Buchenberg, The Alps, and (Even More) History

Hi everyone!  

Today marks exactly three weeks since I arrived in Munich, and the more I think about the fact the more unbelievable it seems, three months seems much more accurate. I can't believe all of the exciting things I've done since I've been here, and it's so exciting that I still have ten more months in this wonderful place. I have some more pictures to share of all of my adventures. 

Last week we went on a short trip to Buchenberg, a tiny Bavarian town nestled at the base of the alps. Traveling there almost felt like going back in time, it was so beautiful and peaceful! 

This is the complex where we stayed while in Buchenberg, it was actually part of a zen seminar center. Very interesting place. 

This little house sits on the edge of the complex, the zen master lives part time inside. 

The day after we arrived we went on a little hike, there were all kinds of beautiful trails to explore within walking distance of where we were staying. The forest was so lush and green, it reminded me a lot of Tacoma, but rugged like the Rockies. The sound of a little creek set the perfect atmosphere for our little afternoon adventure. 

The three days we were there were spent cooking meals together, spending the day in grammar class, and in the evenings sitting in the common room doing homework, playing games, or drinking a beer to unwind from the stress of 4 hours of day of German grammar. Our favorite game was called "Looping Louie," which is actually a children's game. The goal is to keep the little electronic airplane from hitting your home base, and all you do to play is press a lever. This simple game provided countless hours of entertainment, and even our teachers couldn't resist joining in!

Here's a picture of the action--the woman on the left in pink is Christel, our history/literature professor, and the man on the right is Ralf, our program director. This game was much more appealing than the alternative, which was homework! 

On our last day in Buchenberg our teachers decided to cut our afternoon classes short and instead spend the afternoon exploring a nearby park. Here I got my first real view of the Alps, and I have to say that they were somehow even more spectacular than I ever imagined they would be. 

This beautiful view was from the parking lot, of all places! All of us Americans felt as though we had left civilization and stepped instead into a scene from The Sound of Music. (Even though that was Austria, not Germany!) The whole place looked like it should be on a postcard. 

We spent 40 minutes or so sitting on the edge of this beautiful little lake. A few of us went swimming and the rest of sat enjoying the fall sunshine after three days of cool temperatures and rain. 

After relaxing for a while we climbed up farther into the hills to explore. At this point I was longing to be in those mountains in the distance--I can't wait to do some backpacking in those beautiful Alps! 

Doesn't this look like it should be a postcard? It was so tranquil here, the only sounds were laughter, the wind, and the chiming of the bells these cows were wearing around their necks. I could have sat here forever. 

The hills are alive! 

And with that, it was time to return to the city. I would have been sad to leave such a peaceful place, but I love Munich more than I've ever loved any place I've ever been. It's such a vibrant, exciting place, I actually feel as though it's alive, with its own personality. It was time now for a few more historical excursions! 

This is Odeonsplatz, one of the main squares of the old city. Does it look familiar? It was the site of several very important events in the history of the Third Reich, including Hitler's attempted coup in 1923. Here's a picture I got from the wikipedia entry on this event: 

It hasn't changed much, has it? It was so amazing to actually be standing here, the feeling of connection with history is one I've experienced a lot since I've been here, but it isn't a feeling I think I'll ever get tired of. As part of our homework (my favorite kind of homework) we went next to the Alte Peter, the oldest church in Munich, even though it doesn't look it. As we learned in class, the church was built in the 1150s but it was "improved" by subsequent generations who believed their artistic sensibilities were superior. So this church looks much more Baroque than Gothic. I wish I could have seen it as it once was, but it's nonetheless beautiful. I particularly loved the paintings on the roof:

This church also had a very interesting feature: the relics of Saint Munditia, a Christian martyr thought to have died in about 310 AD. Looking at her bones, covered in jewels and gold, was a very eerie experience, one that almost tempted me into renouncing my evangelical roots and current skepticism and converting to Catholicism! These relics have a kind of power that is impossible to define or describe. 

