Airbnb in Germany

January 8, 2016 Jane Shey

The local alpine band plays at the Grainau Schnee Fest.

Meeting the Locals through Airbnb

As many of my friends know, when I travel, I like to experience the local people and way of life. So in Europe, I have used hostels, Airbnb and in the case of my recent trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen renting a one bedroom apartment which allows me to cook.

On this trip, I spent 2 nights in Dresden, Germany and 2 nights in Leipzig, Germany in family apartments. In the U.S. the average home size is 2200 sq. ft. In Germany, it is half that amount. In each place, I had my own bedroom and shared the bathroom with the owners. In Dresden, the young couple was attending the local university. Their English was better than mine, in part due to a gap year where they lived in New Zealand and the U.S. We had some great conversations at their kitchen table over a cup of tea.

My second stop in Leipzig was with Keith and Merel and their 9 month old daughter. Keith is an opera singer from Canada and Merel is from the Netherlands. They were also delightful and with a center city location it was easy to tour the city. When Keith is not singing opera, he has a business selling jam and chutney. So on Sunday night, I sat in the kitchen and we talked for several hours while he made cranberry and cherry chutney. He also gave me a jar to take with me which was delicious!

So what did I learn during my home stays? Of course, my research is not exhaustive but it does mirror my experience living in Belgium. People that I met have a much smaller footprint. They live in smaller homes, many don’t own a car and get around via bike, foot and public transportation. Kitchens are small with the most noticeable appliance - the refrigerator - maybe 5 ft. tall and 2 1/2 ft wide. They shop more frequently and don’t buy in bulk because there just isn’t that much storage.

In each of their bathrooms, there was a small washing machine which looked more like an oversize hamper. No washing extra large loads in that machine! People don’t own a dryer as there is no place for it and I think electricity is more expensive in Europe than the U.S. When I lived in Belgium, I found that the door to my bathroom was a great place to hang sheets to dry. Everyone has a clothes drying rack set up and it is just part of the furniture along with chairs and a couch.

Germans are keenly interested in the U.S. elections and in particular, some of our candidates. I find that Europeans sometimes know more about our candidates than many Americans. One European friend said that Europeans should be able to vote for the U.S. President as they are affected by the outcome of the election as much as Americans. I suppose there is some truth in that statement.

While “living on the economy” is not always seamless, it is a learning experience and a confidence and patience builder. I learn where to buy the tram ticket, how to read the local map so I get off in the correct location and how to use bad German and sign language to ask directions. There is the shopping at the local market, finding the recycling center for bottles and remembering to compost my kitchen scraps.

I like this quote from Henry Miller, "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” This is how I felt after staying with my Airbnb hosts.

Grainau Schnee (snow) Fest

Grainau, 7 km/5 miles from where I stay holds their Schnee (snow) Fest every December 29. Last year I was able to cross-country ski to the Fest, this year, I traveled by mountain bike. One of the popular foods are the dumplings, made in the top photo and schupfnudel which the man in the bottom photo on the right is making. It is a combination of sauerkraut and a large noodle like gnocci. My favorite photo is the two men making dumplings at one of the booths (bottom left). No stainless steel, no plastic gloves and a bottle of beer on the table while they work. It all just adds to the local flavor!

The Grainau Church is at the foot of the Zugspritz Mountain, the tallest in Germany. In front of the church are grave markers, each has a cross with a slanted roof over it.

Der Heilige Abend (The Holy Evening)

December 31, 2015 Jane Shey

This is the altar of the Maria Himmelfahrt (Assumption Day) Parish Church that is one block from my apartment. The triptych (meaning three-fold), is opened during the Advent and Christmas season to reveal the nativity scene with Mary and Joseph in the middle. The church was sanctified in 1871. The second picture shows the lighted Christmas tree outside the church with two people viewing the nativity scene.

The most important day of the Christmas season in Germany is the Heilige Abend or the Holy Evening which we call Christmas Eve. Though the title is a bit of a misnomer as the day, December 24th starts with the local church bells ringing with the urgency of an invasion. They call people to the first activity of the day, 6:30 a.m. mass complete with 12 alter servers, organ and choir, lots of incense and a packed church. I have learned the hard way to be in place by 6:25 a.m. because it is standing room only and if a person is late, the only option is standing by one of the outside walls. I know from personal experience, this is similar to standing in a freezer. There is no heating in the church.

Mass ends around 7:15 a.m. and then the the next major event of Christmas Eve begins - the sprint to the bakery. Purchasing bread daily is an important part of the German diet and all stores are closed on the 25th (first Christmas) and 26th (2nd Christmas) and the 27th is a Sunday when no stores are open. So we need to buy bread and other provisions to last 3 1/2 days.

Benedict Sikt, the best bakery in Partenkirchen, based on the line outside the door on the 24th is 2 blocks from the church and opened at 6:00 a.m. I do notice a few of the older woman slipping to the back of the church after communion holding their cloth bags - a sure sign that the next stop is the bakery and they want to beat the rush.

I am a fast walker and end up #9 in line when I arrive at 7:20 a.m. By the time I leave, the line is out the door. I always feel some pressure because once it is my turn to order, I need to know what I want and to be able to say it in German. The bakery is amazing as there are probably 10 kinds of brochen or rolls and 10 kinds of bread. My order is modest in comparison to others but I still receive the complimentary small loaf of stollen the store gives away on the 24th. I stop at home for a quick breakfast and then it is back to grocery shopping at the butcher and dairy store. The morning shopping is critical as most stores close between noon and 200pm.

In Bavaria, Christmas is about the coming of the Christ child and spending time with family. As many businesses are family-owned and operated, they want time off to enjoy the holiday. Many family businesses close the 23rd and don't reopen until the 30th.

