We all know about Lent, Mardi Gras, beads, boobs, drinks and the fun debauchery that comes with days like Fat Tuesday. Now that you have stopped reminiscing about your crazy days on Bourbon Street, let me tell you about the German version of Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday. It's called Fasching and Fastnacht depending on where you are and what night you are partying. If you want the historical background or significance, Google it, I am going to tell you of our plans for debauchery and what actually happened.
After a long day at work my wonderful husband took me out on the town to celebrate our first German festival together as a married couple. We had partied at Oktoberfest, but that was just as girlfriend and boyfriend. We were really planning on living it up because we were darned if we were going to be the old married couple of a full 3 weeks that didn't go out and try the local debauchery.
As my plans always do, we changed from taking the train to Kaiserslautern and just drove because John left his phone at the office and that's pretty much in Ktown. He offered to be the DD and I was free to drink it up! We parked our large SUV in the tiny parking garage and headed off to fun and craziness.
There was just one problem, the fun and craziness had left and we were left with extremely drunk college kids and German carnys packing up their tiny carnival rides. As we walked the streets of Ktown we realized that the party was that afternoon and that everything was winding down by 6:30.
Seriously Germany? You take a great cultural festival that involves drinking, revelry and costumes and condense it to a Tuesday afternoon? Hmmmph, silly Germans.
Once we realized there was no carnival, no outdoor party, no clowns (thank goodness), we laughed, shivered (it was like -8 Celsius and went in search for food and drink. As we approach a building that looks like it's a good 500 years old we hear Oompa music and see a pink bunny standing at the door. Yes, a pink bunny. Well it's a lady dressed as a pink bunny, but not in a sexy way, more like a "Christmas Story" pink bunny pajama outfit. Warm and creepy.
We were denied admission because John had a backpack. He was carrying his nice camera, but they had a strict no bad policy. In the midst of the bunny telling him this I poked my head in and saw a scene from pirates of the Caribbean. I saw drunk pirates holding steins, dancing and leaning on each other singing a song of drinking and love, or so I imaged that is what the song is about. So we carried on in the freezing night and saw many options for substance and agreed on a Thai restaurant. Yep, we walked through a German town, in the middle of the reminisce of a Bavarian Carnival and we get a hankering for Asian cuisine.
It was really tasty. I would recommend it if I could remember the name of the place. I had chicken pad thai and John had pork curry something or other. I ordered a drink called "Zombie" and it came in a skull cup much to my delight. It was strong...I warmed up quickly and we had a great dinner.
A bit frustrated we missed everything and not ready to call it quits at 19:30, we marched on and found another watering hole that accepted us and wasn't as packed with drunk pirates. Again, I don't know that name of the place but it was fun. It was 57% full of young people dressed in a array of costumes. They varied from Roman Centurions, Smurfs, Amy Winehouse, the Situation, to naughty police officers.
We make it to the bar and feel a bit silly we are the only ones not in silly costumes. Then as I am taking off my coat and other layers I am actually dressed properly. Wearing my jeans, cowgirl boots, black and white plaid pearl snap shirt and my James Avery Texas necklace was a great call. I notice about 5 other girls with the same outfits with small variations. At that moment I realize I am dressed in a costume, I'm a Cowgirl!Yeehaw!
We hung out for a bout an hour and watched Amy Winehouse snort coke with a vampire and slow dance to "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann. By the way, what the heck is that song about?
Sorry to disappointing kids, that's about the end of our evening. Well, as much as I will blog about *blush*.
We learned another lesson to apply to next year, start drinking at 12:00, get a warm costume and take the train to wherever we go.
Guten Fastnacht, Fasching, Karneval!
Trying to stay warm in Kaiserslautern's town square
