I can't believe that my time in Germany is coming to an end in less than two weeks! It makes me quite sad already to know that my time has come and gone but I don't regret a single second of it. I have given this place my all and I have unexpectedly fallen in love with Germany. Not only is it full of wonderful sights but the people are great and the sense of community is heart warming.
It's been awhile since I've posted so in this blog, we're going to cover my last trip to Dublin as well as some local adventures I have been undertaking. Here are the headlines:
- Pubbin in Dublin
- Exploring Ramstein Air Force Base
- Local German Festival
- A Visit from a Good Friend
- Thanksgiving in Luxembourg
Pubbin in Dublin
My buddy Tommy and I go back to our time in China. He's a really, really nice guy and has remained a great friend over the years.
As soon as I arrived, he picked me up and we went out for a quick pint of my favorite beer ever, Guinness (in Ireland). I know I've mentioned this a million time before, but the Guinness in Ireland is just unrivaled by any other beer I've ever had and it's COMPLETELY different than anywhere else.
After a pint or two, we were watching some horse races on the TV in the bar and he showed me how to bet on them. We would look up the odds, talk about which horses we were feeling and then I would run across the street to the sports book and place the bet. We kept the stakes really low but it was fun to make the bet right before the race and then come back and watch the race on the TV.
Needless to say, we weren't very successful but it's the experience that counts! We headed back to his place afterward so I could meet his girlfriend and see his roommates that I had met last year while visiting. We made some food and then one of his roommates and I passed a guitar back and forth and sang some songs for everyone. As they say in Ireland, it was a "craic" which means it was a blast!
Over the next few days I mostly just wandered around on my own and enjoyed the city. I have been to Dublin a few times now so I've already done all the touristy things. This trip, I just wanted a relaxing few days and that was exactly what I got. Tommy had to work a few of the days I was in town so I would look up what kind of food I was feeling, walk to a spot that I had found and took it easy.
I must say that beyond the food and beer, the Irish people themselves are very lovely. Everyone is very nice and their accent is comforting. I would strongly urge everyone to go visit at least once and see the magic of the Emerald Isle.
A Visit to Ramstein Air Force Base
Ever since moving here to Germany, I've been staying with my wonderful cousin, Mandy. She is a badass pilot of the C-130J Hercules and let me tell you, these planes are awesome!
I was ecstatic when Mandy told me she was going to take me on a tour of the air base and it really blew my mind!
I initially thought that it was a smaller air base with a few hangers and some planes but it turns out, it's almost as big as the main town (population 100,000) that is nearby! It not only has countless military buildings, but it has housing for military personnel, clubs for the officers and enlisted, a mall where you can do everything from getting a haircut to seeing movies and so much more!
Mandy drove me around pointed out things as we passed. They afford a lot of comfort to the military personnel stationed there to make it feel as close to home as possible. They have restaurants such as Chilis, PF Changs, Subway and many others to give the sense of being home.
I am the type of person to embrace a foreign culture in its entirety when I travel so at first I didn't really understand the appeal of having all of the American amenities available. However, Mandy explained to me that there are many military personnel who have most likely never been out of the country before and it can be an overwhelming experience.
I had to reflect on this a little bit but it makes a lot of sense. Some of the personnel that are enlisted are around 20 years old and it can be quite scary to be stationed in another country. The Air Force base has all of the amenities it does to create a buffer between the different cultures. It allows people to dip their toes into the local culture while being able to maintain their creature comforts at the same time.
Although I'm the kind of person to dive into anything head first without looking, I could completely empathize with this sentiment. There have been times when I've been home sick and want nothing more than to be back with my friends and family in the states and I can see how a very American experience abroad can help relieve that anxiety.
Like I mentioned before, the sheer size of the base just blew me away and it was incredible to see Mandy's work up close. It was a very interesting cultural experience and one that I'll never forget.
Local German Festival
Around this time of year several German festivals pop up. There are several different types of festivals and I'm going to be honest and say I don't know what the reasons are, but I'll never pass up an opportunity to hang with the locals!
My local friends Frank and Melanie invited me to a local festival recently and it was held in a town that has a population of 400. However, they get something like 10,000 visitors during the festival which is insane! It was so cool because as we were walking around, Frank knew one out of every few people we passed. It really says a lot about the local community because everyone who lives in a village knows people from other villages nearby.
I really think this is something that we take for granted a lot in bigger cities. It's common to not meet your neighbors, walk outside and avoid eye contact with strangers, and even ignore regulars that you see at your favorite restaurant or bar that you frequent.
Out here it's quite the opposite. Every time I go for a walk, I say hi to everyone and everyone smiles and returns the greeting. Every time I'm in the local bar and someone walks through the door, the crowd erupts in a very Cheers-like manner and greets them by name. Even now, when I enter or leave, everyone says hello or goodbye to me. It's a really good feeling to know that people actually care about their neighbors here.
