Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Networking’ Category

Sausages, handball and more – join us on 12 June

Posted in Books, Food & Drink, Sport & Leisure, Stammtisch on May 22, 2013| 2 Comments »

Dear Stammtisch Friends

I would like to invite you to our next Stammtisch on Wednesday, 12 June 2013.

Our evening at the Mansion House in Jesmond will start around 5.30pm with a cold beer on the terrace (yes, there’s also West beer now available in the Mansion House). We will then have dinner in the drawing room and on the menu are 2 Bratwuerste (grilled sausages) with Altbadischem Sauerkraut (white cabbage), Kartoffelbrei (mashed potatoes) and Zwiebelsosse (onion sauce), followed by Apfelstrudel (appel strudel) with ice cream – all for only £10 per person. You pay at the door on the day, but please confirm (or if you have to cancel) with me as the Mansion House will only cater for us on the day.

Being from the sausage capital of the world (Nuremberg) and as they’re on our menu, I thought I’d share some sausage knowledge with you:

One of (or the) most famous sausage restaurants is in Nuremberg and the Bratwursthaeusle and they’ve been making and cooking sausages since 1313.  Germans are so mad about their sausages, they have even dedicated a museum to it. You can visit the Curry Wurst Museum in our capital Berlin. Uli Hoeness is famous as a footballer, being in charge of Bayern Munich and more recently for having trouble with the German equivalent of HMRC. Less known to the outside world, however, is his successful sausage business. Uli’s Wuerste have even been sold at McDonalds and in a ZDF programme, his sausages won the the ‘Knackigste Bratwurst’ award.

So now you’re thinking of ways how to get rid of all these calories. And one of the sports that has gained a following here in the North East since last year’s Olympics is ‘Handball’. Yes, proper handball. Not netball! 🙂 The Newcastle Vikings Handball Club meets at Percy Hedley in Killingworth and is open to newcomers. Their website is great – and you find out all the information you’re after.

And if you still have energy to spare – what about this one: ’24 Hours of Bavaria’. The annual event takes place in Fuessen in 2013 and the walk takes you past famous sights, including the world famous Neuschwanstein. There are various walks, but if you are really hard core, you’ll cover 80km in 24 hours. This year, 24 Hours of Bavaria takes place from 22 to 23 June.

I also have a book recommendation for you from Gunther. ‘Keeping up with the Germans‘ has been described as a witty and incisive look at the lighter-side of Anglo-German relations over the last 100 years. Gunther’s comments were: “Extremely funny… Had me in stichtes and all this I can identify with… A must read!

And online, a Brit in Germany – Adam Fletcher – writes a very funny blog and here are his ’20 Easy Steps to be a German’.

I hope to see many of you in the Mansion House on 12 June & wish you a lovely time until then.

Read Full Post »

Comedy, Books & Holidays

Posted in Books, Events organised by Others, Travel on March 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Dear Stammtisch Friends

It’s been a while since our last Stammtisch and I hope that I can soon organise a venue that will provide some delicious German cuisine.

However, in the absence of food, maybe a bit of humour will make up for it? Germany’s Comedy Ambassador to Great Britain, the very funny Mr Henning Wehn, will be in the North East next month. You may already have tickets for either the Gala Theatre in Durham or the Stand in Newcastle. If not, the Gala Theatre still has tickets for the evening of Sunday, 14 April and they are £12.50/each (the Stand is already sold out). Maybe we’ll see you on one of those nights?

Our Stammtisch members have also been offered a 10% discount for a cottage stay in Perthshire, Scotland for 2013. There are three cottages available, with en-suite bedrooms, modern kitchens and their own private terrace with bbq and garden furniture. They also welcome up to 3 dogs for free and there are storage facilities for your outdoor equipment. For further info, images or testimonials, visit http://cottagesinperthshire.co.uk.

And if you’re travelling to Germany with your kids, you may want to do a brief stopover in Nuremberg. That’s where the Deutsche Bahn opened the Kibala – the new Kinderbahnland – in the DB Museum.

If you are newcomer to the UK and are still struggling a bit with the colloquial English or cultural differences, we’ve had a book recommendation – ‘What’s for tea? – Englisch wie es nicht im Schulbuch steht’ by Claudia Hunt, may just be the one to read. 

