Fall is in full swing in Bavaria. The leaves are falling off the trees and those brave enough to wear sandals in the summer are now back to wearing proper leather shoes. The women who never wore sandals are now sporting fashionable boots. The handful of people who broke out the shorts are now back in jeans or trousers (thankfully).
Octoberfest is also in full swing in Munich and most major cities in the US. Little known is that Octoberfest originated in Munich to commerate the wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen and that is the only place in Germany that Octoberfest is celebrated.
I walk around downtown in the pedestrian area on Saturdays and have noticed that people are wearing jackets when it is really not that cold out. I'm still in a short sleeved collared shirt or t-shirt. Maybe they are taking them for a test drive for when it really get cold.
I don't get it. It had to be really pretty warm out before I saw sandals and shorts come out but as the weather turns a little cooler, people are not hesitating to reach for the leather jacket. I wonder if Jodi will drive her Vespa when it snows outside.
It is an unusual feeling walking around downtown. If you have ever been "in" your environment but not "part" of it, that is how I feel. Have you ever seen "The Matrix" (the first one, not all the crappy ones that followed)? Do you remember the scene when Neo was on the ship and undergoing his initial training? Do you remember the part when he was inserted in the busy city scene when he on a NYC style sidewalk with lots of pedestrians? That is how I feel. Everyone was going on about there lives and I was the outsider looking in. I am "in" my enviroment but not "part" of it. I, however, do not turn around to look at the woman in the red dress. I am to preoccupied with thoughts of my beautiful wife, Jodi (spoiler alert: the woman in the red dress is really an agent).
Now I know how the illegals in the US feel. Did you know that "Big Mac" in a German McDonalds is still pronounced "Big Mac"? In the same vein, enchilada , is pronounced "enchilada" both in Mexico and the US. Neat, huh? Chicken is "polo" in Spanish, though. That is a good thing to remember for readers planning to travel to Spanish speaking nations. Interestingly (at least to me), is that nachos are rarely eaten in Mexico. I love nachos.
When all else fails, you can do what I do when ordering. It is kind of a "pointy-talky" thing where you point at what you want and keep saying it in English because if you say it enough, they will somehow learn English in the next 30 seconds and know exactly what you want. When in doubt, order the first entree listed on the menu and send it back if you don't like it. Repeat with items 2-14. Just kidding, I have never done that.
Well, at any rate, my time is coming to a close here and I will be happy to get back to the US. There are, however, several things I will miss about Germany.
1. Driving, most people do not do unpredictable things while driving and most follow the rules. This leads to very orderly driving with a spirt of "everyone is going somewhere and coopertation on the roads will permit everyone to get where they are going in a the most timely manner".
2. Go as fast as you want, ok, that is only in very limited areas but cool none the less.
3. Beer, it is better here then in the US and ok to drink it in place of water.
4. Shoes, people here wear proper shoes and belts and dress well.
5. Cars, lots of neat cars here you can't get in the US, also a lack of truck based vehicles.
6. History, old here goes back to the 1100s, in the US, 1700s.
7. Community spirit, even in the big cities, there is a sense of community. I don't get that vibe in most places in the US. Sneads Ferry, NC, is like that though.
8. Collective mentality, it is more important to be a good member of society then to enjoy your indiviual freedom to do whatever the hell you want.
9. Fitness, seems more important here and spans generations.
10. Bakeries, people like fresh bread and buy it at bakeries. I like the big outdoor mkts, too.
11. Recycling, expected here, an after thought in the US. Really, how hard is it to put glass, paper, and cans in one bin and everything else in another?
12. Safety, It's just safer here. Per capita world wide stats: a. Murder: US ranked 24th, Germany 49th, b. Rape: US 9th, Germany 24th, c. Robbery: US 11th, Germany 24th.
That's not to say I don't love America, cause I do. For every 1 thing I like about Germany, I can think of 5 things I like about America. However, if we had more of items 7, 8, and 12, that would be great.
Well, that is about it. One week closer to going home. My replacement should be here in a couple of weeks. Great news for sure.
Michael
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