American/German Club update

Frank Nechvatal

February’s meeting featured our annual Fasching celebration. Fasching, much like Mardi Gras, is a celebration of the coming of Lent. Lent marks the period of 40 days that Christ wandered in the desert and fasted before he and his followers entered Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Passover. Fasching, then, is a time for feasting and frivolity before the Lenten period of fasting as practiced, especially by Catholics. At our celebration, a king and queen were chosen (at the time of this writing, their names were unknown to this writer; they will appear in the next article). Following the short business meeting of the club, this gala with food and drink was enjoyed by all in attendance. Our next meeting will be March 28.

The following is a list of Fun Facts about Germany:

1. Did you know that the Rhine River is the longest river in Germany?

2. The University with the most students in attendance is FernUniversitaet Hagen (Distance Learning University of Hagen).

3. Frankfurt will host the 2017 International Motor Show.

4. Wind power supplied the most electricity in Germany during 2016.

5. Martin Luther published his 96 Theses in Wittenburg in 1517.

6. Which means of transportation was invented in Germany in 1817? The answer is the bicycle.

Until next time, Auf widersehen.