the day - one rumor had it that it was impossible to leave the country by car. Nor were there any trains back to the east block countries or to the west.
There were also other rumors: • All border crossings were blocked, except the crossing at Gmünd to Austria; • or, the best way to leave was via Hungary; • or, the only crossing that was open was the one at Waidhaus in the direction of Pilsen; • or, the Vtlava River was blocked everywhere, no chance to cross it; • or, some tourists had tried to leave the country and were sent back, etc.
People like us were beginning to feel a little desperate. It was impossible to call either of our embassies, all telephone connections were cut off. A man who spoke both Czech and German said that the Austrian embassy advised all tourists to leave the country as soon as they could. We knew we had to act.
Being Lucky
We lined up once more at the gas station. With an extra note, we bribed the attendant to go over the usual ration and fill our tank. An American student, who had no hope of leaving Prague by train, asked to join us. Together with him, we discussed how to proceed: either via Budweis to Freistadt or to Gmünd, depending on the information we could get.
With some difficulty we got through the city by car. We had to avoid the heavily guarded areas. And even though locals kindly tried to help us, they were too upset to think clearly. Outside of the cities, we saw confusing road signs. Some of them were obviously turned the wrong way and pointed north to Moskau. Others had different place names written over them.
In the villages along the road people gave us fliers. In one town they tossed flowers to us as we drove by. In many places, the names Dubcek and Svoboda were written in chalk on the road. About an hour before the border, we came across another gas station and could fill up again.
A woman said we definitely needed to drive to the Gmünd border crossing. On our way there we caught up twice to a convoy of tanks. It was easy to recognize the Soviet tanks. They had a thick white stripe on their frame.
At the border, there was only a normal line of cars waiting to cross. We didn't see any Soviet vehicles. Later we heard that Gmünd really had been the only open border crossing at that time. A man we talked to had first tried crossing at three other places and but was turned back by Soviet soldiers.
We also heard that Soviet tanks were supposed to arrive at Budweis at 5 o'clock. Half of them would continue on in the direction of Gmünd to close the border there. I guess we'd been really lucky. In Viennese, you'd say we had "a Masl".
Postscript: I only learned later how lucky we indeed had been: There were over 100 people killed during the invasion. We never saw any of the battles, especially those around the radio station (about which we only heard rumors and sporadic gunfire).
If you're interested to learn more about the Prague Spring or Czechoslovakia, I'd suggest Mary Heimann's book "Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed". We are currently reading it in preparation for our visit to Prague later this year. It provides an excellent account of the birth of the multinational state of Czechoslovakia in 1918, its tribulations before and during the Hitler years, the period of Communist rule, and its dissolution on December 31, 1992.
Bio: Ulrike Rettig is the co-founder of GamesforLanguage.com. She's a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments right here below! (And if you'd like to read the original German version, just send us a note to contact.)
Maybe you're an adventure traveler who likes to explore a country on your own. But traveling to a country where you don't understand the language can be intimidating.
Yes, you can tell yourself, everyone speaks English. But actually not everyone does, and certainly not in areas that are off the beaten track. Or in areas that don't care that much about speaking English.
That last point was driven home to us during our one-month stay in Seville, Spain. One night when we tried to withdraw money from an ATM, the machine went on the blink during the withdrawal.
Our card was withheld, and "for technical reasons" the machine was unable to issue us the cash we had requested (though, as we found out the next day, the money had been withdrawn from our account after all – see for the full story: 5 Tips For Dealing With ATM Troubles Abroad - And At Home).
To our surprise, our several conversations with the bank manager (to get our card and our cash back) had to be done in Spanish. He proudly told us that he "did not speak English". The one employee of the bank who supposedly spoke English, didn't really.
Our Spanish turned out to be much better than his English. Still, using Spanish banking language proved to be quite a challenge and we had to brush up on it quickly.
That kind of experience has taught us a few things about preparing for our trips to foreign countries.
To prepare for our "slow travel" adventures - they include unhurried stays in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Seville, Madrid, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Amsterdam - we made sure to learn some language basics and to find out about cultural differences.
1. Practice the Phrases You Might Use
To prepare for speaking the local language on your travels, you need to practice. But you need to especially practice words, phrases and sentences that you are likely to use.
Greetings, please and thank you, numbers, question words, asking for directions, language for shopping, - all these are helpful, especially if you go outside of larger cities.
