Handy in Bautzen

HAPPY NEW YEAR (Thank you ahead for reading)

I’ve just returned from travel to Germany. My son Holden lives in Berlin and welcomed me for a visit before the holiday. I want to share one of my experiences. Going through this helped me see I’m calmer and more grounded. 

I Enjoy the Train Rides in Germany

Holden and I traveled two different times on regional trains for his Christmas performances. One was in Bautzen and the other in Zittow. They’re considered Saxony regions of East Germany.They border the Czech republic. It makes them very interesting. More rural areas. The people are less likely to speak English. I’m amazed at how much they do speak compared to my ability to speak German, though. 

One day while Holden was working (while in Bautzen) I decided to wander the Christmas Market (Weinachtmarkt) and go to a local museum. I already saw one of his early performances and the evening performance was sold out. 

One of my favorite things to do in is walk with "Some" intention of a destination and plenty of time to experience the surprises I encounter. This day I also planned to go to the local Serbski Muzej (Sorbisches Museum). 

Small pleasures on my walk were seeing a few Christmas devils called Krampus. Half-goat, demon and monster. They’re supposedly a partner in crime with St. Nicholas. Krampus’s job is to punish kids who behave badly. It seems much more intense than the threat we had of getting coal for Christmas instead of presents if we didn’t behave. 

Scary Krampus

Kinda Sweet Krampus (must be the mug he's holding)

Playful Krampus-devilish....

The area I walked to get to the museum had narrower cobblestone sidewalks and twisty, windy roads around an old tower surrounded by a fortress-wall. This city is known to be 1,000 years old. 

I passed two women talking about shopping and what they were going to make for dinner. (My German is adequate enough for some of the basics and I enjoyed this). 

A Little Friar

After the museum experience, I went into a restaurant recommended by someone at the market. I decided to hang my coat up in the coat room at the entrance (since it was a "Nicer" restaurant the expectation was to NOT hang my coat on the back of my chair). 

I was lead by the host to a table after I properly hung up my coat. I was very relieved for a chance to sit down and rest. I looked for my phone to see if it needed charging and I couldn't find it anywhere!

After searching my backpack several times without results, I gathered my things, grabbed my coat where I’d just hung it up and left. 

I headed out into the market area to look. I went to all the stalls in the Christmas Market I had stopped at earlier, hoping they would have my phone. I retraced my steps. I walked around THREE times to look and ask in the booths to see if they had seen a “Handy”. (Mobile phone is translated “Handy” in German) No one could help. 

An older woman in one booth did try to help. She closed up her stall and asked a few vendors around her if they'd seen my phone. Such a kind-hearted person.  She even tried to call my U.S. number for me on her phone. She got a little book (about the size of a saltine cracker) and was looking up the country code for the U.S. which is in front of my phone number. 

It was so tiny she couldn't read it so she foraged around in her stuff in the booth to find a very small magnifying glass (muttering and complaining in German how small the print was in her little book. It didn't work. I couldn't explain to her because of my limited German that she'd copied my phone number incorrectly when she put it in her phone and that it wouldn’t help to call it anyway since I silence all unknown numbers. 

I didn’t know Holden’s German phone number and it wouldn’t have helped me anyway. He was performing and had his phone off at the time. Honestly, another person isn’t responsible for locating my phone. I was and I had few options available to me. It was already dark, rainy with snow-mix and I was losing my stamina from the day of travel and walking so much. 

When I stopped behind a market-booth to think, breathe and reset, somehow my brain asked me if maybe my phone could have fallen out of my pocket when I hung up my coat at the restaurant. So....I went back to the restaurant. I was out of ideas and it helped me move from my spot. I was truly grateful I remembered where the restaurant was after all my circling around the market area. 

When I entered the restaurant, a young waiter had his arm up high with my phone in his hand for me to see! I could feel my body relax and breathe. I theatrically bowed a few times to let him know he was the god for finding my phone. I forgot he couldn’t speak English I said, “You are my hero!” But it was understood. He seemed as relieved to see me as I was him. 

I then was escorted to a table. I sat exhausted, hungry, tired and grateful in a myriad of ways. Now I could order a meal. I had already had Italian food for two nights so I asked about the fish. (there were two items 1/tuna 2/seafood with pasta) I chose the seafood. Well…..when it came out and it was oysters and pieces and parts of octopi ---Little tentacles with little bodies. I like the taste but after seeing this documentary: 

I couldn't eat them. So…I pushed around the darling little tentacles and scarfed up the pasta which was full of flavor. Ohhh, it didn't matter because I found my phone! Did I mention the back of my phone has two pockets which house my credit card and driver's license in them? It was more than my Handy lost. I would have had quite a job getting an ID for my trip back to the states through customs.

After I ate and rested I made sure to return to the sweet woman’s stall to let her know I found my Handy. She said the word "Angel" and pointed to heaven, like there was an angel on my side. My mom would have said, “St. Andrew must have found it for you.” 

I then walked in the snowy-rain darkness to the theatre. My heart was light though. I had come through a potential disaster and had kept my calm. All my practice with meditation and bringing myself back to the present really benefited me. 

When I got to the theatre, I exchanged some conversation with a woman who let me in (the front door to the theatre was locked during the performance). She trusted a very soggy and weary woman with a backpack. She let me enter. 

It’s always an honor to say “My son is in the production and I’m here with him.” She showed me a place I could sit comfortably charging my phone while I waited for the show to be over. Soon she had someone personally escort me to the backstage when the show was over to meet Holden. I could hear their last sounds from where I stood. Christmas music, family and I’m okay. I’m good enough and I can do hard things.

Peaceful Christmas Prince in Bautzen