Back to the Sparks [2]

3. Germany itself!

Having spent months in Hannover in the last two years, some of the shininess of it has worn off, but I managed to find new ways to stay awake to its appeal: Arriving in the final month of spring, I witnessed a warm glow which deepened as summer set in. The reds of the Old Town reached their epiphany, complementing the burgundies, golden yellows and purples of the flowers dotting the centre.

I explored the city through its food scene, revisiting old favourites like Masa (Afghan cuisine), The Bavarium, hof:geflüster (typical German cooking) and Bar Celona (continental European), while discovering great Thai, Mexican and Indian restaurants. Sometimes I opted for cakes at Café Konrad, the apple torte at Kreipe CoffeeTime, and bubble tea at Meet U. On one occasion I tried Belgian-style chips with a cheddar cheese sauce, satiating my curiosity about the flavours of this street food. 

At the supermarket, I tried a species of peach that I’d never seen before. There was a strawberry stall one tram stop over, so I indulged in the ruby fruit a couple of times. And, finally I tried a variety of chocolates which were local to Germany, all of which were mouthwatering. 

I’ve already written about my trips to Coppenbrügge, Hameln and Cologne, but not yet about Aachen:

Aachen’s citizens were almost universally friendly to me and my family. I think it’s the friendliest German city I’ve ever been to, making it easy to enjoy. With plenty of beautiful sights to fill up three days, we took in the mosaics with geometric patterns luxuriating in the cathedral, UNESCO-recognised jewellery and sculpture, life-like paintings of natural settings in the Couvens Museum (once an upper class dwelling), and the tasty local dessert of Printen (gingerbread).

I also enjoyed the layout of the buses, seemingly designed to facilitate communication among the residents, with rows turned to face each other, and some forming a horseshoe - people could conceivably hold a mini conference here!

The city council had recognised the longevity of many of Aachen’s businesses, adorning their shopfronts with a simple, circular sign showing how many years they had been in operation. One pharmacy had been continuously open for 360 years! Every fifth or so shop was emblazoned with one of these green signs, speaking to a respect for tradition.

If you remember the plans I had for travelling around Germany (which largely fell through), Aachen wasn’t among my final list of destinations. I didn’t really know anything about it until circumstances intervened and my parents decided to bring me there, but it turned out to be a happy occasion. I can say that I have savoured one of Germany’s hidden gems!

Back to the Sparks

This year I rediscovered the joy of familiar places which had become disappointing, or threatened to become so, in my mind. 

1. The Netherlands

Having spent all of three days in the place, most of them rushing through Amsterdam, I had left with the impression that the locals were unfriendly and the architecture wasn’t my cup of tea, but upon my return to Maastricht I was given some warm words of advice for tackling the photo museum by its receptionist, as well as given tips for how to hear that night’s André Rieu concert if I didn’t plan to buy an official ticket. The low-rise architecture of this southernmost city was calming, and could even be charming. 

Our taxi driver offered that Rieu was a likeable individual, having stayed unpretentious and maintaining close ties to the community. Indeed, at the concert the orchestrator exalted his hometown, and visibly relished bringing all sorts of international talent for the audience to enjoy. 

And then there was the phenomenon of lower gender inequality than I’m used to.

We spent less than 24 hours in Maastricht, but it was enough to open up an appetite for deeper exploration in the Netherlands. I now want to visit The Hague, Utrecht and maybe Giethoorn. 

2. Portugal

With locals so receptive to travellers, I felt mostly at home. A comforting warmth nestled in my chest, and I didn’t want to leave.

I’m interested in visiting Madeira, Sintra and maybe the Algarve. I would also be happy to return to Coimbra, which I fell in love with. In this small but scenic city, a stranger noticed my mum and I on the bus, and upon disembarking at the same stop as us they helpfully suggested we buy a bus card valid for multiple rides. Instructing us on where to buy the pass and how to use it, I was aglow - it didn’t make financial sense for us to get this deal, but I was grateful for the warmheartedness of the local.