Obviously, you can't prepare for all occasions and emergencies, as we found out in Seville. But it didn't take us long to learn some of the key banking terminology either.
A good part of your language practice can be done on your own. To do that, nothing beats online sites that have audio and text, and which teach you the practical vocabulary you need.
You can pace yourself, you don't have to worry about making mistakes, and you can practice until the phrases you want to learn become automatic.
Words and Phrases
As I'm learning basics in a new language right now - Czech - in preparation for a week's stay in Prague, I'm experiencing the challenge of learning totally unfamiliar words and sounds.
I find that it takes persistent practice to learn new words and their spelling with the goal to get them into my long-term memory. Not only do I repeat the words often, and practice them in a kind of "spaced repetition", I also make sure I recall them frequently.
Learning vocabulary in "chunks" (meaningful phrases) is better than just learning individual words. Once you have a set phrase, such as asking "Where is ...? or "How much is ...?" or requesting "I'd like ..." or "Please give me ...", you can put in other words to suit different situations.
Numbers
We discovered during trips to Japan and China that the most useful vocabulary we learned were the numbers. The need to understand and say numbers came up again and again as we visited markets, paid in restaurants, requested tickets, asked for information, etc.
Listening practice
Clearly, understanding the rapid speech of native speakers is more difficult than speaking phrases and sentences that you've practiced.
So, learning to listen without translating is also really worth practicing. Especially with the kind of vocabulary that you are learning. At the very least you'll get the gist of the responses people give you.
Pronunciation
Practicing pronunciation goes hand in hand with learning the words, phrases and sentences you want to use. No doubt, it's your goal to be understood when you speak. It therefore helps to practice out loud.
To get your pronunciation good enough, listen carefully to the native speaker and repeat what you hear.
Some words and phrases may be easy to pronounce. Others might take a lot of practice because they contain sounds that are not part of your native language. Foreign sounds are a challenge because you may not hear them correctly at first.
2. Learn About Cultural Differences
Interacting with others who are from a different cultural background and speak another language is so much more pleasant when you understand some of the cultural assumptions they may have.
Yes, seeing YouTube videos about the social and cultural gaffes some people commit can be quite funny. And people are often very forgiving.
Still, understanding and respecting the values and traditions of others will help you engage positively with them. It will also make you more confident as a language learner.
Formal and familiar forms of address
English has one word for "you", but many other languages have two or more.
Because of the single "you", English speakers just doesn't have the ear for some of the situational differences that dictate a specific form. Learning when to use the formal as opposed to the familiar forms of address is a must.
Differences in age, social class, type of business, etc. impact on some of the "rules" for using the formal versus the familiar "you". Also, these rules change over time.
The Internet has added some confusion to the issue since age, profession, or social class are usually not visible for participants in group discussions. Often the familiar "you" (German "du", French "tu", Italian "tu", Spanish "tú") is automatically used by all and feels friendly.
Still, if you're in another country and walk into a shop, you'll certainly want to use the formal, polite "you".
Hand Gestures
Becoming sensitive to non-verbal clues in another culture, such as hand gestures and facial expressions, is also important. While a certain gesture may be respectful in one culture it may be rude in another.
When we travel, we often become quite aware of how close people stand to us, including strangers in public spaces.
In some countries, we may feel we are being crowded. For example, people in "contact cultures" (e.g. Southern European countries, South America, Middle East) stand closer and touch more than people in "non-contact cultures" (e.g. Northern European countries, North America, Asia). (Amanda Eriksen, Washington Post)
Just know that such differences exist and be aware of how you react to a person who handles personal space differently from you.
Sense of Time
Time is another factor where cultural differences occur. Not understanding them can cause unneeded friction even between people who are well-meaning and friendly.
Countries where public transportation and trains run on a precise schedule give you a different experience, as opposed to places where schedules slide and are unpredictably flexible.
The way we perceive and handle time also affects scheduling personal get-togethers. We all have expectations and reactions regarding punctuality and lateness.
But a people's culture isn't just levels of politeness, the experience of personal space, or the perception of social time. When you visit a country or region, it's also worthwhile to learn about its history and traditions.
No doubt, you can learn about cultural differences without learning a language. But inversely, if you acquire another language, learning about the culture that has evolved with it is a must.
3. Don't Be Afraid to Use the Language You've Learned
Once you're in the country where the language is spoken, it's up to you to find ways to engage in conversations with native speakers.
