There are three spots I travelled to that stood out to me for being absolutely quiet. So quiet that you only hear the blood pumping through your ears: one was in the western fjords in Iceland, one at the Sahara dessert in Morocco and then there is Muslone in Italy. High above the Lago di Garda, with amazing views to Monte Baldo at the opposite side of the Lake or all the villages lined up on the shore of the Lake like pearls on a string. It is beautiful in the morning, during the day and at night!
We’ve been in Muslone a few times – this time with my brother Jürgen. Ted and Jürgen – diehard brothers-in-law
Almost like twins, right?Nearby village of GargnanoWith a cute little port (where you can eat the best pizza ever!)
Floating through Munich feels like stepping back into my past. I’ve lived here for 15 years, between finishing highschool and until I moved to the US when I was 33 years old. Some things never changed in Munich, like the Tram- or streetcar system, which was and still is my favorite means of transportation. Despite being the slowest, it has the best views, I love the squeaky sounds of it and the fresh air you get at each stop.
And then there are those wonderful discoveries, stores I never knew existed, which make Munich a unique destination. At least for me. Biggest discovery this time:
ORAG
ORAG Schneiderzubehör („sewingsupplies“) was recommended by another cute store, the Wolltanke („yarngasstation“), where I stagged up on more materials for my next project. To my question where to find interesting buttons, the owner of Wolltanke told me about ORAG and where to find it. And ORAG just made me feel like in heaven!!!
ORAG has everything you need for people like me! This would be a perfect birthday: one day at ORAG, with a cup of tea here and there (and an unlimited budget of shopping of course 😁)
Another surprise is the reconnection with my Highschool colleagues. Three months ago we had our 40th highschool reunion that was pre-shadowed with this strange mix of anticipation and anxiety, a nervousness of being judged, welcomed, envied or accepted, Three months later, another reunion, this time a mini version with 7 people instead of the 45 in June. We met at the beautiful Augustiner Beergarden in Munich, we had a tasty dinner and great conversations!
Getting to know my classmates now, so many years later, was interesting for a few reasons. One was that – way back when – we were not very interested in each other because our fields of interest didn’t overlap. My majors in highschool were Art and English, most of my classmates had chosen math, physics or biology. This and the low puberty self confidence made it impossible to mingle.
When we meet now, our fields of expertise is still a very wide range, some work as lawyers or engineers, they work at the radio station or at a college in California (hint: that would be me 🤨). And now we are not afraid to talk to each other. Lots of stories, adventures we had, anecdotes from way back when. We talk about our children, how many grey hair they caused us and how proud we are of them, mostly in that sequence. We talk about life, memories and we are thankful that one of us didn’t give up to organize all this: Roland, hardworking and dedicated reunion organizer, who doesn’t take no for an answer! Thank you!
Eschenbach is a cute town, near Grafenwöhr, an army playground where soldier can train and practice their skills. So Eschenbach is right next to it. It has a nice Oldtown area with colorful buildings lined all the way around the Marienplatz.
Each of those building had a plaque with its very own history: the year it was built, which profession the owners had, when other people moved in and which profession they had etc. it’s quite interesting to read all those butchers and bakers, linen weavers and taylors, where the mayor lived and the bar keeper from Italy!
1608 Linenweaver, 1718 Bernhard Hans, furrier, since 1749 bakerfamilies Bernhard, Kräml, Pesch
And as I said, each house has its own plaque:
So far, so good! Eschenbach is nice, but you should not go visit when you’re hungry! Even at lunch, even on a Friday!!! We tried 7, SEVEN restaurants in and around Eschenbach before we found restaurant number 8 that was open. Weird!
