Mittenwald | Blissfulbritt

I created a mental check list of places I wanted to bike during my last few months living in Germany, and I have officially completed this list. Anything else is extra, and at this point I am feeling a bit ambivalent about biking long distances. It’s not that I don’t enjoy my long bike rides, they have been indescribably wonderful, but I found myself feeling a bit dogmatic with regard to biking.

I had to go far, or the bike ride wasn’t “worthy.” How quickly I can fall back into addictive behaviors that damage both my physical and mental wellbeing.

I am thankful for my ability to recognize this behavior, but I usually have to slip off track momentarily to noice. I went for a bike ride a few weeks ago to a town called Mittenwald, when I noticed my motives for the bike ride were skewed. I didn’t want to bike to Mittenwald so I could see the town, I had seen it twice prior, I wanted to bike to Mittenwald to challenge myself physically.

A physical challenge in and of itself is by no means a negative desire, however the day I chose to embark on this adventure was a day I wasn’t feeling my best. It was a day I should have listened better to my body telling me she was tired, and that she didn’t want to go for a long bike ride. It was a day I ate too much peanut butter with my breakfast – and suddenly my inner food critic began screaming at me to move my body.

I sometimes wonder if the little disordered devil on my shoulder will ever fully retire, or if I will always have recurring thoughts of needing to “make up” for something I have eaten through exercise. I am lightyears away from where I used to be, but I still struggle sometimes. For most people, having a dedicated workout routine is sought after, it’s praised, but for me it can be more destructive for my body because I push too hard.

Alas, the anxiety of stillness kicked in, and off I went.

The ride to Mittenwald was beautiful. I rode on new bike paths I hadn’t seen before, and I felt the surge of energy I get when I find new landscapes. This was great for a while, but at one point the distance of this bike ride proved to be further than I expected. I began feeling fatigued, but I didn’t want to quit. I felt like biking far had become my “go to” while I was on leave from work. What else was I going to do with my day?

Heaven forbid I actually just…rest.

The first time I visited Mittenwald was March 2019. I attended a Fasching celebration that was supposed to be family friendly, yet I found myself terrified by the children running around cracking whips in traditional Fasching masks.

I did however enjoy the most elaborate tea experience including a tea light and a timer.

The second time I visited Mittenwald was December 2019. I came for their Christkindlmarkt, where I drank a glass of Glühwein, ate goulash out of a bread bowl, and split eine bratwurst mit mein Freund. All in less than an hour. I didn’t feel so hot after.

This bike ride was the third time I visited Mittenwald. It took me four hours round trip to bike 37 miles, with 2935ft of elevation gain (kill me.) What I got this day was attacked by the above pictured cat and a raging post bike ride headache. It’s safe to say Mittenwald and I have a love hate relationship, and third time was not the charm.

I love the beauty of the town, but hate how my body feels every time I leave (my own doing. Except the creepy kids.)

I never regret a bike ride, they always show me new places and/or teach me something. I had to learn an uncomfortable lesson on the ride home. I chose to bike back a different route, which ended up taking me higher in elevation than the route I took into Mittenwald. I was annoyed, exhausted, and anxious.

I knew I had pushed my body too hard and I was scared of the repercussions (I really hate feeling out of commission for days.) These thoughts made it difficult to enjoy the surrounding views as I was biking home. I took an amazing bike path, with endless rolling hills, but I was so preoccupied with my mind I had a hard time stopping to smell the roses.

Not to mention my body kept telling me “I told you so” when I was struggling up the hills.

I had to dig deep into the mind over matter thought process to get myself back home. I told myself on this ride, that I was done biking just to bike. I need to ensure I feel well enough to endure the miles, and I need to ensure my mind is well enough to appreciate the discoveries. I don’t regret biking to Mittenwald, but I do wish I had waited until I was in a better physical and mental space before I did it.

My headache lasted nearly 24 hours, which was to be expected (despite drinking extra water.) My fatigue was at a high the next few days, but I made sure to rest. I sometimes forget that I will never be able to live my life the way I used to when I was elevating my heart rate to its max capacity all the time.