A little eerie, but undeniably beautiful. 

This is about it for now, but coming soon: Oktoberfest, a trip to some castles this Wednesday, and on October 3, a week in Berlin! 

Tschüss! 

Pictures!

Today I thought I would share a few photos I've taken in Munich, since I haven't posted very many yet. The city is truly beautiful and I'm excited to share it with all of you now. (Click on the pictures for more detail!)

This is the Neues Rathaus is has served as Munich's city hall since 1874. The gothic architecture is beautiful, and at 5:00 every day the Glockenspiel chimes a beautiful song instead of just marking the time. You can take an elevator up to the top of the highest tower, which I have some pictures of a bit later. 

This is the Karlstor, a structure which one served as an entry gate into the city of Munich, built in the early 1700s. There are several other gates like this in the city, all beautifully restored. I was very excited about the medieval/Renaissance style drawings on the sides. 

Of course I had to take a picture with the gate, because I was very excited about it.

This is Sendlinger Tor, another of the old gates to the city. This one is directly next to the main building of the Ludwig Maximillians Universität, where I will begin studying in October. 

This is the interior of Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), one of the oldest churches in Munich. (Built in 1488.) It's hard to see in this picture, but all the windows are made with stunning stained glass depicting saints, the Virgin Mary, and the trial and death of Christ. We were lucky enough to be here while a service was going on in an adjoining chapel; the sounds of organ music and Latin singing set the mood perfectly. 

This is the grave of Ludwig IV von Bayern (Louis IV), Holy Roman Emperor 1328-1347, which is inside the Frauenkirche. The picture doesn't do the ornate and beautiful stone the cenotaph is made from justice. 

This is the Frauenkirche as seen from the highest tower of the Neues Rathaus. Restoration work is currently being done on one of the towers, which is what the white scaffolding is for. 

This is another view from the Rathaus tower. From this angle you can really appreciate all the beautiful buildings in the city, my friends and I stayed up here for a long time looking around, contemplating how lucky we were to be living in such a beautiful and historic city. The building in the center left of the photo is the Altes Rathaus, which served as Munich's city hall from about 1310 until the Neues Rathaus was finished in 1874. The Grand Hall in this building was also the site of a famous speech made by Joseph Goebbels (the propaganda minister for the Nazi Party) which incited Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass), a pogrom against the Jews of Germany which took place on 9 November 1938. 

This is the exterior of perhaps my favorite building so far, the Michaelskirche (Church of St. Michael). This statue depicts St. Michael slaying a demon. The church was built in 1583 and was a central location in the Counter-Reformation. 

This is the interior of the Michaelskirche. Not even a thousand pictures could properly convey the feeling you get when you step inside this building for the first time. Every detail is so sharply rendered, the wall is covered with beautiful Baroque style paintings of Saints and Apostles, the golden carvings surrounding the altar sparkle in the sunlight, and the beautiful geometric patterns on the ceiling draw the eye towards various shrines to Saints and the Virgin Mary. There is something eerie about being in a church like this, one feels almost as though it is alive. After being inside it seems obvious how this Church was a spiritual stronghold of the Counter-Reformation; in every way it is the product of thousands of years of Catholic tradition, all of which seems somehow contained by the crucifix that stands on the altar, the point to which all eyes are drawn. This building is truly beautiful in a way that cannot by words or pictures be properly explained. 

In case it isn't already clear, I'll say now that I'm having a wonderful time in Munich, and I still cannot believe that I am lucky enough to live in such a beautiful and historic city. I have fallen completely in love with this place, and I can't wait to see more of the amazing things Munich has to offer. 

Defying Expectations: My First Days in Germany

Herzlichen Grüßen aus München! The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity; I don't know quite where to begin. I arrived in Munich on Saturday afternoon jetlagged, tired, and more than a bit verpeilt, which, as I learned from a German friend who met me at the airport, is slang for having no idea what is happening. There were a lot of new emotions and a lot to handle; when I was taken to my dorm room instead of unpacking I went right to sleep (at only 6:30pm local time!). 

