A Homebody Finds a Home

Here's a confession: I am a packrat. In a collection of boxes in my mother's garage attic, an assortment of treasures is slowly decaying and being consumed by whatever lives in garage attics: homework from elementary school, passed notes (remember no mobile phones then!) from friends and boys in junior high, ticket stubs, dried corsages, rocks, marbles, bad poetry, and thrift store classics. I kept everything, as if I were seized by a childhood clairvoyance that I would one day not be able to remember where I left my keys or why I walked into the kitchen let alone what my childhood self dreamed about.

In my 20's after every new career, educational, or relationship pursuit ran its course and/or failed, I  packed my belongings and treasures (which now included grown up stuff like framed pictures, linen, and cooking gear) into computer paper boxes, and loaded them into my mom's trusty minivan to be unpacked at a new, usually smaller abode. But some stuff was forced into exile in the garage attic, too useless to fit into the new place, but too dear to part with.

In the last 10 years, I've had a dozen or so apartments in 5 countries. Packing up and shipping boxes of useful things like sweaters, rice cookers, and sheets seemed pointless and expensive, let alone any memorabilia or knickknacks accumulated along the way. Ok, I did send some stuff (the poster from the propaganda museum in Shanghai is way too cool to just leave behind!) to mom's warehouse in Iowa, but mostly I limited myself to one bag of necessary and favourite garments and left the rest for the next temporary teacher to sort through. And besides, each new place on the ESL trail was usually equipped with its own set of gently or roughly worn linen and cookware.

 When living abroad, I always did a few things to make the furnished apartment more "homey" such as put up pictures, stock the kitchen with my favourite spices and cooking tools, get a plant, place some smell good candles about, and put on soft and cozy linen on whatever passed for the bed. But it was always with the feeling that it would all be temporary and there was no need to go too crazy. And though I still collected treasures like shells and other bits and bobs from the beaches, museum brochures, beer mats, cards from students, and various ticket stubs, I found it easier than before to put them in the bin when possessed by a cleaning fever.

Some might think: Ah, she learned the valuable lesson that things we cannot take with us are not important in this life; it's the relationships and the memories that are of value. WRONG. One of the most idiosyncratic aspects of my character is that though I have itchy feet and love to roam the world, I am also a homebody who likes to be at home surrounded by my things. I found this to be especially true in countries where being outside was so horrible (choking smog, noisy traffic, thousands of people crammed onto a tiny, dirty sidewalk) that I needed a sanctuary that was peaceful and contained at least a few things that reminded me of who me is. And in every new place, the packrat in me missed being able to sit down on a rainy day and go through a box of tangible memories, junk or not. I never learned any lessons about how freeing it is to be unencumbered with stuff; it was just that logistically, I couldn't have a lot.

So here I am in the present, married and living in a place that is "home" for as long as family and employers want us here. When we moved  into our current apartment, it was with the knowledge that it might all be temporary. After all, the field of ESL teaching has a lot of turnover and is dependent upon the economies of the students' countries. The business is seasonal and only a small percentage of teachers are given (or even want) permanent contracts. We signed our lease knowing that at any time  the work could dry up and we'd either have to start working at a hotel or call center (shudder) or venture back out into the field. However, I decided that because there was a stronger chance this might be more permanent, or maybe because I'd had enough of half-hominess, I would make it homier than our usual place.

We had known it was the right place immediately. It's in the city centre next to a cinema, away from the busiest streets, at a great price and very cosy. Some might say it's rather tiny. It is smaller than the apartments we had in the four countries we've lived together in, but it's so dang cute and cosy. And because it is furnished, I had to do a little extra to make it mine. So I called up Mom's Storage Facility in Iowa and had some of my collection of stuff sent to me and put it on the walls. I went a couple of blocks to buy my casserole dishes and a Dutch oven and went to the Asian markets to stock my pantry. Stuff is being stuffed into drawers and boxes for a later perusal. For the first time in years, I'm behaving as though I'm not going anywhere, because  "here" is my favourite place to be.

living room with view of antique shops across the street

pictures from Arizona, Japan, and the painting a gift from Elaine from Cuba

need to cover the sofa. Ugly pic above sofa replaced by old poster of Istanbul

the beads have grown on me

quite small but perfect for chopping things and easily getting them to the pan

behind the cupboard doors is my dream pantry

a bit of a mishmash but I'm working on it

typical bathroom but with a nice reminder of Thailand

my wedding shower haul!! Lots of new stuff to make the apartment a home

I've always wanted yellow walls. The bed cover is from India

 

apartment building at sunrise. the cinema is around the corner on the right.

festive lobby of apartment building

 

 