We also received another recommendation of a novel entitled „DAS LEBEN IST WIE DER WIND“ von Helmut Jost Krüger. Prussia in the 18th and 19th Century provides the backdrop for the lives of a family over a period of 140 years. The novel is available via Kindle at Amazon.

I also wanted to briefly introduce you to the Cinnamon Trust, which is a national charity that offers support  to people in their last years and their much loved and needed companion animals. If you would like to help their efforts, visit the website. They look for example for volunteers that walk dogs or foster animals if their owner needs to go to hospital.

Well, that’s it from me for today – let me know if you have any particular food wishes, then I can chat to some of the venues, I’ve got in mind. What is your favourite dish that you’re missing and I will try my best!

Enjoy the last snow flakes!

Read Full Post »

Stollen, Plaetzchen & Gluehwein

Posted in Events organised by Others, Food & Drink, Networking, Restaurants, Stammtisch on November 21, 2012| 1 Comment »

It’s winter time and I’ve found us a lovely new venue for our annual Christmas dinner. A great recommendation from German Recruitment’s Ali Guezel, Cafe Ei8ht in Gateshead is owned by Christian Vogel who will look after us on Monday, 3 December.

Our evening will start with a Gluehwein Reception at 6pm, followed by 3-course dinner at 7pm. Our traditional German Christmas menu includes Flaedles-Suppe oder auch Fritatten-Suppe (pancake soup for the British), followed by Gaensebraten mit Rotkohl und Kloessen (goose with red cabbage and dumplings) and as a dessert home-baked Stollen and Weihnachstsplaetzchen (biscuits) as well as coffee and tea (there is also a vegetarian option). The cost per person for the complete menu will be £24.95 and has to be paid upfront (either visit or send a cheque to Cafe Ei8ht, 8 Regent Terrace, Gateshead, NE8 1LU (opposite the council offices), or email/text Christian (cafe8info@aol.com/ 07842 757 567 and he’ll call you back for credit card payment).

Could you also let me know by latest 29 November, if you’re planning to go as we’re limited on space in the cafe. We will be a private party on the night and it will be very much a family atmosphere. Christian said he could organise beer and wine for our group, but has to s ell it by the bottle. Can you also please let me know what you prefer so he has an idea what to get? Thanks!

Just a little bit about Christian himself. He’s originally from Berlin, but also lived near Tuebingen where he did his apprenticeship as a ‘Hotelfachmann’, which he completed in Achern, Black Forest. Six years ago he moved to the UK, where he worked in Windermere for 2.5 years. After that he did a spell as a supervisor in Ontario, Canada, but returned to the UK in 2010 to help open a hotel in Cornwall. Before taking over Cafe Ei8ht in May this year, Christian was the restaurant/duty manager at Matfen Hall. Since then, he’s even been involved in a buffet for the Duchess of Cambridge. And only three weeks ago, Christian added German specials to his menu. If anybody is interested what he’s got on, you can check out his menu on facebook (Cafe Ei8ht) or twitter (cafeei8ht). He’s also doing outside catering and if there’s sufficient interest in a dish, he may do it for a small group. His mum is currently here in the region to support him and is baking Stollen for the Christmas season – they take around 2 weeks to settle, so if you want one, you need to let him know by latest 24 November (price £5.50 for ca. 500g).

Unfortunately our usual venue, the Mansion House, will not be able to do a separate event this year, but Gunther very kindly invited the Stammtisch to join one of their events on 20 December. This will include a proper Christmas dinner, half of bottle of wine, Stollen plus entertainment on the night. So if you’re not heading to Germany for the festive period, the Mansion House might just be the place. Can you contact Gunther directly gunther.seebacher@newcastle.gov.uk/0191 281 0863). Thank you!

If you can’t wait that long, the 60th and last Weihnachtsbasar is just around the c orner at the United Reformed Church in Newcastle on 24 November from 11am to 2pm.

Tynemouth is also putting on another Christmas weekend on 1 and 2 December, with Taffy the Storyteller at the Priory Theatre and on the Village Green you can meet Santa & feed the Reindeer, Pony & Trap rides, stalls, Christmas garland workshops, mulled wine and so on.

