Weeks 14 and 15: July 4th, Amanda's visit, and a "typical" weekend in Munich

On July 4th, the girls’s school hosted their annual “Sommer Fest,” which was themed Cowboys and Indians. Oof. This included a school-wide performance of Cotton-Eyed Joe, including Hadley’s kindergarten (preschool) class who stole the show! I could see Hads coaching herself through the routine (“step, step, lasso, lasso”).  Pictured below: Her best buddy, Delilah (who is British).

The party also included the biggest potluck I’ve ever been to with a humongous dessert table. Every type of kugel imaginable! The girls got their faces painted and waited dutifully in line for a balloon animal, only for the “clown” to quit halfway through the party and leave! Too many balloon wiener dogs for this guy. We missed our 4th of July traditions in Bellingham with our wonderful neighbors! 

Eden's beloved teacher, Ms Hannah! When asked what she'd miss from Germany, Eden immediately said, "Ms Hannah."

We were so excited to spend the weekend with my tennis (and non-tennis) buddy Amanda and her husband Lincoln! They were the easiest visitors ever and shared my desire to explore the city via cappuccinos, pastries, and aperol spritz. We took them to a traditional Bavarian restaurant in the Au on Saturday night.  

Amanda is also our family photographer and took our annual family photos here in Munich! We walked around the Hofgarten (royal garden) next to the Munich residence, which was delightfully uncrowded on a Sunday morning. I am SO excited to see these when she’s done editing. I predict they will be our most cherished set of professional photos we’ve had taken.  Hadley was a real pain and nearly jumped into a fountain at one point, but Amanda is a magician so I don’t doubt we’ll have goodies. 

We bribed the girls with a trip to Kunst and Spiel (awesome toy store from Week 1) for good behavior, which only Eden attained. I’ll hand it to Hadley, she was very reflective after the photo session and knew that she wasn’t going to get a trip to the toy store. She didn’t whine or complain about it, but asked if she could say sorry to Amanda for “being a bad listener.” When Eden and I went to the toy store, Eden said multiple times, “I wish Hadley was with us” or “I bet Hadley would love this” or “Maybe Hadley could have a second chance for good behavior?” Eden picked out a stuffed dauschund who she named “Brezen” which is the name for the German soft pretzels. Perfect!  

Amanda, Lincoln and I went to Dachau on Thursday (Jake had been several years ago), which was everything you’d expect- somber, interesting, devastating, important, etc. A few things that especially struck me (although everything was striking, of course) were 1. The museum exhibit dedicated to explaining the economic and political situation that allowed Hitler to rise to power. I’m sure I learned about most of that in high school but it all takes on a new meaning as an adult, especially with the awful political situation in the US. 2. The number of German high school tour groups. I’m so curious how common it is for German teens to visit concentration camps and what the conversations they have there look like. Especially in Bavaria, these teens are very likely to have had older relatives in the Nazi Party. 3. The recency of it all. This is maybe obvious, but after months of seeing *very* old things, the relative newness of Dachau was notable. The bunker (prison) had the original aquamarine paint on the cells, which was chipping heavily but still in tact. I’m glad to have gone and hope the girls can make a visit when they are adults. 

On a lighter note, Amanda and I were able to sneak in tennis a couple of times during her visit so that she could experience playing on clay. We had a great time! She even got to see the club dog, whose name I learned is Jake! 

After tennis on Friday, I took Amanda and Lincoln on a bike tour of Munich, including the Eisbachwelle, the Chienieschier Turn and Monopotros in the English garden, and showed them the home of Max Weber—the father of Sociology— which is right across the street from CAS. We then biked all around Schwabing and stopped for cappuccinos and the most incredible pastries at Brot Raum (“Bread World”), which is the best bakery I’ve been to in Munich.  

We cruised down through LMU and met Jake at the Hofbrauhaus for a lively lunch. The food was only okay, but the atmosphere was very fun. The Hofbrauhaus is the most famous beer hall in the world and was founded in 1589 to brew beer for the royal family. After a liter or two of beer, we poked around downtown and Viktualienmarkt before watching the Glockenspiel. 

On Saturday we checked two things off our Munich bucketlist: The Haribo (gummy bear) store and the WoW Museum of Illusions. Haribo is a German company and the store offered a TON of options for various gummy products. Corn syrup and artificial ingredients are not allowed in Germany so all the flavors are a bit different and more subtle. We had fun picking out a few bags for our gummy-loving neighbors and a grab bag for the girls.  

Hadley’s kindergarten class had visited the WoW museum right before she started and she was sad to have missed out. It was…weird? Better for older kids, maybe? We at least got some fun pictures out of it.  

Sunday we headed back to the zoo for a relaxed afternoon. I think the zoo may be one of my favorite places in Munich? It’s so beautiful and the perfect size for a couple of hours worth of exploring. We enjoyed the biergarten while the girls played on the playgrounds and even got to see a baby elephant!  

Cultural Observations: 

“The Big Lie:” One of the most surprising aspects of our time here in Germany is learning just how false the stereotype is of Germany as a technologically advanced and efficient country. I have talked to numerous non-Germans and Germans about this, including a postdoc from Budapest, who called it the “Big Lie.” The stereotype dates back to post World War II when Germany was rebuilding itself and wanted to be known as a place of scientific and industrial prowess. From what I’ve learned, that’s basically where it ends. Everything from the trains (the Deutschbahn is known as the most unreliable, unpunctual national railway), public services and administration, bureaucracy and paperwork (heavily reliant on paper trails), lack of digitalization, etc. The fact that many places still don’t take credit cards is a prime example. I’m not sure what the explanation is for the inefficiency, but some people i talked to suggested it was a general resistance to change and lack of investment in infrastructure. 

There’s one notable exception to all of this: the airport! The Munich airport feels very modern and technologically-savvy. The Germans know how to work the optics in their favor! 

Next up: Nuremberg and PlayMobil FunPark- aka, the best day of the girls’ lives!