An American in Germany / Part # 35 / Last Full Day

GAPP Exchange Journal 2012

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KKG / The Last Full Day

Altötting Kapellplatz / Church Square

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We were suddenly in our final full day in the state of Bavaria in southeastern Germany as part of the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) between our students from Warwick High School in Lititz, Pennsylvania and their hosts from König-Karlmann-Gymnasium located in Altötting, Bavaria.  For three full weeks our students had experienced the German culture by living with host families from our partner school, who gave them the experience of the local history, traditional foods, public education, points of interest, recreational activities, and everything in between associated with the lifestyle of living in Germany.  The departure date was about to appear on our calendar of events with the rising sun the following day.  As a result, it was time to seriously think about tying up any loose ends, packing our suitcases, and carrying out the the final event of the exchange.  The Goodbye Dinner serves as an important culminating group gathering of our Warwick students, their KKG partners, and their hosting parents.  It is a time to show our humble gratitude and provide a small token of thanks for all the hospitality and friendship given to us by our German brothers, sisters, and their accommodating families.  Wendy had worked feverishly behind the scenes during our 21 day stay to bring all the details together for this final evening at KKG.  Orders had been placed, arrangements had been made, and now all had to come together to make it happen in a few short hours.  We left school with our Warwick students in tow, planning to divide and conquer the list that Wendy had made and checked twice to make everything extra special nice! 

Final Ice Cream Class Meeting

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In order to set our course, we first met at Wendy's favorite ice-cream cafe where all our kids were treated (bribed) with a complimentary cone of ice.  Not wanting to break from what was tried and true, I ordered my usual flavor fix of snicky for at least the 12th time.  It was delicious and thus, habit forming!  With the kids now content and thoroughly "sugared" up, Wendy handed out the assignments to several small groups of students who went off in search of previously ordered Goodbye Dinner party supplies, located throughout downtown Altötting.  One group went off to pick up several dozen flowers, another to buy 100 pre-ordered rolls at the local bakery, and I was leading the group to the butcher shop to buy the 20 pounds of ground round hamburger we would need for tonight's dinner.  We were planning on putting on an American style picnic for our German friends with good ole American fare of cheeseburgers and accompanying fixins as the main course!  I was glad to have my bilingual teenage companions along to help handle the verbal transaction with the metzger.  I don't know how common an item like ground beef was as a regular purchase because I believe it had to be special ordered in advance.  We were given two huge plastic sacks full of fresh hamburger and made our way back towards the center of Altötting.  Along the way we found a small shop I had not noticed before that exclusively sold Bavarian themed souvenirs.  This was the store I had been hoping to find since first arriving in Bavaria.  A tourist trap off the main drag that sold high quality items at reasonable prices.  It was the perfect place to dispose of any remaining Euros in our possession.  I had been looking for the traditional Bayren flag of the state of Bavaria to add to my classroom flag collection and finally found it on my last day in Altötting.  Go Figure!  The kids stocked up on items for various acquaintances back home and then we were off to meet up with the rest of the group at the designated rendezvous point on the square.

Butcher Shop / Metzger of Altötting

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We walked back to KKG and found the kitchen, where we stockpiled the combined lot of our party foraging expedition.  We all went into action, each taking on a chosen task.  A few went to work slicing up the lettuce, tomato, and onion fixins, while other attended to beverage storage detail or table setting duties.  My task turned out to be quite a challenge, transforming two enormous mounds of ground beef into 100 uniform hamburger patties for the grill.  Although an experienced customer, I have never worked in the fast food industry, and was at the mercy of my backyard barbecue experience for my family of four.  I would have to find a way to effectively multiply my production by 25 times my normal patty patting pace.  I needed to have a minimum of 100 total burgers, one for each guest attending the dinner.  It was rough going at first, causing me to start over with a new game plan of attack!  I divided the mountain of ground beef into ten smaller hills of similar size and density.  Next, the hills were shaped into a rectangular brick and then divided evenly into ten uniform squares by use of a knife, and finally rolled and patted into a circular patty.  It took some time but I ended up with 100 hamburger patties of a similar size and shape, ready for grilling.  They were stacked on trays between layers of wax paper and placed in the industrial sized refrigerator unit for safe storage.  It was now time for our students to meet up with their German partners, who were just getting out of classes for the day.  They soon began to make their way to their home away from home for final preparations for the night's activities.  While Wendy and I would provide the main course, our students and accompanying German families would bring additional food items to compliment our transplanted American style picnic.  Many would make a variety of traditional salad creations to properly compliment the filet mignon of the American palate, the quintessential American cheeseburger.   

Wendy and her Steed

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Wendy had to get home to attend to additional details concerning the Goodbye Dinner and offered to drive me back to Tüßling to the Galneder residence where I had been staying.  Wendy was driving a vehicle borrowed from her host family and was more than a little nervous driving solo on occasion for the first time ever in Germany.  With false confidence we prepared to test our assimilation level to the foreign rules of the road with Wendy at the wheel and me riding shotgun acting as her severely flawed GPS.  Our first challenge was to actually find our way out of the center of Altötting... Piece of cake or strudel or whatever?  I had driven this route almost everyday since first first arriving in the country three weeks earlier.  How hard could it possibly be... really?   Wendy eased the car out of its parking space with white knuckles firmly welded onto the steering wheel.  Immediately, I faced my first directional decision to turn right or left as we were about to exit the school parking lot... left it would be, which was, of course... wrong.  However, throwing caution to the wind we forged onward as my internal GPS skills attempted to reroute our planned course.  We turned right, left, zigged, and zagged only to come to the conclusion we were lost.  However, we bravely pushed on and rolled up a slight hill, suddenly finding ourselves on the edge of the sacred Kapellplatz church square.  More than just a little alarmed, Wendy instantly rolled down her window and asked the nearest pedestrian if we were allowed to have a car here...  The woman turned toward our car and took one look and said VERBOTEN!  She wouldn't have looked more shocked if we would have been wearing pink Easter Bunny costumes.  It was time to do a quick 180 before we were attacked by a mob of local yokels donning hay forks and torches, got arrested by the police, or had to answer to Pope Benedict XVI himself!

