Travels by Train: Hanau, Part 1 (Home is Where the Heart Is)

From ages 4 to 14, I lived at 8 addresses in 7 cities on 2 continents. I loved the life, but because the places I lived were so scattered (and most on military bases), going back to visit the old homestead(s) was not really feasible. 

Until now.

From January 1977 to July 1978 we lived in Hanau, our second location in Germany. Hanau sits about 25 miles east of Frankfurt, with a port on the Main river. 

They say you can’t go home again, but I decided to hop the train for the three-hour trip to Hanau and find out if that was true.

a section of downtown Hanau, 1977

As eager as I was, there were small signs from the very beginning that things would not turn out how I expected:

• When I got to my track at Munich's Hauptbahnhof with carefully planned minutes to spare, I found my train had moved to another track. 

• At my transfer in Würzburg, I hurried to the track listed on my ticket, but the train waiting there did not match the train number on my itinerary. 

• After I resolved my connection dilemma, I was finally on my way. Till I noticed a strange smell, and smoke began streaming past the window. The slowdown and subsequent wait for repairs to the train put me into Hanau about 45 minutes behind schedule.

In the Hanau Hauptbahnhof, I grabbed a quick lunch and checked the map. None of the local trains ran out to the site of the old base, but it was just one stop on a regional train, so off I went.

I got a bit turned around, but once I knew I was heading in the right direction, I felt almost giddy. As I crested a pedestrian bridge into the area, I sped up at the familiar sight of barracks through the trees. I was almost there!

Even though I knew the last U.S. troops left in 2008, I didn't expect what I saw. Probably because I read about a Hanau tour that included a stop at the former barracks. I guess I assumed there'd be limited access, visitor information, something.

But it was what it was. Just an abandoned military base with some history, but no monumental value, awaiting redevelopment.

A cab was parked near the base's main gate. I'm sure the driver was wondering why I was peering through the fence and taking pictures. At some point, after trampling through some brush to try to see building numbers, I began wondering that about myself.

My early years were largely rootless. Was I trying to etch out my own version of "Kilroy was Here"?

Across the road, the buildings behind a derelict AAFES gas station had been converted into refugee housing. Despite my personal disappointment, that fact lifted my spirits a bit. I decided to move on, and explore the city proper.

Turned out the regional train only ran once an hour, and because Hanau is part of the Frankfurt transportation system, Google was confused about figuring out routes for me.

So I ended up walking. A lot. Which normally makes me happy because of all the unexpected things you discover. In this case, however, I think my expectations were just too high.

In my head, Hanau was a cute village outside the big city, where I once lived and played and loved going to school. 

a section of Hanau near Phillipsruhe palace, 2017

In reality, Hanau is a typical small city; largely nondescript but with isolated areas of charm. 

I've felt a strong connection to Germany ever since moving here nearly two years ago. Maybe it's an idealized nostalgia, or an appreciation for this opportunity to live abroad as an adult, or a combination of both.

My Hanau experience wasn't so much about not being able to go home again, but about the fact that I had no point of reference for what that was. 

Hanau was "home" like most of the other places in which I'd lived--a discrete island in a stream of life lived fully in two-year chunks. That puts me around 20 lifetimes removed from the world I experienced there. 

Building 402, Apartment 3. That's me, second from the left.

I wouldn't trade those lifetimes for anything, but there are times when I do envy people with a real "hometown." So I guess that's what I was hoping to find in my trip to Hanau--some concrete representation of the connection I feel. 

Instead, I think the experience confirmed what I've long suspected: “home” for me is a state of mind, not a physical location. 

And even though I didn't find what I thought I was looking for, I'm glad I went looking. It makes me realize how precious are each of the stops I've made so far, and reminds me that I need to cherish each connection and every adventure along the way. 

The Struggle is Real: Medieval v. Modern Life

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the things that makes Munich so interesting is its adherence to tradition and its embrace of modernity. Every event is a reason to bring out the Lederhosen and Dirndl, until it starts to seem normal to see folks in their Trachten coordinating amongst themselves on cell phones.

High reverence for the past seems to be common throughout much of Bavaria. This past weekend I traveled to Landshut—about 60 km northeast of Munich—to witness the town’s Hochzeitfest.

The Landshuter Hochzeit is one of Europe’s largest medieval events. It celebrates the 1475 wedding of Georg the Rich of Bavaria-Landshut (a Wittelsbach) to Polish princess Hedwig Jagiellon.

Festival participants are not actors, but locals who must apply and be approved for their roles. (The bride and bridegroom must have been born in Landshut and be from noble families.)

I skipped the many accompanying activities and focused on the wedding procession. Since getting a good viewing spot was pretty competitive, it was nice to have wandering entertainment for those of us who arrived extra early (see video for a sample of pre-procession fun).