The church bells ring at noon and most shops are closed before the strike of 12. By 2:00pm, even the cafe's are dark and the streets are deserted as everyone heads home to decorate the tree or prepare the evening meal.

In the afternoon, I like to visit St. Anton's the Franciscan Church that is a 10 minute walk up the mountain. It is an interesting church because the covered walkway of the Church is filled with hand carved wooden plaques commemorating the fallen of World War II. Many plaques have a small holder where flowers can be placed. One time, I noticed two women decorating plaques with greens and small ornamental balls. I went back to look at the one they had decorated. There was a picture of a couple, she died at the age of 39 in 1945 during the bombing of a German city. He died 6 months later in Russia. (See picture below.) I found myself wondering who was the family member that would be decorating this small memorial to a couple that was killed almost 70 years ago. This attention to detail and commemoration of the dead was the perfect lead-in to my next experience.

At 5:00 pm, I made my way to the local Catholic cemetery. Even if I did not know where it was, it is easy to follow the cars, bikes and people on foot walking to the cemetery. There had to be several hundred people in the cemetery. It felt like the wave of people in the States who are going to the 4th of July concert and fireworks. I walked along with the crowd and as we entered the cemetery, people peeled off in different directions to find their respective family grave sites.

I moved toward the large tree in the center of the cemetery decorated with white lights and complete with the local Alpine band playing in traditional dress. The bell of the chapel started ringing at 5:30 pm followed by the band playing Christmas music. Family members would gather in a semi-circle in front of the grave site which was decorated with Christmas greens, a red 8 day vigil light and a miniature Christmas tree about 2 ft tall decorated with ribbons or ornamental balls and real candles. A family member would light the candle and then all would stand silently while the music played. This went on for 15 minutes, no one moved or said a word. The last song was Stille Nacht, (Silent Night) and after three verses the music stopped, everyone clapped and then with quiet talking and greeting friends, family members left and went home.

By 6:00 pm, as I walked down the pedestrian only street of Partenkirchen, the town seemed abandoned as everyone was safely in their homes and continuing their Heilige Abend celebration. But the evening was not over. At 10:00 pm, the organ concert started in the church, followed at 11:00 pm by the Christmas Eve mass filled with incense and the heart tugging singing of Silent Night at the end of the mass in a church lit only by candles.

I will make one comment about dressing for the evening concert and mass. Think Iowa high school football game in November. Over the years, I have learned about the heating system in German churches. Heating is based on the body mass index, the more bodies, the warmer the church-theoretically. But even a full church does not ensure a truly warm church. Some years, it is so cold in the church that I could see my breath as I sing and attending the 11:00 a.m. mass is more like going to a Green Bay Packer's home game. So I add long underwear to my Christmas look and a turtle neck with two sweaters. No one takes their coat off and most wear hats and gloves. After 2 1/2 hours in church for the organ concert and mass, I am cold. After mass, I have a cup of hot tea and sit in my coat for about 15 minutes until I warm up.

The Heilige Abend in Germany is much more than an evening, it is a community celebration that permeates every aspect of the life in the villages in Bavaria and I look forward to participating every year.

Remembering

The top picture is a memorial marker that is posted outside the entrance of St. Anton's. There are probably 100 like this in the walkway leading up to the church. He died in Russia and she was killed in a bombing raid. The small Christmas tree is on a family grave at the cemetery. All graves are decorated with either small trees or vigil candles or both. The last marker commemorates another soldier killed in Russia. The flowers on the marker are edelweiss an alpine flower.

At the cemetery, one of the songs the local brass band played was du fröhliche. Click this link to listen to the song.

Travels With Jane: German Christmas Markets

December 22, 2015 Jane Shey

After thorough and intense research, I have come to the conclusion that Christmas Markets are to Germans what the State Fair is to people from the Midwest. There is lots of walking around and people watching, rides for the children and a variety of food and drink. Though I think the food selection in Germany is a bit better. So far, I have not found fried oreo cookies, Snickers bars or butter.

In keeping with the educational nature of this newsletter, here is a fun fact. Christmas markets go back to the Late Middle Ages. The Munich market started in 1310 and the Dresden Strietzelmarkt in 1434. So there is a reason the German's are so good at organizing these markets, they have been doing it for hundreds of years!

Bring an appetite!

While some may go to the Christmas Market to shop, I think most German's go to walk around, meet friends for a cup of gluhwein and eat the local specialties. I found in Saxony that they featured more fresh bread products whereas in Bavaria, there was lots of meat.

The top photo literally shows a pig on a stick. The second picture is baumstreizel which is bread that is baked on a wooden dowel in a wood-fired oven and coated with sugar and cinnamon. Baum is tree and streizel is the local word for Christmas so a loose translation is Christmas tree.

The third photo is the hot chocolate stand made from real milk with 30% or 70% cocoa. The fourth photo is the waffel bakery where the waffel's are thin and crunchy with a thick layer of vanilla creme in the middle. The last picture shows the stack of firewood for the baking ovens. They serve everything from a type of pizza to rolls stuffed with cheese and ham to bread - all baked in wood fired ovens.

Frauenkirche, Before and After

I realized without the before picture it is hard to comprehend the challenge of rebuilding the Frauenkirche (from my last blog post). The top photo shows the church in 1945. To the right on the ground is a statue of Martin Luther. The altar of the church would be in the shell to the right. The bottom photo shows the reconstructed altar today. Some 2000 fragments of the destroyed altar were salvaged, identified and reused. This gives you some idea of the work that went into rebuilding the Frauenkirche.

This is the cross that was on top of the Dome when the church collapsed in 1945. It fell 276 feet and was buried under the rubble until 1993 when they started to rebuild the church.