WARNING TO GRANDPARENTS and family: this entry contains content regarding hitchhiking and trusting strangers. They were some of the best experiences, though!
Julia picked me up on a Wednesday at the airport, after waiting for about 45 minutes for me to sort out a missing baggage situation. Julia is best friend, almost sister, and sometimes mother to me. In the passenger seat of her car waited a beer and pretzel. I almost cried; such a touching, heartfelt present. I was in my other home, again!
In those couple of days I stayed with her and her boyfriend/my friend, Dominik, she managed to make my two favorite meals: Brotzeit and Schweinebraten (look at pictures on google), as well as take me to a beautiful lake.
On Friday I took a Mitfahrgelegenheit (a safer and very practical form of hitchhiking through online profiles) to a town called Radolfzell next to Lake Constance on the border with Switzerland. There awaited Hubertus, his family, his brother's girlfriend Amelie, and his boss/friend Eva and her husband Bernt. Hubertus is my other brother, and as such I feel myself very much a member of his family. His family embraces me as brother/son, as well.
I found myself in the house of Hermann Hesse; the first and only(?) he ever built. It was a surprise that I was staying in the house of one of the most famous German authors, as well as my personal favorite. Eva and Bernt had bought the house in 2003 to save it from certain destruction by the city, and brought it back to its original condition. It is a beautiful three-story house with a paradise for a garden that Eva, as botanist, keeps. We often sat all together on the terrace on the second floor, overlooking the garden and lake, to dinner with a glass of wine or bottle of beer.
Much happened in the week I was there. I became good friends with Eva and Bernt, and had countless discussions and heart-to-hearts with Hubertus, his brother Burchart, his mother Oriana, his father Wolfgang, Eva, Bernt, and Hubertus' girlfriend Anais (she showed up later in the week). On the third day I was there, we hosted over 600 guests for the Tag des offenen Denkmals (Day of Memorials opened to the public). By the end of the day, after trying to instruct hundreds of guests about entering the house, or telling the older man not to touch the ancient oven, I had rediscovered that the nicest of people can also be the most stupid. I gave up on humanity again and ensured my coffee-hangover fate with my 15th coffee of the day.
At dinner one night we came to the topic, as often happen with an American amidst a group of Europeans, of guns. In Germany it is straight up illegal to own a gun without a permit, and there is sure as heck no right to carry a concealed weapon. Carrying certain knives is even forbidden. Most Germans feel safe in knowing this, and they are appalled that some U.S. Americans could feel the exact opposite. I've had many arguments with all kinds of Europeans about this, not to mention Americans. Mostly, I just try to reassure them that every one of us isn't carrying a gun, and that most people I know don't own guns (granted I've been in a liberal arts college for four years). I was delighted to finally hear something new, though, and it came from Hubertus' father, Wolfgang. "Both sides are fooling themselves." he asserted, "Many Americans labor under the delusion that their guns will keep them safe, and many Germans labor just as heavily under the delusion that their government will protect them. The truth is that we are not safe." I tried to say "WORD," but nobody seemed to understand...
While there I helped make marmalade for my first time. We made 17 jars out of elder berries, pineapple, and lemon grass, and it was delicious. I swam in Lake Constance and took my first ferry. I picked delicious, succulent Americano grapes from the vine in her garden. Having eaten a delicious meal and had two beers, I creatively told my waitress, "Es war so lecker, ich könnte vom Glück kotzen!" (It was so delicious I could puke from happiness!). Suffice it to say sarcasm is often an unwelcome guest, especially when it was not intended. FAILURE. Note to self: puke is a dangerous word. Other note to self: you're still not that good at German.
From there I took the train to Eichstätt. From the first moment I saw the fortress looming on the hill I couldn't stop smiling. Beautiful weather welcomed me, and I nearly skipped through the streets in pure ecstasy at being back in my home. While there I stayed with two friends Lisa and Gesa, had yet more heartfelt discussions with them, and got fed delicious meals by them. We took strolls on the hill, through the city, and along the river with a cone of my favorite hazelnut ice cream in hand. I even got to do my favorite activity: kneippen! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuqv0j-vJoI. First 30 seconds (they don't even do it right).
After missing the train twice to Ingolstadt to visit my friend Tanja, I hitchhiked for the first time in my life. I got lucky and a wonderful couple with a cute two year old daughter picked me up and asked me my life story on the 30 minute drive. At Tanja's house I got fed my favorite meal, Schweienbraten, for the second time! We took a day trip to Regensburg to see Julia run a 10k for her best time. I'd been there five years ago and saw a bird show in the castle on the hill with Katharina and her family. My last night we went Salsa and Bachata dancing, where Tanja taught me more (she's a great dancer), and I showed her what I'd learned.
After a few more relaxing days with Julia, and a great evening with Katharina and her family, I took the train to Bad Ischl. Driving through Salzburg and the Salzkammergut region, I couldn't help but laugh in the train. I passed scenes like this (I encourage you to mute your speakers): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdKmvmbM3jg
Until the day before I left for Bad Ischl, I had no earthly idea where I would live here. The day before I left, I finally got a call from Walter, whom I'd emailed about renting a room in a house he leased. He offered to pick me up from the train station and show me the house himself. At the train station, I asked Paul Newman's doppelgänger if he was Walter. He was not. The real Walter, once having found me, helped me find the hostel, helped me take my baggage in and find a room, and then showed me the house. He even drove me around the city a little and pointed out the important landmarks.
Originally having answered that they had no rooms left in the hostel, they agreed to put me up in their "overfill room" for the night. It was a bathroom. The sink was over my bed, and a toilet was two feet away from my bed. I loved it! It felt like the perfect embodiment of the traveling spirit. When I checked out this morning, I joked about how great it was to have a toilet so nearby, and the desk clerk joked back that I wasn't supposed to use it. I laughed and said of course not. Ha! ha....
I leave today for an orientation week in Saalbach Hinterglemm. I know I don't deserve everything that's falling in my lap, but I guess that means I have to make even more out of the experience.
“I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever
good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and
transform it into something of value.” Hermann Hesse
Word(s)/phrase of the week: Doppelgänger
background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelg%C3%A4nger
pronunciation: http://www.dict.cc/?s=Doppelg%C3%A4nger Click on the little speaker icon next to the German word in the right column
Fact of the week: meaning of Bad Ischl
My father might tell you that it's called "Bad" because it was bad of me to come here (ha! he's sooo funny), but the word "Bad" refers to baths. This town is known as a Kurstadt, or spa town. "Ischl" refers to one of the rivers that runs through town, called the Ischl. (shout out to Hilary, who asked what it meant)
Preview for next week: I have no idea! That's the fun part.
P.S. sorry for the long entry. They should be shorter from now on.
P.P.S. pictures coming soon
LOVE
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