Coffee Letter #032: Germany
I’m in Italy, so why not talk about what I did in Germany last month?
I don't usually talk about my trips to Germany because it's usually a family vacation hence my main activities are watching films and cooking together, plus going to supermarkets and filling my basket with Haribo gummies (they do taste better in Germany). So it's not the usual travel journal.
My main frustration whenever I find myself in Deutschland is that I don't really speak German (like at all) and the Germans don't really want to speak anything else but German (not that they should, I think it's always the traveller's responsibility to make an effort and learn basic words). But communication is hard - made probably harder because I rely on my cousins too much to speak for me when we go out. I don't know what it is about German, but other than bildungsroman words just don't stay in my head.
But I like Germany — especially their roads. Best roads for reading. Since last month I was focused on reading the International Booker Prize shortlist, a lot of that reading was done in the car and I never had such uninterrupted reading time on four-wheel vehicle since maybe forever. Their trains are pretty good too, but I love most trains so I guess that’s not really saying much. We took the train from the little town my family resides in to Ulm, the city we usually go to when I visit them.
Whenever we are in Ulm we go for walks near the Danube river or spend our time in Münsterplatz; in the winter for the Christmas Fair (Germany has the best mulled wine), in the warmer months sitting in the shade, people-watching and marveling at the gothic church from the middle of the square, Ulmer Münster — to this day the tallest church in the world, I reckon. Tidbit of knowledge about Ulm: it’s the birthplace of Albert Einstein. I think there is memorial house but I never visited it. Nor any museum — maybe I should do more touristy things when I’m in Ulm.
This time around we also went to München and spent half the day in Marienplatz. We visited the New Town Hall, a neo-gothic style building, which was open to the public for whatever reason — unfortunately we missed the clock chimes (it plays daily at 11 and 12 o’clock), but we did witness some town hall meetings. We also visited Frauenkirche, another gothic church — this one has the biggest hall church in the world, and some legends about the devil and his footprint.
We celebrated my aunt’s birthday with a trip to Flower Island (Mainau), an actual island in Lake Constance (Bodensee) — the whole island is a garden! It was absolutely beautiful and I really recommend you see it if you find yourself in the area. My aunt’s birthday is May 1st and we weren’t the only ones who decided to spend International Workers' Day on the Flower Island — it was quite crowded, but there’s plenty of spaces for picnics and chill areas. We spent the whole day there and had some sandwiches and snacks packed, but there is at least a restaurant and a cafe too.
Other fun things enjoyed in Germany this trip: the Turkish tea from Antikya Döner (in Senden), shopping at Mix Markt — a supermarket with Eastern European products, where I discovered dry fish snacks, and, as always, the bretzel with butter from any bäckerei. But the coffee is bad — not sure if Berlin has a coffee culture, but we plan to do a touristy family trip in Berlin next year.
~ read(ing)
Since I’m writing this mid-week, I have yet to finish any books. But even if I were to update it on Sunday, I’m in Rome and the chances of finishing any books this week are pretty small, so let’s do a catch-up on what I’m actively reading:
Human Acts by Han Kang is the book for our tiny book club this month. I just started it and it’s not an easy read, but I like how Han Kang writes. It’s a historical fiction novels based on a real event that took place in the author’s hometown.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. I started this classic in February but life got busy with book clubs and the International Booker Prize shortlist. Since I’ll be buddy-reading Ulysses with a lot of lovely women this summer, it’s about time I finish A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man before I start another James Joyce novel. A Portrait follows Stephen Dedalus as he grows up and becomes his own person. I think I am a fan of Joyce and I have yet to finish this book. There’s so much in it. Apparently this is his most accessible book, so maybe I won’t feel the same when I start Ulysses.
~ watch
Offline Love (2025-, reality TV). It’s no secret that I and my husband love to watch Asian reality TV, especially dating shows and we just discovered (and devoured) Offline Love, a Japanese dating show where a group of men and women spend 10 days in Nice, France, without their phones. The only way they can communicate is by letters or by finding each other randomly in Nice.
I don’t know if these shows are scripted, but even if they are then they are doing a bloody amazing job because it feels really genuine. I also liked that this one is also a travel show in a way — because now I want to visit Nice and do a lot of the things they did. Available on Netflix.
I finally finished Supernatural (2005-2020, TV series). To be honest I had only two episodes left and I avoided watching them because I did not want the series to end. As much as I love the characters, I admit that the series was maybe a bit too long and the writing was shaky towards the end. Still a fun ride though. Available on HBO Max.
~ and other things I did last week
No extra reading was done this week — or not in time to include it in the letter. Sorry, I’m busy drinking delicious Italian espressos and eating gelato for dessert, lunch and dinner.
But if you want some more travel posts, better written and more about travelling and touristy things, I recommend you Olga’s posts on Florence, Bologna and Vienna.
Thank you for reading!