I took about three weeks off from riding longer distances after this ride. I know my happy place is somewhere between 15-35 miles at one time. I have also resumed working, which was a choice I made when I realized my two months of LWOP were starting to come as a cost.

I know myself, and the desire to go, go, go with too much free time is inescapable. I either push myself too far, or I fall prey to negative thoughts.

My time away from work was amazing, and I am thankful for all the adventures I was able to embark on in those two months. My plan for my final few months in Germany is to continue biking, but never to force it. I don’t want biking to become my enemy.

This post is not to say I won’t push myself again before I leave, my human nature makes me akratic at times, it’s just a reminder to myself and anyone who needs to hear it that we remember to listen to our bodies more. I think one long bike ride per week is much more sustainable than every day/every other day. 🙂

Q: Do you ever push your body when you know you should rest? I suppose for “normal” people this wouldn’t be a big deal…but I often ignore that my body is not “normal.”

Every year before Lent, German speaking countries begin a period of religious celebrations called Fasching. Some areas in Germany and Switzerland call this Mardi Gras like carnival celebration something else like Fastnacht or Fastnet, but where I am living it’s called Fasching. This pre-lenten party begins on November 11, and 11:11 a.m. and finishes on Ash Wednesday. The hight of the celebrations happen the week of lent, and in this time the locals party hard and dress in costume.

There is a common costume theme among the locals similar to the photos above. Wild animals, witches, and creepy masks that resemble your great uncle Brad that no one really invites to Thanksgiving dinner anymore. According to the internet, these cultural costumes are said to drive out evil spirits of winter in preparation for spring, and to show the contrast between good and evil. The traditional theme has medieval roots giving the costumes their dark creepy vibes.

Some people dress in typical Halloween like costumes of whatever they fancy, but my favorite were those that stuck to tradition. My town had a late night Fasching party at a restaurant, but my old lady bones wanted to sleep. I was stoked to discover that there was a small celebration a couple towns over from where I live in a town called Mittenwald. The Mittenwald Karneval started at 1 p.m. which is a time of day I can get behind.

This was the final day of celebration, and while it would have been fun to travel a bit further to Munich for a bigger celebration, I was glad I went to Mittenwald. There were lots of children running around in costumes hollering weird noises and whipping whips. The whipping was actually slightly terrifying and I cannot seem to find the significance of this. Apparently harassment is a thing during Fasching (playful harassment) because I was hit with a broom by a 4’5″ witch.

I also saw kids pushing adults, adults poking at other adults with sticks, and of course beer. Plenty of beer.

Although I don’t drink, I enjoy being around those that do in Germany. Only if they’re locals though. Germans don’t get as obnoxious as Americans because it’s legal to drink in public here at all times of day. The bartenders serving shots and beer at this carnival celebration were taking shots with the customers, it was fun. I don’t know what I enjoyed more: watching the workers drink with customers, or watching elderly women taking shots out of mini ice cream cones.

As if the Fasching celebration wasn’t enough, the Marienplatz in Mittenwald is adorable. It’s small, but with the chaos of the carnival it was alive and booming. The music was traditional, and my friend and I grabbed a seat in the middle of all the action so I could enjoy some tea. Not just any tea, but a “this tea is warmed by a tea light candle” type of tea. It was bougie as hell, so I drank it with my pinkies up.

Of all the things I saw in Mittenwald, my favorite by far was the mountain directly behind the train station. As we walked off the train towards town, I happened to turn around and there she was. I love the look of snow on top of a mountain, the white really makes the contrast POP. No matter where we went, she was towering above it all.

This visit to Mittenwald was a short one, but I’ll be back to explore more of the small town eventually. Next year during the Fasching festivities I might be more inclined to stay out after dark, but for my first time I was glad to party with my kind of people. Aka small children and adults that own small children.

If you happen to be in Germany the week of Lent I highly recommend going to a Fasching event. For those who want to read more about Fasching, this blog post has another first hand experience with a bit more history. Until next year Germany!

Q: Would you rather go to a big event, or a smaller less touristy event?