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South Africans in Germany

July

Most people take their summer holidays in either July or August.
Favourite summer holiday destinations for most Germans are Spain, in particular Mallorca, Greece, and Italy. Another popular destination is Malta, where they speak English.
Traveling within Germany is also a great option, with destinations like the Ostsee, the NordseeSylt , and Lake Constance making the top of the list.  

Tourist accommodation types

The hotel descriptions in Germany are very different from those in South Africa. Here is a shortlist, of some of the most popular types, with a short description and

Travel in the Schengen Area

Travel within the Schengen Area “The Schengen Area is a zone made up of 27 European states which have officially abolished passports and other types of border control at their

The weather is perfect for outdoor activities and al fresco dining. The Germans calls a braai grilling, and they like to grill sausages, vegetables, and even cheese.  There are some rules around braaing at your home and also for doing it in a public space.

Grilling in public

When you do not have braai facilities at home or want to have more space while meeting your friends for a braai, you can use the grills/fireplaces at a

Braai Season

Summer is finally here and it is time to invite friends to kuier around the braai.  But before you light your charcoal, check out the rules and regulations that

In summer, public swimming facilities (Freibad) will be open to visitors. Other options are to swim at a beach, a baggersee or a lake.
You can find a list of all the lakes (der See/Seen) in Germany on this website.
Other outdoor activities that are very popular during summer are hiking and biking. There are many websites and apps available with easy-to-follow routes.
On our Community pages, you can find or create groups with similar interests like hiking.

Most fruit trees will be heavy with fruit by now. In Germany, there are rules about when you are allowed to pick fruit from trees that do not belong to you. The general rule is that if the trees belong to a fruit farmer you are not allowed to pick the fruit, if the trees do not belong to a fruit farmer, then you can pick fruit for your own use.
For each Bundesland, there might be different rules. Here is a short article about it (in German).
Websites with more information on where you can go pick fruit, also from farmers,  are Mundraub and https://www.streuobstwiesen-boerse.de/,

SeasonSummer
TimeCentral European Time (CET), Summertime – the same time as South Africa until the last Sunday of October, when Wintertime starts (30 October 2022).
Weather

The average day temperature is 22 degrees Celsius. The days become shorter.
There still many hours of sunshine

There might still be some Pollen in the air, have a look at the Pollenkalender here

Plan your month

everything you need to know

Festivals

The warmer weather and long nights means that the summer Festivals are in full swing.
Cities come alive with street parades, music, markets, food and enough to drink.

Events listed on our website

Thabilé

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Some foods and drinks to try

01.

Mirabellen

Mirabelle plums are sweet and delicious

02.

Ice Cream

the best you will find at Italian Gelato shops. Do try Spaghetti Eis

03.

Berries

Strawberries (Erdbeeren), Red currant berries (Johannisbeeren), Blueberries (Blaubeeren), Gooseberries  (Stachelbeeren) and Cherries (Kirschen) are still in season

04.

Aperol Spritz

Summer Drinks

05.

Zwetschgen

Another seasonal fruit is the Damask Plum ( Zwetschgen). It is not to be confused with normal plums (Pflaumen). Most bakeries will sell Zwetschgenkuchen or Zwetschgendatschi. Eat it with a big dollop of cream or ice cream. You can also substitute the Zwetschgen for Mirabellen

06.

Rhubarb

most bakeries will have some baked goods featuring Rhubarb

Fruit and Veggies in Season

Vocabulary

German Barbecuedas Grillfest
a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer.die Gemütlichkeit
Man-made quarry filled with water

der Baggersee

Lakeder See
Oceandas Meer
BeachBeach
Vacationder Urlaub
Tripdie Reise
Accommodationdie Unterkunft
StreuobstwiesenMan-made Orchards and a form of fruit growing that is designed for multiple uses.
The tall trees that are “scattered” in the landscape carry various fruits such as apples, pears, cherries, plums or walnuts.
The meadow can be used as pastureland.

Sources

Related content

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Outdoors

Most South Africans love being outside the house. This can sometimes feel like a challenge in Germany, but I have learned very quickly that you

Weather in Germany

German Climate Germany’s climate is temperate and marine, with cold, cloudy winters and warm summers and in the south occasional warm föhn wind. The greater