The End

Going Home

All good things come to an end, and tomorrow this experience does, too.  We leave Munich by train to Zurich where we will spend the night, then on Saturday the 27th we will travel on three airplanes, arriving in Portland about 10:30 PM.

So, we are closing this Blog with some reflections about our six months here.

-First of all, we don't think either one of us expected this experience to be as good as it has been.  We arrived excited, a bit nervous, and not sure of what to really expect.  We have came to love and appreciate Munich for its culture, location, history, food, and yes, the beer and beer gardens!  Also, we realize that a primary reason that this time has been so special for us are the connections we have made - the Sisters and Chris, our fellow volunteer, at the Soup Kitchen; friends at Peace Church, particularly Liz and John; and Bruce and Barbara, Munich transplants from California whom we met through a mutual friend.  Saying good-bye to all of them was difficult, but we have been blessed to have known them and hope that the relationships can be renewed in the future.

-We've realized how important culture is to the way we live.  The big differences in cultures are obvious, but it is the small day-to-day ones that really impact your life - food, customs, humor, expectations, courtesy.  We have a much greater appreciation of what foreign exchange students go through in their year abroad - and we had the advantage of at least having each other for support!

-Language has been very difficult, but also easy at the same time, because most Germans speak a good amount of English or are even very fluent.  Gary has studied German for years and understands a great deal both verbally and in written material, and without his expertise, we would have had a much harder time.  However, we came to realize how important pronunciation is, which seems obvious, until you make what appears to be a very small mispronunciation error or place the accent on the wrong syllable, and the person you are talking to has absolutely no idea what you are talking about!

-Living in a small apartment (650 sq. ft.) has been a unique experience and taught us that we really don't need a huge space to live comfortably.  This is a good lesson to remember when we think about our next move which will probably be to a condo in Portland some time in the future.  Living in this apartment has also taught us that we are not quite ready for that move yet, so we will return to our house and acreage in Battle Ground with renewed enthusiasm and a plan to stay for several more years.

-Our American presidential election has come up frequently in talking with Germans and other Europeans, and they are generally shocked that the race between Obama and Romney is close, as they are very happy with Obama.  In fact, there was a recent article in the Munich paper that reported that if the election were held here in Germany, Obama would receive 82% and Romney 11%.  Also, they can not understand why Americans are opposed to universal health care and stricter gun laws.  Good question.

-Food safety doesn't seem to be a concern or something one thinks about when buying food.  Apparently there is confidence that the government has the regulations and inspections for food handling in place to keep it safe.  Eggs are never refrigerated before sale, cheese is many times made from raw unpasturized milk, genetically modified foods are labled, milk products are routinely irradiated and thus not refrigerated, etc.  In the six months we have been here we have seen no evidence based on what we see in the stores or talking to friends of salmonella or other sickness due to food, nor has there been a food recall for contamination.

The weather is telling us it is time to go home.  We leave tomorrow morning, and it is supposed to snow tomorrow night - definitely a sign!  It has been cloudy and cold the last three days, but today the sun came out and was warm enough for our last walk to the English Garden and our last beer and pretzel at the Chinese Tower.

We have appreciated all the feedback from family and friends about this Blog.  It has been good for us to put it together, and it will be a nice memory to document this wonderful experience.

Auf Weidersehen!

Odds and Ends

Sadly, we have a little over a week until we return home.  We have already said some good-byes, started to plan for the last things we want to do, and the last of our favorite restaurants to visit.  However, we still have some pictures and experiences we want to remember and share with you, so this post will be a little bit of this and that.

Kleine Gartens
We have visited Germany many times over the years and always been interested in the several-acre gardens that you see in the cities that appear to be divided into many smaller individual gardens.  We recently had two opportunities to visit inside these gated entities and talk with the owners about their gardens.  

