Life: Idiotropic

Contrary to the Bitburger fest that was yesterday's parade, our little village parade in Gillrath was more of a simple family affair. A small group of friends assembled at our house and the parade came by slowly, but right on schedule led by a big green tractor, the float of choice in this area. It was smaller - about half the size of the Lanbroich one - but the kids were kids, the adults were fun and smiling. Everyone was smiling. My kids got more candy from our tiny local parade than yesterday's huge one, and we had more fun. Yes, there was a little alcohol. A few of the older kids had beer and I did get a shot of something herbal from a rabbit and some sweet Creme of Merula from a long haired angel, but it wasn't profuse and their weren't droopy eyed kids leaning on each other for support. The people in this parade interacted with the audience, smiled, laughed, and obviously were having fun - which, really, is the point of the entire holiday season here. So this was it. The end of Carnival for me and a happy one spent relaxed with good food and better friends. I will miss that. I miss it already.

MORE PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=93926&id=674507268&l=e5f3f

Lanbroich, Germany.

2 full hours of John Deeres hauling large boxy floats probably made from old barnwood. Some with moving parts like the tail on the cow and some with paper mache figures like Kung Fu panda. But almost all with teenagers both tipsy and beyond. Teens from 14ish on up with beer and vodka. Baby bottles with mixed drinks hanging from the necks of most of the girls. Boys gulping down booze from inverted bottles. Boys chugging beer from long tubes while their buddies hold the bottle at the other end. Big boom boom music. Smoking. Glassy eyed kids barely able to stand let alone walk the parade distance. "Ist slim," says Tante Tinny who says it's gotten worse and worse. Tinny says when she was young, they just drank soda in the parades. I think it's odd that they drink anything. As far as I remember, in parades back home, you'll just see someone with the occasional bottle of water on a hot day. Why do spectators need to see folks dressed up drinking? Interferes with the parade wave that I learned as a girl - elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist.

Yep. 'Twas interesting. On the up side we were able to enjoy the parade from the lawn of some friends of ours right on the parade route as it turned a corner, so it all slowed down near us enough for us to really get a good look at all the craziness. My girls seemed oblivious to the seedier aspects and just enjoyed the candy and costumes. Arianna screamed her glass shattering excited scream at Kung Fu panda. I enjoyed taking pictures. The costumes and makeup while nothing like the Dutch parades, were still fun. I was amazed at how many "American" themes there were... at least three cowboy/indian floats, 2 Ducktales floats, one with a Simpson's character, the Obamas, Miami police, Kung Fu panda, and an American school bus full of "school girls." It was strange. Also saw Chinese, Greeks, and Romans. The "German style" floats were mostly Bavarian - the story book alpine huts, lederhosen, and large steins of beer. All in all, I was glad to be there with the girls and friends. Knowing this was my last year, it was good to see as much as I could and it's always fun to see all the costumes.

Living where I do right on a main road I am still enjoying the floats - three days later as they announce their arrival with the thump thump that rattles the window glass. The vibration you can feel in your seat as they pass by. Three more just passed. And I have a front row birdeye from my office chair.

MORE PHOTOS:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=93785&id=674507268&l=6e123

Altweiber Day is the day that women are in charge in all ways naughty. They run with scissors - and if that's not naughty enough, they use those scissors to cut off the ties of unsuspecting (or quite expecting) men. They steal patches, they kiss boys. They throw out the rulebooks and just do what ever crazy women do during the Carnival days. And the boys usually are pretty excited that this day, unlike any other, they're pretty much guaranteed success. Everyone gets drunk and they call it a party.
















Well, like many villages, the base also has an Altweiberball - a big party with dancers at times, a band, lots of alcohol, and crazy people in costumes. Last year I went and had a great time dancing with the husbands of a few of my friends. It was safe and innocent, therefore, quite fun. This year I went, hung out with some friends, had an ok time, but it was pretty mellow on my end. Love to dance, but didn't want to dance with the guys there because they were all a bit creepy. Still, had to go. This was my last year. So I went, I danced a little, I met some great people and chatted with old friends. And then I went home and spent time with Kirk who is much more fun than a big drunkfest anytime.

