| FREIBURG |
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Die Altstadt
In the mediaeval southern town of Freiburg, Emily and Kat are given a
guided tour by Henne, an extremely tall Physics students from the university.
He explains the origin of the ubiquitous bachle - the fast-flowing gutters
in the cobbled streets - and takes then to the site of the 14th century
witch-burnings. They meet a pair of wandergesellen - itinerant journeyman
spending their statutory 301 days on the road - sample the German versionof
McDonald's and check their email.
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Freiburg shopkeepers
At the Backerei
Heizman, Kat and Emily have a sturdy German
breakfast of boiled eggs, coffee and brotchen with jam. The proprietor
introduces them to the bewildering array of breads and buns.
In the next street, the local branch of Vom
Fass sells brandies and liqueurs, flavoured oils and vinegars,
rhumtopf and cocktails in a choice of hand-blown glass containers.
Emily and Kat check their email at the Internetcafe
(staffed by an enterprising compatriot from Guangzhou). |
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Tall trees and cuckoo clocks
The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) stretches south from Freiburg to the Swiss
border - an unspoiled mountainous landscape of tall pine trees and lakes.
From the town of Titisee one can hike the forest trails, pick wild berries,
and buy thelocal specialties: cuckoo clocks and Schwarzwaldkirschtorte
- Black forest cake.
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| PRIEN AM CHIEMSEE
|
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Prien am Chiemsee
The Bavarian town of Prien on the Chiemsee is famous for two things: King
Ludwig II chose an island on the lake to build one of his fantasy castles
- a faithful reproduction of Versailles; in 1949 it was the site of the
constitutional convention for the Federal Republic of Germany. Rosena,
Heidi and Becky are our guides.
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Beer, beer and beer
Prien, like the rest of Bavaria, has a strong folk tradition, and this
is in evidence at the annual Marktfest, sponsored by the Traditional Costume
Society (Trachten). It is an all day affair with four bands (brass, jazz,
alphorn and yodelling), schuhplattler (slapping) dancing, games,
food (pork knuckles, barbecued trout, six types of bratwurst, sauerkraut...)
and the smallest beer glass is 1 litre. ). Rosena, Heidi and Becky sample
the fare, and by the end of they day conclude: "Wir haben zu viel gegessen
und getrunken".
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HEIDELBERG |
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Summertime in Heidelberg...
So goes the chorus of Sigmund Romberg's operetta "The Student Prince".
30% of the population of Heidelberg are students and the university is
one of the oldest in Europe. Holly, Tracy, Jane and Ken are studying there
and each introduces us to their favourite aspect of the town: the Nekar
River and its castles, the university folk song class, the guided walks
through the old town and the multicultural life of the student pubs.
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I lost my heart in Heidelberg
A chance to join in Ken's folk song class. This is a Karaoke version of
the popular song "Ich hab' mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren" (with subtitles)
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| BERLIN |
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Postcards from Berlin
The new German capital city has a turbulent past and as a consequence
is rich in layers of history and full of interesting people and places.
Holly and Rene ride the elaborate and complicated suburban rail systems
to meet artists, activists, fashion designers, film makers and actors,
they grope their way through Berlin's labyrinth of underground bunkers,
sample the cosmopolitan cuisine, visit one of Berlin's famous cabarets,
and at midnight make the pilgrimage to "Tresor", the world's first rave
club.
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Fashion
Rene, a student of fashion design, takes us to two contrasting fashion
studios where the young designers have been trained by Vivienne Westwood.
At Frisch they are putting the finishing touches to a whimsical collection
of men's clothes for the office; at Werkmeister they specialise in re-designing
and recycling items of clothing to create a new look that symbolises the
renaissance of this great city.
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East Side Gallery
Then the infamous Berlin Wall was torn down in 1987 a group of 120
international artists decorated a 3km section with paintings that portrayed
the hopes and aspirations of the time. 15 years later that paint has faded
and graffiti scars these art works. The emigre Persian artist Kani Alari
explains his project to restore the "East Side Gallery" to its original
state.
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|
GOETHE INSTITUT |
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Goethe Institut
The mission of the Goethe Institut is to promote German language and culture.
The Instituts in Freiburg and Prien attract large numbers of overseas
students for residential courses. The Hong Kong students discuss German
learning with a wide range of students from all over the world.
Goethe
Prien
Goethe
Freiburg |