Of course, such conversations are very different from practicing alone online or even practicing with a tutor(which you obviously could also consider as part of your travel preparations.)
In a conversation so much is going on at the same time. As you listen to your conversation partner and try to understand what the flow of sounds coming at you means, your mind is also working on a possible answer.
It may sound simplistic, but it's true: You can't learn to engage in foreign language conversations unless you do it. Start with baby steps and keep building.
Insist on using the local language at the market, in restaurants and bars, at the bakery, at the supermarket, when asking for directions.
You'll certainly encounter situations when the other person would rather practice his or her English – especially when their English is better than your new language. It's easy to succumb to such an offer, but try to resist.
Such situations are especially true in countries where many speak English. But in rural areas or places off the beaten track you'll certainly have the opportunity to practice what you've learned.
I've always found that locals are very supportive of my attempts at using their language. Often it has led to further conversations about their city, about travels, about my home country, etc.
And if you are also a practitioner of "slow travel" and are staying in a city for a longer period, you may be able to engage a tutor. Or you could personally meet an online conversation partner you found via one of the many language-exchange sites.
Even knowing just the basics of the local language will enhance your travel experience. And being able to listen and participate in conversations will get you to another level.
If you're an adventure traveler who likes to explore a country on your own, learn as much of the local language as you can before you get there. You won't regret it.
Bio: Ulrike Rettig is the co-founder of GamesforLanguage.com. She's a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments right here!
You may never have heard of the “chemins de fer du Kaeserberg”. And unless you live in Europe or are familiar with Switzerland, you may draw a blank when you hear the name Fribourg, or its German name, Freiburg (“im Uechtland”).
Perhaps you're more familiar with the city's German cousin Freiburg (“im Breisgau”), a picturesque university town located in Southern Germany's Black Forest.
Well, Fribourg is the capital of the Canton of Fribourg, (see picture above). It is located on the cultural border between German- and French-speaking Switzerland and the seat of the country's only bilingual university.
Every February, for over ten years now, Ulrike and I have visited my sister in Fribourg before heading to the Berner Oberland for some skiing. While in the city, we always make some new discoveries. This year it was the “Chemins de fer du Kaeserberg". And, we always take advantage of learning more about languages and enjoying Swiss food specialties. Our Swiss experience typically begins in Zurich after an overnight flight from Boston.
Zurich Airport to Fribourg
One of the pleasures of traveling in Switzerland is the ease of train travel. We now know that there is a direct train from Zurich Airport to Fribourg that runs every hour. We often don't have to wait long after buying our train ticket.
A few years ago though, we didn't have time to buy a train ticket. So we just boarded the train. The conductor didn't come by until after the next stop, which is Zurich Main Station. We told him that we had boarded the train without tickets at the airport. He sold us the tickets and was nice enough to waive the penalty fee.
Now you can no longer purchase tickets on the train, and penalties have increased if you're caught without a ticket. However, if you don't have time to buy a ticket at the counter or ticket machine, you can now easily purchase the tickets online with your smart phone.
Just download the free SBB Mobile app for iOS or Android devices to check time tables, purchase tickets, make seat reservations, etc.
Our 2018 Fribourg Discovery: Chemins de Fer du Kaeserberg
Over the years we have visited many of Fribourg's sights, the Cathedrale St-Nicholas, the picturesque lower town you can get down to with a Funicular, the Espace Jean Tinguely-Niki de Saint Phalle in the Musee D'Art et D'Histoire Fribourg, the Musee Gutenberg, etc.
During our visit this year,we spent a whole afternoon at theMusee des Chemins de Fer du Kaeserberg. If you're a model railway enthusiast, the railway museum is nothing short of a feast. But anyone from 4 to 90 years old will enjoy this technical marvel.
The model railway was a childhood dream of Marc Antiglio. He had taken over the family construction business as a young man and worked on his dream throughout his adult life. (I had met Marc over 40 years ago when I worked for a few years in Fribourg as a structural engineer.)
It took Marc 17 years to fully realize his dream: A model railway exhibit on three levels, in a custom-designed, multi-level, state-of-the-art building with solar collectors, a geothermal heating system. All of this was completed just a few years ago.
Built at a scale of 1:87, the model exhibit occupies an area of about 6,500 sf, with currently over 6,000 ft of rails (both H0, 16.5 mm, and H0m, 12.0 mm). The rolling stock consists of 300 locomotives and 1,650 wagons and cars, many of which are stored and can be accessed on the depot/station, the first level the visitor encounters when entering.
