Check out this interview with members of the indie rock band Madsen, who were about to go on stage at the Hessentag Festival with German bands Juli and Wir sind Helden. Brothers Johannes and Sascha Madsen discuss their music plans and how it’s best not to think about it when you are on the stage in front of 50,000 people. A short clip from their song “Mein Herz bleibt hier” [“My Heart Stays Here”] is included. Viel Spaß!

Kitsch or cult? Since the major role of a garden gnome in the (ironically French) film Amélie, and the trial of artist Ottmar Hörl for his garden gnome giving a Nazi salute, gnomes have been a constant presence in the media. Protest gnomes giving the middle finger or baring their behind have led to court trials, and judging from a few of these dirty little gnomes in the video, you can see why! Viel Spaß!

Barbara leads the students through further examples of relative pronouns, with a nice detour through film history, discussing the merits of Hitchcock crime films versus horror films. Jacob tries to say "Film Noir" in German, but nobody gets it when he says "ein schwarzer Film". A brief foray into the passive verb tense has everyone on their toes: To be continued... Viel Spaß beim Lernen!

In many cities around the world there are groups of tourists running around on these strange, silent two-wheeled things that look more like pogo sticks than a means of transportation. Welcome to the Segway, a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicle. This video report from the Darmstadt-South-Hesse Magazine gives us a Segway driving lesson and takes us on a Segway tour of some of the beautiful tourist attractions in Darmstadt. Gute Reise!

Want to go a museum, but either time is tight or the museum is on the other side of the world? No problem! With the Google Art Project you can take a virtual walk through many world-renowned museums from the comfort of your own smart phone. Check this video out and take in the “sites,” from “The Dream” by Henri Rousseau at the MoMA in New York to the marbled skin of a wounded Amazon at the Old National Gallery in Berlin. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

Did you miss your German class last week? Well you can be glad you didn’t live in the Middle Ages, as the concept of punishment in those days was… torturous. The director of the Middle Ages Torture Museum of Rüdesheim/Rhein shows us the instruments of torture used on people who misbehaved, and points out that some Middle Age methods such as waterboarding are still used by some dubious governments today. Viel Spaß beim Lernen!

Barbara is still running through relative pronouns in the genitive case, but this time in relative clauses. We get to learn a lot about Jacob's appearance, and Elke has long hair, but who is Janno and why is his mouth so nice? This one ends in laughter, so see for yourself how you can have viel Spaß beim Lernen!

Who needs Hollywood? Well, everyone in the film industry, really, but there is enough glamour at the annual Berlinale Film Festival to keep the paparazzi shouting. Hear actor Jürgen Vogel and actress Birgit Minichmayr discuss their exciting new film entitled Mercy. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

Wannsee is a subdistrict of the Berlin district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, which is in the far southwestern part of the city. There are many possible places to go swimming there, and a favorite is the Strandbad Wannsee, the ideal place to recover from the stress of the city!

World No Smoking Day: Everybody knows that smoking isn’t healthy. Some enjoy it and do it with conviction, others want to quit. But it’s not at all that easy! Today could possibly be a good day to stop! „Copyright DPA”

It’s Christoper Street Day in Frankfurt! Join Rhein-Main TV reporter Thomas Raudnitzky as he takes to the wild and crazy streets and discusses gay rights with the parade spokesman, the Green Party mayor and a surprisingly open and accepting member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union.

Join the Mile High Club of beauty pageants, performed live on a flying passenger jet miles above the earth! The chief flight attendant tells us that in nine years of Miss Condor Pageants, not a single winner went on to win the national title. (SPOILER ALERT) The world is saved: Miss Condor 2013 became this year’s Miss Germany!

Barbara runs the students through relative pronouns in the genitive case, and though she finds the form to be beautiful, not all of her students are convinced! Still, Alex has finally cleaned up, Sara is keeping a diary, and Barbara explains the genitive case in straightforward terms so you can ace them on your next test. Viel Spaß beim Lernen!

Do you consider yourself big-hearted? Well, the Westphalian Museum of Natural History in Münster has a working replica of a sperm whale heart that is the size of a compact car! For more about the fascinating whale exhibition at the museum, watch this news report. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

Metallica? Ozzy? Who needs the Monsters of Rock when we have the Monsters of Liedermaching! This band’s songs are both smart and funny, so sit back and enjoy this lively interview from the SUBSTAGE club in Karlsruhe. Viel Spaß!