A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, social critic and the 1929 Nobel Prize laureate in literature. He studied at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. And that is also my main purpose for taking an exchange semester in the capital of Bavaria: to study at a university which is the alma mater of 34 Nobel laureates and whose history goes all the way back to 1472. More than anything I am humbled. And naturally, forever grateful that the Norwegian welfare state enables students like myself to travel abroad during their studies, gaining new academic and cultural perspectives. (I am sure Lånekassen won't forget it, either.)
Indeed, writing is difficult, especially when you are trying to juggle between three different languages. This first entry will be in English. As an appetizer, I'll start off by giving a cross-section of Munich's history and appearance.
The city of Munich’s most prominent feature is perhaps its architecture, which tells a story of much wealth. Great buildings of stone, lavishly ornamented with spires and stucco, reveal an evolution of architectonic eras – from the Gothicism, the Renaissance, the Baroque via Neoclassicism to Jugendstil. The history of the city began in 1158 when Henrik der Löwe, Duke of Bavaria, had a bridge built over the river Isar, around which a vast city would develop over the next centuries. From 1240 until 1918 the Wittelsbach dynasty ruled Munich and should take credit for its present beauty. For almost a millennium it has been a centre for commerce, trade and culture in Germany and Europe. The Wittelsbach regents spent gross amounts of money on building a city that would glimmer and leave visitors in awe. Furthermore, Bavarians are renowned brewers and beer brands with a tradition going far back are still tremendously popular, nationally and abroad. In particular the Weißbier – light, aromatic beer with a basis of malted wheat – is a hallmark of Bavarian brewing. It may be enjoyed to every meal without guilt feeling; after all, you are merely tasting a glass of the fine local craftsmanship. A curiosity, I learned that all German beer is subjected to the Reinheitsgebot (purity law) stating that only THREE ingredients are allowed. Choose them wisely… (“ehm, I want a bit of sugar, maybe some extract of orange, a twist of cinnamon, then also … whoa, I can’t add more?”)
Another typical feature are broad avenues covered with bridge stone, making the network of streets open and easily navigable. As I am writing, early March, the innumerable trees and hedges are still brown and leafless from the winter but in a month’s time they will burst into leaf, colouring the city with green. Overall the infrastructure of Munich is intelligent and clean, with many straight mainlines of traffic and an elaborate system of tunnels for the metro. In Munich there are two types of underground trains, the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. These carry citizens within the different boroughs of the city and out to the suburbs, respectively. (I'll probably elaborate on this in a later entry.) Unlike Chinese metro systems you don’t have to be a nuclear physicist to figure them out; after a week you are transporting to every corner of Munich without difficulties.
The ultimate spot for gaining that panorama overview of the city – equivalent to the Montmartre height in Paris, the cupola of St. Peter’s Dome in Rome and the Eye in London – is the belfry of Peterskirche, a 13th century church towering in the middle of Marienplatz, Munich unofficial midpoint. The bird-view photographies of Alte Rathaus known from tourist guides are undoubtedly taken from that place.
But Munich isn’t all about former wealth; it is still an important industrial and economic centre for Germany, and its companies provide a vital source of income for the country. Companies like Bayerische Motoren Werke (known to most as the car make BMW), Siemens, Audi, Bosch and Grundig have their origins and head offices in Bavaria, and they employ thousands of the inhabitants from southernmost German Bundesland. The charming thing is, you can almost see the pride on their faces. They know they represent the engine of the economy, the oil of the industrial machinery. Success is not an unfamiliar word to these people. And best of all, they play classical music on the metro stations over the loudspeakers. (I’m eagerly waiting for Grieg.)
And this is my home for the next 6 months. I want to be moulded by this society, let myself be “germanized” – even if it entails growing a moustache or acquiring Lederhosen. I really want to peel off my Norwegian introversion, inherent from childhood. An important experience from living abroad is the adaption to a new culture with its customs, norms and language. If I have to address the lady in the bakery with “haben Sie” then so be it. There is a lot to gain from letting yourself absorb into the host country and its customs. Nothing is more humbling than to behold the mammoth successes of another people, one that earlier was just a dot on the map and a word in the encyclopedia.
I came to talk with a young German guy from Baden-Württemberg and started to enquire in what ways Bavarians differ from their compatriots. They are traditionalists, he said, for example by wearing their custom clothing when going out on Sundays. I’ve already mentioned the brewing traditions. Furthermore they are meticulous and precise, which is evident in the manifold technology industries. Perhaps the idea of Germans as a “machinery people” originates in Bavaria? And the dialect, of course, is nearly incomprehensible even for native speakers of the language. (“Bitte zurück bleiben!” on the U-Bahn sound like /bitte tsooorukk blæibn.) I’ve already given up overhearing colloquial conversation between the locals.
Valuable lessons after one week in Munich:
- The green man of the traffic light doesn’t change to red by flashing for some seconds. He just abruptly turns red, completely without warning. So watch your steps! (The safest thing, I choose to believe, is not crossing the road at all.)
- At restaurants and pubs, tip is always included in the final bill. Fair enough. In an economic perspective, however, it has great interest since it helps to explain why the waiters and waitresses are so indifferent in the way the serve. The idea of incentives and how individuals respond to them is pivotal in Behavioural Economics. In this case, the waiters/-resses completely lack incentives (read: opportunities of economic gain) to yield extra service. Their algorithm is simple: take the order, serve the food, pick up the payment. You rarely see a smile in between those three. When that is said, I have never experienced quicker and more efficient food serving anywhere in the world; at the best, it took 8 minutes before my order was given until the dinner was before me at the table. “Ordnung müss sein!” And by all means, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is impeccable – I wouldn’t trade that for the fraudulently smiling Swedish waitresses of Oslo. Never.
- Many vendors, especially bakeries (they are on every corner!) and smaller shops, don’t accept plastic cards for payment. They want cash, either out of nostalgia, fear of skimming, naïve reliance in bills and coins (in reference to Deutsche Mark in the wake of WW1; we all know what inflation can do to an economy…), practical or financial issues in obtaining a credit/debit card terminal or simply to celebrate the authentic mercenary spirit: cash in hand, no unknown intermediary in some bank.
- Munich is ideal for biking, if one is so inclined. Bicycle tracks run parallel to the roads almost everywhere and naturally, bikers expect to have free passage; more than once I’ve had to leap away from grannies on two wheels speeding in 30 km/h. I should really buy a second-hand bike soon. If you can’t beat them, join them! (It would also elegantly solve the traffic light issue.)
The next entry will appear in a week's time, hopefully with more photographies and new exciting stories and facts. Until then, grüß Gott!
Vemund
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