The White Zone is for Immediate Drinking Only
Monday, August 14, 2006
It seems that we arrived on Germany at the right time. The temperature has only been over 80 one day and it’s the start of the Festivals. Not the Ferris wheel, pony rides and cotton candy side of the festival coin, but festivals in the way of Dionysus. And it’s most assuredly a festival that would make Dionysus weep with joy and then drink some more.
Starting last Friday and continuing ten days out, is the RheinGrau Fest. There’s about a hundred vineyards that show up, set up a stand, shine the stemware, get the corks-a-poppin and let the wine flow. And it flows, and flows, and flows.
I would have enjoyed it more, but German red wine is nicht gut. Most of the wines served are white, more specifically Rieslings. Normally, the only reason I would touch a white wine would be to water the grapes that are going to make me delicious red. Yet, with a snarl on my face, apprehension in heart and a glass of white in my hand I joined in. Yeah I catered to masses, I can hear the calls of Wine Slut -- but at two bucks a glass (a full glass) you talk to me about standards. Okay two bucks and then another Euro for a deposit on the goblet that vineyard gives you. Not plastic cups, oh hell no, glass, breakable shatter and splintering glass. Everyone knows that booze tastes better surrounded by potential death.
The streets are packed. Shoulder to shoulder, glass-to-glass, bratwurst-to-bratwurst. People are talking, listening to bad German bands playing American music.
Let me stop there for a moment, if anyone knows why the Germans love any song by CCR and Ike and Tina’s Proud Mary so much let me know. Every time I went down to the MarketPlatz I heard one of these two being played. How I longed for a bit of Bread.
That being said, I never felt bad being out in the streets drinking, I always saw people who took it to another level. Instead of drinking from glasses, they were drinking straight from the bottle. But the Germans take drinking to a different level. When they celebrate, they let go of that very Prussian exterior and get crazy Bavarian style. It scares me a bit. Oktoberfest is right around the corner. And if the wine fest, which we all know wine is for the sophisticated, was like this, what will happen when beer is unleashed upon the masses.
I have to stop my liver from whimpering.
posted by Don Taylor @ 3:56 PM,
4 Comments:
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At 9:46 PM,
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Did you like the white wine?
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At 1:52 AM,
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Wow Don it seems to like you've really been testing your liver, beware I hear they do some pretty funky things to alcohol that is going to be consumed by an American. Hope your having fun out there, but it certianly sounds like you are, you should go out and learn traditional German dancing so you have something to do while drinking all the wine and beer.
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At 1:56 AM,
said...
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Hey Don it sounds like your having to much fun with your liver, go out and learn some traditional German dances so you can entertain the masses while you drink! Enjoy the wine.
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At 3:32 PM,
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Dude gross! What the hell was that an excerpt from Mitch Alboms new book? I'm gonna go punch kittens in the face now in order to feel manly again.
