Postcards from the Past: Germany

Deutschland

When and Where: 11/1998 – Munich, Dachau

09/2022 – Berlin

13^th Country Visited; 8^th European Country Visited

Interesting Facts:

- Munich’s Oktoberfest is the world’s biggest folk festival.

- 17% of Americans have some German ancestry.

- Germany’s drinking age is 16. In Bavaria, beer is considered a food.

- Gummy bears were invented by Hans Riegel in Bonn, hence the company name “Haribo” My mom’s maiden name was Riegel.

- College education is free in Germany.

In 2022, I visited Berlin on my solo tour of Europe. I boarded a train in Prague Czechia and proceeded northwest to Berlin. Along the way, the train passed through what used to be East Germany. The countryside communities along the route looked impoverished; much different than what I had experienced in modern Munich and its surroundings 24 years earlier. East Germany was part of the Soviet Bloc and therefore the standard of living was much different than in what used to be West Germany. Along the way, we passed by Dresden, a city that was carpet bombed by the Americans and Brits during World War II. From the train, the city looked run down, and I got the sense it hadn’t flourished like western German cities.

I finally arrived in Berlin and took an Uber to my hotel in Wittenbergplatz, a somewhat upscale neighborhood in what used to be West Berlin: Berlin, like the country, was divided between East and West after World War II. Adjacent to the hotel was an upscale mall, and one of the nicest I’ve visited in all of my travels. The mall, which was seven stories tall, had all high-end stores and open-air restaurants. The smell of garlic filled the air in the Italian restaurant. At another restaurant, I saw patrons sipping on high end wines and feasting off of charcuterie boards filled with various cheeses, meats and olives. That night, I went out to a local bar for a cocktail. It definitely wasn’t what I expected or desired. Without going into details, I saw unabashed debauchery taking place in the bar. I saw things I wish I could unsee. My visit was short. Back in my room, I snacked on candy and watched television. I saw a concert by the German hip hop/electropunk band Deichkind. Having had 4 years of German in high school, I understood some of the lyrics, but not most. But the band was fun and I was enjoying the music.

The next day, I had an afternoon tour of the city. For a national capital, Berlin is not a grand city like Prague, Budapest, Rome or Paris. It looked gloomy and unwelcoming. The tour focused mostly on World War II and the aftermath. I was disappointed. We visited the last remaining section of the Berlin Wall which was crumbling and covered with graffiti. Next, we visited Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing point between East and West Berlin after World War II, all the way up to the reunification of Germany. Next, we were brought to an unmarked grassless patch of dirt on a random street. The tour guide told us we were standing overtop of what was once Hitler’s bunker. It is unmarked to discourage neo-Nazi’s from turning it into a shrine. From there, we walked by the Bundestag, or the German Parliament building. The Bundestag reminded me of a giant glass beehive. The guide told us the clear glass building represented the transparency of the German government. The guide then took us to Brandenburg Gate, the only surviving historical gate which came to symbolize Berlin’s Cold War division into East and West. The sun peaking through the Brandenburg Gate made for an amazing photo op. The final stops were at World War II memorials. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe did not impress me at all. It looked like a cold concrete hilly cemetery. The stones were of varying sizes and heights. I expected to see some type of remorseful monument. The final stop was the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism. This monument was even less impressive. The gray granite rectangular monument was in the middle of a dirt field in a desolate park. If you peer inside the one opening in the granite, you can see a looping video of what life was like for LGBT people in Berlin prior to the rise of Hitler.

Back in November 1998, I also visited Germany. My friend George invited me to go to Europe with him and his parents. After a few days in Zurich, we crossed into Germany by way of Bregenz Austria. I had the opportunity to drive on the Autobahn, the German superhighway without speed limits. I recall driving close to 90 mph and cars were whizzing by me. We arrived in Munich, unpacked and called it a night. We woke the next morning to the sun shining, freezing cold temperatures and a couple of inches of snow on the ground. We toured around the city. Unlike Berlin, Munich is a modern cosmopolitan city. Munich is the capital and largest city in Bavaria. There are brilliant skyscrapers and bustling squares. Since Munich was part of West Germany (not under Soviet occupation) and given that much of Munich was flattened during World War II, downtown Munich is new and vibrant. My favorite experience in Munich was meeting up with Brian Byrnes, my best friend’s brother, who lived in Munich with his family. We met for lunch and afternoon beers during our sightseeing adventure. He also gave us tips of what to see in the city. However, the afternoon beers clouded my memory of where we actually went. And back in the day, I didn’t know how to find guided city tours.

As we left Munich for Dachau the following morning, we passed a massive pile of broken concrete. Similar to other German cities, piles of rubble were left to remind the German people of the atrocities committed during World War II. As we approached Dachau, I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to see. We entered enormous iron gates. On the door, it read “Arbeit Macht Frei” which translates to English as “Work Will Set You Free”. We parked and walked toward one of the barracks. Walking into the quarters was surreal knowing many of the occupants never made it out of the gates of the camp. There was an unusual odor in the barracks which is hard to describe. I imagined it was the smell of death and decomposing bodies that has lingered for many years. We walked over to the museum next. The museum had videos and stories about those who were imprisoned in Dachau. The prisoners at the camp lived in constant fear of brutal treatment at the hands of the Nazis. Prisoners at Dachau were often subjected to extreme experiments and surgeries which often resulted in death. Some prisoners were unwillingly subjected to sexual reassignment surgeries. Others were inhumanely killed. For example, the Nazi’s wanted to know how long a Luftwaffe pilot could last in the cold waters of the North Sea. So in Dachau, prisoners were placed in freezing water chambers to see how long they would survive. My friend George decided to go to the far side of the camp and see the ovens used to cremate people. I was emotionally spent and couldn’t accompany him. Going to Dachau was a life-changing experience. It left an indelible mark on my heart.

I have a personal story attached to Germany. I’ll preface the story by saying the numbers 8, 18, and 26 run consistently throughout my life. My experience with Germans and Germany is complicated. My mom’s father was half German, which means I’m 1/8 German. My ancestors came from the Baden-Baden, a spa town in southwest Germany. I’m somewhat ashamed of my slight German ancestry because of World War II. Meanwhile, my dad’s brother Stephen, who I was named after, was killed by the Nazi’s in St. Lo France during the Battle of the Hedgerows. My Uncle was 26 years old when he was killed; 18 years later to the day, I was born (July 8, 1962). My mom’s birthday was 8/18/26. My Uncle Stephen’s birthday was 2/6/18. And my dad’s birthday is 7/26/28. I have countless numerical examples. Aaron’s birth last name Hernandez contains the 8^th, 18^th and 26^th letters of the alphabet. Joe’s birthday is also the 2/26. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, my connection with Germany is complicated.