Summer Travels: Germany at the Solstice and Hinterland in Iowa
Notes from the Road
It's been a couple months since I last wrote here. In that time, I traveled through Germany and spent a weekend at Hinterland, a small music festival outside Des Moines, Iowa.
Germany at the Solstice
Germany in late June was striking in its extremes. The light stretched to nearly 10pm, and the days were hotter than I expected.
Berlin felt like a living monument. Reminders of World War II and the Cold War are everywhere. The bullet holes remain in the pillars outside historic buildings. Memorials and fragments of history sit in the middle of daily life, so history is not tucked away but built into the streets you walk.
The food was quite heavy but good. Bratwurst, pretzels, schnitzel. The beer was excellent. You did not get much variety, but what you got was consistent.
What stood out most were the small details. Elevators labeled their basements as -1 and -2. Ticket kiosks were packed with buttons, and even after buying a ticket you still had to stamp it in a separate machine.
When something went wrong, the solution was usually another sign. A baggage locker jammed if you closed it too firmly, so they taped up a note telling you not to push. Even the appliances like washer/dryers followed the same pattern: a dozen symbols and cycles for what is basically one job.
Outside the cities the countryside was quiet, green, and beautiful.
We visited Neuschwanstein Castle, built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the late 1800s. Construction began in 1869. He died in 1886, the interior remained unfinished, and the castle opened to the public soon after. It later inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. A romantic vision with scaffolding behind the walls.
Our path was Berlin to Munich to Neuschwanstein to Stuttgart to Baden-Baden. My wife built the entire itinerary with ChatGPT, ending with the Roman-style baths in Baden-Baden where we moved slowly between hot and cold pools.
Hinterland, Iowa
After Germany, it felt grounding to return home to the US, and to the Midwest in particular, for a weekend at Hinterland.
Hinterland was a different rhythm entirely. Smaller, simpler, and easier to enjoy than the giant festivals like Coachella or Lollapalooza.
The lineup was strong including: Tyler the Creator, The Marías, Lana Del Rey, Kacey Musgraves, Clairo, Remi Wolf, Bleachers, and Rebecca Black.
Des Moines itself felt safe and calm. The standout was El Bait Shop, a bar with more taps than I have ever seen. Hundreds lined the walls. The jalapeño beer was the most memorable.
What Stuck
Germany showed me how often systems rely on instructions instead of design. In Berlin, leaving bullet holes and wall fragments visible felt like another kind of choice, a reminder carried by the city itself.
Hinterland felt like a release from all that weight. Small, set in open fields, and easy to move through, it reminded me that clarity often comes not from more choices but from fewer things competing for attention, from the slower rhythm of nature, and from the space it gives you to simply take things in.
Too many choices can wear you out. A clear and simple default is often the kindest design.
What's Next
I am back home now, back at the desk, working on several projects I will share soon. Traveling sharpened my sense for what to keep and what to strip away.