It would be great to see many of you at our Christmas Stammtisch on 3 December!

Read Full Post »

Get ready for the Oktoberfest

Posted in Food & Drink, German Embassy & Consular Offices, Jobs, Networking, Restaurants, Stammtisch on September 18, 2012| 4 Comments »

Dear Stammtisch Friends

It’s the time of the year again to dust off your Lederhosen and squeeze into your Dirndls. I’d like to invite you to join us at the Brandling Villa in Gosforth for their Oktoberfest on Thursday, 11 October from 6pmonwards. They’ve got a range of Oktoberfest beers already chilled for you and you’ll have a choice of various German dishes including sausages (Bratwurst, Weisswurst, Currywurst) to Schnitzel and Spaetzle. We were there two years ago and it does get very busy & hot – so be prepared!!! Let me know if you’re coming, so we can all watch out for each other on the night and conquer some tables.

If you can’t wait that long, West in Glasgow are also putting their 6th Oktoberfest. Every Friday, the ‘Bayrische Buam’ play traditional Oktoberfest music at the West beerhall from 7pm to 10pm, but as it’s popular you need to pre-book your table.

Thanks again to all of you that have filled in our travel survey. Newcastle Airport was obviously the key departure airport in the region, but Edinburgh was also popular for German connections. 100% of the respondees stated that they would like additional links to Germany and most popular was our capital Berlin, followed by Stuttgart, Munich and Frankfurt. So watch this space!

I’ve been contacted by language school International House here in Newcastle, who are organising voluntary international internships. Their students generally study Business English there prior to a placement where they can then enhance their skills and find out more about work life in Britain. They currently look for a placement for a 24-year old German graduate in communication studies, that is looking for a 8-week placement from Monday, 1 October. If anybody can accommodate this, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with the relevant people at IH, who’ll forward you CV and further info. Thank you!

There’s a new free internet portal that may be of interest to you – www.deutsche-weltweit.de helps Germans abroad to find each other, share information etc.

And for any official business here in the region, you have to find Jo Chexal at the new German Honorary Consul’s offices, that are now located at Newcastle Civic Centre, Registrar’s Entrance, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8PS. Her email and telephone number have remained the same: newcastle-upon-tyne@hk-diplo.de / 0191 233 6317. 

There is a biometric machinery at the Honorary Consul’s office, so Jo can handle applications for biometric passports (including fingerprinting). However, you must ensure you make an appointment and bring along essential documents including originals or certified copies (beglaubigte Kopien) of birth certificates, marriage certificates etc. and copies of the deregistration certificate (Abmeldeschein). Photos are not the same as the British passport size. Robertsons of Gosforth, 202 High Street Gosforth, tel. 0191 2854652 can guarantee the right size as long as they are informed it is for a German passport. Also look out for other photographers that display a sign saying they can do German and other sizes (the specification is on the German Consulate/ Embassy website).

Jo can also stamp Lebensbescheinigungen for people who get a German pension, take applications for Namenserklaerung in der Ehe, Geburtsanzeigen, Unterschriftsbeglaubigung/ Identitaetsbeglaubigung, Erbschaftsausschlagung, Fuehrungszeugnisse, Beglaubigung von Uebersetzungen und Kopien, Genehmigungsvertraege for house sales in Germany.

And last, but not least – some more food recommendations.Siggi found Schwartau und Zentis Konfituere and Krombacher Bier in B&M Bargains in Bedford Street in North Shields, which apparently sells often German products. And as Lidl has given up on the rye bread, they’re now doing Brezn at least in the Battle Hill shop (somebody must be buying them as I’ve never yet managed to get any when I popped in!).

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday, 11 October for a great night out!

Warm regards

Manuela

Read Full Post »

Holiday News & Updates

Posted in Food & Drink, Jobs, Networking, Stammtisch, Travel on August 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Dear Stammtisch Friends

Hopefully you are reading this whilst enjoying the sunshine and a chilled drink! We have now a date for our next Stammtisch, which will be a BBQ on Thursday, 23 August from 5.30pm onwards in the lovely garden at the Mansion House in Jesmond. Our theme will be ‘Es geht um die Wurst‘, but obviously there will also be food choices for the non meat/sausage lover and please feel free to bring your family along. We will let you know menu/cost as soon as we know that there’s sufficient interest, therefore please let me know if you’ll join us as soon as possible so I can confirm.