Every year on the Sunday before the Crazy Days of Carnival, Sittard has their children's parade - a wonderful parade of music, costumes, humor, and crazy makeup. It's fun. The onlookers dress up almost as much as the parade participants and though there isn't much candy thrown, it's still one of my favorite parades. So, today we got there early hoping for a good parking spot. The lot was so empty that I thought for a moment that I had the wrong day. The crowds came, but slowly. So we walked around the market for a bit, had cocoa at De Buren, then bagels at Bagels and Beans, then found some friends, a spot to stand near the cotton candy so the girls could watch them make it while we waited, and then we watched the entire wonderful parade in the cold with a light sprinkling of snow.

Lots of photos are posted here. Take a look. It's pretty amazing what they can do with costumes and makeup. And though I can't read all the Dutch to catch the jokes, the sense of humor among these people is obvious. I'll miss it here.

This little witch had the bluest eyes. She was in the parade with her mommy witch. Many toddlers were pulled along in their wagons or prams completely dressed up, and many completely oblivious to the party around them... or better yet, sleeping.

Many a critter, clown, and warrior watched the parade from their daddy's shoulders. And they all looked just as oblivious and just as cold. My middle ones loved it, got into it, and oohed and aahed at the costumes. Elise wavered between enthusiasm and frost - looking like these little ones half the time. Cold and tired.

And the last photo here... an odd one. These ladies in green had the most dull costumes of the entire parade, but what made them interesting is that as soon as they showed up, a man in the audience showed up with a tray held high above the crowd covered in beer - at least 10 tall glasses. It's a wonder that none of it spilled as they were handing it over the heads of little ones. But there they were, a sea of green ladies with hands full of glasses pausing to organize their brew before moving on.

More photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=92673&id=674507268&l=a6184

Photos: 1) The first tractor "float" of the parade followed by group of Robin Hoods 2) A group of kids behind the Hansel and Gretel float. If you enlarge it, you'll see the one boy is smoking and the other is drinking beer. Not illegal and quite typical.

Today the party came to our house. We'd decorated with bright balloons and streamers in our front windows and like the rest of our neighbors, we put balloons on the upstairs windows as well. I made cookies and put out a few snacks. We served hot chocolate with marshmallows and Bailey's on the side.

Photos: 1) A group of people in front of our home. 2) Luci in the crowd with Kirk as a monk in the background
And then they came. Most of the Gillrath Americans live in the neighborhood behind us, but from all corners, Americans came to perch themselves in front of our home (not because we're so special, but because our home is conveniently located right on the parade route within easy walking distance from most of their homes) to watch the first Gillrath Karneval parade in 26 years. It was an effortless party thrown by the town so we just served some cocoa and enjoyed. We had over 53 friends in front of our home most of the parade with a constant flow of people in and out of our home. A couple times I turned around to see people I didn't even know walking in our front door. Kirk told me later that he'd escorted a couple German neighbors in to use our bathroom.

So, it was lively. The kids ran in and out of the street yelling, "ALAAF!" and gathering up all the candy they could to fill their baskets, bags, and inverted umbrellas. The adults watched the parade and other spectators with amusement visiting with each other and making funny faces for the cameras. The parade was fantastic - but NOTHING like anything we'd ever see back home.

The had floats, music, and a band. They had themes and wore costumes. They threw A LOT of candy. All that is pretty normal, right?

They also walked the parade while drinking beer. Many smoked. Many had a beer in one hand and a bottle of liquor under one arm and a stack of disposable shot glasses in the other hand. Many gave out shots to the adult spectators. I even got a shot of chocolate Bailey's from a chicken. There was no rowdiness... no obvious drunken behavior. They were relaxed and smiling and having a good time. They had no trouble walking. But - alcohol was prevalent, accepted, and handed out for free. An orange faced witch gave beers to a couple of the guys in our party. Not normal? It is here.

