Volksfest

On Friday night, Brittany and I and a few of her friends went to a volksfest in Weiden. "Volksfest" means "carnival", and while there were indeed midway games and carnival rides, we stuck to the beer-tent. There was a great band playing folk and swing music, with frequent sing-along songs (sorry for the blurry pic).



Brittany paired her husband John's tracht hat with her own dirndl to complete her German ensemble. And below (and above!) is her good friend Heather, whose husband is deployed with John in Afghanistan. Heather and Brittany were among the few people wearing their dirndls at this particular fest, which was unusual.




There were even fireworks, which I'm pretty sure I've never seen on a night other than July 4th. Brittany took pictures of the fireworks. I was nursing my beer, so my hands were full...


As I type, Brittany and I are enjoying a top-notch lightning storm! I've only ever seen thunder and lightning once before (in Denmark, as a matter of fact), so while Brittany calmly drove us home from the Chinese restaurant where she treated me to dinner, my face was pressed up against the window like a kid outside a toy store. Now we are home, and the storm is moving away from us. But a few lingering flashes still light up the windows, followed by the deep rumble of thunder. It's giving me the goosebumps!

Tonight is my last night in Germany- my train leaves at five am tomorrow morning, and I arrive in Esbjerg around five pm. I haven't let myself dwell on the impending move, beyond making travel arrangements. Given the choice right now, I'd stay right here with Brittany.