He Says
Holidayers can be generally classified into 2 categories.
1) The “Cram – as – many – things - as – you – can – see – and – do – because – we – are – only – here – once” kind
and
2) Our kind… or at least, my kind
I believe that holidays should be done at as slow a pace as possible. I am perfectly comfortable with taking a day just lazing in, chilling at a cafe before my afternoon nap then going to a pub for a nice cold one before retiring for an early night during my holidays abroad.
Now that the background for that is over, I could say that nothing, absolutely NOTHING could’ve prepared me for our first day in Germany.
We arrived in Munich at 8 in the morning and decided to check into our hostel. My idea was to take the day to take a leisurely stroll through the city to get the hang of things. And more precisely, to practice our “Will you come with me”.
A friend of ours had told us of this tour group called “Sandeman’s New Europe Tours” which, apparently brings tourists around various European cities on an educational, fun, and more importantly to sophisticated tourists like us… FREE tour.
As luck would have it, our hostel (4you Hostel and Hotel) is an associate of Sandeman’s tour and there is a daily pickup for the tour at our hostel.
Must be serendipity, right? Unilaterally, the Fiance and I decided that we should go for the tour which departs within…10 minutes of our arrival at the hotel. Who cares about trivial matters such as Jet Lag, Lack of Sleep and battling Monster Airports that very morning, right?
Pickup Guy proceeded to bring us through the mazy streets of Munich, towards the starting point of the tour, at a breakneck pace (at least, that’s how it seemed to sleep deprived Me).
My thoughts were “Crap… I am gonna die of exhaustion midway through this tour”
Afterwards, I found out from the Fiance that her thoughts were “Crap… We are gonna get hopelessly lost getting back to the hostel.”
Anyway, we reached the Rathaus Glockenspiel at Marienplatz.
And that’s when we met Her.
Claire.
The tour de force that swept us through Munich over the next 3 hours of so.
Introductions were barely over before she started on her play by play commentary for the story enacted by “Europe’s second most overrated attraction” (her words, not mine).
The Fiance and I had been known to tire people out with our banter, back in the day. But seriously, we are like lethargic slugs next to Claire.
She brought us on a really fun and, dare I say it, educational tour of Munich. She was able to mix the telling of the myths and fables of ancient Bavaria with the story of Munich, under Hitler and the Third Reich.
We followed her up the main streets of Munich and through some quarters which we, as tourists, would never have gone. We listened as she told us about the tales of joy and sadness behind the architectures that we strolled past.
We were totally enthralled.
We listened, as she told us of the motifs that could be found throughout Munich, such as the Bavarian monk who is NOT holding a beer, and NOT pointing in the direction of the nearest beer hall.
She showed us the church that was built by the Devil and told us the story of the builder who tricked him into doing so. Of how the devil, furious at being tricked, left his footprint in the church that can be seen to this day.
She told us tales of Munich during World War II. Of cataclysmic events such as Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch and of Kristalnach. Of horrific accounts of Jewish lives under the Third Reich.
And my favorites: Stories of resistance of the not so common ordinary Germans who stood against Hitler in their own ways. Of Georg Elser and his almost successful attempt on Hitler’s life, of the White Rose Resistance, and of Shirkers’ Alley.
Shirkers’ Alley, being the side street ordinary Germans, on pain of torture and even death, took to avoid heil-ing Hitler’s monument to his “matyrs” from the Beer Hall Putsch. The alley is now cobbled with bronze stones.
More importantly, Claire showed us the joys of Bavarian Beer and taught me a new word I can show off with :Vergangenheitsbewaltigung
Vergangenheitsbewaltigung: A word with no english equivalent. Meaning… “Struggle to come to terms with the past”.
A word that could only be invented by the Germans.
