“Caution! Animals bite” – German warning signs are abrupt and succint. But they do their job, I suppose
FOWC with Fandango: Circumspect
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Tag: German
Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Frogs!
Are you feeling envious of the little frog taking a shower? Or maybe the frog is envious of the driver deciding which way he can go? – Either way – “neidig” is German for envious (and obviously also a family name).
I’m a Fan of Funny Street Names
Street names often are handed down for generations and the actual meanings are often lost in the process. And we are left with humourous names like these: In Switzerland (found in the middle of the Odenwald, where Switzerland is far away). Dragon’s Stone (no dragon have I ever seen there). Near the house painters (formerly a street where housepainters had set up buisness, possibly). Street of the heavenly spirits (near a church, I reckon, or possibly a distillery). In the butcher (literally: inside a butcher, not a butchery). Little Hare Alley or Little Bunny Lane (I didn’t find a Big Bunny Lane in this town). Bike House Lane (a play on words: written with a T [Rathaus] it would mean town hall, but there is actually a bike shop in this road),
I’m a Fan of Creative Non-Parking Signs
tow away regulation in effect 
private parking 
wood storage area 
probably: no parking
Warning to be towed away in Dutch – found in a German town far away from the Dutch border.
The private parking is obviously meant for … a stone trough?
Wood storage area – parking not allowed (in the middle of a German forest).
Found in the Czech Republic. I guess it means “no parking” (an online translator supports this idea – even if it insists it is Latvian). The black car either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care.
Unity, and Trees, and Freedom
Germany is one of the most densely forested countries in Europe with about a third of the land covered by trees. During the early 1980s the term “Waldsterben” was coined in Germany. The mainstream had started to take notice of the damage that forests were taking from acid rains. I remember at the time reading a French analysis about the fact that Germans seemed to be much more disturbed than other nations about this particular ecological disaster. Germans had a much more intimate and earnest relation to trees and woods, the article maintained.
Hence I thought it would be a good idea to start Becky’s July Squares with a very German tree: it is sporting the colours of the German flag: black, red, and gold.
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Time, place, language
Talk is silver, silence is golden. – Even keeping silent is a form of language.
“A different language is a different vision of life “
– Federico Fellini
Towards the end of the 18th century all things oriental were in fashion. The then reigning Elector Palatine consequently wanted a part of his palace ground to look oriental and first had a Turkish garden laid out and then a mosque built, known as the Red Mosque. Now this mosque was never meant as a place of worship but rather as a glorification of a world spirit (as seen from a European point-of-view, a eurocentric vision, culture appropriation as we understand it now and consequently “bad” but very advanced and unprejudiced at the time).
While the mosque itself is a statement in a very specific language, walls inside and outside were decorated with Arabic phrases and their translations. How correct the Arabic writing is, I don’t know. If they came from genuine Arabic sources, I don’t know. There are so many facets of language and understanding and vision in this alone, the language itself, the sources, the presentation…
And to add another vision: I am now working as a GSL teacher, German as second language, which in German is known as DAZ (Deutsch als Zweitsprache).
Linked to Travel with Intent. For more photos inspired by the Fellini quote, click here.
Flag waving tree
A truly public-spirited tree – sporting the colours of the German flag: black, red, and gold.
For Festival of Leaves #6. More autumn leaves can be found here.
Jüngling with Yuengling
Yuengling is an American beer. The founder of the brewery was of German descent and the name was originally Jüngling which means youngster in German. Obviously, the baby sees the humour of the situation.
For One Word Sunday: humour. More humourous photos are only a click away.
Damn, those Dirty Dots look kind of Dada!
German car number plates have the area abbreviation and two more letters. In some areas one can have more fun with words than in others (try to make something pronounceable with MTK or WHV). Darmstadt (DA) is a goldmine, but Dieburg (DI) and Dortmund (DO) can also yield some interesting finds. I’ve only recently started to take pics of fun number plates, I’m sure my collection will grow in time.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Letter D – 4 letters words that start with D
pictures imperfect blog 