I’d like to say a big thank you also to everybody who offered their services regarding the letter in the old German handwriting. The response was fantastic and the first person who emailed back ended up getting involved and it turned out to be a topic she was personally interested in. But thanks to everybody who so kindly wanted to help out – and I was impressed how many people were able to still read this writing style!

German language skills are also in demand elsewhere and I’ve got two job advertisements that somebody in our group may be interested in:

County Durham based Hospitality Guaranted are currently looking for a Conference & Accommodation Co-ordinator with fluent German/French skills to support their team. Tasks inv olve the management and co-ordination of venue finding enquiries, the completion of proposals for both UK and European markets. The candidate would also have to be able to translate from French and German into English and vice versa.The position involves supplier management and coordination, negotiations and proof-reading of contracts. Other tasks mentioned in the job descriptions were desk research, co-ordination of bookings, follow up of sales leads.

If this is of interest to you, please email me and I’ll forward the complete job description and contact details to you.

London based Listen & Learn are also currently looking for a freelance German teacher for elementary lessons for one adult in Greenside (NE40). The preferred schedule indicated was 1 lesson/week and for classes on Saturdays between 9am to 12noon. If you’re interested in this, please let me know and I’ll forward you all the details and then you can apply directly with the company.

The Edinburgh Festival is already in full swing and I thought you may want to see Germany’s Comedy Ambassador to Great Britain. ‘Henning knows Bestest’ is the theme of this year’s show at the Fringe Festival and you can get tickets from 15 to 26 August. I’m also monitoring his schedule so if he’s next here in the region – Tanja went to his show in spring and said it was fab – we’ll have to get a Stammtisch there!!!

Win a Dream Tour of Germany! That’s a competition of the German National Tourist Board (NTB), that’s on Facebook until the end of August. You can design your very own Dream Tour and win a personalised 7-day tour. More than 20 NTB partners have come together to offer different travel modules to choose from. Good luck & let us know if you’ve won!!!

Sunny regards

Manuela

Read Full Post »

July Stammtisch News

Posted in Events organised by Others, Languages & Communications on July 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Unfortunately, we have no date yet for our next Stammtisch, which was meant to be a BBQ at the Mansion House. When the sun does make an appearance again in Geordieland for more than just a few hours, we’ll try and organise something quickly.

However, in absence of a Stammtisch, you may want to join one of the many events organised by Newcastle City Council while hosting the “Newcastles” from around the world. On Sunday, 22 July, from 11.15am onwards there is a service held at Newcastle Cathedral to celebrate Cities, Peace and Friendship, with songs from around the world being performed by the Crossings Choir.

On Tuesday, 24 July the visitors from the various Newcastles will party the night away aboard the ferry “Pride of the Tyne”. Tickets are £20 and there will be welcome drink, food and music from Hannabiell and Midnight Blue. You can order via Irene Hatton or call 0191 211 6826. Departure is at 7pm prompt from the Pitcher and Piano and you’ll return at 10.15pm.

Another interesting event will be held at the Mansion House in Jesmond on Wednesday, 25 July from 7.30pm. The POT LUCK PALADAR is part of the EAT Festival and you can either make a dish particular to one of the many countries of the world that have a “Newcastle” in them (check the website for details) for the shared table or just come along and enjoy the buffet of world dishes. There will also be live music in the garden, Geordie canapés and a fun quiz with your chance to win a great prize. Click here for details.

Maybe you can help with this request – a letter needs to be translated from German into English. Unfortunately I can’t help as I am having difficulty reading the old fashioned handwriting (1930s). So if there’s somebody in our group that would be able to do this for a fee, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with the relevant person.

We also had a request from a PhD student at Newcastle University who is currently working on a research project about language use. Alina is looking for German native speakers (between the ages 18-35 & with high level of English) who are willing to take part in a language experiment.

The study lasts for approx. 55 min and involves judging a sequence of short video clips and completing a language and biographical questionnaire. Participants will be tested on an individual basis at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences and will receive £5 for their participation. The tests will take place June-August and if you are interested to take part, please e-mail alina.schartner@ncl.ac.uk.