Photos: 1) The chicken who also gave a shot of Bailey's to me 2) A couple blue bears? Notice the bottle under his arm and the Bitburger beer bottle and shot glasses in the other hand.








Another "not normal" thing -- it wasn't just candy and shots. One green bear passed out cubes of cheese. He just reached out with a bag and you had to reach in and grab one. Our local produce guy passed out potatoes. Arianna and Luci both got apples and oranges in their baskets. Popcorn was popular too. And, the cooking group passed out soup mix, heads of lettuce, carrots, and other ingredients including little cocktail wieners on toothpicks.

Photos: 1) Sorry for the sideways photo - too tired to fix. This is Tinny with her head of lettuce she got from the parade folks and a small cocktail wiener in the same hand. 2) The green bear passing out cheese






Arianna, Luci, and Elise all had a great time running all around, playing with friends, and gathering treats. Arianna yelled "Alaaf!" as much as she could thinking it would bring her more treats. Elise spent most of the time with her best friend, Hattie. And Luci, my adventurous girl, was in and out of the street grabbing any candy between groups that had dropped short of the crowd. The yellow hat came from some one in the parade, so once she got it, she wore it the entire afternoon.

The clown and the tourist are Mike and Karyn - a fabulous German couple that lived in the states for a while, own a guest house and rental home in Gillrath and are very friendly and well-known among the Americans. They were at our house too.

The talk in Gillrath is that if this parade is successfull (and I think it was), that they'll do it again next year. And, if they do it again, you know who will be in the parade??? Yep. The Americans are going to put a float together... but I won't be passing out cheese and potatoes.

Note: After writing this, posting it, then finally going through the basket of candy the kids brought in, I must laugh at the absurdity of some. Obviously not all the things thrown are for kids. I enjoyed several Turkish coffee candies. And, in this pile of odd things I'll throw away, I have several "Rooibos Tee" tea filled candies, a couple cough drops, a "Classic New York" pear flavored chew, a hard candy labelled "golf son gual," several from "WWK Versicherungen," and one called "Air Liquide."

Carnival parties are the biggest of the entire year and even at the kindergarten, they like to celebrate big. Frau Gisbertz told me that adults wore costumes too, so I knew about that and my friend, Holly, had gone last year and told me that the mothers did shots, so nothing today really shocked me. It is good to be prepared.

Elise was a princess - not a big shock - wearing her "fancy" dress like she does 2-3 times a week at home for play. I put a little color on her lips and cheeks to make her fancier, but she didn't like it much. The other children were completely decked out in full costumes - some with their faces covered in makeup and some with painted hair as well. The most popular costumes this year among the boys were cowboys and Indians. Even one mother wore an Native American costume.

I wore my pink hair and dress that I'd worn the week before. About 80% of the parents were dressed up at least a little. Many were witches and then the "homeroom moms" all had green viney costumes. I'm still not sure what they were supposed to be.

The tables were set up in the common area with a potluck of sweets and snacks brought by all the parents. Sodas and juices sat at one end near the cups and near a 6+ gallon pot of what they called "bowle," a type of white wine sangria. That's where the majority of the mom's gathered with their cups drinking - not shots this year, but cup after cup of their fruity wine.

The tuernhalle was set up as the stage area, so throughout the 2 hour party, we were ushered in and out of this crowded room again and again (6 times) as one group would perform, then the other groups would get ready while we ate and talked, then again we'd go in while they performed... over and over. All three classes did something. The Katzengruppe went first - that's Elise' class, but Elise clung to me and wouldn't join them. Since they've studied Hansel and Gretel, they had their cardboard house there and a bunch of paper trees. All the children were dressed up in costumes - a Hansel, a Gretel, a bunch of dancing trees, and a small group of red mushrooms with big white spots - a traditional symbol of luck here. The song was sung and they acted out the story. The Froschgruppe and Schmetterlingsgruppe both danced for their turns - with some small hat, but nothing as elaborate as Elise' class. The parents did a puppet show and the Gillrath Carnival committee did an appearance bringing two young dance troupes and presenting awards. One group of girls wore witches costumes and danced with brooms. The other wore a more uniform-like costume and also danced. It was all really interesting.

