Mountains Called, We Answered

Finding Home in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

We Have Arrived.

More specifically, we have arrived at our new home in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. But in the figurative sense, we have also arrived at a place we have wanted to go for a long time: the mountains.

(View of the Alpsitze)

My wife Lisa developed this desire already as a teenager. She was even willing to take a job in a sporting goods store just so she could live in the mountains. Her love of trail running and longing for peace and quiet were her driving forces.

For me, the dream of moving to the mountains was a someday-thing for a long time. Like writing a book.

"Someday I'll do it".

Someday Has Come.

Like the book, someday happened much faster than expected and with a good dose of "don't think about it for long".

In both cases, however, I am overjoyed that I just let it happen. With a lot of heart and maybe even a little naivety. Definitely more Punk than Levelhead.

But it always seemed obvious to me. Ever since I was a little boy and spent my summers at the Grüntenhaus, my grandfather's guesthouse on the Grünten in the Allgäu mountains.

And even more since I realized that running in the mountains touches me in a way that no other place does. And most importantly, I have shared Lisa's desire for peace and quiet for many years. But it wasn't time until it was time.

(Same as above: Alpsitze / from Osterfelderkopf)

Back to Now.

Yesterday, first the cat express (thank you for asking, Harry and Toto are fine so far. They are curious, a bit excited, but eat well and sleep a lot) rolled to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, then the moving van. After a few hours, it was all over and we were here. I mean "here" here.

This morning we started to unpack the boxes. After the bedroom, my workspace was the first place we set up. It was important to me to have the major cornerstones of my life in a safe and orderly fashion. Willpower, writing, my day job. A little more Levelhead than Punk.

At the same time, I look out the window and see nothing but mountains. Magnificent and awe-inspiring. To be precise, from my desk here, I see the Kramer aka "Die Kramerspitz". Directly across from the Zugspitze massif and Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze.

(The Kramerspitz. View from my desk)

As soon as I'm done typing this Das Z Letter, I'll put on my trail shoes and run up there. Out the door, straight into the mountains. That still feels pretty wild.

I'm super excited to see what my new home will do to me.

Someone DM’ed me on Instagram today:

"Best decision to live well."

And I think he was right.

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Everything Not Running

Sunday is my birthday. I'm not writing this to get as many gifts and congratulations from you as possible (although I'll gladly accept those, too), but because I received a package from my mum. For the first time in... phew, 15 years?

Our relationship was rather difficult, which eventually led to a break in contact many years ago. It always felt right to me. No anger, no disappointment, it was just a measure of self-protection. My mum herself was the person who told me that we should let go of people who are not good for us. Even if they are family.

“No one owes anyone anything and the most important person in your life is you.”

However, we have been in contact again for a few weeks. We write sporadically, and today I got a moving / birthday package to our new apartment in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

(Alcohol-free champaign, self-made vegan dips and spices and 2 vegan cookbooks – Well selected!)

I am happy about the gift and on Sunday Lisa and I will toast to my birthday and even more to our new life in the mountains with this alcohol-free sparkling wine.

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On Repeat

Comeback Kid. A band that always did everything right. Is there anyone who doesn't like them? At worst, some of us have to admit that we might not know all of their newer albums, although the band has reliably delivered high quality throughout their career. The same goes for their live performances.

And yet, there is that one song that stands out above all the rest. A song that has a unique, generation-spanning spirit that just can't be reproduced. For Comeback Kid, that song is "Wake the Dead" from their 2005 album of the same name.

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of this epic song, Comeback Kid simply re-recorded it. What makes this special is that right after the release of Comeback Kid, Andrew Neufeld, who had been the band's guitarist until then, switched to vocals because original singer Scott Wade had left the band after a few tours.

Many fans were very attached to Scott's unique voice and sometimes it seemed that Andrew – an extremely talented hardcore shouter himself, see his former band Figure Four and of course all the Comeback Kid albums since "Wake The Dead" – could do anything and still, in the eyes of some, would never be able to match Scott.

The fact that Andrew now sings a song from the Scott era so impressively should convince even the last purist or critic that the two singers are at least equally good. No matter which version, "Wake the Dead" is and remains a hit and a great piece of hardcore history.