Upon departing our Munich hotel, which was very, very nice, we headed to Andechs Monastary. Having read two lines about it in the guidebook, which said it was home to the best beer in Germany and a nice church, we drove there, planning on arriving around eleven o’clock in the morning. As we passed through small towns and tiny hamlets in the countryside, I figured that the experience would be similar to visiting Westvleteren and Chimay in Belgium. Not much in the surrounding area, abbey or monastery, and a dining room which was on the largish side and a nice patio with a handful of waitresses and a few great beers.
Boy, was I in for a surprise. Let me add here, that the Germans tend towards big appetites, from all that I gather, at least in food, beer, women and good times, if not in everything. We pulled into a parking lot which had about ten tour busses and a hundred or so cars (mind you, it is eleven o’clock in the morning). We headed up the hill towards Andechs with about twenty other people, all of whom were at least thirty-five years older than me. Once we got to the top, we found our way into a giant Biergarten which was almost full of people.
Hundreds of Germans, from grandpas and grandmas down to babies and their families and friends were packed into a glassed in Biergarten which had great views of the towns below and a traditional German band with about fourteen members playing a variety of instruments, many of which I didn’t recognize. There were a few lines of people stocking up on giant pieces of pork, massive pretzels, sausages, spreads, and other things from the hot and cold meat counters. There was also a bar where you could by a variety of their beers. Sadly, I was driving, so I contented myself with Radler (beer and lemonade) and joined my mom to eat our brunch.
The overwhelming feeling of this experience to me was, at first, how much it reminded me of Disneyland. Everyone was happy, actually, many appeared to be having the time of their lives. And it was just a nice Sunday spent with friends and family, enjoying good food and drink. And really, what occurred to me clearly, was the fact that many things across Europe have strongly reminded me of Disneyland, and I finally understood why.
I don’t feel like I have an overtly identifiable culture, and often the endearing things which I see which are hallmark characteristics of Disneyland are actually cultural identities that other people across the world embrace. I’m not trying to be trite, and most everyone knows that Disneyland is a large part of my experience from childhood (could it be called culture?), and that I like things which are kitschy (hence the earlier Madonna Inn vs. Palace of Versailles comparison). I can understand why Walt Disney wanted to gather all of the things together which he did (and I’m not talking about earning money).
It is a fascinating place, this world.
While much is made in the guidebooks of tourists and the shows that are put on for them, and them alone, and how no one really does (fill in the blank here with whatever show, spectacle or thing you can think of, and in Germany it is often wearing lederhosen and listening to oompah music) anymore, I can tell you that in Germany there are hundreds of happy Germans listening to oompah music and having a fantastic time in a culturally specific way. And I am so thankful that I managed to take part in what is probably a weekly event for most of the people I met.