The head teacher of the school is a large lady and quite a character. She's scary, really. Not horribly, but she is that stereotypical serious German lady who you just don't want to mess with. She doesn't smile much either. Today - wow. She LOVES the microphone. She had the speakers turned up REALLY loud and she had the microphone so close to her mouth, the sound was quite fuzzy. And she was yelling. Gillrath -- ALAAF! Carnival -- ALAAF! Kindergarten -- ALAAF!! Even the kids were plugging their ears. She had a safari hat and a large animal print batik print shift on and held a cup of that bowle in her hand much of the time. Even the other parents were shaking their heads at her - she certainly was comical today and not her normal serious self.

All in all, it was ok. There was no shortage of entertainment, food, or drink. The people were nice. The kids had fun. Candy and popcorn were thrown liberally between each group of dancers, so the kids all went home with pocket and bagfuls of treats. Most parents brought bags - I had no idea. Elise was ok, but the entire experience was LOUD and overwhelming. She did uncling and play with friends some, but she still isn't completely comfortable there and this was a pretty crazy party.

Definitely not anything we'd experience in the states. Alcohol at a school event??? And, this is a church sponsored preschool with ages 3-5. They go to the church for children's services occasionally. They pray before meals. And, the mothers drink at the class parties. In their defense, they were all having a good time and there was absolutely no sign of drunkenness of obnoxious behavior. It is just a part of the culture and this time of year especially. They look at alcohol in a very different way than we do as Americans.

For those of you with little time, I will occasionally be publishing these blog entries with "Tifnotes," a condensed, to-the-point summary of the usually long winded entry. Here's the first Tifnote-- the full entry will follow for those with time to read.

Tifnotes version: We went to the Children's Carnival Parade in Sittard and had really delicious hot chocolate from Bagels and Beans. The costumes were amazing and I saw first hand that Dutch people really enjoy silly string.


The Carnival season is here and though some events are definitely not for kids, the Kinderoptocht (Children's Parade) is made exactly for children, but leaves out no one.

We hadn't been to this before and though I've heard of it, I only found out when it was through the Dutch Bagels and Beans newsletter that I always try to "read" through though I can only pick out words here and there. Luckily this time I could understand "kinder" which is also child in German and could understand that they were going to be open on a Sunday which is quite unusual, so I used Babelfish to look up Optocht and confirmed what I suspected - the parade!

It's always fun when a little detective work uncovers a treasure. And, this parade is that. I found the website for the Sittard parades that includes photos of both the adults and children's parades dating back to the 1920's! Amazing!

We didn't show up particularly early, but still found parking in the residential areas without difficulty and walked to the center. I let the girls pick out wild headbands knowing that putting them in costumes would take too long and I wasn't 100% sure if spectators would be wearing costumes. Wow. Confirmation came quickly. Everyone that we saw crossing the streets and walking towards the square was in costume. The children - ALL OF THEM - were completely decked out with costumes, elaborate makeup, wigs and props. And even the adults were not altogether boring. Though some looked "normal," the majority if not in full costume, were at least wearing silly hats, boas, glasses, and other funny accessories. I felt very American and there was no avoiding that. Next year we'll dress up and come armed with silly string and loads of confetti so that we too can cover all passers by with it - the police cars, the tubas... all covered in silly string.