Another request to the Stammtisch was if anybody has any experience/insights into four universities in Germany, where an international student wants to do his Masters in Electrical Engineering: TU Munich, TU Darmstadt, Brandenburg TU (Cottbus) and Otto-Von-Guericke University in Magdeburg. The gentleman is interested in reputation of these universities, how his degree would be valued, cost of living in the above cities and if there would be opportunities to get part-time jobs in his relevant field in these locations.

Apparently since the introduction of the higher university fees, British students are now heading towards Germany to study there. Click here for the full article, that was recently published on gmx in cooperation with Spiegel Online.

Our cycling expert Tanja Cooper has asked me to forward you some information about her forthcoming challenge. She will very soon embark on a 1000 mile cycle challenge across the UK, starting at Land’s End and finishing her journey 14 days later in John O’Groats.

Her aim is to raise £500 for RoadPeace, a charity that offers emotional and practical support to crash victim’s families. RoadPeace is trying to improve post crash response and is also tackling bad driving and aims to make our streets safer for everyone. You can support Tanja and donate at www.justgiving.com/Tanja-Nick-Lejog

So fingers crossed that we will be able to do a BBQ in 2012 and in the meantime, I hope you will all have a superb summer holiday and look forward to seeing you soon!

Read Full Post »

News & April Stammtisch

Posted in Events organised by Others, Food & Drink, German Embassy & Consular Offices, Jobs, Restaurants, Stammtisch on April 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Dear Stammtisch Friends

I would like to invite you to our next Stammtisch, which will take place on Monday, 23 April at The Broad Chare in Newcastle. It would be great if you could come along and welcome nine Germans who will visit the region from Brandenburg. The Broad Chare is obviously a great venue for the best British food has to offer and they kindly agreed to have a German food option for our Stammtisch group. We will meet at 6.30pm in the bar, with dinner from 7pm onwards. The Broad Chare also has an excellent selection of local and German beers. I need to know who will come along so that we can reserve enough tables in the restaurant – so quick email would be great.

Thanks again to everybody for their food recommendations:

  • Toby discovered that the Lidl in Consett also has an in-store bakery and make there a fine Graubrot, which is apparently fresh and very delicious.
  • Here in Tynemouth, the Deli Around the Corner, now stock Doughwork’s Russian rye bread every Friday and Saturday.
  • Since October 2011, Edinburgh has its very own German restaurant – the Frankfurter Eck, which is run by Joseph and Kristian. I’ll be popping up there soon to try out, but if anybody has been, let us know. On a Sunday, the Frankfurter Eck have a Bavarian Sunday, with all the traditional dishes you’d expect.
  • And a German butcher/chef called Stefan Kölsch works at Donald Russel in Aberdeen, that deliver the finest meat – check out their online catalogue for further information.

German speakers are also in demand and we received a few job advertisements in the last few weeks:

  • The German Consulate General in Edinburgh is looking for a new team member for legal and consular matters in the passport and visa section. Click here for further details.
  • BBA Reman, which is based in Rochester is looking for a country manager based in Hamburg. Click here for the full job specification.
  • Recruitment firm Elliott Browne in Newcastle is also looking for German speaking staff. They’re a leading supplier of Microsoft Dynamic and Microsoft Sharepoint professionals.

I’ve also had two emails recently regarding Au Pairs. Christine Goodwin, who runs the Northumbria School of English in Whitley Bay, has joined forces with Fiona Stöber, a Newcastle born teacher that now lives in Germany, to offer an au pair programme for German au pairs and British families. The scheme will run during a 5-week period in July and August. For further information contact Christine on 0191 2525265 or email english.school@btconnect.com. Click here for full article on the North Tyneside Business Forum website.

Another Stammtisch member is also looking for an au-pair position for a 25-year old German here in the UK. Does anybody in our group have any experience or recommendations that I can pass on? She’s looking for a family with children that she can care for. Thanks!

The German Consulate General in Edinburgh is responsible not only for Scotland, but also German nationals based here in the North East of England. They’ve recently started a Facebook page which gives you an update on what’s happening in their region and Germany.

