back to the fatherland part 2

as all of you know, (or should know) i lived in garmisch, germany for nearly three years after i graduated from uni..host of the 1936 winter olympics, garmisch is also part of the munich candidacy for the 2018 winter olympics..town residents have mixed feelings about possibly hosting the ski events of the 2018 olympics..my last visit in 2007 was only 2 nights, not nearly long enough..this time, i was grateful for more days..i took the train from the munich airport, arriving on a BEAUTIFUL clear night..the moon was bright, the snow on the surrounding mountains was glowing..nights like those make me wonder why i ever left..garmisch is an incredibly beautiful town, in the middle of the alps..
my friends jamie and helmut hosted me, they are fantastic people..jamie originally moved there about a month after i first moved there, helmut is originally from garmisch..i was thrilled to be able to spend some time with both of them, they're amazing..before arriving in garmisch i had hoped to do a couple hikes, but after seeing the snow on the mountains, i knew that wouldn't be happening..darnit..
i got to see my cousin bryn a couple times, he works there now..he even has one of the same bosses i did when i worked there! go figure that i end up seeing so many family members while not in the states!..i got to see friends like ron and rhue, who have lives so very different from when i lived there..their lives may be different, but they're clearly so happy, yay!! i got to see my friend bo, who has recently received his italian citizenship, something he's been working toward for years and years..he's a cook, totally awesome..i got to see jill, who recently left afrc, YAHOOOOOO!!!! the company never treated her nearly as well as they should have...not long after she left, her old boss started trying to make nice, as he realized how awesome she is..go figure..
i happened to be in germany during krumpus, my absolutely favorite fest..it takes place in berchtesgaden, 5 + 6 december each year..berchtesgaden is probably best known as being the home of the eagle's nest, hitler's safety spot in bayern..another gorgeous mountain town..the basic premise of the fest is that the krumpus are monsters who come out of the mountains to make the evil leave you..young men (ages 16-28, unmarried) from berchtesgaden dress up at monsters or haystacks with ginormous cowbells on their backs..they move around the town in packs the nights of krumpus..they carry whips, and when the mood strikes them, whip the evil out of anyone near..this isn't a well known fest, but anyone who has ever been has loved it..it's not even well known in germany, mostly only in bayern..
i went to the fest with jenn and donna and yvonne...i know jenn and donna from when i lived in garmisch previously, my recent trip through asia was with donna's sister layna..yvonne was a new friend, but we got along just fine..jenn and yvonne and donna (i think?) are training for the rome marathon, i'm excited for them..when we first arrived in berchtesgaden, we weren't able to get to our hotel because the krumpus parade was winding it's way through the town..howeva, a few minutes later the parade was over, and we were able to check in..while we were out walking through town after getting dinner we ran into other folks who live in garmisch, and i was identified as "bryn's cousin"..shouldn't he be my cousin? hee hee..back in the hotel we bundled up (it was COLD that night) and made our way out again..this year's fest wasn't as fun as in the past, but i still loved it..the packs of krumpus came through the town with their whips, we tried to avoid being whipped..those whips sting!!the girls were drinking gluhwein, i wish i had been able to join in..there were gluhwein stands in several places, they sold sausages and other stuff as well..that stuff sounds really good when you're freezing, even if you're not hungry..jenn and donna brought wine out with them, so they wouldn't have to spend so much during the evening..(this is a german fest, OF COURSE there is drinking involved:)..yvonne and i ended up calling it a night earlier than jenn and donna, and made our way back to the hotel..i know i was so sound asleep when jenn and donna came back that i was completely unaware when they came home..(yeah yeah yeah, i know that's nothing out of the norm)..the next morning we got up and got our fill of the breakfast that was included with our room..needless to say, we (at least me) ate too much, but isn't that the fun of a breakfast buffet? a fast drive, and we were back in garmisch...
my last night in town, i went to dinner with helmut and jamie at their every other monday stammtisch (sp?)..a local restaurant, totally bayerisch..jill, bo, and bo's flatmates cj and cj's wife..cj is originally from calgary, his accent totally reminds me of another calgary friend..eerie how identical they sound..anywho..
the next day i had lunch with cousin bryn and cousin tyra..tyra was making her way back to the states from a semester studying in athens..her way back to the states was as complicated as my way back to my hometown each time i return..not too long after lunch i hopped on the train and made my way back to the munich airport, saying goodbye to one of my favourite places on the planet..