3 Things We Learned From 3 Months In Bavaria, Germany
Living in Germany is much different than just traveling through. So I started a new series called Life in Germany. The aim is to show what living here is like at a day to day level. I’ve asked a number of fellow bloggers who have lived in Germany to share their ideas of what it is like to live here from their unique perspective.
The talented Sofia of As We Travel is my first guest poster in this series. Bavaria is often what foreigners think about when they ponder Germany. Sofia shares what life in Bavaria is like. The beautiful pictures are also hers. Definitely go check out all of the neat videos on her site from aruond Europe. (after reading this of course)
Last winter Nathan and I spent 1 month traveling around Germany researching for our travel blog, and 3 months living in Southern Bavaria, in a tiny village with around 3,000 people just outside of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
During our time in Bavaria we learned a lot about the people and their daily lives, and got to experience first-hand just how different Bavaria is from the rest of Germany.
Here are three things we learned during those 3 months…
1. Bavarians Love Everything Bavarian
Bavarians are proud people: they love their culture, food and traditions, and see themselves as Bavarians first and foremost, and Germans second.
We were surprised by just how strongly the locals kept to their traditions, and just how many walked around wearing traditional Lederhosen, knee-high socks and alpine hats, on a daily basis.
In one aspect, everything you’ve heard about Bavarians is true, but the rumors are missing one crucial thing: the wink.
Bavarian pride always comes with a wink in the eye.
Whenever someone was late they smiled and blamed it on their “Bavarian time”, whenever something was slightly wrong they called it “Bavarian”, and whenever you asked if they spoke English they said “Bavarian English”.
2. Enjoy The Simple Pleasures
Say what you want about Bavarians, but they sure know how to enjoy themselves, people take their time in this region, they sit back, relax, and enjoy a pint of beer at any time and any day of the week.
The cafe culture is also very strong there, and the Bavarian cakes and pastries are as important as the coffee.
But in the end it’s not about what you eat or drink, but about the time you spend just relaxing.
Bavarians are known to be hard working and ambitious people, and perhaps their secret is that between all the hard work, they take long and well earned breaks – lunch breaks can last for hours, and Sundays are still as holy as ever with no shops open for business.
3. Bavaria Without The Gimmick
Bavaria is one of the regions in Germany that attracts the most tourists, and for a very good reason: it simply fulfills that idea all foreigners have of Germany.
Often when people think of Germany and Germans, what they picture is actually Bavaria and Bavarians.
The beautiful castles, tranquil nature, hearty cuisine, waitresses carrying 10 huge pints of beer at once, the ‘Oompah music’, the Drindls and Lederhosen and the fairy tale houses – can all be found there.
But to truly experience the essence of Bavaria you need to seek out the smaller villages, Munich is entirely different from the small towns.
In these places the Bavarian traditions are far from tourist gimmicks, they are simply a way of life…
Sofia runs for As We Travel
As We Travel is a comprehensive travel site for anyone who enjoys traveling. From first-time travelers, to well-seasoned travel enthusiasts, you will find As We Travel full of the latest travel advice, clutter-free city guides, and HD travel videos from around the world.
Living in Germany - Roundup - Grounded Traveler
August 6, 2012 @ 8:01 am
[…] 3 Things We Learned From 3 Months In Bavaria, Germany Bavaria is even a unique place within Germany. Sofia tells of several things they learned while living in a village there. […]
June 23, 2012 @ 9:24 pm
Lived in Bad Aibling for 28 months. They were the friendliest people, always willing to help. They thought nothing of inviting a stranger to their home for dinner. Wish I still lived there.
June 25, 2012 @ 10:26 pm
Where are you now? Still in Germany somewhere?
June 22, 2012 @ 4:38 pm
It’s true, Bavarians are so proud to be Bavarian. When I moved to Munich and told Bavarians that I previously lived in Stuttgart, I’m usually met with sympathetic eyes and something along the lines of “that must have been awful” (it wasn’t). I love that Bavarians enjoy life and that beer garden is imbedded into the culture.
June 25, 2012 @ 10:17 pm
It is great that they are proud of their land. It can come off a bit arrogant sometimes, but thankfully that is still tempered by the Germanic culture to an extent. Though I haven’t spend that much time in Munich, maybe it isn’t?
June 17, 2012 @ 3:19 am
Sorry about your article, guess you haven’t been to Franconia yet, Bavarias Elite region
June 15, 2012 @ 12:57 am
Love it! Germans and so many European countries know how to live and enjoy themselves a hell of a lot better than many Americans! Too much work and no play in the US…
June 16, 2012 @ 11:15 am
I definitely agree on the too much work aspect of things, but I think the Americans are mainly oversold. They believe that they need to buy things to be happy and thus makes them work harder to pay for it. Germans are materialistic as well, but with really strong feelings that one should not go into debt and space limitations in their cities. You can really only buy so much if you live in an apartment. Not to mention the enormous cost to drive. Americans have this sense of no limits that helps fuel the buying spree.
June 17, 2012 @ 5:57 pm
yeah–the consumption of stuff is certainly a larger problem for Americans…
June 14, 2012 @ 5:34 pm
Looks so scenic! I think my favourite thing about Bavaria would have to be the food. Germans know how to cook up a good meal!
June 16, 2012 @ 11:13 am
German food is tasty if you are into that kind of things. A lot of the well known things are meat and potato based, which suits the average English speaker just fine.
June 13, 2012 @ 7:20 pm
I have the same issue with the French people – they are so proud to be French that they automatically discredit everything else!
June 13, 2012 @ 8:07 pm
A lot of pride ends up expressing itself like that, regardless of area or region.
June 12, 2012 @ 6:50 pm
Great post about Bavaria! You’re so right that the Bavarians take time to relax and enjoy which may be one of the reasons I love Bavaria so much. While Munich is awesome, it is those small little villages that really make Bavaria special.
June 12, 2012 @ 4:25 pm
Love this! I feel like a lot of these points could be applied to Skåne in Sweden, too. Maybe other parts of Sweden as well… you would know better than me! Thanks for the great post!
June 13, 2012 @ 8:03 pm
It is curious. I wonder how much in common villages have with each other across cultures, simply for being villages.
June 11, 2012 @ 10:59 am
Yes, all of this is true! We lived in Bavaria for 7 months, and really loved it. We would ask friends how to say something in German, and they would teach us the “Bavarian” slang for it, and then snicker. I loved the sense of pride in being from Bavaria. Also, beautiful pictures!!
June 13, 2012 @ 8:00 pm
What I find interesting is that even in Bavaria, they separate themselves. The Franken that I know from near Bamberg correct me when I talk about htem being Bavarian. No, they are Franken, and just happen to share the same state.
June 17, 2012 @ 3:22 am
Franken, Bavarias Elite region, where the real beer is brewed
June 11, 2012 @ 9:57 am
Going to a smaller town really shows you the culture. I lived for 4 months up in a mountain village of Switzerland. Very different atmosphere when I compare it to my time in Zurich. And even more different when you compare it to the top mountain tours people take to Titlis or the Jungfraujoch. Which are extremely touristy.
June 13, 2012 @ 7:59 pm
A mountain village in Switzerland sounds cool. I’ve been to Zurich a few times. I can’t imagine any village that would seem like that.