Home Is Where The Heart Is

We as humans take so much for granted. I hate to start this out negatively, but I do not mean it negatively; I mean it nostalgically. I grew up in the beautiful country of Germany. My dad was in the Army for longer than I have been alive, and that is where he met the love of his life. Luckily, my dad was in a position where he could choose his work assignment, and I got to spend most of my childhood over there, and one year in New Jersey and two other years in the lovely country of Italy. I have been in the United States for sixteen years now, from Washington State, Idaho, California and now Illinois but Germany seems like yesterday and nothing compares.

I often find myself thinking of home, especially when I am down or in an unhappy state. I cannot say I am a city nor a country gal because I have lived in both, I have been all over the place, and Germany is different in all its parts, and it has shaped me into a big part of who I am today. However, even in the city, even in the down run spots, Germany has this charm and this inviting hometown feel, regardless of the town's size. I remember lush forests and tight city streets called the “Fußgängerzone,” or pedestrian zone. In this area, only pedestrians are generally allowed to walk around downtown and not worry about cars. I remember castles lit up at night, especially in Heidelberg or ruins on the side of the hills driving on the freeway.

My entire youth was terrific, which my adult life is as well but being a kid. It is just a different feeling. You know what I am talking about. This was also before social media and cell phones, so there was more time to explore and take in your surroundings. Isn't it a quite different and unique feeling of looking at an old polaroid picture? I cannot believe I just called polaroid pictures old, but times have changed. Sometimes I wish I could get into a time machine and go back to being a kid, somewhere in Germany, hanging around at a playground or on the street before things got too crazy. I mentioned taking it for granted earlier because I have not been back in such a long time, and I need to soon, especially since my grandma is getting incredibly old and grandpa has already passed. The town I grew up in, Pirmasens, is now turning into what is known as a ghost town, and it just breaks my heart. However, it once was a flourishing shoe factory town, and it still in such a beautiful location, surrounded by green and thick forests and waterfalls and holds many areas where there are still structures and tanks from war. You can see the bullet holes in the rocks from WW2 in the woods. It is all just so fascinating. I am not saying there are not beautiful places in America, but it is hard comparing two things that are entirely different. Everything holds beauty in its unique way.

Imagine going to an old castle and seeing faces in stone, representing all the kings who have once ruled, or witnessing a king's blanket made entirely of solid gold. Walking the halls where kings and knights once walked is a relaxed feeling. Once my dad had a work dinner we went to, and it was in a room up in a tower with a long wooden table. We sat at this table and ate games and a plethora of traditionally German side dishes. Imagine being there as a kid. The funny thing is, at that young age I did not want to go, and I complained because I was bored, but now I would go there and enjoy every moment of it, and you best believe it! Once, driving down to Italy to visit some friends from when we lived there, we drove through a tunnel underneath the Alps. The freaking Alps! I did not realize how amazingly cool all this way until I was older. I went skiing up there as well with my grandparents when I was a young teenager. What about the black forest? You only think of the back forest when you read stories by the Brothers Grimm or see a movie about Germany and a witch living deep in the woods, but Germany is much more than witches in candy houses and what we call Lederhosen. It is a country of beautiful fields, forests, towns, and culture and does not forget the incredible food.