October Activities

After our Oktoberfest excursion, things haven’t died down much and there’s still been a lot going on!

Deutschkurs

My German class is going very well. Each month is a new module and every two months we will reach one of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language level milestones, which range from A1-C2. By the end of my course in February, we will finish B1.

We just finished the A1 module and according to the Goethe Institute, that means I can do the following:

“Can understand and use familiar, everyday expressions and very simple sentences, which relate to the satisfying of concrete needs. Can introduce him/herself and others as well as ask others about themselves – e.g. where they live, who they know and what they own – and can respond to questions of this nature. Can communicate in a simple manner if the person they are speaking to speaks slowly and clearly and is willing to help.” (http://www.goethe.de/lrn/prj/pba/bes/enindex.htm#A1)

Kölner Philharmonie

When we were in Pittsburgh, one of our favorite things to do was to see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Last weekend we went to our first concert at the Kölner Philharmonie. The concert ended up featuring opera singers the whole time, which is not quite our taste, but it was still fun. The concert hall is also beautiful and the symphony has a free practice session open to the public every Thursday morning.

Dinner in Düsseldorf

On Thursday, we rode the train to Düsseldorf to have dinner with some friends. We ate at What’s Beef , which is a NYC-inspired burger restaurant. The burgers were probably the best we’ve found in Germany, but still just not quite the same as home.

After dinner, we walked around and got a mini-tour from one of the guys who is a Düsseldorf native. The big, built-up, modern city presents a definite contrast to Köln.