There’s a Danish concept called hygge that’s gotten pretty popular in the U.S. over the past couple of years. There’s no direct translation, but essentially it means a feeling of contented coziness. Americans (like me!) have taken to using it during the fall and winter alongside Instagram photos of oversized scarves, flickering candles, and mugs of cocoa. And while that’s partially right, there’s also a human aspect to hygge, based on easy friendships and comfortable conversation. When all the elements are considered, hygge can actually be experienced all year long.
Having never been to Denmark, I couldn’t quite grasp the full essence of hygge beyond my faux fur blanket during Boston’s brutal winters. But then I went to Oktoberfest. The Germans have their own word for this feeling—gemütlichkeit—and the oompah bands at Oktoberfest sing about it so frequently that you have no choice but to notice.
I’ve been to Germany four times now—once during each season of the year—and not only do I finally understand the full meaning of contented coziness, but I’ve also realized that the Germans are absolute masters of it.
In the winter, gemütlichkeit is strolling through a glowing Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) with a mug of hot glüwein (mulled wine) between your mittens, soaking in the jolly energy of the craft vendors and your fellow shoppers.
In the spring, it’s waiting out a seasonal shower in the warm confines of a konditorei (café), enjoying kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cake) with new friends.
In the summer, it’s sipping apfelwein (hard apple cider) and sharing a pretzel underneath the gently rustling chestnut trees of a biergarten, with joyful German banter providing a melodious soundtrack.
And in the fall, it’s sitting at a table full of strangers at Oktoberfest, making conversation as best you can and occasionally raising a liter of beer to one another in ein prosit der gemütlichkeit (a toast to warm friendship).
There are very few countries I love more than Germany, and for so many different reasons—the half-timbered houses, the fairytale castles and Alpine chalets, the adorable quirks (like lederhosen and a fondness for gummy bears). But the best thing of all are the famously mischaracterised people. Germany is not a country full of grumps and stone-faced rule-followers. It’s a land of warmth, generosity, and contented coziness—of gemütlichkeit all year long.
What’s the first thing you think of when I say Colombia? Cocaine? Pablo Escobar? Narcos? FARC? Terrorism? That’s fair. But what if I told you everything you thought you knew about the country is wrong?