A pair of shoes with the words "solo adventures" placed over them ()
I used to hate going places by myself. Then, my spouse joined the Army and I moved away from all of my family and friends. I found that my choices were never going anywhere or getting over my hesitation and venturing out to new places and trying new things. Moving to Germany brought back some of that initial hesitation because upon arriving I didn’t know much German outside of “Hallo” and “Danke,” and even now, “Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch.”
However, even with my limited German speaking skills, I have learned techniques to navigate around alone. Google Maps lets me know what bus or train stop to get on and off at. The English language option on the ticket machines allows me to purchase and pay for my public transportation and parking garage tickets. Free language translation apps allow me to translate food menus and signs as well as let me figure out phrases to communicate with others.
Armed with these tools and my longing to get out of the house, the idea of solo adventures came to me. Every month, we will present a new way to get out and venture around Germany all alone. This month we are talking about going to off-base movie theaters.
No matter where you live in Germany, there is a movie in English for you. Many theaters (kinos) show the English version of movies, but to make sure you are in the right movie, there are some terms you need to know.
OV/OF: If you see OV (Original Version) or OF (Original-Fassung), it means that the movie will be shown in its original language. This means that your favorite Marvel movie with this label will be in English. However, this also means that intriguing-looking French film will be in French.
OmU: If you see OmU, it means that the movie will be shown in its original language with German subtitles.
OmenglU: If you see OmenglU, it means that the movie will be shown in its original language with English subtitles.
Now that you know the lingo, you need to know where you can go. (You can also use the above terms as a search filter on a theater’s website).
KMC-Area:
Ramstein/Landstuhl: Broadway Kino
Kaiserslautern: UCI Cinema
Stuttgart:
Hauptstraße: CORSO Cinema International
Liederhalle: Cinemaxx
Schlossplatz: Innenstadt
Bavaria:
München: Cinemaxx
München: Museum Lichtspiele
Nuremberg: Cinecitta
Augsburg: Cinestar
Frankfurt:
Gallusanlage: Cinestar Metropolis
Schaumainkai 41: Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (Shows classic and modern films)
One last thing before you go to the theater: Popcorn. Enjoying a big bag of popcorn is a fundamental part of the movie-going experience; however, in Germany, they like their popcorn sweet rather than salty. There are some theatres that serve salty, sweet and a variety of flavors, so make sure you clarify what kind of popcorn you are getting.
(Some of this information is adapted from movingtostuttgart.com and expatica.com)