Picturesque View of Tüßling

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Can you say... Epic Fail?  We made a quick about face, wondering if we had been caught on any video surveillance cameras, and decided it was best to quickly distance ourselves from the church square.  An old term suddenly came to mind from a previous trip I took to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a friend of mine a few years ago.  After doing something no permanent resident would ever do, like driving through a one-way mile long tunnel the wrong way for instance, my friend called us a couple of tourons... Tourist + Moron = Touron!  Wendy was mortified and it was definitely a bone head move to be sure, but what a great story!  I reassured her that her only mistake was taking directions from me!  Eventually, we (Wendy) figured it out and we were soon heading out of town toward Tüßling.  Wendy dropped me off safe and sound and before she departed, I jokingly asked her if she wanted me to explain the best way to travel to get to her final destination of Garching Alz.  I thought it was funny but... hey, we laugh about it now!  The house was quiet and I had a few hours to go before the Goodbye Dinner was scheduled to begin back at the school.  One of my favorite activities over the past few weeks was riding bike through the beautiful Bavarian countryside.  It was a gorgeous day and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to take one last bike ride around the village I called home for the past 21 days.  After changing into comfortable cloths suitable for biking, I borrowed Andy's mountain style bike and headed out onto the road toward the center of town.  Aside from walking, riding bike was the best way to slow down and really take in the scenery.  You can see things on a bike you could never experience in a fast moving car.

 Rustic Barn Wrapped in Color

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During my stay, I had traveled in a car to the village of Tüßling by way of two different roads that led to the small quaint town.  On the less direct route, we passed a rustic old barn numerous times that had caught my photographer's eye and Wendy and I had just passed it once again.  The clock was ticking and if I wanted to get the picture, it was now or never.  Due to the very recent failure of my internal GPS skills, I should have been concerned with getting lost.  However, the steeple of the hilltop church was easily visible for miles in every direction and provided a beacon to guide me home.  It proved to be a sentimental journey as all my senses absorbed the scenic beauty that is Southwestern Germany one last time.  All alone on a bike, in the quiet solitude of the late afternoon sun, I reflected on all I had seen, experienced, and tasted during my stay.  One final time, I was humbled by the thought... I can't believe I am here.  I left the edge of Tüßling in my wake and began to cross the expanse of rural wheat filled fields before me toward the tiny village of Teising.  Looking back at Tüßling, the sun reflected off the level red roof tiles of the collection of homes spread throughout the valley with the hilltop church looking over the landscape protectively.  I was really going to miss this place.  I soon entered into the outskirts of Teising and found the familiar dark wooden barn with the window box overflowing with color that I  passed by so many times before.  The sunlight was perfect for the shot and was now captured on my camera.  Mission accomplished!  With time to spare, I took the liberty to explore some of the neatly maintained side streets of the village to see some new sights on my final adventure.  

Uniform Side Streets of Teising

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As in most residential areas, which would be labeled as suburbs back in the states, each home was contained within a visible physical border.  Although the homes were relatively close to one another, each was very private, accomplished through a combined effort of plantings and fencing.  Some homes were almost completely shrouded from view, only visible by way of the opening from the driveway.  Each property resembled a hidden oasis serving as a protective refuge from the stresses of the outside world.  However, despite their best efforts to block my view, I did get quite a few great pictures of some beautiful traditional homes.  It was now time to take the return trip back toward the center of Tüßling.  I took the liberty to revisit the colorful town square, the small fairgrounds where I spent my first evening at the town festival, and the beautifully renovated palace grounds where I attended the annual flower show known as Gartenque.  I also took the time to pass by the Shadhauser residence where I had enjoyed traditional Bavarian goulash, prepared in a kettle over an open fire.  Eventually, I turned down the familiar street and the last house on the right at the end of the lane came into view.  I had returned to my starting point, 16 Kreuzweg, Tüßling.  Now, I had some time to finalize packing a few things in my suitcases to prepare for our early departure the next morning.  I had been getting my belongings organized for days and wanted to be at the point where I could simply zip everything up for a quick exit.  It was finally time for the big event.  Wendy dropped by to pick me up to prepare the meal for our 100 guests expected at the Goodbye Dinner.  I asked her if she planned to cut through the coveted church square of Altötting this time or go around it.  Ha!

The Hausmeister and Grillmeister

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The Warwick crew reassembled to put the finishing touches on the KKG cafeteria, where the dinner was scheduled to begin in about an hour.  My task was mammoth, grilling 100 cheeseburgers to perfection for tonight's distinguished guests! Fortunately, I was assisted at the grill by the friendly hausmeister of KKG known as Georg Mauer, who was originally from Romania.  In Germany, the head custodian of a school often actually lives at the school in an apartment right on campus where he can be available day and night if needed.  He and his wife resided in a flat within the school building located on the first floor in close proximity to the teacher's lounge.  In fact, we could look out over their well maintained backyard gardens every morning through the large windows that ran the length of the lounge.  Herr Mauer had a fun filled, exuberant personality and was always there at the school entrance each morning to give a cheerful greeting.  He knew about as many English words as I did in German, so we made an interesting team at the grill.  I had assumed I was going to be grilling the burgers on a gas fired grill similar to my backyard version back home but it turned out to be a large flat restaurant styled one in the cafeteria kitchen.  This was all new to me and I found it hard to prevent the burgers from sticking to the cooking surface until Herr Mauer came to the rescue with a large bottle of rich olive oil.  East met West and the American style burgers had a Romanian- German-Bavarian flavor that would probably be more agreeable to our globally diverse guests.  We worked well as a team, communicating through a complex dialogue of simple German and American words helped along by a lot of pointing and sign language gestures created on the fly.  Within minutes we settled into an efficient fast food assembly line of cheeseburger production.  The finished product was transferred to a warming tray and Wendy appeared to take over the bun assembly and serving responsibilities.  Ronald McDonald would have been proud.  The guests began to arrive and it was time to say goodbye.  Tune in next time for my final installment of the An American in Germany series.

   

Beef... It's What's for Dinner!

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Please stay tuned for the final installment of our adventure!

