What happens when we all slow down just a bit?
When visiting a very new place its easy to focus first on the things that are noticeably different from the get go: the architecture, the food, being immersed in a new language.
Most of my travels have been a bit of a whirlwind, trying to pack in as much as possible in as many places as possible. With a whole world to explore its easy to want to see all of it, and sometimes hard to slow down to become immersed. Our first nine days in Germany were in Bonn and the surrrounding areas, much longer than I have just about ever stayed in one place other than home. Spending this amount of time in one area is a luxury I have not often had, but no one I'd like to do more often. It allows you to get past the quick differences, the surface skim of important places and sites and allows for really getting the feeling of a place. The intangible qualities that don’t show up in guidebooks or on pinterest top 10 lists.
Bonn
Around Bonn and Koblenz, I noticed a particular vibe or atmosphere in the town squares after work hours or on the weekends. Its a pervasive feeling my fast-aced American brain appreciates but has kind of a hard time understanding, I keep calling it the German Chill Factor to myself. This is probably not really the correct term, but it will do for now. It almost feels like a lack of hustle culture. This is not to say that the people here are not hard working, or dedicated to their jobs and professions…its just that it seems there is more time allowed to just be instead of frantically racing to the next thing. Stores close early or remain closed on Sundays. People wander up and down the close streets that are equally full of tiny shops, churches and cathedrals and other historic buildings. And they stroll, not power walk like I find myself doing when running errands.
They don’t seem stressed that it’s a little later on a Sunday evening, a time I usually spend frantically preparing for the week or studiously ignoring preparing for the week. Shops being closed on Sundays may seem like an inconvenience, but allows for a true day off, time to focus on things other than work.
While there are many options for public transportation or personal vehicles, Bonn is a very friendly biking and walking city. The downtown area is free of cars during the busiest hours of the day, and there are dedicated bike lanes everywhere! The walking and biking culture creates a sense of community that is missing in a town that relies solely on cars. Running errands could turn into a chance encounter with a friend, or spotting something new and interesting happening in the main square. In car culture you drive to the store, get what you need and drive home, which curtails to some degree the opportunity for some of the spontaneous ness of just walking through town.
Bonn ist ein sehr grun stadt! Green space is important, and Bonn's parks big and small provide a welcome rest area in the city. Sunbathers, picnickers, and even just people laying in the shade to read or relax with friends were everywhere! I spent part of an afternoon laying in the park behind Poppelsdorf Palace and it was a wonderful way to recharge before wandering back into the city center.
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