Hello friends,
I left Germany in a very peaceful, contented state. Everywhere I went I was in awe, I had no expectations and Germany was absolutely incredible. I saw and experienced hundreds of separate magical moments, completely present for every second. Andy and his friends and family made this trip. We willingly accepted all the invitations we could, so there was not a lot of private time for us, but we made it through. When English was spoken it was easier for both of us, I don’t expect him to translate everything. We went to a few antique markets where I found some lovely things, in the shop now. There is a treasure chest of memories in my mind, I’ll give you the sweet highlights:
* Westphalia (Nordrhein Westfalen):
Walking and talking through the farmlands on the hill in Anroechte.
The peaceful taking in of the saline wall in Bad Westernkotten is high on my must see list for everyone. Biking around Andy’s quaint hometown of Erwitte; exploring the old towns of Soest, Lippstadt, Paderborn, Göttingen, churches, castles, incredible architecture, my new love of altbier. Warm welcomes and sweet, fun hours with new friends and family. Leaving Andy’s parents and getting sincere big hugs.
* Thueringer forest/east Germany:
The Corvette convention was a lot less leisurely, but a lot of fun with old friends and new. Erfurt was perfection, a town I wish I had more time in. The landscape was just as beautiful, we did some lovely drives through the forest and farms, and it was nice to see some different style homes.
* Bavaria (Bayern):
Good beer, prosecco, conversation and laughs with new friends. Leisurely exploring Munich, Zugspitze, and Garmisch with Andy.
Lack of sleep, lots of driving, cold weather, too much starch, constant packing and unpacking sometimes took its toll, but did not dampen my spirits. The last few days with more new friends were the perfect end to our time here. Good weather, company, food, wine, visuals, I’m trying to think of the word for the easiness and appreciation I felt. Lake Chiemsee was idyllic. The monastery on Herroninsel, the beer garden and walk around Fraueninsel was – I think I’ve used up all of my adjectives. Beyond words. Another day and drive to the base of the alps, cozy in light snow with the top down, frosted glass colored rivers, a long walk through so much beauty and a sweet village. We watched the cows come home, and to me it was better than the glockenspiel. Dinner overlooking Lake Tegernsee, just blessed.
On the way to the airport we stopped for lunch in a random village that was just a charming as any other here. The incredible vineyards, farms and sweet towns on the back roads to the autobahn gave me just enough beauty to sustain myself until next time. To sum it all up, I’ll use a slang phrase I learned there – the trip was über-affen-titten-geil!
~ Scarlett
(bonus funfacts about Germany below!)
Funfacts about Germany:
It really does look like this everywhere! Every village is charming. I may have missed the strip malls or industrial areas but I think we drove about 2000 miles, so I saw a lot.
You order beer by type, not by brand. Everywhere you go they claim theirs is the best. My favorite was the altbier in Soest. (Do not tell the Bavarians I said this.)
There are toilets everywhere, clearly marked. It seems no matter where you’re sitting or standing, you can look up and there’s a sign for a toilet. It is so nice!
Wi-Fi is not as easy. If you provide it, and someone downloads child pornography on your network, you will be prosecuted.
Germans eat a lot. I eat plenty but compared to them I eat like a bird. They are pretty fit so I assume it’s because all of the “sport” they do. Even in Santa Cruz I have never seen so many people out walking or hiking or biking. It’s impressive.
The autobahn is amazing, when you learn to drive there you really know how to drive and you take it seriously. Driving at 140 mph is fun, but it takes an enormous amount of focus and is exhausting.
About one-third of the songs on the radio are redone with German singers. They are so close, and the tag on the radio will still say Prince, or Kiss. One third is originals, every time a song I knew came on, I had to really listen to tell which version it is.
It’s ok to put your elbows on the table.
Roundabouts are better than stoplights, and the stoplights they do have are turned off when the streets are empty.
Germany is incredibly religious. I did not meet any incredibly religious people, but the churches and towns named after churches and the altars and religious paintings on houses were everywhere. And beautiful.
No matter how much German you think you know, you know nothing.
Nobody says the f-word in Germany, don’t do it 🙂
Thanks for reading! More pics on my Facebook page, click here.