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An American in Germany / Part # 34 / Munich-3

GAPP Exchange Journal 2012

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Tour of Munich - München / Part # 3

Relaxing in the Hofgarten
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The city of Munich is the only place I have ever visited that goes by two different names on any given map.  Although Paris, London, Berlin, and the like are pronounced the same in any language, Munich is locally known by the traditional name of München.  Why?  Well, the best answer I could find has to do with outsiders changing the city's name because it was too complicated to pronounce in their own language, so they changed it to make it easy.  Munich is the English version of München and since many can't easily pronounce the sounds associated with certain letter combinations, they changed the city's name to sound like they thought it should have sounded all along!  Map makers jumped on the band wagon and the rest is history.  This is also common when the original people who founded a specific place-name are overthrown and pushed out of the geographic area permanently... To the victor belongs the spoils, including the preference of name spelling and/or pronunciation!  In fact, the state of Bavaria is also known locally as Bayren and the whole of Germany is also known as Deutschland!  Confused?  Good!  It's a German-Deutsch thing and you just wouldn't understand!  Ok, lets move on...  Now that we had just passed by the illegal Michael Jackson memorial on the Promenadeplatz, I thought my visit to Munich, München, or Whatchamacallit was complete.  However, Andy assured me there was so much more to see of the capital city of Bavaria, Bayren, or Whatchamacallit.  Lead the way my friend!  Let's go Andy, Andreas, or...

Munich Shopping Square

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Although all the stores selling non-food related products were all closed because it was Sunday, the streets were still crowded with people walking about, enjoying the beautiful sunny day.  It seemed as if all of Munich were out and about, enjoying all the city had to offer before the last remaining hours of the weekend slipped away and the pending work week began anew.  Like the rest of Germany, most of the store fronts we passed were all uniform in style and construction.  It looked as if they were all part of the same parent company.  Many were even all dressed up with the same matching bright red flowers, neatly arranged in long parallel lines.  The effect was a neat and orderly flow, seamless from one street to the next.  I was enjoying window shopping, especially when passing shops specializing in the traditional cuckoo clocks of the Black Forest.  My grandparents once had a German cuckoo clock hanging on the wall of their den.  When I was a kid, I always looked forward to the hour when the small bird would burst through the door to utter his call.  Yea, I was easily entertained.  Anyway, you can buy them on the cheap via Ebay but I'll bet the "real" thing is real expensive, especially the traditional hand carved variety.  I considered purchasing a cuckoo clock but... since the stores were closed, it would be a difficult item to pack for the trip home, I was now running low on funds, such a clock would quickly annoy my wife, and said wife would probably make me take it down within six hours... So, I decided to find another way to keep myself entertained for the immediate time being.  Maybe an item to consider at a later time for the Man Cave I have planned but will never actually have... I'm sure my wife agrees!

 Führerbau / School of Music - Performing Arts

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We left the main shopping plaza and continued to navigate our way through the organized maze of the urban landscape of Munich.  We headed back toward the beautiful gardens we previously passed by, the predetermined location where we planned to meet Andy's younger brother Thomas for some refreshment.  Along the way we entered the Königsplatz, the cultural center of Munich's art galleries and museums.  During the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Third Reich, the square became the center of several large political rallies and became home to several Nazi Era buildings including their national headquarters known as the Brown House.  There were also two Roman styled temples known as the Ehrentempel, erected in 1935 to honor the memory of the 16 Nazis who were killed in the infamous Beer Hall Putsch when Hitler first attempted but failed to overthrow the government in 1923.  The temples were both destroyed by American troops in accordance of the policy of Denazification during the immediate aftermath of the war.  The foundation of the previous temples remained in place and filled with rainwater, eventually supporting some rare plant forms.  The spontaneous creation of the ecological sanctuary prevented any future development on the site and the temple foundation remains to the present day, continuing as a natural housing of green space for the city.  Close by, stand two identical structures known as the Führerbau, that previously housed former Nazi administration offices.  The twin buildings, which once contained the private offices of Adolf Hitler and his closest associates was also the location where the Munich Agreement was negotiated between Germany and England.  British Prime Minister Nevile Chamberlain met with Hitler here and later pledged in the fall of 1938, there would be "Peace in Our Time."  However, the pact was short lived and the world would never be the same again.  Today the buildings have been re-purposed to house a music school known as the University of Music and Performing Arts of Munich.  The former buildings are an excellent example of structures that stand as reminders to the city's dark past but now serve the community in a positive light. 

Hofgarten / Temple of Diana

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I was surprised to see some shadows of the Nazi Regime still intact and even preserved, yet it serves as a powerful reminder of a time period we should never forget.  The former building that once housed the Nazi Party Headquarters known as the Brown House, was destroyed by the Allies and sat as a vacant empty space of rubble and weeds for the past half century.  However, the site has finally found a new purpose as an instrument of education, with the ongoing construction of the Nazi Documentation Center, which is scheduled to be completed by 2014.  The center will inform visitors of the causes and crimes associated with the National Socialism Movement in Munich.  A complete reversal of the building site's previous purpose.  We walked back toward the Hofgarten and once again entered the interior pathway leading directly to the small central dome topped Temple of Diana where a musician played classical music on a cello to entertain casual passersby.  Perhaps he was a student of the school of music we had just passed within the Königsplatz, publicly practicing the notes of his composition.  The classical music genera was certainly a fitting compliment to the Roman styled temple and surrounding ornate gardens.  Again, the day was warm and sunny, attracting many visitors who crowded the pathways.  We followed along with the flow of the growing crowd and passed into a massive public city park known as the Englischer Garten.  The park's German name easily translates to English Garden, which describes the informal landscaping style once popular in Great Britain.  The 910 acre park, first created in 1789, is among the largest urban parks in the world, even larger than New York City's Central Park.  It appeared as if most of the city's population was now filling up the park, as I had never seen so many people in a public space before without any real purpose, other than to relax and enjoy the sunshine. 

