Travelogue 1995 / Episode Twelve

Travelogue Deutschland 1995 / Episode Twelve

Saturday, Wedding Day
It was a rainy morning in Bad Uberkingen Karin was really hoping for a dry day for the wedding and it looked like that wish might not be granted. Time would only tell. I dressed in casual clothes, since the wedding didnt begin until three-thirty. Raye and I met in the cafe and had breakfast before we were to be picked up by Mr Lutz [Ernst] at ten.

Morning at the Lutz's
The morning was spent relaxing at the Lutzs house [where we had dinner saturday night] where several people took turns on the iron in preparation for the evening ahead. Rain continued to fall on and off through the morning, but cleared up before we left [all of us looking pretty snazzy] for the church in Sussen, about fifteen kilometers away. The wedding began as Andi and Karin came driving up with Karins younger sister and her beau, in his old Audi convertible, then moved into an old church in Sussen, Germany at 3:30 [I didnt really understand much of the service, but that was alright]. After the service there is a procession [much like a funeral procession in the states, no pun intended here...] which wound its way up into the hills to Burg Staufeneck now a very nice restaurant. Outside of the old fortress the afternoon began with champagne and fruit juice for all and a multitude of toasts followed by several games aimed at having fun at the bride and grooms expense.

Games, Games and More Games
The game that was played in the courtyard took reference from Andis final diploma project in technical college a remote controlled lawn mower. Well, the object of this game was to drive a remote controlled car through ten or fifteen balloons, taped to the ground. On top of this car were two boxes and a makeshift aluminum handle mounted to them, to give it the appearance of a lawnmower. On the front of the lawn mower were outward facing nails, for piercing the balloons. In some of the balloons were pieces of paper with the word spiel on them and in that case, Andi and Karin had to complete a game. One of the games had Andi and Karin shooting arrows at a target [with a heart for a bullseye], another had them completing a taste-test of mineral waters [Andi says that he can tell the difference] and still another was a time limited test of Andi and Karin creating a family shield from construction paper. I really liked the idea of the games and we were going to experience many more before the night would end.

Let the Party Begin
Inside of the burg, the middle-age musical troupe began playing medieval music for the wedding group it was quite appropriate and cool too. They really lived the part as well, each mucisian wearing middle-age-looking clothing. The food also began coming soon after we were seated delicious plates of Swabian-style food, drawn out over the whole evening It was unbelievable. The flavors and textures were delightful and each course was a perfect portion, so that by the end of the night I was quite satisfied. The most amazing thing about the wedding in general, was the continuous games and roasts that happened during the reception and mind you, this wedding did not end until three-thirty sunday morning! These proceedings included speeches from fathers, uncles and aunts one uncle even dressed as an old German lady and gave the bride and groom different teas to keep the marriage strong.

These folks were crazy and lots of fun! One of my favorite skits was with Andi and Karin where they dressed as a couple from the twenties, in a silent movie. Meanwhile, a friend played ragtime music on an upright piano and they pretended to be on a sunday drive in the model T Ford. It was hilarious Andi was the real ham of the two, with crazy moves and goofy faces it was quite memorable. Of course there was dancing old folk style dances that fit well with the music. I thought that I might be able to hide, or be immune but somehow I found myself doing spins and numerous other moves [which I did only once and pretty terribly at I might add] as the group followed the band leaders instructions. I mean, I am no dancer in the first place but when the instructions are in Deutsch then things tended get a bit crazy. But, I have to admit we all had fun goofing up the folk dances. This all-nighter continued into the early morning finally wrapping up at three-thirty sunday not much sleep before my flight back to the States. Oh well, you only live so long...

Short Nights Sleep
I was dropped off at the pension at four or so, where I decided to finish my packing while still wound-up from the all-night wedding. By the time I had everything organized and ready for the morning, it was four-thirty nothing like three hours sleep before a nine-hour flight.

A Final Stop
Well, it was not much of a night, more like a nap than anything. I showered in the box shower in my room and packed my shaving kit in one of the bags before heading to the cafe, for breakfast. About fifteen minutes after eating, Ernst arrived to drive me to the airport. We did make one final stop at Karins parents house, so that I could say goodbye to them before flying back home. They were happy that I was able to come, and so was I It was a very nice finale to a great vacation. Soon Ernst and I were speeding along highway ten towards Stuttgart airport. We spent the drive to the airport talking about a variety of things, and a good part of the time was spent translating words between English and German. It was a nice to be able to talk with Ernst we both seemed to enjoy the ride more, talking on the way. About forty minutes later we stopped in front of the terminal and I said goodbye to Ernst, thanking him for everything and walking into the airport.

The Flight Back
Well, what can I really say about it it was long. I think that next time I will be more aware of how many transfers I will need to make. Over all security was pretty tight I had read about terrorist threats in the States, so Im sure that the airlines are all being extra careful. In the Netherlands, I was questioned by a security guard [actually he was pretty cool and we both laughed about how long European weddings are...] who eventually did pass me through the gate there after questioning. The flight back was pretty good, though long. I was able to get a decent chunk of this writing done, though I was tired and ran out of focus after about an hour, and even found it difficult to actually *sleep* on the flight [no revelation there...] Later on, I would regret not having the proper amount of sleep. I started getting a bit woosy on my last flight the one from Minneapolis to Chicago. By the time I had arrived at OHare, I was not doing very well. I had a pounding headache and a swirlin stomach when I walked from the ramp and saw mom and dad waiting. It felt good to be back home though I did not really feel at home until we were cruising along in my car, towards Milwaukee.

The End, for now. :)

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