Sunday, September 9, 2012

Fest Season- It is a marathon, not a sprint!


Guten Tag!  Welcome to the German Fest Season.  I have learned that the Germans hold fests for anything, anytime and anywhere.  But, this fest season is solely based on wine, beer and sausages.  You would think that this is a WUNDERBAR of an idea…but I assure you…approach with caution.

Labor Day weekend was the ultimate kick-off.  Bernkastel-Kues is a wine village down in the valley of the Mosel River.  It is a nice windy road(car sick much?) that takes you into a breath-taking town that devotes itself to the art of Riesling wine making.  Too beautiful for words…you have to go there sometime in your life!  BK as their fest prior to Bad Durkheim which is the following two weekends.  The difference…BK is all about the wine where BD is originally a sausage fest that people have morphed into a wine shit show…excise my language. 

I went with a group of friends to BK and WOW is all I can say.  Bottle after bottle of Trocken(dry) halbt-trocken(half dry) and sweet white wines could put anyone six feet under.  Then there is the German equivalent to Carni-food.  Cheese spaetzle, wursts of all kind, crepes, mushrooms and anything else.  If you don’t have one of those flags tour guides carry or a backpack with a leash on it, you are bound to lose your party, throw a glass or two and be to buzzed to care.  I learned the hard way and drank far too much wine and have been schooled by German wine.  Lesson learned for next weekend when Ry and I go to BD. 

After these two wine fests, then you stumble into Oktoberfest which is actually in September.  We were not sure if we wanted to go and experience this event…but figured it was a box checker-offer in our WE LIVE IN GERMANY list.  So in two weeks we will make the unplanned, unprepared trip to Munich to stay with a friend and stroll to the fairgrounds.  Wish us luck.  I haven’t decided if I will buy and wear a dirndl yet or not. 

Below are photos form Bernkastel-Kues.  I will try to add some of Bad Durkheim and Oktoberfest later on in the month for you.

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