Englischer Garten / City Park of Munich

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The large open space seemed to resemble a beach more than a park and with the nearest beach over 300 miles away in Italy along the Adriatic Sea, it was a nice local alternative.  There was a small river that ran through one area where kids of all ages were swimming and soaking within the cool water.  There was even a section of the waterway where effects from a pump created large rolling rapids that has become a favorite spot for skilled surfers to showcase their skills... Hang 10, whatever that means?   A sea of sunbathers were stretched out on blankets and beach towels soaking up the warm rays of the sun.  A few annoying seagulls, 200 tons of sand, and boardwalk were all that was needed to have the park closely resemble the Jersey Shore... maybe... sort of... not really.  Anyway, since all the stores downtown were closed, it was really a great setting to meet up with friends and family on a Sunday afternoon.  And, that was our key purpose as we went in search of Andy's brother Thomas within the expansive park.  As we left the lawn covered open spaces, the pathways were shaded by trees giving the impression you were submerged within the canopy of deep woods.  We occasionally crossed over bridges that spanned small creeks that snaked their way through the shaded pathways.  What a great place to take a break from the city, which was only a short distance away, yet seemed nonexistent from the sanctuary of the English Garten.  We soon arrived into another open space crowned by a large, five story pagoda styled tower made of dark stained wood known as the Tea House.  First constructed as a pavilion for performing brass bands in 1789, it was destroyed by fire during the war but rebuilt in 1950 according to the original architectural plans, which survived the war.  The tower is surrounded by an enormous tree covered biergarten that seats up to 7,000 people.  I was blown away by the expanse of the never ending tables that flowed outward from the tower in all directions.  There were several self-serve beer and traditional food kiosks located throughout the biergarten to keep all the patrons well fed and hydrated.  We searched for a open table and found some space to share with another family near the edge of seating area.
  

Chinese Tower / Biergarten

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There was a large play area nearby and Leo and Amalie were happy to escape the confines of the stroller for some well deserved active play!  With his cell phone, Andy talked his brother Thomas toward our location in the crowded biergarten and he soon joined us at our table with his young daughter.  Like many others, he had arrived on a bicycle with child seat firmly attached to the rear, an easy and economic way to navigate the vast city and accompanying parks.  Thomas and his wife lived and worked in Munich and like Andy, was looking forward to buying or building a house.  However, the cost of living is so high in the Bavarian capital, he and his wife were looking into neighboring communities, where the cost of living was more within their means.  We left our seats and went to check out the food and beer kiosks, first deciding to seek liquid refreshment.  Original Hofbräu was on tap, served in the large traditional liter sized glass steins that were present on every table in the garden.  It was Oktoberfest in July and we all toasted the Americana's safe travel home to the States in a few short days!  Next, we were back in line, checking out the food selections and this was my kind of dining!  Stainless steel bins were full of steaming bratwurst, sausage, chicken, noodles, sauerkraut, and fried sliced potatoes.  Fried, Sliced, Potatoes!  Wow, that's something I haven't seen since I arrived in Germany. I ordered a hybrid transatlantic combination of German bratwurst and almost American fried potatoes.  They were equally delicious!

Super Bretzel in the Biergarten

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There were maidens walking about the crowded garden in traditional dress carrying baskets filled with my favorite pretzels in super-sized form.  They were also for sale in the kiosk and I had my eye on them and was now happy to buy a bretzel as a perfect compliment to the Original Hofbräu remaining in my stein.  With Andy, Angela, Thomas, and their kids all gathered around the table, I was suddenly really missing my family.  It was happening more and more and I realized at that moment, I was indeed... ready to go home.  Leo and Amalie were starting to run out of gas and were now back lounging in the comfort of the stroller.  Within minutes, Leo was sound asleep but Amalie is a much tougher nut to crack!  We parted ways with Thomas and his daughter, who quickly disappeared from view on their bike as we began navigating our way back toward the city's edge.  Despite the late afternoon hour, the park's open spaces were still crowded with people as far as the eye could see... seemingly unwilling to submit the end of their weekend to the approaching and inevitable work week!  We exited the peaceful greenery of the park back into the city from a different location and were now quite a distance away from our ride home.  Andy and Angela decided the best way to get back to the car was to take the tube (AKA: subway) back toward the city's center of the Marienplatz.  We could even see a few more sites along the way to the station.   

Englischer Garten / Sun and River Bathers

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We stopped by to quickly check out King Ludwig's Church known as Ludwigskirche which is easily recognizable from the street by the tall twin sharp angled white bell towers, which flank the church's main entrance.  The interior is famous for having the second largest alter fresco mural in the world that stretches 62 feet high and 38 feet wide.  The Neo-Romanesque styled church was beautiful and inspired the design of countless future religious structures around the world.  However, to be perfectly honest, I was getting worn out by this point and all the churches I had seen over the last three weeks were all starting to run together and look the same.  I was in agreement with Leo at this point and was ready for a nap.  Is there room in the stroller for one more really big but tired kid?  Was I getting cranky?  We arrived at the subway station and descended the stairs to the rail platform and waited for our train to arrive.  Like the rest of the city, the subway was neat and spotless.  In fact, I had never seen an urban space so clean, well maintained, and orderly.  I hadn't seen a single piece a liter the entire day and I was beyond impressed.  It was obvious that the people of the city took pride in the appearance of their capital and pitched in to keep it picture perfect.  Maybe the people value their city so much because it was once completely lost to war and was painstakingly rebuilt over the past half century.  Looking back on the film footage of the allied aerial bombing raid damage, the obvious question is where and how do you begin to rebuild?  Where do you even start such a mammoth task?  The past and present residents of Munich know.  They have succeeded in their mission and the end result is beautiful.    

 Munich Subway / Train Platform

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The trains were silently flying by in both directions causing an underground wind gust in their wake.  Our train arrived, came to a smooth stop, and we were soon gliding along as if on air covering distance at speed.  Within a few minutes we had arrived to our destination and were soon walking the city streets above in search of the familiar Galneder Opel minivan.  We turned a corner and we came upon the van as a beam of sunlight descended from the clouds above illuminating the family car!  Within minutes we were snug in our seats and my final Bavarian adventure had come to an end.  A big thank you to Andy, Angela, Leo, and Amalie for another spectacular day I will never forget.

Hey Leo... Wake Up!