The gardens were started after WWII by the German government to help alleviate the food shortage, particularly in the cities.  Families living in flats were able to rent a plot of land for a very reasonable price and grow some of their own food.  Over the years they have evolved into a family's "back yard" with a room-sized cottage, patio, BBQ area, grass, and areas to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables.  Water is provided, but there is no sewer or electricity, and overnight "camping" is prohibited. Each garden is approximately 30' x 50', the rent is still quite low, and they are so popular that there are long waiting lists.  Each "Little Garden" is unique, and the common thread is definitely a love of gardening!  Here are some examples:

Public Transportation In and Around Munich
For the last six months we have not had a car and relied on public transportation, which is easy, convenient, and relatively inexpensive in and around Munich.  Having lived in the West Coast, we are not used to having good public transportation, so although we were a bit hesitant at first we are converts and will miss it when we return home and have to drive everywhere.  We have purchased monthly passes that have allowed us unlimited use of the Buses, Trams, U-Bahn, and S-Bahn for 40 Euros each per month.  Greater Munich is divided into three rings - the inner city, the X ring, and the XX ring. Each mode of transportation has its place in the city and are all clean and well maintained.

Buses are the most common, run frequently, and travel on side streets as well as on major thoroughfares, but we actually don't use the bus too often.  Since we like to walk, we usually use the Tram or U to get to the general area, then walk to our destination.

Bus 154 on Schellingstrasse

Trams, what we call street cars, operate on major streets and stop at major intersections.  They run about every ten minutes during the day and every twenty minutes or so in the later part of the evening.  We are half a block from the #27, and we use it frequently to get to church, downtown, and connect with the U and S.

Our #27 Tram at the Sendlinger Tor Stop

A Typical Tram Station

Denise on the Tram

The U-Bahn, or Underground operates on a larger grid than the trams with six U-lines that mainly traverse the inner city.  We are 2 1/2 blocks from the nearest station at Universitäte and it is the U3 and U6 lines.  To take another line, we need to connect at other stations.  The U runs every 5-10 minutes most of the day.

Our Universitäte U Station

Interior of a U Train

Not all the trains are as new as these two examples.

The S-Bahn trains also operate in the very central part of Munich, but are the primary access for the outer areas of Munich including the airport.  They are underground trains in the city, but above ground in the outer areas. There are eight S-lines and generally run every 10 - 30 minutes.

The S arriving at Karlplatz

Gary on a Recent Outing on the S

Deutsche-BahnTrains  For trips farther afield than the S-Bahn serves, trains are the way to go.  In the state of Bavaria, D-Bahn offers several special day passes that are quite reasonable.  For 22 Euro for the first person, and 4 Euro for each person up to a total of five, one can travel anywhere that the train and most buses serve.  So you could go from Munich to Salzburg and back on the day pass.  There are also weekend passes with similar conditions for around 50 Euros.

A D-Bahn Train in the Munich Hauptbahnhof

The Interior of the D-Bahn Train

Beauty around Munich

As one walks around the streets of Munich, in front of many of the newer buildings and some of the old, there are pieces of art and sculpture that decorate the courtyards.  There are also statues and structures that celebrate figures or events from the rich history.  Below are a few examples:




Artwork

Statues

Max Joseph on Ludwigstraße

Honoring Bavarian Generals in Odeonsplatz

Bavaria in the Wies'n

Structures

Monopteros in the English Garden

Propyläen in Königsplatz

Wittlesbach Fountain

Friedenengel in Maximilianplatz

Sidewalk Cleaning
Munich makes a good effort at cleaning the sidewalks.  The sidewalks in our neighborhood are cleaned every Monday.  First, two men with brooms sweep the trash to the center of the walk, then a machine comes through picking up the trash and dirt.  Unfortunately, the many smokers and the teeny-tiny trash cans that are always overflowing, make keeping the sidewalks clean a challenge.

Note the Natural Straw Broom

Wouldn't you think that German ingenuity would
figure out that larger trash cans would
make sense in a city of 1 1/2 million people?

Oktoberfest - The Wies'n and Tents

The Tents

The parades were just the prelude to the actual two week party held at the Theresienwiese (Theresa meadow) or as it is affectionately known, the Wies'n.  As we said before, the tents are actually imposing structures housing between 6,000 and 10,000 celebrants and the kitchens and restrooms needed to support the activities.  It should be noted that the roofs of all tents are actually fabric, but there the similarity ends.  Massive wooden beams and posts support the roof and a wooden or stuccoed front entrance complete the structure.  All materials are erected, used, disassembled and stored each year - truly a feat of engineering.  Some of the exteriors are shown below.