The attention to detail in building and landscape design is amazing. The model imagines a Swiss landscape around 1990, with villages, buildings, railway stations, cars,and people, plus circus tents, lakes and ships – so realistic - that you need to look twice to see that they are not real. Even the background photos of sky and mountains blend in seamlessly.
The introductory video for the visitors we saw was in French with German subtitles. In it, Marc Antiglio recalls how he got fascinated by trains as a little boy. He explains the many challenges he and his team of dedicated professionals and volunteers had to overcome to create the model. (Marc speaks with a slight "Fribourgois" accent. If you want to learn more watch this video on French accents and and French pronunciation.)
We had a wonderful time watching the many trains going through tunnels, over bridges, stopping at and leaving the stations. In the night mode, the changing lights created magic images.
The exhibit is open to the public at certain days during each week, and private visits can be arranged on other days. Check the website for the opening days and hours.
(If you wonder about the name “Kaeserberg” - it has nothing to do with the German word “Käse/Kaese” (cheese), but is the name of Marc Antiglio's late friend, who was instrumental in supporting Marc's passion.)
More about Fribourg
In the past, the language lines in the city of Fribourg were drawn rather clearly: In the lower town, since the city's founding in the 12th century, people spoke mostly a Swiss German dialect. In fact it was the official language until about 1800.
In fact, today the language spoken on the streets of “la basse-ville” (lower town) is a mix of Swiss German and French called “le bolze”. This swissinfo.ch article - “Nei, dasch zvüu, tu me connais!” - (No, that's too much, you know me!) not only gives some wonderful examples of typical bolze expressions, but also more details of Fribourg's linguistic history. (Sorry, the article is in French and does not solve the origin mystery of French “bolze" or German “bolz”.)
With the industrialization and the influx of French immigrants, the French population in the upper town became the majority in the 19th century. (see picture of upper and lower town). By the year 2000, nearly 64% of its 38,000 inhabitants spoke French as their first language, and only 21% German. Italian was third with about 4%.
In restaurants, cafes, and shops, etc. you hear a mixture of French, Swiss German, and Swiss standard German, which curiously is called “Schriftdeutsch” (written German). Increasingly, you also hear other languages. In 2008 nearly 32% of the population were resident foreign nationals.
The term “Schriftdeutsch” - written German - is used to distinguish Swiss standard German from the spoken Swiss German dialect. Swiss German children learn to speak Swiss German at home. They start to learn “Schriftdeutsch” in first grade and likely French a couple of years later. That's about the same time that Swiss French-speaking children learn “Schriftdeutsch” as a second language. Also, in many schools children learn English already in fourth grade.
From discussions with family, friends and acquaintances in Fribourg, we've gained the impression that there are more German speakers who are fluent in French, than French speakers who are also fluent in German.
We don't know why that would be. Maybe it's because French speakers are now the majority in Fribourg, or learning French as a third language (after “Schriftdeutsch) is “easier” for Swiss German speakers, or maybe Swiss Germans feel a more personal or economic need to be bilingual than their French speaking compatriots.
A visit to the local market provided a non-representative sample, as most of the Swiss German-speaking farmers easily switched to French, while French-speaking bakers and butchers had more difficulty speaking German.
Language can still be a divisive issue
While the casual observer may be pleasantly surprised by the city's apparent bilingualism, language in Fribourg - as in other Swiss cities and towns that are located on a language and cultural fault line - is often still a divisive issue.
Not much has changed since swissinfo.ch covered this issue in 2004, citing both Biel (where French speakers are the minority of the population, with 28 %) and Fribourg as examples. Family connections, social status, school locations, etc. all influence parents' decisions which language path their children should pursue.
In 2017 the Swiss Bilingualism Foundation awarded Rapper Greis (alias for Grégoire Vuilleumier) that year's “prize for bi- and plurilingualism”. Listen to his “Enfant des Etoiles” song which switches between Swiss German and French.
It certainly seems that in a small country like Switzerland (about 8 million inhabitants), being bilingual or at least being fluent in two of the major languages, German and French, should have great professional and personal benefits.
A couple of years ago just as we were visiting Fribourg, the localnewspaper, La Liberté, reported that local film makers had adapted Pharrell Williams' song“Happy” from the movie “Despicable Me 2” to Fribourg, similar to what other Swiss cities have done. You can watch the YouTube video which shows many images of Fribourg.
