Today I want to talk with you about Englischer Garten. «Is that even possible?» that was my first impression.

This park is one of world’s largest urban public parks located in the city center. It has over 100 bridges and the territory of this park is 370 hectares.

 Here people are as close to nature as possible in a big city. For me it is a good place to spend the weekend in summer. If the weather is nice it is the perfect time for picnic on the grass. Some people are coming up there to sunbath (if you catch some naked people do not be scared or something, it is not big deal there), surfers are coming up to practice surfing, someone is coming up to enjoy the view of authentic Chinese Tower that adjoins a massive Biergarten. By the way the Tower burned down after bombing in 1944; but society decided to rebuild it in 1952.

 Another Asian building is Japanese Teahouse. There’s traditional ceremony only one weekend per month. You can attend the ceremony four times a day for 6 €. Also you can try traditional German food in restaurants there.

And last but not least it is the perfect photo spot where you can take a lot of amazing pictures for your Instagram. Have you been to Englischer Garten? If you haven’t you should definitely visit it. Anyway, hope you guys are having a great time.

Esther

Germans are very athletic, they love sport and outdoor activities in general. It is an important part of their culture. No wonder they spend their weekends in the mountains climbing the hills or skiing in the Alps.

There are many other activities like sailing on the lake or cycling. And speaking of cycling, Germany is a cyclist’s heaven. There are paths everywhere, through the whole city, field or forest, along the rivers. It will take you anywhere. About 80 percent of Germans use bicycles.

It sounds crazy but I did not know how to ride a bike before moving to Germany. I did not think that I needed it. But I changed my mind because cycling is good for the environment and, of course, it is healthy.

My first experience was not so great because I was cycling in the courtyard and fell off my bike a couple times but I definitely enjoyed riding. People say “Practice makes perfect” and it is true. I started with small distances and now I can easily cover the distance of 15 kilometers. For me, it is an efficient use of time.

One of the most beautiful places to cycle in Germany is Bodensee-Königsee cycle route. The pretty country villagers are built on a steep incline and that makes this route unique. And if you if you are good enough in cycling I highly recommend to visit this place once.

Esther

Throughout Germany and Europe Bavaria is known for its incredible nature. Endless green fields and forests, blue lakes and mighty mountains – all this you can see here in Bavaria.

Although Bavaria offers you a wide variety of experience nature, I want to tell you about an aquatic paradise in Germany’s South. It has over 300 lakes! When the summer heat takes over Bavaria, there is one thing you can do: take your swimsuit and go the lake.

Bavaria has several truly amazing lakes with a crystal clear water. There are some of my favorite:

• The biggest lake in Germany is Bodensee and it surrounded by Germany, Austria and Switzerland. You should definitely go on an unforgettable river cruise there.
• Eibsee is the prettiest lake in Zugspitze mountain region. The colour of this lake is just incredibly green. You can explore it by boat or by foot along the coast. The view is breathtaking.
• My absolute favorite is lake Starnberg. You can get there by S-Bahn (S6 direction Tutzing) and it takes only 30 minutes from downtown Munich. It is one of the reasons I like it so much. Besides, the lake surrounded by stunning mountains. Take a few beautiful pictures and do not forget to take the water on a cruise.

It is one of the best ways to spend your weekend in summer time.

Esther

I have selected morning 8:30 to 11:30 class at Deutsch Akademie as my son goes to kindergarten from 7:30am to 2 pm.

So I wake up at 5:45… first of all prepare some healthy snacks for my son’s breakfast box. Then I make ready our lunch that is some vegetable Curry and Indian bread, as we return home very hungry in the noon.

After that I get ready to go out and leave home at 7:30.I take S-bahn from my place and reach karlsplatz station. It’s a 30 minutes journey. I reach Deutsch Akademie around 8:20.

Then I completely focus in the class and learn with full interest. We get a small break around 10am. At this time I take a coffee from vending machine and enjoy it chatting with my friends.

Till 11:30 again I pay attention in the class and once the class gets over, I go to the supermarket and buy some fruits, vegetables and grocery items.