Yesterday was my first full day in Munich, and it could not have been a better first day in this beautiful, vibrant city. First I went to Marienplatz, the old town square of Munich, which is filled with shops, churches, and restaurants built in the beautiful and very old buildings of the Old City. I walked through the Karlstor, a gate that served as the boundary of Munich dating from the late middle ages, and strolled down the Odeonsplatz, a historic parade site that also served as the location for Adolf Hitler's attempted coup in 1923. The whole city is alive with music and history and art, and the feeling I had surrounded by the actual locations of events I have spent years reading about is indescribable. Despite all the fascinating history, Munich feels in no way like a museum piece. The ornate and imposing medieval architecture blends somehow seamlessly with the sharp, clean lines of modern buildings; the plazas where soldiers once marched are now alive with tourists and street musicians. Before I arrived in Munich I thought the modernity of the city might feel to me like a violation of its rich and occasionally dark history, but I actually feel the opposite: that so many historical buildings are still standing and relevant and in use after so many years makes their history feel all the more real and alive. 

In the afternoon I took a walk through the Englischer Garten, a beautiful public park. It reminded me a bit of Point Defiance in Tacoma, different and yet slightly the same. We followed the river through the many winding paths of the park, feeling very calm and contented. 

After cooking dinner, I went with 6 other students from America to the Hofbräuhaus, one of the oldest and biggest beer halls in Munich. Located in Marienplatz, it's a wonderful and lively spot with a Bavarian brass band playing in the main hall which echoes through the whole building. We sat outside (even though the weather here is much cooler than it is in the US!) and spent several hours drinking delicious German beer and eating pretzels and schnitzel. 

All this excitement and fun, however, has not been without it's challenges. Things here still feel very strange and new, things that I took for granted in the US I am now very uncertain about. It feels strange to be spoken to in German, and stranger still to respond in German, but I find I am much more deliberate with my choice of words because I have to think more carefully when speaking. This transition is difficult, naturally, but made much easier by the patience of the native speakers I have encountered. Before I left I was a bit nervous about interacting with Germans because of their stereotype as cold, humorless, and even unfriendly, but the Germans I have met are friendly, talkative, and very funny--the opposite of the way Germans are so often described. People have been very patient with my slow German and they seem eager to tell me about their city and its customs. They have great love for Munich, and after just one day here I see exactly why.

Not only are the German people different from what I expected, but I also feel quite different than I thought I would. I tend to be quiet and a bit nervous at home, and I thought these traits would be heightened when I was thrown headfirst into a brand new culture, but I have been more talkative and adventurous than I ever was in the US. The best way to learn about a new culture is to experience it, and I cannot wait to experience more of this beautiful and lively city.

(Pictures are coming soon!)

Three Days to Go!

Fernweh (n): an ache for travel, the yearning to see faraway places (German)

Three days before my departure, I can't think of a word, in German or otherwise, that better describes how I'm feeling. Driving today I felt an inexplicable urge to turn down the highway that would take me to the airport, even though it was in the opposite direction of where I was going. I can't believe that something I have been dreaming about for years is only three days away. It feels surreal, somehow like my trip has already happened and like it's still months away at the same time. 

I am going to Munich, and I am leaving in three days. 

I have so many questions, ranging from the mundane Have I packed enough socks? to the more abstract Will I be the same person when I get home? And so I started this blog as a way to chronicle all the questions (and hopefully, answers) I find on my journey. This is something deeply personal but also something I feel compelled to share, and hopefully this will be a place where anyone who is interested can follow my adventures and where I can do a little bit of reflecting. 

Well, since I haven't actually left yet, I don't have much of interest to share. I guess this post can be thought of as an introduction to the blog and my experiences, the prologue to a story I haven't written yet. And there is nothing more exciting than the first page of a book.