Some more dates that may be of interest to you:

The University of Newcastle is holding some German research talks on the following topics:

3 May Elizabeth Andersen (SML) Brigitta of Sweden and the Printing Houses of Lübeck

10 May Debbie Pinfold (Bristol) Conceptions of Childhood in the Literature of the GDR

The joint concert of the Northern English Singers and Gelsenkirchen’s Madrigalchor on Saturday, 9 June at 7.30pm at St James’ United Reform Church, Northumberland Road in Newcastle.

Newcastle City Council are currently organising two events as part of the ‘Newcastles of the World’ – these will be attended by 17 people from Neuburg-an-der-Donau. First there is a river boat tour on 24 July (tickets £25/head), which includes welcome drink, buffet and music. Two days later, on Thursday, 26 July a dinner will be held to launch the new ‘International Newcastle’ initiative. They expect around 300 people for dinner and an evening of music, with tickets costing £45 or tables £450. We’re thinking of joining at least one of the events with the Stammtisch and I just wanted to have some feedback from you what you think. Thank you!

Anyway, that’s all from me for today. I would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter and look forward to a catch up on 23 April.

Read Full Post »

Town Twinnings, Cycling, Vacancies & More News

Posted in Events organised by Others, Food & Drink, Jobs, Languages & Communications, Sport & Leisure on February 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Helau Stammtisch Friends!

As you’ve probably noticed, I have not been able to organise a Stammtisch night for next Monday, but hopefully we will have another one soon.

 

In the meantime, here are some other news about forthcoming visits and initiatives that might interest you.

The first of our region’s town twinning initiatives will be in March, when pupils and staff from Gelsenkirchen and Gladbeck will be in the area as part of Theatre Royal’s InterTWINed 2012, a drama festival for young people aged between 13 and 22 years. From 13 to 16 March, the People’s Theatre in Heaton will host their performances and those of other participating young people from Ireland, Poland, Estonia, Italy, Norway and of course Newcastle. Newcastle City Council is also currently looking for host families for the visiting young people and staff (from 11 to 18 March) – if you want to get involved, let me know as I have more information to send out. For more information on the festival, visit www.intertwined2012.co.uk.

There will be another German delegation to the area at the end of April and we will try and organise a joint event during that visit. And there will be a visit of the Madrigalchor from Gelsenkirchen in June, which is partnered with the Northern English Singers. Both choirs will perform at a joint concert on Saturday, 9 June from 7.30pm at the St James United Reform Church in Newcastle.

The Wear Valley Twinning Association is currently organising a trip to their German partner, the town of Bad Oeynhausen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The trip will take place from 6 to 14 September 2012 and cost is currently around £302 (the more participants, the more the cost will decrease). Included in the price are luxury coach travel, ferry, accommodation at local host families and a number of day tours, incl. one to Hannover and other social activities. If you want to find out more, email Denise Lee at dlee2405@virginmedia.com or call 07808 597 069.

You may be aware of the campaign “Cities Fit For Cycling”, which was launched by The Times. This public campaign and 8-point manifesto is calling for cities to be made fit for cyclists and needs as much support as possible. Click on the link to read more and take action: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/ There are three ways you can take action and support The Times Cities fit for cycling campaign:

1. Pledge your support by signing the campaign’s list and tell your story of Britain’s roads.
2. Spread the word by tweeting your support.
3. Raise the issue of cycle safety with your local MP by emailing them directly. Do this before the 23rd February because this is when there will be a backbench business committee debate about this issue in Westerminster Hall.  http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/backbench-business-committee/news/mps-to-debate-cycling-saftery-in-cities/
 
On the job front – EURES have passed on another vacancy for a technical writer/translator in Roding, Landkreis Cham in Bavaria. The employer is the Mühlbauer AG and they are looking for somebody with good English, proficient knowledge of German and with an affinity to technical subjects. The tasks involve the creation of customer related manuals or text modules in English and German, to carry out translations and to co-ordinate translation projects with external agencies. Copies of certificates are required. The salary is between €2,000 and €3,000/month. If you want to find out more or want to apply for this position, contact Stefanie Soiber – stefanie.soiber@muehlbauer.de

Through the German business networking platform Xing, I’ve recently come across this portal that helps you find language holidays, on and off-line courses, forums about language learning, jobs with languages and so on: www.langwhich.com.