Yes, there is a thing like the deepest hole in the world: it is 9101 meters (9953 yards) to be precise, a hole drilled into the crust of the world. Now you wonder: why? Me too! But once you visit the drillsite and walk through the information center, you’ll get a lot of answers to all the questions you’ve never even asked 🤩
Windischeschenbach is a small town in the northeastern corner of Bavaria. A stone throw away from Thuringia and the Czech republic. Before the wall between Eastern and Western Germany came down in 1989, this area was called “Ostzonenrandgebiet” (eastern zone border area), a neglected, unattractive and ugly area with lots of forests destroyed by acid rain that was caused by improper or non-existing industry emissions in Eastern Germany and the Czech Republic. Nobody wanted to live there, it was unattractive and unhealthy. Today it is beautiful! 35 years since the wall came down, 35 years of improvement and beautification. No acid rain, but rolling hills with pretty little villages, mostly farmland, crops and cows and: the drill tower of Windischeschenbach.
‘Continental deep-drilling program of the Federal Republic of Germany’), abbreviated as the KTB borehole, was a scientific drillingproject carried out from 1987 to 1995 near Windischeschenbach, Bavaria. The main super-deep bore hole reached a depth of 9,101 m (29,859 feet) in the Earth’s continental crust.
The drill hole had a width of 70 cm at the beginning (27.5”) and narrowed down to 16 cm (6.3”) at the depth of 9101 meters. Conditions are very different and became more and more difficult the deeper you drill. Immense pressure and heat (275 Celsius = 527 F) made it impossible to drill deeper. The material of the drill itself and the sample tubes had to be changed as you go, delaying work, challenging circumstances.
When you arrive at the drilling site you wonder why it’s on top of a hill instead of a valley in-between – that could have saved them 50 meters of drilling, right? But everything made sense the more we learned at the information center.
The location of Windischeschenbach was not chosen to boost this poor, neglected Ostzonenrandgebiet and give them something to do and make them attractive. The reason for exact that location is that the earth crust is relatively cool there, making drilling easier. Another reason is that millions of years ago, when the continents were formed, they shifted and moved, they just didn’t float around on the surface like an oily dot in a broth. Plate dynamics happened deep down, pushing matter up to the surface and squeezing layers together, Windischeschenbach is in a location that started near Antarctica! It moved north to the Mediterranean, then further north to the Ostzonenrandgebiet. Little did they know! Well, here they are now and what is really interesting is the fact that all those layers, the plankton from Antarctica for example, were pressed together tightly und pushed up to the crust, right there in Windischeschenbach. On top of the hill and not in the valley. Drilling right there made the most sense: finding many layers in 9101 meters with relative cool temperatures was ideal! Right there in Windisch-you-know-where!
One of many different drill heads Temperature changes over time. The white line is our current temperatureDrill detailsTed next to a stainless steel drill sample cylinder that got squeezed by the pressure. Then they had to change to Titan-steel cylinders for the samples
It’s actually funny when you drive to Windisch-you-know-where: most villages have very short names like Bach (stream) or Berg (hill), but nothing tongue breaking like you-know-the-town-with-the-drill tower…
Yesterday was the official opening ceremony of the 189th Oktoberfest with the mayor of Munich opening the first beer barrel at 12pm. It is always an important prediction of how many strokes he needs. The fewer strokes, the better a mayor he is. It shows that you have the priorities right, that you are a real Bavarian leader. Mayor Reiter only needed 2 strokes yesterday, showing that he is a good leader and will have another successful year reigning this 1.5 million city.
The inaugural Oktoberfest was first celebrated in Munich in 1810 in honor of Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began October 12, 1810, and lasted nearly a week until October 17, ending with an exciting horse race.
A few years the festivities didn’t happen: wars, cholera outbreaks and the most recent Covid 19 made the Oktoberfest be cancelled.
The second day of the festival started with a big parade of folklore groups, marching bands, dance and – very importantly – the brewery horse carriages transporting the beer barrels to the fairgrounds. The parade is 7 km long with 1000 attendees. It’s spectacular, interesting, loud and amazing!
At the parade: Stephanie, Ted, Petra, Erwin and ILet the show begin!
After the 3-hour spectacular parade we went to the Oktoberfest fairgrounds, „die Wiesn“ and had some fun right there:
Vendor with gingerbread heartsOur Oktoberfest group: Stephanie, Ted, Petra, Christina, I and ErwinA group of guys wearing beer mug socksStephanie and TedChristina, I and Erwin
What a great annual event this is that my sister Petra chose to visit: Mut zum Hut, The biggest hat and accessory event in Europe, with vendors from all over the place, fashion shown, entertainments, inspirations and AAAhs and OOOhs, look and this and have you seen thats. So much to see, how did they make that and what in the world were they thinking? Great art, supplies, ideas, all packed into a picturesque castle in Neubirg an der Donau. The show alternates annually and will be held inside the castle in Ingolstadt next year again. Of course I had to buy a hat, a necklace made of paper and some earrings….. Petra, her daughter Stephanie and I spent a whole day there, which required some tea and cake to keep us upright.
So we visited this cute little coffee house right across the castle in Neuburg, that is sooo charming. Right out of a picture book!
Ted is known for being frugal. Sometimes cheap, sometimes stingy. In order to save money on this trip, he combined all these characteristics and got a dental surgery here in Germany, saving himself at least $2000. In California his dentist told him to see a specialist for a root canal (dentist $400, root canal specialist $400), Ted decided to have his tooth extracted and I suggested to go do that in Germany instead of paying an arm and a leg in California.
So we arrived in Angermann on Wednesday and Thursday he went and saw a dentist (€27}, and a specialist on Friday morning for a consultation and the surgery at the same day a few hours later, which cost €300, since we don’t live in Germany, we don’t have health insurance, so these prices cover the entire cost! What an incredible $$$ difference this is!
Extracting a tooth is usually a $150 procedure, but Ted’s tooth was inflamed and it had developed a zyst inside his sinus that needed to be removed, with stitches and everything. So my offer to get the pliers and jank that tooth out with a few twists (and shouts) wouldn’t have been successful. And maybe would’ve ended up in a divorce…
The gold crown, a relict from the time when Ted’s teeth were still complete…
It took us 26 hours door to door. It’s a drag, but I don’t mind. All the shopping and eating you can do at the airport, all the reading and watching, talking and walking: all is good!
Munich is a nice airport to arrive: it is modern, bright, light, clean, everything works, everything makes sense. German efficiency. Kind of the opposite of the Frankfurt airport, which I would title: German inefficiency / what were they thinking? But that is another story and that’s why I try to avoid Frankfurt. So I booked a flight from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles and from there directly to Munich. And we enjoyed every minute of it! We had great seats, lots of legroom, (relatively) good food, we had good talks, we watched good movies [OMG: “The Zone of Interest”. What a great movie about Germany’s worst time in history, written out of a perspective you’ve never seen before].
And then we arrived, had another hour car drive until we were at our final destination: the house I grew up in, where I spend my childhood, where I walked or biked to school from, where my sister and I shared a room in the attic, a room that took 7 years for my busy dad to finish. Up there it is very cold in the winter and brutally hot in the summer. I guess, I know that my parents didn’t have much money back then, so they must have saved money on insulation materials. But it was always like that, maybe that’s why I don’t like winter or wet, cold weather. Up there in the attic, the winter is inside, the wet, cold weather is crawling under your blanket and barely anything can keep you warm. Except the furnace and that is too small for the room. But here we are again! And every time I arrive I feel like arriving in my childhood again. I participate as if I never left. And today I baked bread…
And that bread has a funny story: just before we left California I had asked my friend Kimberly if she could give me some of her sourdough, since mine had died. Sure, no problem, and since both our husbands wanted to meet for lunch that day, it was an easy transition to get her sourdough over to our house. Except that it was another hot day in Paso Robles, except that the marmalade jar that contained the sourdough was very full, except that Ted put this jar in his cargo pocket of his shorts, except that he and his friend went to wine tasting after lunch, until….. until Ted felt something crawling down the side of his leg. The leg closest to the cargo pocket with the sourdough jar. Can’t blame it: it was hot and it was bored inside! So the sourdough made it into the cargo pocket until that was full and out and down that sexy leg. Fortunately there was enough sourdough left to take to Germany. Inside a ziplock bag, that was inside another ziplock bag, that was inside a plastic drink bottle, that was inside a plastic bag, that was inside my suitcase. No leakage here, you just need to be professional! The sourdough survived and got to be transformed into this delicious bread! Not that we need to bake our own bread here in Germany because Germany is famous for having quite a few varieties. 3200 to be precise! The sourdough has to make it to Italy, that is known for pizza and pasta. Not for bread, especially not for dark, wholegrain, hearty, healthy bread. So I’ll bake my own. And that’s why I brought my sourdough – or whatever was left in Ted’s cargo pocket…..
I love railroad stations. And I hate them. Let’s get the bad feelings out of the way to make room for the good, ok? So the story is, that I felt the most lonely ever at – guess – a railroad station. In Munich. On Christmas Eve. With a big bag full of gifts for my family. And there was no train in – what felt forever. My boyfriend and I had plans to visit my family for Christmas, so we got his parents car for that trip, prepared a nice stay with my family and I was bursting with anticipation to be swallowed up in hugs and kisses and laughter and talk and food. Of course there will be food! Delicious Christmas cookies, stollen, marzipan and all those good smelling gingerbread. I was 21, and I thought: this guy is the love of my life. I really did! And I was very wrong. So we had an argument and – just when we were supposed to leave – he decided to not go. So this was the end of the idea to go see my family, which lived an hours train ride north of Munich. And I so wanted to go and see them, I had a gift for each of them, mostly handmade little somethings, but hey: it’s the thought that counts, right? So I packed all those little goodies in a big bag and left. And it was freezing cold! It was already dark outside and because it was Christmas Eve, there was hardly anybody out there on the streets. Christmas Eve is when in Germany everybody is with their loved ones. It is the main event. The highlight! And for me it was the lowlight. Catching a bus to the next subway station was a challenge, taking the subway to the railroad station was the next challenge, because every public transportation was on a holiday schedule. Well and then there was the railroad station, deserted, just the announcements through the speakers and I. I’m not sure, but I must have waited for hours to be able to get on a train to Ingolstadt. I was freezing, I was sad, disappointed, hurt and in disbelieve what I had let somebody do to me! But I made it!!! Another 30minute walk to my parent’s house and everybody was there: it was warm, cozy, happy, perfect!
Railroad stations on the other side are fantastic! They are the start to an adventure, there are trains from everywhere, going to somewhere else. There are announcements, magazine kiosks, bakeries. You can watch people hurrying, running, waiting, strolling. Everybody wants to go somewhere, nobody wants to spend time there. Railroad station are not for staying I guess: they are just in-between launches to somewhere exciting. They are a promise to the next destination!
Airports are also temporary locations, similar to railroad stations, but in a different way. You are forced to stay there longer than you want, 2 or 3 hours before your departure, sometimes even longer if your connection flight leaves 8 hours later, like yesterday, when we flew from California to Munich and had a leisurely forever break in LAX. So you have time to kill and the airport gods know how they want you to spend your time: you should eat. Especially in airports in the US there are significantly more places to eat than anything else. You grab food to go, you sit down to eat, you hang out at a bar at 8am, everything is encouraged. Eating and drinking is the main focus what people should do when they are bored. And you have at least 2 or 3 hours to be bored, that means you can eat a tremendous amount of food! In any airport outside the US you’ll find way less food opportunities and more shopping and relaxing places. An occasional restaurant, yes, but your boredom should be filled with shopping. Not much better, but at least you’ll be healthier. Think about all the food you’re not eating and all the steps you’re walking!
And then there is the mystery about the carpet. Why do airports have carpet on the floor? Of course you think they want you to work harder pulling your suitcase, that makes you burn more calories and because of all the calories burnt your appetite builds up and – voila! – you will be happy to see all the food choices!
No, that’s not really the reason why there are carpets. The only true thing is, that it is harder to pull your luggage around. Another reason you will think is noise reduction. And you are right: it is significantly less loud if there are carpets on the floor. No matter where you are: houses, restaurants, airports, etc.
And here comes my fun fact about carpets in airports: researchers have found out that people feel more homey and cozy when they walk on carpets and therefore – drumroll – they spend more money shopping. In fact, 25% more money is made in airport areas with carpets than in those without (because without a carpet they think they are at a railroad station and they are in a hurry and don’t have time to shop. Maybe…)
