Becoming

As I mentioned earlier, Federweißer is a seasonal German new wine that is said to offer a taste of autumn in wine-growing regions. Federweißer, which literally means “feather white,” is a partially fermented grape must or very young wine. It is made from freshly pressed grape juice that has just begun the fermentation process, resulting in a cloudy, fizzy, and sweet alcoholic beverage. It is in the process of becoming.

What I noticed on this trip was an unexpected change in the face of the cities, like Kaiserslautern and Munich. These were cities that were almost completely reconstructed after the devastation of World War II. On my earlier visits, starting n the 1970s, it was obvious which were the new buildings and which were original (or reconstructed).

While the new buildings often took on the traditional architectural style, their newness hid the character that was once there; that conveys a sense of history, longevity and continuity.

But on this trip, I noticed a difference. After nearly 80 years, a character was resurfacing. The buildings, once new, were gracefully aging. The record of the total devastation was being forgotten in a shroud of maturation.