Afterwards again by S-bahn I come to my place and go to pick up my son from his kindergarten. We come home and have our lunch.

Twice a week I take my son to Taekwondo class. So after that activity we come home. He watches TV and I do my homework.

Then again I start to prepare dinner. Around 6:30 my husband comes home and around 8pm we take our dinner together. We talk over many subjects and go to bed around 10pm.

This routine has made me completely busy… at times it’s too hectic but in return I am learning something which is useful for me! So I am happy for it.

Swarali

Heute möchte ich Ihnen über meine Lernerfahrung in der Deutsch Akademie erzählen. Seit fast fünf Monaten lerne ich dort Deutsch. Außerdem habe ich keinen Lerntag verpasst, weshalb ich ehrlich über meinen Eindruck sprechen kann. Zuerst mag ich die Bücher (Aspekte neu), mit denen wir Deutsch lernen. Die meisten Themen sind heutzutage relevant. Was ich am besten finde, ist, dass diese Bücher Aufgaben aus Prüfungen haben.

Einer der Vorteile sind die kundenorientierten und freundlichen Mitarbeiter. Es ist sehr praktisch, dass die Schüler die benötigten Informationen per E-Mail erhalten. Für Fragen und Wünsche können die Schüler sie persönlich kontaktieren. Das Büro versucht immer, eine Lösung zu finden.

Wenn wir über Lehrer sprechen, bin ich sehr zufrieden. Von Januar bis März war Ines meine Lehrerin, im April und Mai lerne ich Deutsch mit Andrea. Sie sind beide nicht nur hochqualifizierte und geduldige Lehrerinnen, sondern auch sehr nette und humorvolle Personen. Für mich sind es die besten Deutschlehrer.

Leider gibt es auch Nachteile. Die Gruppe besteht aus circa zehn Personen, die eigene Ziele haben. Engagement und Teamfähigkeit spielen eine wichtige Rolle beim Lernen. Menschen mit schwacher Motivation können ablenken, trotzdem versuchen Sie, sich auf den Lernprozess zu konzentrieren.

Was mir am besten gefällt, ist, dass ich dort viele gute Freunde getroffen habe, die für mich ein großartiges Vorbild sind. Kommunikation mit Menschen aus verschiedenen Ländern half mir, viel Neues zu lernen.

Die Deutsch Akademie ist der richtige Platz, um deutsche Sprache zu verbessern. Meiner Erfahrung nach, sind es die besten Deutschkurse in München.

Esther

When it comes to touristic places it is definitely a crowd of people. Famous places like Marienplatz, Odeonplatz, Englischer Garten etc. always filled with tourists. But sometimes I want to stay alone, think about my life or just read a good book in a beautiful place. And of course sometimes I want to take a picture without a million people in the background. That is why I want to tell you about one of my favorite places in Munich.

The Hall of Fame and Bavaria statue. King Ludwig intended to create the Ruhmeshalle in honor of distinguished people of his Kingdom. Today this location is known as  Oktoberfest venue. But I reccomend you to visit this place in spring or summer time with a cup of coffee and a good book. Take a couple of atmospheric photos in the deserted hall of Fame, then take a sit on the steps under the statue of Bavaria enjoying a good weather and silence.

If you have ever wanted to get inside the head of a woman, you can come up the stairs to a platform in the head of Bavaria, where four openings in the helmet let you enjoy a view of downtown Munich. But I would recommend doing it during the Oktoberfest, the view is amazing in this period. Anyway, you should definitely visit this place.

Esther

As Munich is cosmopolitan, all continental restaurants here we find in Munich.

I am a foodie and I like to try out different tastes. Only the thing is I am vegetarian so many a times there are only few options for me while eating out.

Still Europe is vegetarian friendly so at least you have few options.

I have not tried German food much… only pommes fries and Spargel soup I’ve tasted and of course breezel and butter croissants have become my breakfast buddies now…. just like German people.

