Germany's News .... in English

Guten Abend!!!

When we first moved to Germany we watched, well tried to watch German tv. We all found it very difficult tiresome. It was just like hearing a load of NOISE. I know a lot of people advise you to watch tv to learn a new language, but it didn't suit our family! As a result of this we missed out on a lot of news, both local & worldwide. It had it's benefits as the news isn't always the most uplifting, however being totally oblivious isn't the best situation to be in either. This may have added to the fact that everything seems safer here.  I wasn't afraid to run through the forest at the back of our home alone, and did so 2, 3, 4 times a week.  At home, in the UK, you wouldn't have seen me step foot in a woods or forest alone.  But here seemed different, lots of people use the forest for Nordic walking, walking dogs, running, cycling, walking to school or work.  It is so serene despite the traffic and to be honest the only time I have been afraid is when a big dog has come too close to me! Shriek!! After about a year or so of running - alone - through the forest ....

... I noticed a few - well actually quite a few posters nailed to trees & stuck on lampposts of a man. Curious to find out what they were for, I searched the internet for information. That's when I first discovered The Local. It's the local news of Germany online (you can even sign up for other European countries such as France, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland) but in ENGLISH!!
Here's what the opening page looks like ... obviously with different pics depending on the news. ;)

Not only is it good to read what's going on - but actually very important to.  It turned out the man on the poster was Germany's most wanted at that time in 2009/10 ... and he'd only been hiding out in our beautiful, safe (apart from wild boar ... we'll save that story for a later post), serene forest! Yikes!!! He was captured later, further north of Germany. But hey ...it really taught me that keeping up to date with the news is important.  So to the expats out there in Europe, take a look at the link and learn what is happening around you, not for the purposes of scaremongering but I believe a little knowledge can be a huge protection also.

Today's news tells us about a dentist having one of his fingers cut off by a couple of robbers.  How disgusting is that??? You can read that here. Although this post isn't a chirpy post, I hope it makes you aware so that you can live a Happy Life - being aware of your local news.