Back to the festival, we got ourselves a beer and hung out near all of the food vendors. I looked around at all of the names of the food and Frank and Melanie took great delight in the way I absolutely butchered the pronunciations. My current favorite German word to say is "grumbeerwaffel" which means "potato waffle" but the word for potato is specific to this part of Germany. It's a SUPER guttural sound at the beginning of the word and after a million tries I finally got it.
I practiced a few more times and then went up and ordered one and it was delicious! It was savory and had bits of bacon and onion inside of it. It really hit the spot.
I also saw people eating what looked like steamed buns and I was intrigued. I asked Frank and he said they were "dampfnudel" which is also a little savory yet sweet snack. If you've been following this blog, you know I absolutely LOVE a mix of savory and sweet flavors. This is what they look like.
It's a steamed piece of dough but they salt the bottom and pan fry it as well. The best part is the "weinsoße" which is pronounced "vine sauza" kind of like the brand of tequila. It's a semisweet sauce that is made with white wine and it was absolutely delicious. After eating the grumbeerwaffel and a couple dampfnudel, I was stuffed! We went into the main tent to warm up a bit and in typical German style, it was packed with people of all ages and the party was going down!
I really enjoy the fact that everyone comes out to celebrate together during festivals like these. It really helps confirm the sense of community that I mentioned before and it hits me right in the feels.
I think more of us need to show the same love we have for our family and friends to our neighbors and even to strangers. The world would truly become a better place if we all made the effort.
Guess Who Came to Town?!
I've been doing a bit of traveling while I've been here but I was ecstatic to hear that my good friend Mannat was coming out to visit for Thanksgiving! I didn't have any Thanksgiving plans so it was nice to have a good friend to spend it with.
Mannat came to Germany to hang out and so naturally I had to introduce her to my experiences. We started off by going into the bigger city, Kaiserslautern for some good German food and then I wanted to show her the town of Landstuhl where I play my gigs.
Oddly enough, right before we got to Landstuhl, the owners of the Irish Pub I've been playing reached out to see if I would play the following night and I hastily agreed! I actually met Mannat through playing music about 6-7 years ago and she's been not only a great friend, but a huge supporter of my music over the years. I was very happy that I could play a gig while she was in town.
The next day before the show, Mannat and I each did some work so we could make sure to relax for the rest of the week. I showed her around other local areas for a bit and then we headed down to Landstuhl for the gig. It was a really fun night and although the crowd wasn't huge, it was a fantastic time! In comparison to Denver, the local bar scene here is fantastic as people really get into the music and sing along to almost every song.
After the gig was finished, we called it a night in anticipation of Thanksgiving the following day.
Thanksgiving in Luxembourg
Mannat had told me that Luxembourg was only about an hour and 45 minutes away by car and she always wanted to go. I've never been before so we made a plan to go to a nice restaurant for lunch and have our own version of Thanksgiving.
The drive was beautiful and quite easy. We listened to music and caught up as the sun was shining down on us. When we got into Luxembourg, we were very interested in seeing what the main city was like. It's a mix of old and new architecture and everyone there was dressed SUPER well. We were dressed... "casually" I guess you would say and as we walked towards the restaurant we had picked out, we could see a waiter at the door give us a look of... "intrigue."
We walked in and they sat us at a great table with some windows and we proceeded to have our own Thanksgiving feast. We got a glass of wine, oysters, salads and some amazing main entrees. The food was to die for and we followed it up with dessert and a cheese platter.
We ended up staying there for 3 hours talking about anything and everything in between and I'm very grateful to have friends like Mannat. It was only the second time in my life being away from home on Thanksgiving but I still think it was one of the best Thanksgivings I've had. It's hard being away from friends and family during the holidays but there was a sense of comfort being across the world and still having a feeling of being home.
After lunch we drove through the city a little bit and then hit the road back home. When we got into town it was around 5:30 and I figured that Frank and Melanie would already be at the bar. Mannat has been reading my blogs so she wanted to meet them and learn how to play all the games they've been teaching me.
We played some of the same games and then Frank taught us a couple new ones that all involved dice. It turns out they had a bunch of dice and even some cups so I taught them how to play my favorite game, "Shaizi" which I picked up in China. Melanie wasn't a fan but Frank absolutely loved it! We played several rounds and then called it a night.
The next day we hit a Christmas Market which is very popular in Germany. I am going to save the Christmas markets for my final blog next week but let's just say that they are quite the cultural experience.
Early the next day, as Mannat prepared to leave for Berlin to visit family, I couldn't help but feel that it didn't seem like a weird experience to be hanging out with a good friend from back home in a foreign place. It felt very natural and I think that just goes to show that maybe it's not the place you are in, it's the people you are with.
I was so happy that I could show Mannat what my life is like out here and I was so happy that she came to visit.
Final Thoughts
I still can't believe that I'll be stateside in less than two weeks but I know for a fact that I'll be coming back to this part of the world in the near future. The amount of humanity I've found restores my faith in this world and its potential. That being said, as I write this, there is a light dusting of snow coming down and it reminds me that Colorado is waiting with open arms.
It makes me feel even better to know that wherever I am, I'll be home.
Cheers,
Tony G
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