The Landshuter Hochzeit only happens once every four years. Among other things, that allows time for participants to grow their hair and beards to be more authentic. Talk about tradition!

The wedding procession was a phenomenal feat, and with 2,000 people taking part, it's obviously a significant cultural investment by the people of Landshut. 

Yes, that is a real falcon. There were also donkeys, some of the
most amazing horses I've ever seen, and a gaily decorated goat.

You can see the bride's wagon coming into view on the left.
Unfortunately, she was looking toward the other side of the street when it passed closest to me.

It was an amazing experience, and made me appreciate how people maintain ties to their roots. Which got me thinking about the flip side; mainly, an article I saw last month titled “Monument Warden Warns: Munich's Cityscape Is in Danger.” 

Living in Munich is a hot commodity. Real estate prices here are the highest in Germany, and despite already having the highest population density in the country, the city continues to be one of the fastest-growing destinations.

Lovely as it is, it's not practical to build--or even
sometimes maintain--a building like this in a modern world...

Such competition, especially in an increasingly global market, means more focus on modern efficiencies. 

The monument warden’s concerns were twofold: the destruction of the city’s architectural character, and a general dislike for the prevailing modern aesthetic.

Unfortunately, Munich has a high threshold for “monument” status for its buildings, so keeping the city’s character in mind is largely at the whim of developers.

Since Germany is one of the top 20 most populous countries, and the annual world population growth is at 80 million, eventually these kinds of concerns will trickle down to smaller communities that indulge their traditions, like Landshut.

In my previous life working for a land conservation nonprofit and as consultant to the EPA, I learned a lot about market pressures and the travails that come with urban redevelopment. Even with our relatively brief national history, the battle in U.S. cities between the past and the future mirrors what’s happening over here.

...But I’m not particularly interested in seeing generic buildings
like this one, either. Who wants to see Every Same City
on every continent? I think it’s our histories and
cultures that make our differences interesting!

I'll admit to a sentimental and outdated view of "the Old World" as, well, just that. In school we learn about the rich and romantic Europe of the past, and it's hard to think why anyone would want to walk away from that.

So I instantly sympathized with the monument warden's concerns. Although my wanderings in and around Munich explore the juxtaposition of past and present, what I'm really looking for are those links to history.

Sadly, I realize my view is not practical as populations grow and needs change. But I can’t help feeling that once these emblems of the past are gone, they’re gone, and we lose a tangible anchor to the customs, folklore, and lessons--good and bad--of our past.

Music and Munich

As soon as we’d been in Munich long enough to get our bearings, we noticed these posters everywhere: 

Supposedly your €15 ticket would get you access to 400 concerts in venues around the city. It seemed too good to be true, but we decided to give it a go.

There were three different routes you could follow, complete with shuttle bus stops, or you could make your own way to see whichever bands or types of music you wanted. 

We were lucky to have several venues in our own neighborhood, so we wandered from café to restaurant sampling bands doing covers from the 50s and 60s, the 90s, playing salsa, and singing chants to African drumming.

 It’s good to know Munich's musical legacy
for my generation of non-Germans doesn't
start and end with Milli Vanilli!

It was a fun night and an eye-opener to how much Munich loves music. Not surprisingly, music's prominence in Munich--like so many things--originated with the Wittelsbach family. 

The Wittelsbachs were important patrons of music, not just for its entertainment value, but because it added to their personal prestige and helped boost outsiders’ views on Munich.

It's hard to look at the city now and see it as the provincial back-water it was considered to be in its distant past. Particularly in light of some now-familiar names contributing to its reputation:

• Mozart wrote a piece for the palace orchestra, but was not offered the position as court composer, and moved on to Vienna.

• Richard Wagner was a favorite of Ludwig II. Four of Wagner's operas premiered in Munich.

• Richard Strauss, a Munich native, gave up philosophy and art studies to become a composer. He enjoyed a stint as musical director of the Munich Court Opera.

In terms of style, there’s quite a difference between what Munich residents experienced centuries ago, and what we experienced last month during the Long Night of Music.

My personal preferences, for example, are all over the map. I'm a fan of most popular music, select country artists, hard rock but not most metal, and love a good cheesy ballad.In terms of more "highbrow" musical entertainment, I also have my particular classical music likes and dislikes. 

So with my buffet style of music appreciation, I've been surprised to realize that I have not yet met an opera I didn’t like. To me, opera is the perfect blend of pomp, precision, and musical poetry. That's why I was intrigued to see an event on the Munich city calendar called Oper für alle. 

