The last 5 days have been good for me. I’m not going to give you a day-by-day, but here are some highlights.
I was fortunate to find a home in Munich on airbnb that was just right; they were there when I wanted to chat or help with a bus schedule, but easy to come and go from independently. Very kind, friendly people. I only booked it for two nights but ended up staying for the five. It felt really good to see the same faces every day and not have to repack my bag ever other day.
Based on Jonathan’s recommendation I took a day and went out to Andechs Monastery. When I mentioned it to Anneli, my airbnb host, she commented that the Monastery, in common Catholic Church fashion, was built on an old “strong place,” where people have come to and worshipped their gods for ages. The monastery is famous for their beers, which they have been brewing for a few hundred years. To get there I took a train to the end of the line and followed the other walkers out of town along a gravel road into the forest and along a path for about an hour. The sun was warm and it was very pleasant. I played my old Camino game of saying Hello to every passing person, and trying to guess which would smile back. At one point I was examining a signpost and, to my continuous amazement, I saw a scallop shell sign of the Camino hanging on a tree behind it. This was the third time I found myself upon it since leaving Spain (when I told Jonathan he was also amazed that he had been on it before). I was to find myself upon the Camino one more time, in Munich walking along the river.
At the top of the sacred hill at Andechs I found the beer garden, bought a delicious beer and an enormous pretzel. One note for beer drinkers; I knew I liked german wheat beer, and I knew that I liked dark beer, but I did not know that dark, german wheat beer existed! Delicious. After eating I explored the grounds a bit and found myself in a stunningly beautiful “Bavarian Gothic” church. I sat for awhile taking it in, and then headed back down, and to Munich.
Another day in Munich I met up with Melanie, a friend who I met walking the Camino! She is special to me because we met when my knees were just starting to improve, and her hips were starting to get bad. After I passed her and she was having a particularly bad day I didn’t see her for weeks and I thought she must have taken a bus or given up. But she stuck it out, started doing things at her own pace, and arrived in Santiago the day after me. It was really good to see her, talk about the Camino and what we’ve each felt and learned since then.
She was also a fantastic tour guide! She took the day off work and helped me get to the Embassy (where I was treated rudely, made to wait over an hour for no discernible reason, and charged $82 to have more pages attached in my passport by a sticker), buy a new pair of boots (sadly, my favorite pair were on their last stitches and had to be replaced, albeit for $220), rented us bicycles to sight-see, and showed me the real German way to hold a liter stein of beer! Here are some photos of Munich:
Rubbing the nose for good luck!
Surfers enjoying a standing wave in the canal
I took one day and went to Nuremberg and met two friends of my parents, Zehra and Christoph. I spent the day by myself and then headed to their house for dinner. I was welcomed like a family member and I wish I could have stayed longer!
In Nuremburg before meeting them for a lovely dinner, I walked around the Old City for awhile. It turned out to be the weekend of one of the biggest flea markets in Bavaria, and the people-watching was excellent!
Also in Nuremburg I visited a museum at the old Nazi Rally Grounds. Zehra and Christoph recommended it and I’m very glad I went. In school I was taught in general terms who Hitler was, how terrible the Holocaust was, the outcome of the war. But never before had I learned about Hitler’s rise to power (towards the beginning he was arrested and tried for treason, jailed for 6 months and banned from speaking in every German state), about the political and social situation at the time, about the genius propaganda and nationalization techniques he used to create a ‘cult’ mob of supporters. It was fascinating and hair-raising, and I listened to the Audio guide multiple times until I could get my head around the details. As warned, I came out with goosebumps.
Thinking about what I should see while I was still in Munich, Zehra and Christoph told me a true story about a Russian priest who years ago came to Germany to start a church. He was deported for some reason, but managed to come back. This happened a few more times, but eventually during his time here he built a church out of tin foil, trash and plaster. It is called the East West Peace Church and is hidden in the middle of Olympia park in Munich. It sounded like a really interesting place and they encouraged me to find it, although the priest and his wife have died.
After an hour wandering around the park, I found a small fenced in area of thick trees surrounded by a wide open gravel area with a carnival with loud music and kids on trampolines. I followed the fence around and finally found a small entrance with a few quizzical people walking around. I had found it, unmistakably. While the gardens are getting overgrown, you can feel the love that built the place. The place is a perfect metaphor; a sweet spot fenced in, surrounded by sprawl and chaos. An interesting feeling.
There are two things that I dislike about traveling alone. The first is eating dinner out. I usually eat lunch out as I walk around and cook dinner for myself to save money and save myself from the uncomfortable process of finding a restaurant that looks and smells good, in my price range, that I feel won’t mind me taking up a table. I had forgotten that grocery stores are closed on Sundays and I was almost out of food so I had no choice but to eat out. I ended up finding an amazing vegetarian restaurant that had mostly small tables and was busy but not packed. Perfect! I sat at a table with a view of the whole place and had buckwheat crepes stuffed with ricotta and spinach and baked in a creamy herb sauce, with a glass or good red wine. The waiter was brusque and busy, but kept giving me glances as he walked by. When I asked for the check he asked me where I was from, and while I was paying (and giving a healthy tip) he chatted me up for a good 2 minutes, asked how long I was in Munich for, and told me he hoped I would come back the next night. That felt nice. So while eating out can easily be lonely (I had a beer and obatzda (cheese dip) at a beirhaus a few days before and the waitress forgot about me and eventually brought the check to ‘the lonely woman in the dark’), it can also be fun.
The other thing that is hard is that while I am full of emotional stimulation, it isn’t as easy to be intellectually stimulated when I’m by myself. In my time here I have had a lot of very interesting conversations about America, our health care system, our gun policies, gay rights and culture, and German history. Twice I had discussions about German guilt regarding Jewish people and the war, even comparing it to white/black relations in the US. With Zehra I was fascinated by her comparing how comfortable she feels almost all of the time here in Germany, even in the city alone at night, with how she and I were raised being afraid on some level of who might be out at night. I was very comfortable in Munich, and in Germany.
I am currently on a plane to Moscow, where I will catch a plane to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. When I bought this ticket (was that in Scotland or Switzerland) I was wrapped up emotionally in the prospect of flying so so far away. Up until now, I thought, I could easily get on a plane and be in the States within a day. Now there will be no turning back; it is a spatial commitment. I expected this day to be hard but actually I feel more calm and ready for this new place than I have for most of the places I have discovered up until now. I did not get a lot of sleep last night, but it wasn’t from nerves. I’m excited.
One warning: I do not expect to have any internet connection for at least two weeks. The day after I arrive I will get in a Russian jeep with four other people and head into the wilderness. We may go north to the lakes, or south to the Gobi desert, or east to the steppes where the infamous Ghengis Khan grew up. It is all guaranteed to be beautiful, and you will have to wait and see!
I am missing many, but looking forward (and East!)!
