Eurovelo 6 and The Danube

[vernon]

I'll be cycling from Beaune onto Eurovelo Six into Switzerland and joining the Danube and cycling on to Passau. I'm confident with my French but my mastery of German is limited to the number system, telling the time and knowing left from right.

To what extent do the inhabitants of the Doubs, Rhine and Danube valleys speak English?

 

[Telemark]

Most people in central Europe will speak some English, and most of the younger ones' English will be pretty good!
But, as everywhere, a few words in the local language will make a good conversation starter ...

T

 

[vernon]

Einmal Bier bitte.

Wo is der Campingplatz?

I have some of the very basics but I will not cope with anything other than textbokk responses to my queries.

 

[yoyo]

You will be fine in Germany and Switzerland with a smattering of German - Ich spreich nicht Deutshe, Sprachen zu English - I can't even spell it! Austria is more challenging as fewer people seem to speak English.

REading Germain is easier if you know what the context should be as it is grammatically similar to English and some words sound the same.

Your proposed trip fills me with envy. If you haven't been to Passau before you are in for a treat.

Have a great trip.

 

[snorri]

Einmal Bier bitte.

Wo is der Campingplatz?

I have some of the very basics but I will not cope with anything other than textbokk responses to my queries.

You sound adequately fluent to me.

I had an English/German dictionary with me as I cycled along the Rhine and Danube, including a couple of nights in Passau, last summer and had no language problems whatsover.
My experience was in line with post from Telemark.

 

[vernon]

You will be fine in Germany and Switzerland with a smattering of German - Ich spreich nicht Deutshe, Sprachen zu English - I can't even spell it! Austria is more challenging as fewer people seem to speak English.

REading Germain is easier if you know what the context should be as it is grammatically similar to English and some words sound the same.

Your proposed trip fills me with envy. If you haven't been to Passau before you are in for a treat.

Have a great trip.

This tour will be entering new territory for me. I'm very comfortable in France and I decided that I wanted to extend my experience of Europe beyond the French border.

I'm looking forwards to the tour and the train ride from Passau to Amsterdam via Munich and a sleeper train. I'll get back home just in time to have a night's sleep before i set of for three days at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a two day break and the attendance at the Solfest Festival. It's going to be a busy summer.

 

[snorri]

I'm very comfortable in France and I decided that I wanted to extend my experience of Europe beyond the French border.

I have had more language probs in France than Germany, and that is after studing French in school for a couple of years. I would be very surprised if you don't find yourself even more comfortable in Germany.

 

[psmiffy]

Do not worry about it - I understand a lot more German than I think I do but I am pretty hard of hearing so a lot of the time it is irrelavant - most Germans as soon as they realise you are English switch pretty effortlessly to English - Good to learn a few basics though to be polite

 

[ComedyPilot]

Just immerse yourself in the language, you will be pleasantly surprised.

I spoke very little Dutch, but spending 10 days riding round the Netherlands soon got me trying to communicate.

On day 2 I had a 15 minute chinwag with some bloke in a supermarket about cycle touring.

It's amazing what you'll pick up. Then again, I speak reasonably good German, so am 'comfortable' in most situations anyway.

 

[vernon]

For all of my French tours I stopped speaking English the moment I landed in France. I loved the buzz that I got from making myself understood and when I sustained a conversation for ten minutes, the high that I got from it was unbelievable.

German is a tad more complex and I suppose I will pick up some key bits of transactional German.

 

[Andy in Sig]

You'll be alright in the Danube especially if you are in a place where tourists are a routine presence e.g. more or less all along the Danube bike path. That said, I wouldn't bother with farmers who look to be 50+.

You could consider spending a couple of quid on one of those phrasebooks which comes with a CD. It is after all a matter of politeness to try to learn the 20 or basic phrases.

 

[vernon]

You'll be alright in the Danube especially if you are in a place where tourists are a routine presence e.g. more or less all along the Danube bike path. That said, I wouldn't bother with farmers who look to be 50+.

You could consider spending a couple of quid on one of those phrasebooks which comes with a CD. It is after all a matter of politeness to try to learn the 20 or basic phrases.

I have something better than a CD.

Mein Frau est deutscher Lehrer.

My problem is that I can not speak it quickly and need to spend too long composing my sentences that the poor Germans would be asleep if I attempted to have a conversation. I can think and dream in French - German does not come naturally to me.

 

[Telemark]

I have something better than a CD.

Mein Frau est deutscher Lehrer.

My problem is that I can not speak it quickly and need to spend too long composing my sentences that the poor Germans would be asleep if I attempted to have a conversation. I can think and dream in French - German does not come naturally to me.

Don't worry about composition & grammar, the vocabulary is more important .
It will just make the conversations more fun for the Germans - contrary to rumours, they DO have a sense of humour (well, some of them do ).

T

 

[vernon]

I have something better than a CD.

Mein Frau est deutscher Lehrer.

According to my obergruppenfuhrer, Lehrer should be Lehrerhin why does gender have to complicate communication?

 

[JackE]

Is this the continuation of your trip when the Galaxy failed? Are you taking your Decathlon bike?