My German Mug

I have seen castles that left me in awe. I have stood on the East side of the Berlin wall. I have eaten in a Bavarian guest house. I have walked miles and miles. I have seen the terrifying peaks of the German-Austrian Alps. I have walked through the Roman Baths in Trier. I have stood in the middle of the Dachau Concentration Camp. I have eaten more meat this week than I ate last year. And I have been cold. But, before I launch into the exciting details I must present my German mug. I am so excited about this one!

Since I have limited myself to only one mug per country, I decided shouldn’t buy a mug which only resembles one city. This time I broke that rule. While I was in Berlin a mug captivated me. I just couldn’t leave it sitting on the shelf! Are you ready to see it? This one requires a shot from every angle.

Even though at first glance it seems to only represent Berlin, it perfectly represents my stay there.

Like the first paragraph tries to describes, I saw so many different things in Germany. My time was teeming with diverse activities. I spent Christmas there, New Years there, and felt like part of a family there. I toured but I also just spent some time in Marie’s little town. I did so much. Just look on a map and see how far away all the places I visited are. To me this mug represents the chaotic and diverse ten days I spent in Germany; it represents more the just Germany, but also the friendships, memories and laughter that took place there.

In addition to representing my time spent in the country I think it also shows the diversity of German history. The layers of history. Out of all the European countries I’ll venture to say that I believe German’s history is the most unique. From being ruled by the Romans, to becoming the Holy Roman Empire. It lead the religious reformation and musically dominated the world for more than two centuries. It was at the heart of the two World Wars and is still changing and recovering today.

But, even if I didn’t have a way to rationalize my mug choice… this mug is just too much fun to leave sitting on the shelf!

My Mug Obsession

I love to throw things away. Each time I had a hard week at school or just wanted to do a deep clean, I would go through everything I owned trying to find things I didn’t need any more. By the end of my purge I would typically have some items that needed to go to Goodwill. My Mom usually finds these things in the Goodwill pile and begs me to keep them or just resorts to hiding them from me. I am sure that one day I will get a huge box of things I tried to throw away.

When I lived in New Zealand I confronted this problem when it came to buying souvenirs. You know how people buy random little gadgets and then eventually throw them away or lose them? I didn’t want that. I looked hard and searched everywhere for a souvenir I would not toss in a year.

Kodie, my friend I was living with in New Zealand, bought me the cutest mug for my half birthday. (Isn’t she so nice?) It is green with sheep and hearts and kiwis…. I love that mug. It was the perfect souvenir because it was something I used and not a thingamajig that cluttered a shelf.

So, when I found myself in Mexico for Spring Break as a Sophomore I knew exactly what I would bring home. Since then I have collected two more mugs; one mug from Canada I just bought this summer and a mug from Washington DC that a dear friend, when learning about my obsession, bought me.

This tradition may become a little too much after I have over a dozen mismatched mugs in my home, but as for right now I am keeping it alive.

So drum roll please…..and here is my first mug from Europe:

I know he is a small little guy. But I spent two days walking around Bern trying to find him. He is the perfect image of Switzerland: confidently royal blue, small and unassuming, handcrafted in the country itself, and maybe a little bit boring. Stay tuned because in January after a Christmas in Germany I will have another mug to present.