The first week we arrived here, the man who owns and runs the Deutsch Cantina on post asked me how I liked it. Unsure if he was asking about the food or the country, I replied: "The Jagerschnitzel is delicious, and Germany is beautiful." He made an angry face and retorted: "This is not Germany! This is Bavaria!" Yikes, it took me less than week to insult one of the local citizens here. And so our adventure in Bavaria begins!
We have done much over the past month, mostly unpacking and settling into our new home in Grossbissendorf. We have a spectacular view of the countryside out our kitchen window. I'll never forget how it took my breath away the first time I saw it. But now that I've been here almost a month, I realize that the WOW-ing panoramas are everywhere. I want to photograph everything! All the green that surrounds me here makes me feel healthier and more alive; it makes me want to go outside and play, run, walk; dig up the dirt and plant things. I remember having feelings like this in Hawaii too...natural beauty has a way of bringing out the Mother Nature instinct in me.
In less than a month I have already seen and experienced some Bavarian culture: A trip to our first Castle (Wolfsegg) and a strenuous hike up to the ruins in Kallmunz; my first Volksfest in Parsberg and my first Helles beer in a Biergarten; I've been shopping at the German grocery store, beer store, Metzgerei (deli), backerei; to OBI (the German version of Home Depot) and Globus (the German version of Super WalMart); I've hiked through the forest and I've driven over 160 kph on the Autobahn; eaten gelato at the Eis Cafe and have made good friends with the Backerei man who comes to my house every Wednesday and Saturday with a truck full of freshly baked breads, chocolate croissants, and streudel. Every day, every little thing I do, is a new experience. It's like being a kid all over again, and seeing a new world through new eyes. I hope to start keeping a better journal now that we are finally settling in. It is very important to write everything down and take lots of photos so I never forget our impressions of this picturesque, clean, and orderly country.
