Appreciations From Two Months in Bavaria

Photo courtesy of Steffen Eirich.

Greetings from ‘The Lull’!

Over my six pro seasons I’ve learned that this is typically the time of year where I begin most often to feel the daily grind of what it means to be living on my own in a foreign country. Doing a highly physical job day after day, sometimes without a free day for two to three weeks takes its toll psychologically. Around late October, when the shiny object of a new season’s beginning loses its luster, my mind tends to go to a lot of different places. Add to this a little bit of sleep deprivation and lots of long travel hours driving all over the country, and some of those thoughts unfortunately become of the darker ilk. When it seems like I haven’t hugged a loved one in years, it gets harder to get out of the ruts I find myself in some days.

But this entry will not be a sob story about how difficult life is for me as a professional volleyball player. Having now lived on the other, ‘greener’ side of both verdantly green pastures (living at home in California and playing beach volleyball isn’t so bad), I know how good I’ve got it with whatever I’m calling my “job”. This entry is going to be about everything I’ve learned and come to appreciate about Herrsching, Bavaria, Münchners, and Germany in general. So much has fascinated me about where I’m living and I’d be completely remiss not to point out all of the uniqueness and novelty I’ve experienced after almost two months living here.

Herrsching - clean as a whistle and cool as a cucumber.

Everything is clean, organized, and just makes sense.

I first noticed this phenomenon in my travels up into the Alps during my first year overseas, six years ago. Though I didn’t make it all the way to Munich that Fall, I was able to see nearby Innsbruck and Salzburg, two similarly constructed and very old municipalities. The cleanliness of the buildings, peace and quiet during the night and early morning, and well-paved roads are enough to make a Californian ogle. The train can take you pretty much anywhere for much cheaper than the price of gas. This is a really simple concept which takes a little investment but the payoff for a sprawling city is exponential. As someone who appreciates civil engineering and making societies run smoother - something the city of Los Angeles could learn to prioritize a little more - Bavaria is full of cities and towns that take organization and cleanliness seriously.

There are more cigarette smokers than I expected.

Some things are less appreciated, and the smoking culture is one of them. It’s hard to believe that an area as educated and bent on cleanliness could also be home to so many people smoking at least a pack a day. It’s hard to avoid when you walk outside any public space the waft of cigarettes awaiting you. Much like Italy, some of the kindest, most thoughtful people I have met here and there also happen to be smoking their lives away. I wish it didn’t bother me as much as it does, but everyone has their thing, I guess?

It’s green, very green.

I did not envision how bucolically green Bavaria would be, even leading up into the early winter season. I was expecting mountains and hills of snow and ice, but was totally unprepared to be smacked across the face with beauty in fields of alfalfa and dark forests lining the roadways. Coming from California, which is notably becoming a brown and desolate desert before our very eyes, it makes sense that something as ordinary as lots of greenery would catch my eye. Still, as we make our way into the time of year where everything gets darker and drabber, Bavaria keeps showing off its natural emerald beauty.

The people are friendly, but you’d better join in the customs to earn that

I’ve found Germans to be one of the most agreeable and kind groups of people I’ve ever been around. Even more so for south Germans, or Bavarians, where all the makings should be there for a bit of old-fashioned snobbery. Instead, people are friendly to strangers, especially if you give your best effort at the language, but even more so when you take part in their customs. Not a midday beer drinker? Never been a fan of loud, party-anthem type music? Feel a little put off by strange rules, regulations, and limitations? Putting those discomforts aside and embracing the lifestyle can get you a long way with a lot of people.

Plenty of beer, bread, and brats to go around at Oktoberfest.

Breads, Brats, Beer

Beer is a way of life. 24-bottle cases of Paulaner or other local, ancient Bavarian beers can be easily found in the back of nearly every car. I’ve heard it said that two beers is called a meal in Germany. Two things you can find on nearly every corner along with beers are breads - Brezeln (soft pretzels), pastries, crisps, etc. - and sausages - Bratwurst, Wieners, Weisswurst, and more. The three B’s of Bavaria are clear. Everybody knows where to get the best of all three and everyone subsists on the three, more than anything else I’ve seen thus far.

House music is everywhere, and that goes for all of Germany

If I’d come here to party at all hours of the day during every day of the week, I’d have the soundtrack to do it. The music of choice hits right at home for 15-year-old James. Lots of house music with thumping, neverending baselines can be found on the average German’s playlist. One of the best examples of their unfaltering love for EDM came on our latest van ride to Berlin, a seven hour affair. We departed Herrsching at 8:30am and were bumping the latest rave hits the entire way on the car stereo. Thank goodness for my noise canceling Airpods.

Germans love volleyball

Most of all, like any fun-loving population, Germans like a show. This is a big sports-loving country, playing host to some of the best soccer and basketball clubs that Europe has to offer. The support for other, more fringe (at least in America) sports like handball and volleyball is also evident. When it’s clear that the athletes are working hard to perform their best in front of the crowd that has gathered to enjoy an evening out - especially if that crowd is mostly two or three beers deep - the support borders on electric. Some of the most energetic crowds I’ve been fortunate enough to play in front of have been playing so far here, in Munich and in northern Germany.

My biggest takeaway

I love playing here. I’m finding it easy to go out and be amongst the people and find my niche in the culture, a bit more so than in previous countries I’ve lived and played in. I’m really looking forward to sharing it with Molly and with my family when they come to visit, because I know that anyone who visits here for an extended period of time will come to appreciate these things, too. The quirks and the slight discomforts are what make a culture a culture, and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to add “lived in Bavaria” to the list of cool and unique things done in my young lifetime. Here’s to more exciting times ahead in Herrsching.

Auf wiedersehen!