There's Joy in Mudville - Volksmarches / Volksmärsche in Germany

The one-year anniversary of my move to Germany is next month, and I still have much to learn, much to do, and much to see before I feel I truly experienced Germany.

I am fortunate to live in this country, able to take in the complexities of the region and see its patterns and idiosyncrasies emerge over time. I don't need to worry about jet lag, car rentals, luggage, or accommodations. Yet even after a year in country, I encounter barriers. I struggle daily with my German language skills. Communication with my German landlady is accomplished mostly through miming, augmented by my elementary knowledge of German.

As I reflect upon my year in country, I am prompted to ask what constitutes the meeting point between tourism and everyday life. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for European travelers to pack those efforts into a few short weeks. The free state of Bavaria alone possesses over four distinct areas, each with unique cultural traditions and regional pride. The high profile presence of so many McDonald's, Burger Kings, and Wal-Marts near wondrous historic sites further adds to the puzzle. So many guidebooks and travel writers wax eloquent about the pleasures of mixing with local culture and customs, but achieving these experiences as traveler can be difficult. It's easy to say, "do it," much harder to explain "how to do it."

If I could recommend anything to travelers to Germany this summer, I advise you to jump in and get your feet wet. There's no "best" way to find your way into the local culture, it's more important to just give it a try. I speak from experience, though I came out muddy in the end.

One of my favorite weekend activities is participating in Volksmarches. For the uninitiated, Volksmarches are multi-day walking events sponsored by particular towns or walking clubs that offer participants the chance to wander a course ranging anywhere from 5-20 kilometers. As you wander across fields, forests, and neighborhoods, there are rest stops for beverages, food, and conversation. Each Volksmarch offers a finishing prize, sometimes beer mugs, vases, or ceramics. Earlier this month, I joined some friends for a Volksmarch in Marktbreit, a village 10 kilometers down the road from where I live. Though it had rained for a week, we embarked on our 10-kilometer walk in pleasant weather. Overcast skies loomed, but no more than is typical in May. Most of our journey followed marked pedestrian paths and gravel roads, but soon enough we found ourselves on gooey, mucky roads carved by local farm equipment. While we could avoid the deep puddles, bypassing the mud was not an option. The bottoms of my trousers were six inches deep in mud, and never mind my shoes. I tried not to think about the other substances mixed in the mud (just think organic farming). All of us on the trails, locals and visitors alike, could do little more than laugh, even the family attempting to roll along a baby stroller caked in mud.

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