The Hartmann family moved from Bavaria to Canada in 2017. The family of five was accompanied by “Goodbye Germany”. That’s how they are today.
This episode of “Goodbye Germany” (Fridays, 8.15 p.m. on VOX) ran for the first time almost five years ago. Hartman family is the focal point of the emigrant documentary. Three children, two adults and the dream of Canada’s vastness. Manfred Hartman moved there in 2017 with his wife barbara to North America. A job in a café lured him to Nova Scotia on the east coast of the country. But even during the shooting, viewers learn that not everything is as rosy as the Bavarian emigrants imagined.
The Hartmanns: Emigration with obstacles
In Wedgeport, the Hartmanns would take over Sam and Esther’s coffee shop. But after just a few weeks, disagreements arose. The fact that the Hartmanns wanted to offer Bavarian specialties was not so well received in the café, which until then had a French touch. The turnover was good, but maybe that was a thorn in the side of the two owners, because in a few weeks the Hartmanns almost surpassed the annual turnover of the café operators. “Everything was supposed to be French, we weren’t allowed to do anything, we were controlled. We were exposed to constant controls,” the Hartmanns describe the time they worked with Sam. He actually wanted to leave the café in good hands – but it seems that these hands were too good for him.
The episode about Florida emigrant Demi Tatzel was also an old one. You can find out how she is doing today here.
“Goodbye Germany”: threatened return migration
Barbara and Manfred Hartmann finally found new jobs in a hotel. She as a maid, he in the kitchen. It wasn’t much, but it helped the family of five make ends meet. They bought a house on the water and had big plans to open their own café. This also ends the episode of “Goodbye Germany”. But the emigrants went even further…
This is how the Hartmanns feel in 2022
They now run their own bakery. However, not in the Canadian state of Nova Scotia, but on the west coast of the country. They are now at home in Salmon Arms, around 450 kilometers from Vancouver. Hartmann’s Bakery is located in a shopping mall. “Honest, simple, satisfying” – that’s the slogan of the bakery in German.
The Hartmanns show their baked goods on Instagram and lo and behold, the bakery could actually be in Germany. You would normally look in vain for such delicious rolls, cakes and biscuits in North America.