[More soon…]

Notable Moments in My 2024 Travels [2]

- I wasn’t fortunate enough to have a memorable conversation with anyone in Cologne, but three museums stood out to me, each quite different to the next: The Ludwig Museum presented me with a rich feast of thought-provoking modern art. Two cubist artworks by the Ukrainian-born Alexandra Exter made a strong impression, with their elegant, nuanced tributes to the cities of Paris and Genoa, where the artist spent a lot of time. I was excited to see that a piece by Yayoi Kusuma had been made space for, a collection of objects made from fabric of different colours, topped by her signature white dots. Finally, I will mention one of the most modern contributions in the temporary exhibition, an outdoors idyll in which a Black, heterosexual couple enjoy tending to their yard, a small, brown dog as their companion, and a building reminiscent of the White House in the background. The artist intended to situate Black people as inhabiting an American landscape with a great sense of belonging. The couple are at home, possessing a healthy relationship to both their land and the socio-political systems of their country. A state to aspire to. 

- In the Chocolate Museum, I learnt what the cocoa plant looks like in the forests native to the African nations where it is grown. I watched videos of how the plant is treated, fascinated by the sticky, white contents of the husk, and the many steps it takes to transform the raw material into a most enjoyable snack. The museum makes sure the viewer understands some harsh realities, including the frequent exploitation of children for labour in the chocolate-making process, how often the cocoa farmers don’t turn in much of a profit, and how rarely they get to taste chocolate themselves. On a less tragic scale, we were guided through the international shipping process, during which I learnt that it’s possible to contaminate the raw product if it’s placed next to certain kinds of produce - particularly those with a strong smell. There is an emphasis on ethics here, and the price of your ticket goes in part towards sustainable chocolate making processes. (It also goes toward several samples of the delicious treat, and you can purchase even more chocolate in the café next to the museum.)

- The Museum of East Asian Art inspired slow browsing and quiet contemplation. The dim lighting of the first part of the exhibition contributed to the atmosphere. There was a fantastic Japanese statue of a deity (which looked ferocious) to greet us, and beautiful art on paper scrolls nearby. I was surprised to find erotic art from China, rare as it is. From mainland porcelain to Tibetan mandalas, the Chinese section was the biggest, but I made sure I had enough attention span left for the South Korean collection towards the end. This museum made me want to extend my travels into Asia again.

- Finally, I have fond memories of lunching on a chicken schnitzel, salad and chips, while overlooking the front of the famous cathedral. From my vantage point I could notice every inch of the intricate facade. An overwhelming amount of artistic detail had been the aim, and it had succeeded because I couldn’t decide which section was the most photogenic. I experimented with lots of different framing in between those tasty bites.

Notable Moments in My 2024 Travels

- On the way from Hannover to Frankfurt I sat next to a Hamburg native with a Vietnamese background who was studying Theology at university. Influenced by Christianity, she nevertheless made a choice to be atheist. She described herself as happy to live in Hamburg, although some of her friends were perturbed enough by the seeming advance of fascism (see: the Alternative for Germany party) to be planning emigration to somewhere more welcoming. Anne (the name she encouraged me to call her) merely wanted to travel to a lot of places - not move to them. She spoke with longing for the colder climates of Norway and Scandinavia. Like many native Germans, she found the tropical climate of Vietnam too hot for comfort on her sole visit to her parents’ homeland. I encouraged her to keep optimistic about having lots of time to travel around the world - her time to explore was only just beginning. Anne took an interest in my blog, and read a few posts - on my abandoning of astrology, ‘Trans Literacy and Feminism’ and the poem ‘It’s time to look up’. I thanked her for taking the time to read my work, and she graciously replied that it was she who felt lucky to be seated next to a writer. 

- One day in Hannover I made my way over to the lakeside overlooking the New Town Hall, to find an inspiring installation of a floating globe atop the water. I admired the giant ball from numerous angles, pausing at an open stretch of parkland to take in the harmony of the day. There was partial cloud cover, but little hint of rain. The beauty of the natural landscape and man-made structure of the Town Hall took turns to glow in the sunshine, the wind providing ever-changing cloud formations, putting on a show. I was not the only witness - a tall, elderly man stood admiring the globe. We eventually noticed each other and instinctively drew in for a chat. He told me how he and his wife had made tracks all over the world when they were younger. He mentioned that his South African safari was memorable, if a little dramatic, what with being instructed not to leave the accommodation within the wilderness area for any reason during the night. It opened up my curiosity about the country, though I am not in the space to visit Africa at this time. The guy asked me about what brought me to Hannover, and where I was going next. He piped up that the people of Cologne were friendly, and those of Vienna as well, giving me encouragement that I would enjoy my upcoming trips there, and reviving my appreciation for the kindness of the natives of Hannover. 