The Interior of one of the Typical Feztzelt (festival tent)
This one holds 9000 people.

The Tent "Poles" - Giant Steel Girders

The Spaten Hippodrom Tent Celebrating 110 Years 

The Interior of the Hippodrom
It is one of the smaller tents holding about 3000.

The Augustiner Tent

Outdoor Seating at the Tent

Gary attended Oktoberfest with a bunch of guys for the real rousing Oktoberfest experience in the evening.  It is almost impossible to get in a tent in the evening without reservations, but the youngest man in the photo had a connection with the top security person, and they were able to get a prime table on the balcony rail in the Hofbräu tent.

First Night in the Hofbräu Tent

Early at Hofbräu Tent with Most Seated

A Little Later and they are Singing and
Dancing on the Benches

The Picture Says "Don't
Dance or Stand on the Benches in the Balcony"

This Guy Probably Won't be Doing any Dancing

In the Hofbräu tent there is a legendary figure Aloisius Hingerl.  As the legend goes, Aloisius was a regular at the Hofbräuhaus all his life. When he died and arrived in heaven he irritated the congregation by being so homesick for Munich. He moaned so much that eventually God decided to have mercy on him, and sent him back home on a mission for the Bavarian government. But the moment angel Aloisius caught the aroma of Munich, he forgot about his divine mission and flew straight to the Hofbräuhaus. There he finally found peace of mind, and has been enjoying one beer after another ever since. And to this day, so ends the tale, the Bavarian government has waited in vain for divine inspiration.

Aloisius at the Hofbräu Tent

The Food 

The food at each of the tents was much the same, and resembled that which you would find at any Beer Garden.  The true Oktoberfest meal is a half roasted chicken, and it is yummy!  There were some tents that specialized in different sorts of things like the Spanferkel tent that served suckling pig, the Kaisersmarren tent that served a sweet pancake with fruit compote, the Ochsenbraterei that served spit-roasted beef, Fischer-Vroni tent serving fish, duck and wild game dishes.  Outside the tents vendors were selling Brats, Nuts, Popcorn, Leberkäse sandwiches, and sweets of all kinds.

The Spanferkel Take Out

Suckling Pig on a Spit Getting Ready for a Sandwich

A Trout Dish and a Traditional 1/2 Hendl (Half Chichen)
and Bavarian Potato Salad at the Augustiner Tent

Cookies for your Sweetheart and Worn as a Necklace

Or How About a Half Meter of Brat

Traditional Münchener Weisswurst,
Always Boiled and Eaten without the Casing

A Brezn (Pretzel) Anyone?

Appetizers for a Reserved Table - Obatza (a cheese spread), Bavarian Ham and Red and White Radish

The only way to be assured that you can have a place on a tent main floor in the evening is to reserve a table up to a year in advance.  Many businesses reserve tables for their employees, but individuals can also reserve.  The tables seat 10 and a fee of 400 Euros is paid.  That works out to 20 beer vouchers at 10 Euros each and 10 food vouchers for 10 Euros apiece.  The beer voucher cover a Mass each and food voucher basically covers a half chicken.  The reservation is good for the evening till closing.

The Carnival
Like any carnival in the US, there are rides, snacks to take away, and sideshows.  The rides are particularly popular, and the cost per ride varies with the thrill from 4.50 to 5.50 Euro.  The smaller children's rides were around 2.50 Euro.

The Ferris Wheel We Rode
Each Carriage Holding Eight People

View North From the Ferris Wheel
Towards St Paul's Cathedral

Vintage 1924 Merry Go Around with a Live Brass Band

The Lovely Couple on the Carousel

Although we weren't brave enough to go on this ride,
we did go on the Roller Coaster!

Oktoberfest was much more fun than we anticipated.  The beer is certainly a major part of the experience, but it is more of a cultural festival than anything.  The parades, the traditional costumes, the food, the music, and the carnival atmosphere make it fun for all ages.  And all ages do attend - school groups, families, teenagers, singles, and oldsters.  It was a great experience!