Singh Gorvinda one of the injured.
Image from Spiegel online.
Browsing our news tab yesterday, I came across a chilling article about Indian tourists who had been attacked in Saxony, Germany. A group of desis who had been invited to a festival were literally hunted by about 50 people, who chased them into a pizzeria, where the hapless tourists tried to barricade the doors with tables. The police had to show up and stop the attack.
That could have very well been me. Towards the end of last year, I was fortunate enough to cross across the pond to take European delivery of a car. I picked up a few German words from the travel books that I had managed to procure before my trip and I had it all planned out. Four days in Munich, Germany, two days in Modena, Italy, and perhaps a few towns in Austria on my way back. A week before my trip, Germany passed a law making summer tires illegal if it snowed. Obviously, Murthy’s law kicked in and it snowed, so my sport tires were deemed almost useless. I realized that I was much safer on the more widely used A-Bahns and decided to avoid the Alps.
The trip was a combination of amazing and mediocre experiences.
Logically, the amazing experiences are the ones I always talk about: driving on the unrestricted stretches of the A-Bahn, the Mercedes Benz Museum, snow-covered peaks on the Swiss border, fairytale-like castles and finally, an eye-opening visit to a Holocaust memorial site.
Thankfully, the Mediocre experiences were few. They were not enough to outweigh my joy, but they did exist.
Munich (and for that matter Germany) is a divided city, like every other popular destination. There are the tourist spots, bustling with people from other countries and then there is the real Munich, the Munich reserved for the locals and in my opinion, there is a palpable difference.
This was apparent from the moment I arrived at the airport, after my baggage had taken a detour. The Lufthansa lady was helpful, but curt and similarly, every time I interacted with a local during my 10 day trip, I felt uneasy. Fueling my new car, asking for directions, even while ordering food, I sensed it over and over again. Beer mixed with Sprite did not help the cause. All I wanted was a side order of smile with my service, but I guess you have to pay extra for that. Just like I coughed up a couple of Euros every time I got water.
Language was a big barrier when you left the touristy parts of the city. If you strayed a couple of blocks, you were on your own. Being a vegetarian and having access to a car, I had to do just that, to trek to other parts of the city in search of better Indian food. These parts are normally not invaded by visitors and the streets reminded me of low-income neighborhoods. On top of all that, the Zoll tag on my shiny new car did not help me blend in.
After a few days I could pick out my fellow Americans as well as the more liberal and educated types, no matter where they were from. They smiled, spotted the Zoll tag, asked me where I was from and even helped me in figuring out if I was pumping Gas or Diesel into my car. Contrast that with the locals; they spoke only German, didn’t smile and just got on with their business. Every time I crossed a village or a town, I tried my best not to stop. I felt safer, happier and calmer “in the wild”. I felt more “at home” listening to Hip-hop on FM, even if it was briefly interrupted by German radio jockeys.
Mügeln is a small city, like the dozens I passed while exploring the country side. I was lucky, but as I read in this article, my fellow Indians were not. My suggestion to desis traveling in Europe: forget the infamous “Canadian flag on your backpack”-trick. Unless you are willing to drape it over you and cover your brown skin, it is not going to change a damn thing. Resist the urge to be “edgy” by avoiding the obvious path. Stick to the touristy spots and do not venture into the “real” city. Germany is very safe, safer if you don’t stray; there are amazing sights, scenes and smells, but no visitor wants to walk away with bitter memories. And do get some language lessons before you leave– it will go a long way in improving your experience.
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