Opera for All begins each year with a free open-air concert on the plaza in front of the Nationaltheater, home to the Bavarian State Opera (founded in 1653). The event is part of an effort to inspire a love of the arts in everyone.

I attended the concert Saturday night, which began with the Bavarian youth symphony, followed by the state symphony and an accompanying singer. Listening to the music and trilling arias fill the air and echo off the historic buildings and cobblestone of the plaza was like traveling back in time.

So how do you follow up such a great experience? With an annual Opera Festival, which includes opera, concert, and ballet performances. This year the event will feature 17 operas in 6 weeks!

I've been scanning the schedule for possibilities, and may even be able to convince Larry to join me. With a mix of song and dance, both old and new, there should be something we both can appreciate.

From contemporary to canon and back again. Ah, the musical magic of Munich…

Happy Birthday, Munich!

Every year, Münchner celebrate the first documented mention of Munich (1158) as its founding date. That makes Munich 859 years old this year!

Here’s a taste of how the city celebrated its birthday this past weekend:

Getting things ready for the opening ceremony on Marienplatz,in front of the old city hall building

Like with most celebrations in
Munich, there was plenty of
traditional clothing on hand.

As well as a different type of festive, like
the costumes of these stilt-walkers

No, city hall wasn't on fire.
That smoke was from the cannon
volley between this tower and
a church tower across the square.
 Loud, but cool!

The mayor, flanked by traditional guards and backed by the
Munich brass band, gave opening remarks.

There were performance stages and craft vendors in different
spots around the city. This little enclave on the plaza in
front of Theatiner church was a bit different...

...It featured masters and apprentices for various types of hand work.
These two were roofers, working with slate tiles. There were also
chimney workers, glass makers, woodworkers, metal craftsmen, and more.

It may not have been as wild as
this infamous Munich birthday party,
but it was definitely a fun day!

Shameless Self-Promotion: ExpatFinder Interview & Additional Thoughts

A few weeks ago, ExpatFinder contacted me to answer some questions about living in Germany. Their website is a resource for practical guidance on making a life for yourself overseas, so their questions were a mix of pragmatic and personal.

(Once you get past my massive headshot, you can read my ExpatFinder interview here.)

Afterwards, I thought about other questions in that second vein—the types of questions I sometimes get from other non-natives, as well as Germans, about living here.

So, I decided to ask and answer them below, with the same caveat I’d apply to many of my interview answers: always subject to evolution!

🌟 What do you do / How do you spend your time?

This question pops up a lot, and I’ve grown to loathe it. It’s only slightly mitigated when preceded by “Do you have a job here?”

This is how I feel when
I hear any variant of this
question these days...

It’s complicated. No, I don’t work in an office. Do I have a job? Yes, like any other Hausfrau / stay-at-home partner / trailing spouse—pick your phrase—I’m responsible for holding it all together.

That means managing the house—organizing, cleaning, shopping, cooking, and entertaining; managing the budget, including paying the bills and filing taxes both here and in the U.S., and navigating the everyday in another language—correspondence, signs, transportation announcements, product ingredients, appointments, phone calls, deliveries, etc.

It means studying key phrases before heading out the door to accomplish a new task or visit someplace I haven’t been before, and feeling silly but still celebrating when I make it through a task without stumbling.

It’s not glamorous or romantic, but it’s my reality of living abroad.

Luckily, I’m able to counter that with time spent exploring, for my personal enrichment and for this blog. I also continue to write fiction about worlds and circumstances far removed from this one.

And I do the other mundane things I would have done to relax at home: reading, walking in the park, watching TV (Netflix or other streaming content, though. German TV is not great.)

In my long-winded way, I’m trying to say that what I do over here is live. And it’s not always quaint or magical or cosmopolitan. But I’m enjoying finding the balance between commonplace and incomparable experiences.

🌟 What are the things you miss most about the U.S.?

Friends and family, for sure. If I could bring them along and we could travel the world in our own goofy enclave, I’d be happy wherever I landed. Beyond that, it’d be food. Or, more accurately, the highly convenient and over-processed food products in which the U.S. specializes. Bisquick, Cheetos, Steak-umms, tater tots…

🌟 What’s the most frustrating thing about living abroad?

Hmm, this changes based on the situation or my mood—there’s not one overarching, consistent pain point other than my lack of fluency. But to be fair, that would apply to any non-English-speaking situation for me. If I had a superpower, forget gadgets or super strength: I’d want the ability to communicate in every language on (and maybe off) the planet!

🌟 Which is better, living in the U.S. or Germany?

There’s no comparison. Literally. It’s like trying to determine the value of an apple versus a zebra. There are things I like and dislike about both, but I would never proclaim that one is better—either for me or for people in general—because everyone’s perception and needs are different and inconstant.

