AMD 5- Andrea Rousseau

For the AMD 5, I decided to take a trip to Frankenmuth, MI. Frankenmuth is known as "Michigan's Little Bavaria." I am unsure if Frankenmuth is actually comparible whatsoever to Bayern, but there were many perceivable German influences. One of the first things I had noticed while coming into Frankenmuth was the large amount of Lutheran churches and Lutheran schools in Frankenmuth and the immediate surrounding areas. I had known Lutheranism was founded by Luther in Germany, but I guess I hadn't realized its influence and spread.

Our first stop was at Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, aka the 'World's Largest Christmas Store.' After a little research on Wally Bronner, the founder of Bronner's, it was brought to my attention that he was also a devout Lutheran. Wally insisted that the 'christ' in 'Christmas' always be capitalized. Along with any kind of Chritmas anything you could imagine, there were also some classic German-influenced items for sale, such as boot-shaped steins sporting the Bayern flag and German chocolates.

After Bronner's, we walked around downtown Frankenmuth for awhile. Many of the businesses, including the Cheese Haus and the Bavarian Inn, were designed with the Bavarian, half-timbered architecture. The shopping areas played German folk music, which even though it was a little cheesy, it helped to make the experience more German-like. Some other German influences in Frankenmuth included the "Wilkommen zu Frankenmuth" banners on the light posts and trash cans being labeled 'Abfall,' (instead of the familiar 'Müllkorb') which I later find out means waste. Overall, I had an enjoyable time visiting Frankenmuth, and since it is fairly close to Ann Arbor, I would recommend the experience.