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Please stayed tuned for the next installment of our adventure!
 -

PLEASE SEE MY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS 

ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BLOG POSTING AT...

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YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUT THE WHOLE SERIES IN ORDER AT...

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An American in Germany / Part # 33 / Munich-2

GAPP Exchange Journal 2012

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Tour of Munich - München / Part # 2

Aerial View of Munich Bomb Damage

(Photo Credit / The Library of Congress)

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We were in the middle of our tour through the capital city of Munich, enjoying lunch at the beautiful inner central courtyard biergarten of the Hofbräuhaus.  After finishing our meal of Bavarian white sausage, we and walked through the interior seating areas that were now quickly filling with customers.  The festive scene was complimented by the robust sound from the traditional om-pah band who were playing the old folk songs from Bavaria's Alpine past.  Before leaving the historic former brewery, we checked out the extensive gift shop where you could buy just about anything and everything adorned with the HB logo.  We stepped out into the bright sunshine and looked over the beautiful building one last time.  The brewery was practically destroyed during an allied bombing raid in 1944, like most buildings in Munich by the end of WWII.  The brewery was rebuilt in the traditional style and reopened for business in 1958, just in time to celebrate the 800th birthday of the city of Munich.  After returning back to the states I researched the aftermath of WWII in Germany, looking at news articles and watching military film footage of the aerial bomb damage inflicted by the allies.  The film footage showed nothing but rows upon rows of brick and mortar skeletons of former buildings what were once part of vibrant cities.  It resembled the apocalypse and the German people, most of whom were civilians, suffered in the decade that followed.  Many called it deserved justice for the atrocities caused by the Nazi Regime during the war on other countries.  Subsequently, millions of the German people likely died in the aftermath of surrender and subsequent peace.  

Adolph Hitler / Odeonsplatz Speech 

(Photo Credit / The Library of Congress)

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"In the aftermath of the destruction of World War II, many Europeans became disillusioned with the entire concept of government and faced the future with glum pessimism.  Political movements had brought about the greatest level of human suffering in the history of the world.  The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who were once prevalent in the Middle Ages made an appearance once again in the modern age, taking the form of Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death..."  (Paraphrased words and points of author Margaret MacMillan - Rebuilding the World after the Second World War / The Guardian / Sept. 2009) 

Setting up for Odeonsplatz Concert

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Andy stepped back into the role of tour guide, pointing out city landmarks and locations of historical significance.  Munich is where the Nazi Party was first created and began to gain momentum.  The city was once called the capital of the movement, the birthplace of the Nazi Party, and the spiritual center of the Nazi Pantheon.  We entered the large city square known as the Odeonsplatz that contained a large Italian styled outdoor concert pavilion known as the Field Marshall's Hall, which was built to honor Bavaria's greatest generals. The hall contains three large arches, which are flanked by a pair of large Bayern Lions that straddle a center staircase.  Adolf Hitler gave several speeches from this stage and it was also the location where gunfire erupted between police and Nazi supporters in the infamous Beer Hall Putsch.  Thankfully, the Odeonsplatz was being prepared for a much more positive event this evening.  A sea of black folding chairs had been assembled for a free public concert scheduled for later that night.  We stopped in at a local coffee house so Angela could get some brew of a different sort and the kids were rewarded for good behavior with a fresh baked pastry.  I suddenly realized I was running low on Coca-Cola Light and took the opportunity to top off.  Again, it was nice to be in a major city where commercialism was not obviously overwhelming.  Mom and Pop style family owned small businesses seemed to be more the norm.  It was strange to be standing within an urban coffee shop that wasn't a Starbucks where you could look out the front window and see another Starbucks across the street!        

Theatinerkirche / The White Church

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The other key building within the Odeonsplatz is the bright yellow high-baroque styled church known as Theatinerkirche, which Andy said is also known as the White Church.  I thought he was being playfully sarcastic since the mustard yellow exterior was unlike any other color scheme in the city.  However, upon entering the church's vast interior, the nickname was obvious as the entire space was bathed in bright angelic white.  The main central dome is 233 feet high and is complimented by two matching tall slender bell towers on either side.  Most of the interior sanctuary is made of white plaster and reminded me of my children's unfinished art creations still awaiting the glazing and firing steps.  It's simplistic color scheme yet ornate angles and carvings made it one of the most beautiful churches I had the opportunity to visit.  We moved back out onto the Odeonsplatz and traveled a short distance before we entered a lush, manicured, rectangular park known as the Hofgarten or Court Park.  The eight acre public park was first created in 1617 and is divided by symmetrical sharp lined pathways, flowerbeds, and shrubs.  The Hofgarten is bordered on the east side by the large State Chancellery Building that is a unique mix of traditional and modern design.  The building replaces a similar structure that served as a huge barracks for the German Army which was destroyed during WWII.  The classic style of the central dome of the building's center was contrasted by arched wings covered by a tinted green glass skin that spanned the length of the neighboring garden in both directions.  Directly in front of the building's entrance stairway sat a relic left from the previous barrack building.  A large raised rectangular platform, bordered by neatly trimmed uniform hedges, sat conspicuously empty.  The platform that had previously supported a large Nazi era symbol, now sat purposely empty, sending an obvious and powerful message.  

Munich State Chancellery Building 

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Many parts of the city were full of grand buildings that housed universities, government offices, libraries, art galleries, and all the things that made Munich one the cultural centers of Germany.  As the capital city of Bavaria, it lacked the small town charm of many of the villages and smaller cities I had previously visited but was still beautiful, expressing its own individual personality.  It reminded me of Washington D.C. back home, with its complex labyrinth of streets, open green spaces, monuments, churches, restaurants, hotels, etc... I noticed both capitals were equally limited in height, void of skyscrapers, tall office buildings, and anything over ten stories high.  In Munich, church steeples mostly reigned supreme, looking down over neighboring structures and the streets below.  As we walked through the shopping district, I realized I had not seen a shopping mall during any of my travels and wondered if they existed at all in Europe.  The streets were filled with large department stores traditionally accented with beautiful flower boxes overflowing with bright red annuals.  Since it was Sunday, all businesses were closed, with the exception of those serving food and/or drink.  It was like stepping back in time, as it reminded me of the days when I was just a wee laddie and my mother used to take me into Lancaster City to go shopping.  Days before the mall were filled with trips to downtown city department stores to purchase clothing, shoes, books, and just about everything you now purchase at the nearest shopping mall.  It was refreshing to see a economically vibrant downtown once again and even more enlightening to see most shops were closed in respect to the Sabbath.  It was a nostalgic observation that filled my mind with fond memories of my childhood.  In many ways the mall shopping concept has killed many Main Streets across America but in Bavaria, every town I visited during my travels was alive and well with abundant commerce and accompanying customers.