(You may recognize Ulrike in one of the video's scenes while she was at the weekly farmer's market.)
Now Our Swiss Tradition: Cheese Fondue or Raclette
Before heading to Gstaad and Schoenried (more about that in a future post), we typically will have a Cheese Fondue or Raclette with our family.
La Fondue (au fromage)
Probably the best-known dish of Switzerland is a cheese “fondue”. The word is French and comes from the verb “fondre” meaning “to melt”. Used as a noun, “fondue” is the feminine form of the past participle “fondu”. (larousse.fr)
Fondue has a lengthy history in Switzerland. The recipe “Käss mit Wein zu kochen” (cheese cooked with wine) was first mentioned in a Zurich manuscript in 1699.
“La fondue” showed up in 18th century culinary literature as “oeufs brouillés au fromage fondu”, scrambled eggs with melted cheese (as noted in the dictionary, Le petit Robert). The dish was particularly popular in the western French-speaking cantons, and there mostly among city dwellers who could afford the rich cheese.
Fondue, as we know it, dates back to around the middle of the 19th century and by 1875, it was named a Swiss national dish. In the 1930s, the Swiss Cheese Union (Schweizerische Käseunion) used the idea of a national dish for its own marketing purposes. That kind of promotion was continued after WWII. Fondue was popularized in the US in the 1960s, helped by being showcased in the Swiss Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in New York.
The traditional fondue is served in a fondue pot (un caquelon), which is kept warm over a chafing dish (un réchaud). To make the fondue smooth, you add cornstarch to the cheese mixture as it heats. Each one of you gets a long thin fork for spearing chunks of bread (or sometimes potatoes), which you then dip into the cheese. Eating fondue is definitely a social event that also includes plenty of white wine and/or tea.
Various traditions are observed: for example, if you drop your bread into the pot, you pay a round of wine, or a pot of hot tea.
Cheese Fondue Variations
Many of the Swiss cantons have their own version of fondue, using different combinations of cheeses. For those who want to try, this Epicurious post will give you the recipe for making a perfect traditional Swiss Fondue. Being frequent travelers to Fribourg, the two fondues we know best are the Fondue Fribourgeoise, and the Fondue Moitié-Moitié.
Fondue Fribourgeoise
Fondue Fribourgeoise is prepared with 100% local Vacherin cheese.
Vacherin is a medium-firm cheese made from cow's milk, as the name - vache (cow) - implies.The cheese is melted in a few tablespoons of water over low heat. To our knowledge, this is the only cheese fondue that does not use wine. Often you dip pieces of potato instead of bread.
Fondue Moitié-Moitié
Moitié-Moitié (or half-half), as its name states, uses Gruyère and Vacherin cheese in equal parts. This fondue is made with white wine, (dry and high in acid) and for flavor a shot of kirsch is often added to the mixture. You eat it by dipping chunks of bread.
La Raclette
Our foray into the world of melted (Swiss) cheese would not be complete without mentioning the “Raclette”. The name is derived from the French “racler”, meaning “to grate or scrape” and that clearly describes the method in which it is served: The melted cheese is scraped off the roasted/heated end of a large piece, most commonly a half a wheel of cheese (as in this picture).
The Raclette Suisse site traces Raclette's origins to the 13th century. In the German-speaking cantons, convent writings mention “Bratchäs” (roasted cheese - note the Swiss spelling of “Käse”) already in 1291 as a nutritious food for mountain cow herders. Raclette cheese is made of raw milk and many variations exist. Only the “Raclette du Valais” is a protected brand under Swiss law.
The traditional method melts the half-wheel of cheese, either right at an open fire place, or in restaurants, with an electric heater. The Raclette cook/server scrapes the melted cheese off unto each customer's plate. (see photo above, courtesy of: Grcampbell-Wikipedia Commons).
The modern, self-serve version uses small pans in which toheat Raclette cheese pieces right at the table with a special gadget (as in this picture). In eithercase, “Gschwellti” - Swiss German for potatoes boiled in their skin - are served with gherkins, pickled onions, and often preceded or accompanied by dried meat, such as “Bündnerfleisch” or “viande des Grisons” or “jambon cru”.