We have another food recommendation and this time it’s from Heike McFarlane. She wanted to recommend Falko (www.falko.co.uk), a German baker and master pastry chef based up in Edinburgh and Gullane. Heike thinks his bread and cakes are fantastic and there’s no better Christmas Stollen than Falko’s. His 22 staff had to learn German as all of the recipes for his handmade creations were all in German and he also has to important certain ingredients that are not available in Scotland. It’s not even just the Germans, that think Falko knows his breads – apparently the ‘Observer’ also announced in 2007 that Falko is the best baker on the island. Maybe we need to get a Stammtisch order in with the next person travelling north of the border?

And more Brez’n were discovered in the Waitrose in Jesmond. Please keep sending in your ‘German’ food discoveries to share them with our group!

I hope you all have a very enjoyable week and enjoy your pancakes and Krapfen on Tuesday!

Read Full Post »

New Year – New Opportunities

Posted in Food & Drink, Jobs, Sport & Leisure, Stammtisch on January 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

We’re currently trying to firm up a venue for a Carnival Stammtisch on Rosenmontag, 20 February 2012. As soon as this is confirmed, I will let you have more details.

We’re also looking to add a forum to our Stammtisch blog and I wondered if there is any interest in this? Let me know!

I recently received a request for an internship placement from Germany. Unfortunately my company can’t provide this at the moment, but maybe somebody else has an opportunity? The media management student is looking for a 6-month placement starting on 10 September 2012. He has already worked for PR firm Scholz & Friends in Germany and will soon do an internship with Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. His full application can be forwarded to interested organisations.

Another bi-lingual job opportunity has arisen at Alnwick Castle. They are currently looking for tourist guides for the summer months – eg a Stateroom Guide, who shows guests around the castle rooms or Knights Quest Guide, that dresses in costume. English has to be the main language and as a second language, Alnwick Castle is looking for fluent German, but also French, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese speakers. I can forward the full details to anybody interested and candidates then need to apply directly with the HR manager at Alnwick Castle.

With the London Olympics approaching fast, our Stammtisch member Tanja Cooper thought it would be great to restore the City Stadium right here in the heart of Newcastle and turn it into an Outdoor VELODROME. She is currently looking at potential funders and sponsors and our question was if there are people in our Stammtisch group that have experience with or an interest in such projects. I can then forward you further information that Tanja has already collated and put you in touch with her directly. Maybe when completed, we can all get our bikes and have a Stammtisch outing at the Velodrome?

If you’re missing your weekly fix of Strictly Come Dancing, I can highly recommend Dansbanx to you. John and Catherine Banks used to dance competitively, they’re qualified dance teachers and offer ballroom and latin dance classes here in the region. You can either join into existing classes or take private lessons, whichever you prefer. If somebody is looking for a partner, just let me know and we try to help.

On the food side, I’ve recently discovered Brez’n in Marks & Spencer in Silverlink and they assured me, they bake them every day. Also Lidl (Hadrian Park, near Tyne Metropolitan College) has now fresh artisan rye bread. Another bread recommendation was that Fenwick’s in Newcastle has some very good Russian rye bread. If anybody else has any ‘German’ food and drink knowledge, please let me know so we can share it with everybody else.

Read Full Post »

Christmas Events

Posted in Events organised by Others, Food & Drink, Music, Stammtisch on December 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

If you still want to join us for our Christmas Stammtisch on Monday, 12 December at the Mansion House, make sure you pay this week and state your preference of the two main courses – either goose with apple red cabbage, potato dumplings/spaetzle or roast loin of pork stuffed with prunes. Cost per person for the 3-course dinner is £20 – simply call the Mansion House on 0191 281 0863.

Other Christmas events taking place in the region are for example:

4 November – 31 December: Christmas at Alnwick Garden

19 November – 2 January: Christmas at Beamish Museum

Saturday, 3 December: Tynemouth Christmas Festival from 12noon till 7pm.

7 to 11 December: Newcastle Christmas Market

7 to 10 December: Winter Festival: Gatehead’s Saltwell Park will turn into Enchanted Parks.

Sunday, 10 December: Advents Celebration from 5pm in the Martin Luther Church in Clarence Street/Copland Terrace in Newcastle.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »