Picture Germany.... I mean stereotypical Germany, I'm talking about lederhosen-clad men hiking in alpen Germany with a stein of beer in one hand and a pretzel in another climbing to the top of a mountain to blow a horn. This picture, dear readers, is not far from actuality of a small piece of the Vaterland, this place: Bavaria. (Exit Anthony bourdain intro). Dear readers, you may ask yourself why I am writing about Bavaria, why this place of all of my adventures so far since arriving in Deutschland. Well friends, I've been to Bavaria now three times, each time for very different reasons and it holds a dear place in my heart. I remember in German class learning how to ask for directions "Entschuldigung, Wissen sie wo marienplatz ist?" We always used places in Munich. Seeing these places in the flesh and blood is one part nostalgia and one part accomplishment for actually getting there.... But I'm getting ages of myself. First step off of the train to visit Bruna and Miguel... Friends from Bonn who are in their 6th year of medical studies in Augsburg.. And the first thing I smell? Horses. In the middle of the city. It smelled like a farm. Bruna let me know she was about 20 min away from the train station but that I should get something small to eat in the meantime. Short aside: Bavarians are known for either being the best at or creating a lot of German staples. Bavaria is widely made fun of throughout the rest of Germany. Why? I asked my professor this very same question in Bonn. She said she believes the rest of Germany is jealous because Bavaria is so much better at so many things. That being said, I decided to get a pretzel, something that -shocker- Bavarians are known for. Now I know there are some native Philadelphians that regularly read my blogs... But I'm not even going to pretend that this pretzel wasn't the best of my life. I sometimes wonder why Bavaria isn't a different country entirely... It has a history of sovereignty, a differen culture, a different religion, a different way of talking, and a different way of life than the rest of the country. I had a beer the first night there at a family run restaurant from a brewery that's been in operation since 1519. And my friends, no one will every tell you that the cuisine in Germany is world class, but I'm not sure there is anything better in life than a hunk of pork, a huge potato dumpling, a liter of beer, and hundreds of people drunkenly singing along to a polka band (place: hofbräuhaus... Where Else?)
I digress.
Sunday we went to Nürnberg, home of a history that is plagued with things I'm sure they'd rather forget. I got to see one of those places, the courtroom of the Nuremberg trials.
I took a pic in black and white to make it creepier. Bruna and Miguel gave the impression that thy wanted to be in Bavaria for a long time. I have to say after this past weekend that I can't blame them.
as the Bavarians say Gruß Gott (greetings to god) und Servus!
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