A Raclette evening, during which the meal is served the traditional way to a large table, is a social event that can last for hours. As with cheese fondue, locals will warn you not to drink cold water. It doesn't mix well with the hot cheese. However, hot tea, a “Kirsch” (cherry), “Poire” (pear), or “Framboise” (raspberry) Schnaps come highly recommended.
Raclette and Fondue (whether the cheese or meat variety) always make for a lively, social dining experience.
Even after the taste and smells of melted cheese have faded in your memory, you'll certainly remember the fun you had with your family and friends sharing such a meal in a warm and cozy mountain hut after a hard day of skiing, snowboarding, or hiking.
The best kind of travels are those where you can linger in a place, make discoveries, learn new things, and try out new tastes. It's a kind of “slow travel” that lets you soak in some of the local language, history, and customs. You have time to explore different neighborhoods, go to various cafés, bars and restaurants, and visit local shops and markets.
And if you've learned a new language for your trip, you'll have the chance to try out what you've learned. That's one of the great pleasures of travel: Get that sense of accomplishment as you stretch your boundaries.
Bio: Peter Rettig is the co-founder of Gamesforlanguage.com. He is a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact or below.
For the month of July, Laney, the 16-year-old daughter of a close friend, came to visit us on her own. She had one request: Please, speak only English with me. At the end of July, we sat down for a brief interview to talk about her month-long English immersion experience here in the US.
Understanding Swiss German dialects is a real challenge for German learners. But they are not alone: Even German natives often have great difficulties with some Swiss German dialects.
There is also no standard written Swiss German. In writing, Swiss Germans use their dialect mostly just for some informal communication, sometimes in emails, text messages, on social media, occasionally in personal letters etc. The words are then written phonetically, just the way they are said. 
Our visits to Switzerland have been mostly to the bilingual city Fribourg, which straddles a language border between French and the Swiss German. To find out more about bilingualism in Fribourg, click on the article by Antilia Wyss 
Since 2021, the word "inflation" has become a topic of conversations, opinions and forecasts in the US, Europe and other countries.
result, Germany was soon swamped with paper money, chasing a limited supply of goods. 
The stamp album starts off with what is likely the highest denomination of any stamp in history:
Foreign language skills may not always be required, but the benefits multilinguals bring to organizations are real — especially now that the market is getting more competitive.
Learning new languages doesn’t just give you an extra skill, it also boosts your problem-solving ability, creative thinking, and memory. 
If you’re aiming for the top, know that you need to learn how to understand and guide the people below you. 
Not all prospective partners will have English as their primary language (nor will they be fluent in it), so knowledge of their native language can help you build valuable connections with more people. 
(Updated May 29, 2022)
Neither Ulrike nor I had ever been in Bordeaux or that part of France before. We especially looked forward to exploring the surrounding wine country as well.
when the first of the now 3 lines (about 40 miles) of a modern tramway were opened. Mayor Alain Juppé had insisted that no overhead wires should spoil the view of the buildings in the city. 
We also decided to take a wine tasting class in French. The teacher was entertaining and familiarized an international audience with the basics of French wine terminology. 
For many cities a waterway adds to their special appeal and Bordeaux is no exception (see also 
Pont de Pierre to the row of converted warehouses downstream. These hangars house various expositions and events as well as brand-name discount shops. 
I had already noticed the brown color of both the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers from the plane as it made its approach to the Bordeaux airport.
At the end of our one-week stay in Bordeaux we rented a car to explore the surrounding wine country. (More about that in another post.)
of the entrance to the Bay of Arcachon, the dune rises to over 300 feet above sea level and is about 1.7 miles long. 
Planning a trip abroad is a lot of fun. Deciding where to go, whether to stay in one place or travel around, etc. can already fill you with the pleasure of anticipation. 
on the second floor of a building. As we entered, we soon realized that nobody spoke English. Nor did anyone speak any of the other European languages we know. The restaurant was crowded. But because we knew the Japanese word “fifteen”, we understood that we could have a table in about fifteen minutes. 
Last year we stayed in Prague, the Czech Republic. (See also 
to start our new site, 
This occurred to us in Seville a couple of years ago. On the way to our apartment after a late dinner, we used a bank's ATM to get cash. However, there was a problem, and the ATM did not dispense the cash to us. The next day though, we saw that our account had been charged Euro 500. 
a museum or a church. Yes, in some cases we could use our smart phone (if we have Wifi or phone reception), but then we could not practice our foreign words and phrases and have a conversation either – even in English. 
