munich

The prelude to this trip was a quick layover in Frankfurt in August when we were on our way back from a family trip to India. A canceled flight allowed us to spend an evening in the German city. It gave me my first taste of mainland Europe and the itch to explore the rest immediately.

So when my friend Katarina asked me if I wanted to join her and her twin brother, Philip, backpacking in Europe, I already had some euros and a sim card left over to make the decision easier than it was.

We met up in Munich, Germany during the city’s infamous Oktoberfest. Aside from our outrageously overpriced hostels, evidence of the festival can be seen in the groups decked in traditional dirndl dresses and lederhosen shorts, heart-shaped gingerbread cookies called Lebkuchherzen hanging from every stall, and the occasional whiff of alcohol in a crowded metro.

The most memorable moment I experienced in Munich took place in Marienplatz, the central city square. We were just passing by on our way to Asam Church but felt compelled to stay even though we’d seen it the day before. There, surrounded by the grandest architecture, three things were going on at once:

• a living art display,

• some televised political forum,

• and a woman holding a sign that said “Bullshit” with an arrow pointing at the forum.

Absolutely intrigued, we asked around and did some Google searches using the little context we had. The forum was between a few prominent members of two far-right political parties: AfD (Alternative for Germany) and dieBasis (Grassroots Democracy Party). The former is largely known for its EU-skepticism and anti-immigration platform. The latter is far less legitimate, with no seats in parliament. Its ideology is difficult to even place on the political spectrum, born out of Germany’s anti-lockdown protests and anti-vaccination campaigners.

We couldn’t catch exactly what it was that these politicians were discussing, but the woman’s sign provided at least one interpretation of the content.

As far as I could tell, the art display was entirely unassociated with what was going on behind it, but the juxtaposition was striking. The artist’s caption read, “Peace is not a matter of a nation, society or religion. Peace is a matter of people like you and me.”

more photos!

Next stop: Vienna! If you have any tips or recommendations, I’d love to hear them. Feel free to reply to this email.

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