🌟 What would you do differently?

Expand our timeframe for moving here. Knowing what we now know, I’d have stayed in San Francisco a month or two longer, moved with the cats into an Airbnb or long-term hotel, and given myself more time to process all their paperwork, better cull/organize the things we would be leaving behind, and earn a bit of second income to help offset those initial relocation costs.

On my recent trip to Ulm,
birthplace of Albert Einstein

🌟 Do you have any regrets?

Absolutely not. I would not trade this experience—the good or the bad of it—for anything.

🌟Other general tips for expats?

• Make a calendar of local holidays. Bavaria is largely Catholic, so they have a lot more holidays down here than we had up in Hamburg. That’s critical to know when stores close on holidays and Sundays! 

         (Also note that Germany does Daylight Savings Time on a different schedule than the  U.S., which is                  important to note when you’re, say, coordinating an online chat with friends or making a call to folks                    stateside.)

• Make a note of important deadlines (e.g., bills and taxes) and make sure you meet or exceed them. Grace periods here are neither as prevalent nor as forgiving.

• Keep your documents in an easy-to-reach spot. I can’t even count the number of times I have had to provide identification, residency, or work permit information for one random thing or another.

• Scan to save space. Related to the above tip, I keep scans of all crucial documents on my computer for easy access. I have also started scanning other paperwork to have for future reference without having to keep binders full of correspondence and statements that German companies so love to send out.

Anything else you’re curious about? Send me questions and I’ll answer them in future posts!

Who and How We Remember

A couple of weeks ago I visited the Bavaria statue. My primary goal was to see the statue--a representation of the strength and glory of Bavaria--and the area she surveyed.

My secondary goal was to climb the statue herself. That's right, you can actually wind yourself up inside this 61-foot massive bronze monument to peep out tiny openings in the top. Amazing!

View from the inside

View looking out one of the small openings

Behind Bavaria, up on a hill, sits the open-air Ruhmeshalle (Hall of Fame), with three wings of busts mounted on the walls. I climbed the stairs to the display, expecting to find Bavarian royalty or political figures.

Each bust had the person’s name and occupation, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the people represented were painters and poets, musicians and writers, scientists and researchers. In short, it was a monument to intellectual and creative excellence.

The hall also included panels noting the people whose
busts were destroyed during World War II bombings.

The hall, along with the statue, was built in the 1800s by order of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. There are obvious recent additions; the tradition of honoring Bavarian contributors to politics, science, and the arts resumed in 1966.

Although in my quick perusal I didn’t see names I recognized, I was appreciative of how these people were being remembered for their role in society. 

Usually we see monuments to political leaders and soldiers, and plaques or museum displays for other "notable" citizens. It was heartening to see an expanded pantheon of achievement.

Now to be fair, the Ruhmeshalle is not part of modern downtown Munich. It's not near the chief visitor sites, or part of one of the many clusters of museums. 

But with so much focus these days on larger-than-life world leaders and "me and mine," it was nice to be reminded--to see in one place--evidence of everyday people who brought into this world beauty and innovation and solutions to benefit the greater good.

Munich: Around Town

When I'm out running errands or on my way somewhere, I'm always looking around to note landmarks, architecture, and interesting everyday sights that give me a sense of the city.

Here are a few from my first couple of months here in Munich...

Transportation

I'm not sure what this is, but I love it.

Munich loves its bikes! 

I saw these wooden

versions outside a

funky store downtown.

Seen from my apartment window:
a blimp advertising the city's
official website. This thing seemed to
appear everywhere I went
over the next couple of days.

Airline ad seen on the side of a tram. "Make America cheap again."

 Weather

April 18, 2017. Two weeks before this picture, we had temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s. Welcome to Munich!

May 28, 2017. Surfers in the English Garden. I don't know how cool the water was, but the air temperature was,
and continues to be, in the mid- to upper-80s. I guess summer is officially here.

Sights

View of the old town hall and part of downtown.

View out over the Isar River.

The Bavaria Statue. Turns out you can climb up to the top, inside the statue itself.
It was neat to get that perspective, but it gets very warm in there!

I wanted to climb this installation, "Umschreibung,"
in the courtyard of a business complex,
but the stairs were blocked off.

Every park should have a giant gastropod statue in front of it! 😏

Or a cool massive ring,
reminding us of the interconnectedness
of everything (or so I assume).

Food 

Just in case you have a group of picky eaters,
this place serves Indian, Thai, and Italian. Done!

I'm continually amazed at food and other
items that are labeled "American."
Like this "American" pastry.
(That's its name.)
It's a cross between a cookie and cake.
Unfortunately, we do not have
an equivalent to the "American"
in America.