Bakeries like IHLE and Rischart are my favourites. In IHLE bakery there is one sweet item called as ‘Erdbeerekörbchen’ which I like the most.

I am a coffee lover and I like my coffee with milk and Sugar. I tried coffee at many places in Munich and liked the most at Barista. Perfect cappuccino in the town! So I often go to Barista and enjoy my leisure time.

Amongst continental cuisines I like Mexican food, Italian food and of course Indian food.

I would recommend restaurant ‘Condesa’ for Mexican cuisines, restaurant ‘vi vadi’ for Italian cuisines. Both the restaurants are near to Hauptbahnhof. If anybody likes little bit spicy Indian food then should try ‘Madam Chutney’ Indian restaurant. The place is small but surely will not disappoint you!

If anyone wants some fast and cheap ‘to go’ food then there are many Döner and kebab selling places. These Turkish places serve one dessert called as ‘Backlava’… which should be tried once.

Apart from these I’ve tried many other restaurants but these are my favourites. As I am a foodie, still I want to go to many such restaurants and I am sure after some months I can recommend you few moreJ!

Swarali

Tolerance and Respect is the key to successful integration. People leave their homes and move to Germany for all kinds of reasons. Maybe they migrate due to poor socioeconomic prospects or simply travel all around the world or study abroad. I moved to Germany because of study. And it is normal because we live in modern globalized society. But sometimes we can find it challenging to accept other ways of life.

I’m often surprised by tourists or migrants who misbehaves away from home. For example, they throw trash on the streets or do not sort it, might be too loud on public transport, cut the line, etc. I think that learning to show respect and keep an open mind is very important. They say: ’When in Rome, do as Romans do’. That means when you live in, or visit, a foreign country, you should follow the laws of that country and show some respect for their traditions. We need to go into a new experience ready to learn something new. Germans are really friendly and polite to foreigners even now when the large number of refugees arriving in Germany. The federal government spends a lot of money to help them. At least people should show some respect in return.

Esther

Now I am learning A2.2 course. This is my 3^rd week of the course. In this level I’ve learnt a lot of grammar.

Passiv präsens, verben mit Dativ and Akkusativ, verben mit Präpositionen, lokale Präpositionen, modal verben in präteritum ….these are the grammar topics covered in this level.

We have also learnt to write a thank you card (Dankeskarte schreiben).

While learning the lessons from textbook I am coming across many new topics and learning so many different words.

Topic like how to form the questions is really important as per my opinion as we need to ask about something somewhere in day to day communication.

In our class we spoke about everyone’s weekend plan, what’s happening in Munich, about weather, about everyone’s future plans, school system in Germany etc. etc.

This not only improves communication but also the general knowledge about surroundings.

Still I have one week to complete my A2.2. No doubt in one week too I am going to learn many things, so right now I am revising the topics covered so far. I am glad I am attending the best german course in Munich.

Swarali

Munich has got a lovely location in southern Germany. Austria and Switzerland are the nearby and easily accessible countries from Munich. I travelled a lot to Switzerland and Austria while living in Munich.

Bavaria is also very beautiful to explore the places. I would like to recommend the top 3 places in Bavaria to students who come to Munich for just one or two months and like to explore the surroundings.

Neuschwanstein castle which is just 1.5hrs from Munich is very beautiful. Mountains behind the castle enhance castle’s beauty. This castle was a residence of King Ludwig II. It is built in a rock. Many people call it as a fairy tale castle. So this is the most visited castle of Europe.

One more amazing place near Munich is Königssee. Water of this lake is literally green like emerald. Here one should take a boat ride and enjoy the scenic Alpine ranges. There is one point during the boat ride called as an echo point where we can hear echo. So during the ride, at this point people play the music instrument and we get to hear its echo.

Third place I would suggest is Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Here is the Germany’s topmost Alpine pick- Zugspitze. One can go up hiking or with cable car. View and feeling on top are just amazing. One has to experience it!

Munich is such a happening city that there’s always something new to explore.

So those who like traveling and exploring surely will enjoy being in Bavaria.

Swarali