All Mel Brooks jokes aside, Germany is a cold, gray place in winter, and the first hints of spring draw everyone out into the sunshine like hibernating bears emerging from their winter caves. Springtime is truly appreciated in Northern Europe, not like your year-round boring Southern California sunshine, and with this special time of year come special springtime activities, as well.

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How better to get about than on a bicycle?

Frühlingszeit ist Fahrradzeit,

Springtime is bike time,

also raus mit dem Drahtesel [Umgangssprache]

so get out the "wire donkey" [your trusty bike]

und ab auf die Piste.

and hit the road.

Captions 1-2, Fahrrad - Frühjahrs-Check

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And as you pass by Viktoriapark in Berlin's Kreuzberg district,

Man kann sich dort sonnen, Frisbee spielen oder ein Picknick machen.

You can sun yourself, play frisbee, or have a picnic.

Caption 9, Berlin - Eva im Viktoriapark

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After all that sunshine, what better way to cool off than with some exotically flavored ice cream?

Leopardeneis und Vanilleeis,

Leopard ice cream and vanilla ice cream,

ein Traum für einen sonnigen Frühlingsnachmittag.

a dream for a sunny spring afternoon.

Caption 46, Eis - Eiskalte Leidenschaft

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This is the time to really enjoy life, after all!

Das ist der Frühling...

This is spring...

alle freuen sich: die Tiere, die Pflanzen, die Menschen.

everyone rejoices: the animals, the plants, the people.

Captions 10-11, Jahreszeiten - Der Frühling

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Further Learning:

Gardening is also a very popular spring and summer activity. Go to this extensive garden glossary and then go outside and see if you can put some of your new vocabulary to practical use in nature! After getting some fresh air, see if you can find some of the newly-learned springtime terms in context in a video on German Yabla!