Sunday, June 13, 2010

Eins...Zwei...Drei...


I'm learning German very slowly. I have opted not to do the formal classes which are an hour each for 10 hours total. Markus (German YSSP) has kindly offered to instruct some of us in German. Yesterday we started with counting. I can now count up to 20 and in theory everything past that too. My pronunciation needs a lot of work. We also covered how to ask for a table in a restaurant and how to order a meal and ask for the bill. I got to try some of this on the barman last night while ordering.

Most important phrase of the day: Entschuldigen Sie bitte! - Excuse me please

The picture attached is a sign from a hotel around the corner from the Naschmarkt. Its a black cat and the story goes that these signs were displayed over shop doors to advertise the trade or services available and the name. They are made from wrought iron and can still be seen in a few places around Vienna. The Wien Museum has an example of a hedgehog and the lantern that gave Schonlanterngasse its name. I'll post more as I see them, I think these signs are wonderful.

No comments: