Di Vivere Deliberatamente

To Live Deliberately

Why is it that when we break away from the familiar we realize just how blessed we are? I am riding on the bus from Munich to Salzburg right now and as I stare out the windows at the green landscape, cobblestone town and beautiful snow capped mountains I can’t avoid this feeling of awe and gratitude. I am discovering just how incredible the world is and just how fortunate we all are to live here.

Each little trip I take rivals the one before it. Munich is no exception. The German city was rich with history, culture and most prominently, bier. I was entertained at the Hofbrau house, intrigued at the Deutche Museum, speechless at the former headquarters of the Third Reich, aching at Dachau, and charmed at Ludwig II’s summer palace. In short, Munich was/is incredible.

Upon our arrival, we managed to find an authentic German restaurant. We drank our liters of weisbier and nommed on our Bavarian sausages. We chose to sit outside and listen to the German music and enjoy the pleasant weather. Our servers were dressed in traditional Bavarian attire. Good start to a good trip.

The first full day in Munich involved a city bus tour. My favorite part of the tour was when we went to the former headquarters of the Third Reich. It was here that Hitler spoke from the balcony to his followers, held major operations for the Nazi party and began to transform Germany into a structured state of torture. I could not believe I was walking the same halls that Hitler walked less than a century ago. The more I learn about Hitler’s rule, the more disgusted I feel. Human sympathy is an immense power. I’ve experienced strong feelings of pain and remorse for those who were in Europe during Hitler’s rise to power until the end of WWII. I just cannot imagine all the propaganda, fear and brutality that was experienced in the country during that time. Munich, being a central part of the Nazi operations, brought everything I’ve ever learned about the Nuremburg laws and WWII into a different light. The brutality of what happened between the time Hitler became chancellor to the time the concentration camps were liberated is unfathomable. My heart hurts just thinking about it. It’s animalistic, yet only the mind of a mad man could conjure the twisted concept of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.

The balcony from which Hitler spoke in Munich

We stopped by the Hofbrau House to grab some beers and lunch. All the servers were in their traditional garb and loud, live Bavarian music was blaring. It was a good time. I noticed a guy sitting by himself and offered him a seat at our table so he wouldn’t be alone. Turns out the guy was from Georgia and just graduated from UGA last year. He even knew a few folks from my hometown. Small world right? He was southern to the bone, and to be honest, it was nice to talk to someone with a little Tara twang. I can now classify the southern gentlemen as its own breed. You won’t find manners like that anywhere but the South.

Ryan...

Our fellow UGA amico Jason Bourne, I mean Robert.

Back to the fixation on Nazi Germany… I suppose I should inform you that I just completed a course on the history of the Holocaust; therefore it was only appropriate to weave a visit to Dachau into our trip to Germany. We loaded the bus and toured Dachau. I’ve been to the Dachau concentration camp once before on a family Euro trip, but I was only 11 years old so I don’t think I understood the severity of the setting. This time, my trip to Dachau made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t even watch the video the whole way through. It pained me to see so much human suffering and hurt. The emaciated figures and sunken-eyed prisoners in the video were haunting. I was so glad that I had taken the course on the Holocaust prior to this visit. This go-around I knew more history prior to the implementation of the concentration camps and WWII that helped me better understand my visit to Dachau. Despite the knowledge I’ve attained about the Third Reich, Hitler, Krystallnacht, etc., the one fact that I had trouble accepting was that Dachau was in use just 70 years ago. That’s unbelievable. My grandparents were alive during WWII. There were people walking the streets in Munich that probably listened to Hitler’s speeches in person or were Brownshirts or Stormtroopers themselves. That’s insane.

Gas chamber at Dachau

"Work Makes You Free"

How about some levity? Something else insane—The Deutche Museum. It reminded me of a bigger, better, and more history-based Fernbank Museum. Everyone went out the night before and didn’t get in until 6:30 a.m. Therefore only 4 of us met Martin in the lobby to go to the museum at 9:00a.m. Saturday morning. Man, it was worth it. We saw exhibits on glass blowing, textiles, aerospace, photos/film, aircrafts, boats, old agricultural machinery, etc. My dad would’ve loved it. We spent nearly four hours wandering the museum. We could have stayed even longer if our legs would’ve allowed us. However, we needed to grab some lunch and rejuvenate before we continued our day so Martin took us girls to lunch. We had traditional German food and wine. He then took us out for dessert. Martin paid for it all! He spoiled us. I guess that was our reward for not being hung over in Germany like the rest of the group. I told you it was worth it!

Southern roots

Part of the exhibit on toys from the past

Cecy flying a simulated airplane

This pottery exhibit made me think of my brother, Drew. He makes beautiful pottery like this. This photo is my way of nagging him to sell his pottery. He can make stuff just like this! Talented.

Glass blowing exhibit

We got to watch glass figurines like these being blown

Girls day out with Martin

On one of our city tours we were able to see the Nymphenburg Palace. Belissima! Our tour guide was the most eccentric character I’ve ever met (and with my having been to Thespian Conference, that is saying a lot). He was wonderful! He livened up the 8a.m. tour for sure. He must’ve downed 7 cups of coffee before the trip—a man after my own heart. For some reason he picked me out of the group and called me his “sweet golden apfel strudel” during the entire trip. I was the group guinea pig and he used me for every example or story about the royalty in the Bavaria. Some people wouldn’t have enjoyed being picked on, but I liked it because it meant I got to see everything first! I always got the best view of the rooms and could hear every fact the tour guide, Michael, spit out. It was an interesting tour.

The Nymphenburg Palace

Jared being one of our tour guide, Michael's props during the tour. Cuteeee.

I forgot to mention our living arrangements during the Munich trip. We stayed in a Marriott with breakfast included. For poor, hungry college kids, this was a king’s dream! The Marriott might as well have been the Ritz. It was the nicest place we have stayed at to date. Fifty times nicer than our residence and it can’t even compare to the hostels we’ve booked… The breakfast was a huge selection of “real” food. I say “real” because this place had sausages, scrambled eggs, fruit, potatoes, and omelets. Everywhere else we’ve been, the locals only serve/eat pastries and croissants. It’s been carbolicious and its getting old. So it goes without saying that not a single person in the group missed breakfast while we were in the Marriott. In fact, everyone got there at least an hour early so they could utilize the buffet style accommodations. Can you blame us? In our minds, if food is free, we will eat enough for a small country. We even would lug our backpacks to breakfast and discreetly stow away rolls and fruit for our lunch and dinners! One day I hope I will have the luxury of not having to “steal” from breakfast buffets in order to have food. Hah, until then, I’ve got plenty of apples, bananas and hard rolls in my backpack if you’d like one.

Another awesome feature of the hotel was the indoor pool. We spent a portion of every night hanging out in the hot tub. It was great bonding time and a good way to unwind. We were most definitely the obnoxious Americans who took over the territory, but we were having so much fun, there was no chance we were going to move out and pipe down. The girls used the steam room and sauna a good bit while we were at the hotel. It was so relaxing! …. That is until we found out Bavarians love to walk around all naturale. I can only imagine how squeamish and uncomfortable we all looked as we ducked out of the sauna when the nudists came in. It didn’t even phase them. Everyone walked around naked like it was nothing out of the ordinary. For them, I suppose it wasn’t, but for the Americans, we have now been scarred for life.

Although every bit of the Munich trip was awesome, my favorite part of Munich is the English Gardens. It is huge park that has been dedicated to people for relaxation and enjoyment. It is miles long and Cecy, Lisa and I decided to walk the entire park all the way to Marian Plaza. It had to have been close to seven miles, but we hardly noticed because it was so cool. Bicyclists, musicians, picnics, couples, frisbees, children, friends, bier, horse carriages, etc. were spread out over the green gardens and everyone seemed to be having such a good time. We walked through right as the sun was beginning to set. I could’ve painted a picture it seemed so perfect.

One of the many improptu bands that set up in the English Gardens

Brandon and Jackson

I don’t know if it is because I’ve had a four-hour bus ride of introspection, or if it is just because I’m growing up, but I can’t quit thinking about how lucky we all are to be on this adventure. Every bit of my experience thus far has been a growing process. I’ve never felt more grateful. Why did I have to come to Europe with a group of strangers in order to grow so much? Why couldn’t it have happened at home? I can’t help but allude to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden—

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…”

Okay so maybe I really didn’t live on the bare essentials and camp out in the woods, but I did set out on this adventure seeking to “suck out all the marrow of life.” I wanted to learn about the world, life, myself, society, my ambitions, these friends around me, etc. And to be honest, this experience has taught me more than I signed up for. I may be getting sappy because I’m sad this trip is coming to an end. However, I know that even after I return home, I will still be learning from this experience. For me, I like to think of this trip as the Marriott breakfast buffet—the gift that keeps on giving and an experience for which I am forever thankful.

…Ciao!