Bavaria

April 4, 2013 (Continued)

Matt and Lizzy live out in the countryside of Bavaria, in a little farming community. Lizzy told me their neighbors are like the Von Trapp family. Their kids sing, play soccer, do well in school, and help around the house with the chores.

The house that Matt and Lizzy have been given by Matt’s company is beautiful. A three story, traditional Bavarian farm house, it has a beautiful spiral staircase, with a great view of the Alps from the bed room on the top floor (I didn’t actually get to see the Alps through the fog, but the view was great anyway.) The bedroom I stayed in was on the third floor, next to Lizzy’s prayer room. She showed me some of the beautiful rosaries and incredible prayer books she has collected over the years.

Before Matt got home, she took me to show me the small Catholic Church they go to. Surrounded by a cemetery, I have never seen grave plots so well kept. The families come and replant flowers on the graves every season. The inside of the church was breathtaking! Everything was decorated with lilies and garlands for Easter. It was very cold inside from all the marble, but Lizzy said it always was.

“There are little heaters under the pews,” she said, “but not one takes their coats off.”

“So you don’t have to dress up for church?” I joked.

“Nope!” She said. “Just keep your coat on and no one knows.

She said she doesn’t understand much of the service since it’s all in German, but she has learned a few of the prayers. She also said that sometimes there is a visiting priest for India who speaks English and will translate his sermon for her afterwards.

The church also had a large white bell tower. Lizzy warned me that the bells go off ever fifteen minutes, and that some of their guests have complained of the noise.

Back at the house, we ate pretzels and obazda cheese until Matt got home. When he did, he joined us in polishing off the food and talking about trips around Europe. Lizzy jokes that he is like Cliff Claven from Cheers (“It’s a little known fact…”) but I enjoyed hearing so much of the history from the countries I’d visited.

After our snack break, we went for a walk around their little farming town. Many of the homes in the area have the farm built into the house.  There were farms with horses and several with goats. Many yards were filled with geese and chickens, and they pointed out one white chicken that acts as an escape artist from the family farm.

The religious symbolism really is everywhere in Bavaria. On many street corners there are crucifixes, and Matt and Lizzy tell me there is a cross on top of every Bavarian mountain. The homes also have special air brushed designs on the sides. Some are just decorations to make the windows look more ornate, but others depict saints or biblical stories. There is also a tradition to celebrate the Epiphany (on Jan 6^th) where the kids in the neighborhood dress up as kings, and come to your house to bless it for the New Year. They write the year, along with “C & M & B” (the initials of the three kings) above the door to show that the house has been blessed for the new year.

As fertilizer for the farmlands, the farmers spray their fields with liquid manure called “mist.” They pull the misting tanks behind their tractors spraying the liquid into the air and onto the fields. It gives the field a brown appearance and the air an aggie smell. Dogs are forbidden on the cow fields, because while the cow manure is seen as a healthy fertilizer, the dog’s contribution is not appreciated.

We ended our tour going to see a traditional German grocery story. It turned out to be a Kaufland, which is the same brand I’ve been shopping at in Prague.

Wrapping around back to their home, Matt and Lizzy stopped by a Guest House. These homes within neighborhoods are places for travellers to stay, and also typically have restaurants in them. We stopped by this one, because Matt had helped raise the May Pole that stood in front of it.

Back at the house, Matt showed me something I hadn’t seen in a while: American TV. It was included with the house as part of his package from work. We flipped through American Idol and coverage of the Final Four while Lizzy checked email. When we’d finished, we decided to go into town for dinner.  Taking Matt’s car, we drove along an old carriage road through the forest to another guest house. This one however was filled up with a local bible study, so we went to find a different restaurant.

As we drove, Matt explained the history behind some of the local restaurant traditions in Bavaria. One, which we’d seen in the Hoftbrauhaus, was hanging signs over tables that were reserved for locals. This dated back to the early, early medieval times. The local tables were always made of oak trees, because it was believed that Jesus was crucified in an oak tree. Therefore, the Devil, if he was passing through town as a traveler would be unable to sit at the local table. In addition, everyone would knock on the table when they sat down to prove they could touch the oak tree. If someone was the Devil, they would be unable to touch the table, and the locals would be safe.

The restaurant we went to had great German food! Matt speaks German fluently so he translated the menu for me, suggesting a few drinks and meals. Before we ate, we said grace. It was the first time I’d prayed with anyone since I’d left the states. While I’ve done plenty of praying on my own, there was something about the community that was very fulfilling.

“God, we thank you for Zach,” Matt prayed. “For his safe travel, for adventures, for food, for raiment, for life, and opportunity. For friendship, and fellowship, in your name. Amen.”

At Matt’s suggestion, I ordered a drink called an Apple Shirley, which was apple juice and sparkling water. I ordered the Kasspatzen, which really was the best mac & cheese I’ve ever had. It was homemade spatzel noodles, in a melted cheese sauce, with crispy fried onions crumbled overtop. I couldn’t finish the whole thing, but Germany—unlike Prague—would gladly box the food for you to take home (unfinished dumplings have usually earned me dirty looks in Bohemia.)

Over dinner, we shared more travel stories and talked more about religion. Both Matt and Lizzy were well versed in a variety of denominations of Christianity, and the stories and facts they were able to share were fascinating. Plus, having lived in Europe for the past 3 years, after 25 years of travelling the world together, they had some amazing and funny stories. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. My sides were sore by the time we finished eating.

After dinner, Matt and Lizzy ordered a kaisersmarm for us to share. This was a Bavarian dessert that was like a scrambled pancake. The chef took white cake batter and poured it in a skillet, then cooked it like scrambled eggs, so that the dough cooked into chunks of thin pancake. It was topped with powdered sugar and served with apple sauce for dipping. It tasted amazing!

Back home, Lizzy gave me a little tour of the kitchen and told me to help myself when I got up in the morning. Matt found a lamp and bedside table for me and set it up in my room. He also gave me the Wi-Fi password so I could log into my laptop. Thanking them for a great evening, I went to my room to journal. After jotting down notes from the day, I went to bed.