Shopping Bavarian Style Baby!

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We continued navigating our way through the main shopping district of Munich, window shopping along the way, and enjoying the beautiful warm sunny afternoon.  Leo and Amalie were great companions as always, absorbing the vibrant sights and sounds in seated comfort from their stroller.  We next visited the famous Cathedral of our Lady locally known as Frauenkirche.  The red brick church is known for its twin spires that rise 325 feet high above the city and the elaborate interior tomb of Emperor Ludwig IV just inside the cathedral's entrance.  As you might have guessed, the beautiful building was heavily damaged during WWII when it suffered a partial roof collapse.  Allied bombers were not in the habit of intentionally targeting historic churches during bombing raids.  However, the allies often attacked under the cover of night to make it difficult for German ground artillery to see the planes but the tactic made it equally challenging for the planes to zero in on their precise targets.  The Frauenkirche was slowly rebuilt in several distinct phases with the first completed in 1953.  However, the final restoration work on the damaged cathedral was not finished until 1994, a full 50 years after it first fell victim to allied forces during the war.  After Andy and I took a quick ten minute interior tour, we turned the corner to catch up with Angela and the kids who were cooling off in a large public play fountain.  It was really cool in more ways than one!  Water sprouted from multiple sources around the large concave shaped rocky formation.  The water was never deeper than a few inches and the entire fountain was shrouded from the sun by large shade trees that framed the refreshing space.  The water tricked from above, mimicking mountain springs and collected in a central shallow pool containing more subtle fountains.  The kids were having a blast, including me!

Frauenkirche Children's Fountain

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We left the pleasant comfort of the children's fountain to continue our tour of the city.  As we made our way through the twists and turns of the wide streets, I absorbed the palate of the colorful buildings, each visually expressing their individual personalities in assorted shades of bright paint.  The number of buildings within Munich was so vast yet complimented by many open spaces, giving the impression the limits of the old city were boundless.  We passed by several universities flush with students on the move, taking a break from their studies to ride a bike to explore the streets, parks, and gardens of Munich.  At one point we passed by a police station where the street directly outside the entrance steps was lined with several matching police cruisers.  The surprising characteristic was they were all well maintained, high end, BMW wagons.  They were the only sign of law enforcement I think we encountered during my entire 21 day visit and extensive travels.  It must be an attractive incentive to join the police force if you get to tour around every day in a luxury, high performance vehicle.  Sign me up!  I also noticed most of the taxi cabs were high end Mercedes, an equally attractive ride choice.  Not something you see back in the states very often.  How high were the taxes in Munich anyway?  Andy's brother Thomas lives and works in Munich and can attest to the high cost of living within the capital city of Bavaria.  However, I was about to find out for myself...

Police / Polizei Bavarian Style
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We planned on meeting up with Andy's brother later in the day... but first, it was time for a little refreshment.  We found a large biergarten mostly empty of customers, close to a manicured park and located a shaded table near a large sandbox play area... perfect!  My host family had been so nice to me during my entire stay and they would often refuse to let me pay for anything.  After some light haggling, they agreed to let me pick up the tab for this little pit stop snack.  We ordered two small bottles of Coca-Cola Light and three even smaller ice-cream sundaes.  My sundae scored in the low-average range on the Frau Andrews Official Ice-Cream Satisfaction Scale but did meet the minimum requirement to satisfy my daily ice-cream requirement according to Bavarian Law.  However, I was shocked by the bill!  Munich really is an expensive destination with my bill over 25 Euros or $32.70 American.  I'm really glad I didn't try to spring for dinner!  Sometimes it pays to be cheap!  We continued on our way and walked through the Promenadeplatz, a former salt trade market of the ancient city.  Today the long rectangular plaza is filled with monuments to several prominent citizens of Munich including the gifted composer Orlando di Lasso.  Once music director to royalty and knighted by Emperor Maximilian II of Bavaria, his image was preserved within a life-size statue in a place of honor on the Promenadeplatz.  I was shocked as we walked past the Lasso Monument to find the base of the statue completely covered in fresh flowers, lit candles, and colorful pictures.  I first thought they were gifts to the gifted composer but upon closer inspection, they were honoring a different musical personality.

Orlando di Lasso / King of Pop

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The base of the Orlando di Lasso monument had been converted into a spontaneous memorial to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, shortly after his death in 2009.  The makeshift memorial, started by random fans of the fallen superstar, was set up around the statue because it resides close to the Bayerischer Hof hotel where Jackson stayed several times while visiting Munich.  The elaborate colorful memorial is maintained daily by a phantom group of dedicated fans who are collectively known as the Memorial Fairies.  Even though the memorial has existed for several years, it is not an official monument and has only been tolerated by city officials to date.  The Jackson fan group fears the city will eventually intervene and have the memorial removed and are in the process of gathering signatures of support to try and avert a government takeover of the sacred site.  I will admit that I owned a copy of Jackson's Thriller album when he was at the peak of his popularity in America but that was a cassette tape way back in the early 80's!  I had heard that he was always more popular abroad than he was at home in the states and now I was looking at the proof.  Because I'm Bad, I'm, Bad, you know it...  Tune it next time for our final segment on the capital city of Munich where we will visit the ultimate city park and biergarten.

 Father of Modern Munich / Montgelas

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Please stayed tuned for the next installment of our adventure!