A Fragment of Maastricht

During my last few hours in the southern Netherlandish city of Maastricht, I was tasked with acquiring coffee for the family. At first it looked like I might have to wait some time before the city woke up - a lone employee tinkering behind the glass of a bakery told me to come back in over an hour. But as I rounded on the main shopping street (or a very popular thoroughfare I’d noted the day before), to my delight, a youngish woman was going about the business of setting up her Dunkin Donuts shop for the day.

The night before had been a lavish spectacle of André Rieu’s making: mum and I found out he was conducting a concert 4 hours before it started. We enjoyed the soaring vocals as the sun set, and the performers shimmered in their formal wear. 

Back to 8:45am the next morning: the woman looked like a feminist, so I tried to dust off my impersonation of a northern European one with my order. Apparently I had missed the mark - she pointedly raised her head, demonstrating the kind of dignity and self-regard that came rushing back to some extent. Uncaffeinated and culture shocked, I watched her closely as she worked the coffee machine and wondered what uninspiring brews I’d be imbibing - this was an American fast food franchise, after all. We made a little more eye contact here and there as, one by one, five espressos made their way to me. (I had three of them right there, and it was the best coffee I’d had on this trip to Europe.) With each exchange a little bit of her mindset rubbed off on mine - by the time I collected the remaining two coffees, I felt reinvigorated. And it wasn’t just because of the flat whites. Something had been reawakened, which had been lying dormant. 

I fear I will go back to being a mere Australian feminist soon… but in the meantime that memory lingers on.

How Far I’ve Come

I received my first paycheque at the age of 19 or so, and the first thing I did was go into a bookstore and buy an astrology book. 

I have by now dismantled the emotional dependency on this belief system, which restricted the expansion of my worldview and put me in danger of reductive, black and white, and stereotypical thinking. When you organise people around 12 archetypes, there’s a lot of nuance that you neglect along the way. 

I came to a point where I joined a facebook group for Queer Atheists, and noticed a thread on astrology which recontextualised it in such a way as to make its lack of credibility impossible to ignore. I soon got onboard with defaulting to the things in life which were evidence-based, and found that my life improved.

I feel a greater sense of agency over my personality now. I have experimented, and continue to, with different personality traits, picking and choosing them based on what resonates with me and not what my astrological profile would indicate. I feel I’ve developed greater tolerance of personality complexity, and the way different aspects of it can be activated or deactivated based on the people I’m with, or the environment I’m in. 

Retiring my astrological imagination has also seen me improve my feminism, because astrology depends on the feminine-masculine binary, and I have found this to be a traditionalist way of approaching gender which is no longer relevant to me. I guess that’s what you can expect from an organising system which has such old roots. 

Looking back, I am proud of myself for recognising that this belief system was holding me back, holding space for uncertainty while I invented new ways of organising my thoughts, and gravitating towards people who also imagined the world without astrology. It’s been a journey, something wonderful that happened - because I cared enough about my wellbeing to reinvent myself.

Second Chances in Travel: Portugal

Sometimes a country doesn’t weave its charms around you the first time round. But if you’re willing to leave behind first impressions, question any prejudices built, and admit that you might have missed the point, that openness will likely guide you into new territory. So it was with Finland - and now, Portugal.

I paid closer attention to the people this time, mostly in the form of taxi drivers and other people on my payroll, but I had the good luck to be seated next to an intelligent and friendly local on the bus from Lisbon to Óbidos. We must have talked for an hour, discussing how only a minority of Portuguese have a rich interiority, despite their material wealth. Yet, it’s possible to find like-minded souls if you’re open to the journey - they were married to one. 

My travel companion enjoyed dancing, and the natural beauty of the beach in their hometown. They clearly have hope for the future, as they are preparing for the birth of a child. Even if rent eats up more than half their income, they still make enough to make ends meet. Visits back to Cape Verde, the cherished place of their origin, contribute to their well-being. 

What was not said but felt, was an openness to tourists and a keen eye for amiable connection. I felt better for having this encounter.

One taxi driver offered the following aphorism: “Everybody likes us.” This was not delivered with pomp, but with a steady assurance. They must have noted the frequency with which visitor numbers are increasing, and adapted with goodwill - for if you expect people to appreciate you, you tend to be appreciated.

There are many things to enjoy about Portugal, and I have only scratched the surface, but I will leave you with a portrait of a Portuguese Empress called Eleanor who married German royalty in the 1500s and displays something of the national personality profile on her face: warm, dignified, with culturally Christian values.