Welcome back from the Holidays! It certainly looked different for the M.B. Henry household this year, with Covid keeping us from our usual travels and family visits. We had little to do but watch Christmas movies, and I also cooked us a nice big meal on Christmas Eve. But the change of pace also allowed us some time to reflect. On our futures, since next Christmas, we will be living in a different state and our holiday season will come with big changes once again. And our pasts, which have included many travel adventures in addition to seeing family and friends.
Those memories and thoughts helped us get through a pretty bleak holiday season here in California, especially when we recalled Hofbrauhaus. If you’ve ever been to Munich, Germany, I’m sure you’ve heard of this delightful little pub, and probably visited it yourself. It has become a bit of a staple stop in the city, with its impressively sized beer steins and pretzels to match, along with lively German bands and delicious food. For us, it provided even more than a full belly.
In 2018, we took off for a long-planned and dreamed of trip to Europe for historical sight seeing and other major tourism stops, but things kicked off a bit rough. Our airline had a shortage of planes, which delayed us by several hours in Los Angeles, then by several hours more in Denmark. By the time we finally reached Berlin, we were exhausted, frustrated, and two days behind on an extremely tight schedule we hadn’t budgeted any travel mishaps in. We also had some uncharacteristically warm weather to deal with in Berlin, with temperatures soaring into the high 90s and low 100s Fahrenheit.
So you could say that the first few days of our dream trip, which saw us scrambling through blazing heat to get back on schedule, had us a bit put out. It wasn’t until we visited Hofbrauhaus that we finally got to slow down, smile, and let it set in that no matter what our schedule looked like or what we had to lay aside to get back on track, we were still on a wild adventure in a foreign land, and it was time to make the most of it.
So, this one’s for you, Hofbrauhaus. Thanks for the smiles and memories.
“Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been” – Hofbrauhaus
Our flight to Europe was a mess, delayed time and again
We were a day and a half behind when we finally reached Berlin
The weather was hot, the city crowded, we felt lost and tired
We only managed a few hours before we got in the car and retired
But we couldn’t sleep, oh no, a long drive still lay ahead
To stay on schedule we couldn’t rest, no time for a soft, clean bed
We had to drive all the way to Munich, six or seven hours at least
And we had to quickly learn the Autobahn, that speedy highway beast
We didn’t reach Munich until very late, even dinner hour had passed
And we couldn’t much stand our tiny room, our sanity wouldn’t last
So we walked out onto the Munich streets, crowded despite the dark
We needed a place to sit for a spell, to try and recapture the spark
That’s when we found the Hofbrauhaus, warm and inviting inside
Wooden tables, music, and big beer steins, everyone smiling so wide
It felt a bit loud for my usual taste, but for food, it seemed like the best
Besides, I needed a chance to put my shaky German to the test
The Waiter frowned, looking quite tired, no English, from what I could tell
But I smiled and said “Ich Spreche Deutch,” (although certainly not very well!)
The man smiled wide, gave me a wink and a friendly clap on the back
He handed me a menu, helped us sit down, and our hearts opened up just a crack
I ordered a beer for my husband and me, and a pretzel the size of my head
It had been a long few days, I thought it would put me to bed
But then the Waiter struck up the band, and music filled the air
He also sent over a free platter of meat, and some samples of German fare
It finally hit me, sitting there, that despite the rough start to our trip
A dream was coming true before my eyes, with every little beer sip
A smile stretched across my face, my exhaustion broke all apart
The music, the people, the smiles, the food, it all went straight to my heart
There at Munich’s Hofbrauhaus, the adventure in me came awake
I felt at home in a faraway land, my nerves finally got a big break
When I think of the lively place today, I still manage to smile
With just a beer, some music, and a pretzel, they made me feel better by a mile
These photos provided by my husband Joel Henry. For more photos from our trip to Europe, click here.
To plan your own visit to Munich’s historic Hofbrauhaus, click here.
TO AMERICA, WITH LOVE
Both my husband and I were heartbroken and sick beyond belief to witness what unfolded at the US Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. last week. While it’s hard to find much of a silver lining right now, we hope and pray that these unprecedented events, at the very least, provide a stark wake-up call for some badly needed unity among the people of this country. Because it will take all of us working together to end injustice, inequality, and violence, along with the other dizzying struggles before us, like a pandemic that isn’t slowing down in the slightest. As gut-wrenching as it was to witness, we know and believe that love is so much more powerful than hate. And that will prevail in the end.