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An American in Germany / Part # 32 / Munich-1

GAPP Exchange Journal 2012

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Tour of Munich - München / Part # 1
 

The Galneder Family Explores Munich
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It was Sunday, the last day of my final weekend in Bavaria.  The few remaining days would be devoted to packing, tying up loose ends, and hosting our Goodbye Dinner to thank all of our students' host families for all they had done to make our trip a tremendous success.  Before the final hectic school schedule began, the Galender Family had one last day-trip planned for me, off to visit the famous city of Munich.  Once again we loaded up the Opel minivan with the usual essentials, Leo, Amalie, stroller, and the ever critical sippy cups filled to the brim with diluted apple juice known as Apfelschorle.  Popular with all age groups, the German drink is a combination of equally measured parts of apple juice and carbonated mineral or seltzer water.  Next to Coca-Cola Light, it was one of my favorite beverages to grab on the go, refreshing on a hot summer day.  I had previously been within the city limits of Munich briefly when we first arrived on our connecting flight from Frankfurt.  However, I had not visited the city since the airport was located outside the metropolitan area and our bus route took us east toward Altotting, away from the city limits.  Andy drove the Opel minivan on the well maintained, interconnected highway system of Germany, making good time toward the capital city of Bavaria.  Munich is also the largest city in Bavaria with 1.2 million residents, which ranks as the third largest city in Germany behind Berlin and Hamburg.  The city was officially founded in the middle of the 12th Century along the Isar River by monks representing the Order of Saint Benedict.  The city grew over the years due to the river and the ever present rich salt trade of the region.  Today the city continues as a vibrant economic power center, home to industrial giants like BMW.  The city is also home to successful publishing, news media, biotechnology, and other service based industries.  Consequently, Munich is also one of the most expensive places to live in Bavaria, Germany, and Europe as a whole.  Andy maneuvered the Opel through the outer edge of the city and into the heart of Munich, finding a parking space along a busy city street.  We had arrived!

Munich New Town Hall / Rathaus

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We stepped out onto the streets, saddled up the kids in their stroller, and topped off their sippy cups with the great Bavarian pacifier, Apfelschorle.  I suddenly realized we had parked the car right in front of a busy Burger King, causing me to quickly look away, only to gaze upon a McDonald's located right across the street.  I was trying to hide the remaining guilt from my secret visit a week earlier to the Golden Arches, where I sinfully devoured American fast food goodness on foreign soil.  It was like returning to the scene of a crime.  I was relieved when we turned the corner toward the center of the city, leaving fine American gourmet dining out of sight and out of mind.  Within a short time, we arrived through an archway into a large courtyard known as the Marienplatz, the official square of Munich since 1158.  The name of the plaza translates to Mary's Square and the key attraction located within the square is the massive Gothic styled building known as New Town Hall or Neues Rathaus.  The building was amazingly detailed, telling the story of the history of Bavaria in in the form of sculptures depicting the likeness of past dukes and kings who adorned the facade of the building.  The town hall's stone and brick exterior, consisting of multiple balconies, spires, and towers, were contrasted in color by the abundant bright pink flowers that trimmed the lines of the structure.  It was an amazing building and the large crowd gazing over all its ornate architectural details seemed to collectively sigh... I can't believe I am here!              

Rathhaus Glockenspiel on the Marienplatz

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The New Town Hall was built to replace the previous structure, which the city had outgrown during the end of the 19th century.  The Old Town Hall still resides nearby and is also a beautiful building in its own right, much brighter in overall appearance than the new structure.  In fact, the archway we passed through to enter the square was actually part of the Old Town Hall.  The New Town Hall is much larger than its predecessor and 24 buildings were razed to make room for the enormous structure.  The new seat of the city's government was constructed between 1867-1874 and contained a total of 400 rooms upon completion.  However, the main attraction of New Town Hall is the famous glockenspiel or carillion, housed within the main tower located on the left hand side of the building.  The world famous animated musical instrument was added in 1908 and contains 32 life-sized figures that move, dance, and twirl to a traditional musical tune played by a series of 43 bells, each producing a different note.  The tower comes to life three times a day and crowds gather beforehand in anticipation, since no trip to Munich is complete without seeing the famous glockenspiel in action.  As luck would have it, the figures began to turn within minutes of our arrival to the Marienplatz and the square fell suddenly silent as all eyes centered on the two level musical time piece.  The carillon tells two short stories of Bavarian folklore complete with a wedding, dancing ball, and even a jousting tournament, which is always won by the Bavarian rider, always causing a loud cheer from the enthusiastic crowd below.  The whole show lasts about fifteen minutes and is really a cool thing to see in person.  I'm so glad we arrived just in time to see the Marienplatz in all its glory!

WWII Munich Bomb Damage

(Image Credit / Peter Keetman: 1948)

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The industrial city of Munich was a major target for allied bombing missions during World War II, which decimated much of the infrastructure of the city.  Most of the buildings we would see today had been heavily damaged or destroyed during the war.  When the dust settled, many that remained standing were only a skeletal shell of their previous form.  Most were painstakingly rebuilt over time, many in their former traditional style.  Amazingly, over six tons of unexploded allied bombs are discovered throughout Germany each and every year during the excavation process of construction projects.  Most can be successfully defused and safely removed from their urban locations.  However, during August of 2012, a 550 pound unexploded American bomb was discovered during a building project near the center of Munich that could not be safely diffused.  Due to the fact the bomb had a chemical fuse instead of a mechanical detonator, the bomb had to be triggered on site, causing the evacuation of over 2,500 people from the surrounding area.  The massive evening blast lit up the night sky and violently rocked the city, causing several small rooftop fires to ignite.  Check out the short video uploaded at the bottom of this blog posting.  The force of the blast also resulted in multiple windows being blown out within the evacuation zone.  City officials estimate several thousand WWII era live bombs still remain buried throughout Munich and are becoming more dangerous with time.  The bombs become more unstable with each passing year as they continuously fall victim to the elements.  As they age, the bombs' fragile built-in safety mechanisms and sensitive detonators continue to deteriorate and become brittle.  Thankfully, the ground beneath our feet remained calm and quiet during our entire visit.