Munchin' in München

I hadn't heard the term "city break" until I encountered it in several ESL textbooks. Of course, it makes perfect sense. Go to a city, see the main things, get out. Now that we live in "Europe", the choices for city breaks are boundless. Since I've  been living in non-Christmas-celebrating countries for the last few years, I got it into my head that I wanted to see some world famous and old Christmas markets. After looking at flight times and costs, we decided on Munich. I checked out the Top Ten Munich book travel book from the library. Top Ten books are great for a city break. It tells the main things you  want to see with no messin'. We quickly decided that our 72 hour break would focus on: walking around the old city where the Christmas and food markets are; going to museums; drinking as many different beers as possible; and eating sausages. Munich made it so easy to reach these goals.



drinking hot mulled outside on a chilly afternoon

The Christmas markets of Germany originated in the Middle Ages and are open every day during the Advent weeks. Most of them sell handmade ornaments, gingerbread cakes and ornaments, glass and wood trinkets, and a lot of food and wine. According to wikipedia, the one in Marienplatz in Munich is one of the oldest. While I didn't buy anything at the markets (who needs 50euro ornaments?), I loved the ambiance the markets created throughout the entire old town. Lights strung about everywhere, all the trees decorated, music playing, and the scent of mulled wine and grilled sausages. And most important, everyone was so jolly--tourists and locals alike. There was a current of festive spirit that electrified the place.

Luckily, all the best beer halls and pubs are in walking distance of the markets and other attractions. A beer hall is a splendid thing. A large open space with several long tables so you can drink  among new friends; 1 litre steins to build your arm muscles; and a never-ending supply of  pretzels and sausages. Not to  mention the music accompanying the rowdiness. We spent a bit of time at the most famous beer hall, Hoftbrauhaus. It is the most touristy of them all, but in this case, it is simply because it is the best and most fun.


It is imperative though that one not spend too much time in the Hoftbrauhaus because there are just too many delicious beers to sample and each place only serves one brand of brew. I am so in love with weissbeir now and Paulener is particularly good. To be in a place and be able to actually savour the flavours of so many old recipes was just heavenly.

All the shopping and beer sampling creates quite an appetite. I can't imagine being a vegetarian in Munich. I'm sure it's possible, but it is truly a meat lover's paradise. There are over 40 kinds of bratwurst in Germany and several originated in Bavaria. I never experienced the same flavour twice in either the sausages themselves or their mustardy and krauty plate-mates. I did order a vegetarian snack once-some  rye buttered bread with chives, served with local Bavarian cream cheese and salted radishes. Yummo! But the sausages were definitely the star. (Though I must confess the white Munich sausages and the local liver loaf were inedible for me. Weird mouthfeel.)

It would be really gluttonous to eat and drink all day, so museums were on the to see list. Within walking distance of the old  town, there is a complex of three museums and I think their translation was something like: Really Old Art, Kind of Old Art, and Modern Art and Design. Near these is a new Egyptian museum, so it was quite a full morning. But well worth the 1 euro Sunday price! My favourite was probably the medium-old stuff. A great collection including some Van Gogh and Klimt. I also loved the design section of the modern museum with an exhibit showing the evolution of the computer design. I wasn't so keen on the huge photograph exhibition by some guy from Canada who takes pictures of random things like saplings bound to a pole. Just as a side note-I think museums should be smaller or only visited a bit at a time. After awhile, my brain could just not handle one more floor to ceiling painting of Jesus surrounded  by demons and cherubic babies.

The best museum by far was the Deutsches Museum, which is the largest museum of  science and technology in the world. It's on an island in the middle of the river, so a beautiful walk to get there. The building itself, started in 1903, is just beautiful. There are 6 floors of exhibits, including a planetarium, which was closed unfortunately. The biggest exhibit includes airplanes, rockets, and ships. There is an underground exhibit of the history of mining and the experience of walking through it makes you feel as if you are in a mine. Musical instruments, telecommunications, pharmacology, and a very cool reproduction of the Cave of Altimira. That's only a small fraction. It is mind blowing.

one part of the museum right before my camera  battery died

 

Though there were a few bits of snow that fell on the first day we arrived, the weather wasn't too cold and the sunshine allowed for views of the Alps in the distance. Munich has a little over 1 million people and the ease of transport and walking reminds me a lot of Dublin. It was perfect for walking around the city to burn off the beer and sausages before going on for another round. We were able to get to nearly everything on our list. I loved everything I was able to see in the short time, especially the buildings and medieval churches. The city feels old yet revitalized with modern energy.  I usually have a bit of cynicism for places that are schmaltzy and superficial for tourists' sake, but Munich felt different than the typical trap. Maybe it was all the beer, but the place seemed to be aglow with genuine bonhomie.

city gate

strange name for a schwanky jewellery store

first beer hall of the trip!

old City Hall

creepy

Viktualienmarkt

S joining in on some Latin music fun

one of the museums

planning the next journey

outside one of the museums

I really like this painting-creepy and strange

Fun!!

Where all the Bavarian kings lived at one time

3 of the Bavarian kings including  the crazy one

at the Hoftbrauhaus

Viktualienmarkt

view from St. Peter's church



my first view of the Alps

the world famous Glockenspiel. Lucky to see it at noon when it does its thing

Love, love old pubs with ceilings like this