Side Street Cafe / Restaurant

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As we walked away from the square and checked out the surrounding sites, Andy pointed out one landmark after another that had been destroyed during the war but painstakingly rebuilt.  Several buildings had plaques proudly mounted, noting the date when the reconstruction process was completed.  It was hard to imagine the previous destruction as there were no signs that the city had ever been anything other than what you observed in the present.  We walked down ancient streets past theaters, churches, and government buildings, some of which were modern, while others historic in style.  We came upon the large courtyard of the grand Munich Opera House where a large statue of Max-Joseph-Platz, the first King of Bavaria, is seated and looking out over the plaza.  Also known as the National Theater, the opera house of Munich was first constructed in 1818 but was completely destroyed by fire only five years later.  The theater was rebuilt within a few years but was destroyed once again during WWII by allied bombs in 1943.  Two decades passed before the building was constructed a third time and hosted its first opera within the 2,000 seat theater.  The opera house is flanked by the Königsbau, the southern section of the Residenz Palace, which currently houses the treasury where the jewels of the Wittelsbacher Dynasty are stored for safekeeping.

King Max-Joseph-Platz / Drop Cloth Facade

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Upon taking a closer look, I suddenly realized the entire Königsbau building was in the process of renovations and repairs.  However, it was hard to tell at first because the entire building was cloaked in a gigantic drop cloth skin that was accurately imprinted with the detailed image of the building's exterior.  The drop cloth skin supported by scaffolding, concealed the workers yet retained the familiar historic facade for the city's residents and visiting tourists.  It was getting close to lunch time and Andy decided to take to visit one of Munich's most famous landmarks for some Bavarian style food and drink.  The Hofbräuhaus am Platzl is Munich's most famed traditional beer hall where the world famous brew was first made in 1589.  Over its long history, the Hofbräuhaus has served the likes of Vladimir Lenin of Russia, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and even President John F. Kennedy.  In the aftermath of WWI, beer halls became popular sites to host political meetings, using the beer as an attractive incentive for people to attend the speeches.  In 1920 Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists held their first meeting at Hofbräuhaus in a room on the third floor, which quickly evolved into the Nazi Party.  Hitler was known to dispense strong political viewpoints at the beer hall but not the famous brew itself since he was known to never consume alcoholic beverages.  We were hoping to see the decorative upper floors but unfortunately, they were closed to the public at the time.  Let's get something to eat and drink!    

Hofbräuhaus Brewery / Beer Hall

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After I returned home, I was surprised to discover the picture I took of the exterior of the brewery was a close match to a painting done by none other than a young Adolf Hitler, seen below.  During the years he lived in Vienna (1908-1913) he earned a meager living painting, hoping to become a full time artist.  He also spent a lot of time in Munich, mingling with other artists in the city's street side cafes, hoping to gain acceptance into the profession.  However, despite painting several hundred works of art, he was denied admission to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, eventually gave up the trade, and became a politician instead.  How different the world might have been...  Ironically, many of his known customers, who supported him by buying his work, were Jewish.  Many of Hitler's original paintings were discovered and seized by the United States Army during the war.  The United States Government still has them today, permanently hidden from view in locked storage.

Hofbräuhaus Brewery / Beer Hall
(Painting Credit / Adolf Hilter Circa 1915)

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Like most former breweries, Hofbräuhaus has been fully converted into a restaurant and showcase to celebrate the coveted brand.  The interior of the beer hall was richly decorated with simple study wooden tables, richly stained wooden wainscoting, ceilings accented with traditional folk artwork,   and racks full of the large glass beer steins adorned with the famous crowned HB logo.  We took a quick walk-through of the historic beer hall's ground floor as Andy navigated us to a beautiful interior courtyard, that turned out to be the ultimate biergarten!  The space had an Old World feel and was crowded with thirsty patrons seated at traditional outdoor wooden tables and benches.  I didn't ask but I am sure there was only one brand of beer on tap!  I will confess, I am far from a beer connoisseur and if you have been following this blog from the beginning you should be able to tell by now that Coca-Cola Light (AKA: Diet Coke in America) is my beverage of choice.  On the occasions I do drink beer back home in America, I usually go the light pale route, avoiding dark robust beers.  As my friends can attest, I have even been known to order a Miller Light when dining at a microbrewery or European style pub.  How lame is that?   I was more than a little concerned before my trip expecting all German beer to be warm, strong, dark and bitter.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find just the opposite and enjoyed most of the brews I sampled during my three week stay.  Hofbräu Original is a light colored pale lager, brewed at the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus brewery located nearby in Munich.  The recipe is over 400 years old and is the same one first handed down by Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria.

Hofbräuhaus Brewery / Interior Biergarten

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I found their signature beer, Original Hofbräu, to be very good, light and refreshing in the warmth of summer.  Beer is ingrained in the culture and history of Bavaria, a topic of community and even national pride.  Even most small villages have a small brewery nearby that makes good use of the abundant grain harvest from the surrounding fields.  Another popular drink during the summer months is any beer combined with lemonade or Sprite, known as a Radler.  It makes almost any beer light and refreshing.  The biergarten within Hofbräuhaus was a beautiful space with large shade trees, a traditional urban spout fountain, and even a second floor terrace bordered with colorful flower boxes.  The best possible atmosphere when experiencing casual dining in Munich.  Ok, what's for lunch?  I had tried every kind of sausage during my stay except for one... the traditional white sausage known as weisswurst.  I will admit I had been putting it off, not something that looked all that appetizing in the meat case at the local metzger!  However, this was my last day-trip and it was now or never.  Andy ordered the quintessential Bavarian dish for us, while Angela selected other choices from the menu for her and the kids.  When it arrived, the white sausage was contained within a large crock and accompanied by spicy brown mustard and my favorite pretzels.  The white sausage had a unique taste and the interior meat must be removed from the rubber-like casing before you can eat it.  Andy taught me the proper technique to remove the white sausage from its matching thick white skin so I looked like a pro.  It was ok; the taste improved by the spicy mustard, but not as good as some of the other new foods I tried during my travels.  I was curious as to why this sausage was white in color but decided I was probably much better off not knowing.  Tune in next time as we continue our tour of historic Munich!

Hofbräuhaus / The White Sausage

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Please stayed tuned for the next installment of our adventure!

 -

PLEASE SEE MY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS 

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