We got cocoa and coffee to go and found a good place to stand just outside of Bagels and Beans where the road curves and the parade would come straight towards us down Putstraat before turning and going around the corner to the Markt. For about 15 minutes, we stood there in the cold wind hugging our warm drinks and watching the party going on around us - kids running around the empty spaces, throwing confetti and chasing each other with cans of silly string, then picking up streamers and confetti off of the ground so they could throw it again. There were a lot of little boys with toy guns that made a loud crack every time they pulled the trigger. The group next to us were all decked out in the Dutch Carnival colors - red, yellow, and green with hats, and feather boas in those colors. Entire families stood together from infants to elderly - all bundled and ready.

The lead car was a police car slowly arriving already completely covered from front to back, windows and wheels, with all colors of silly string and piles of confetti. Just as he got to us, he used his windshield wipers to clear it. It's amazing he could see anything before that. That was the first of many a person or car to arrive on our corner decorated by the crowd. Even band instruments had string handing from them. At first, I watched the small procession of cars going by thinking, "is this it? How lame!" But then, the cars were gone, and the fun stuff started. For 2 full hours we stood watching group after group go by all dressed in amazing costumes. I wish that we could have read the Dutch. All the groups had signs. I could only read a few of them.

There were a couple traditional floats, but most groups came with just their costumes and smaller float-style props like strollers and wagons that had been completely transformed with balloons, foam, and other items into whatever they needed them to be. Families walked together. Babies in matching costumes and with makeup on, slept with their heads flopped sideways in their fancy stollers completely oblivious to the noise around them. Bands played and most groups had a wagon with a speaker system hidden inside playing traditional carnival music loudly.

They threw some candy, but not a lot. The girls also got a few little things... a heart flashlight key chain, a pen, and a ball. One group ran around with ribbons and strips of netting tying them to people's arms. A young girl tied a bow around both Arianna and Luci's arms and though my girls didn't understand why (nor did I... couldn't read that sign), they liked to be given something. Towards the end of that group a mother and 2-year old girl dressed alike came up to Elise and gave Elise a small handful of ribbons tied in bows. I think we're supposed to remember something.

Have I mentioned that these people can make absolutely anything out of foam???? It is amazing! The bird hats in the photo above are entirely made of that brightly colored thin craft foam that is so vogue for kids these days. We saw hat after had made of that and even strollers wrapped all around in foam with foam windows to make it look like a pirate ship.

Anyway... that was it. Two hours of costumes and fun. The little girls all enjoyed it. My big girl tolerated it. I loved it. I love seeing the families together - seeing infants and children walking, riding, and being carried by their parents and grandparents, all wearing the same costumes and participating together. It's a beautiful thing and people were all smiling and having fun. We'll definitely next year and then, we'll all dress up.

Yesterday, I started out as a responsible brunette running errands, volunteering at the girl's school, doing a 5K walk for charity, and attending a special story time with the girls.

Then the wig went on and truly, I now believe that blonds have more fun! Pink is definitely more fun than being a brunette and wearing a wig is great! I love it!

Kirk, or shall I say, Father Kirk, and I went to the CSA Carnival party at the Officer's club on the base - got there about 1745. I got home at 0120. Crazy, but so fun. A lot of our friends went -- both American and non-American. The majority of the guests were either German or American, but there as a large group of Norwegians and Italians and one Spaniard.


The costumes were amazing - some people really go all out with professional looking hair and makeup. Last year we had a lot of Robin Hood costumes. This year seemed like more of a mix. We had folks from the 20's, 50's, 60's, and 70's - the pirates, the vikings, the European period folks in Renaissance garb or Roman armor. Napolean, clowns, devils, a band of Zorros, a tiger, and a strange Mozart mix. Oh... and we had Jup and Rosie - my good friends who dressed in traditional German garb and wore blond wigs. Ya ya!

And the entertainment is great too! I love the mix of bands and dance troupes. Just when you get tired of dancing, a new group of professionals come in to entertain. Then, as fast as they came and before they could possibly get bored, they go and either a new group comes on or the band is on for more dancing. Let's see... we had 3 bands, 2 Elvis impersonators, 2 tiny little solo dancers who could cartwheel without hands and touch their knees to their ears, 6 dance troupes that I can remember (could be more), a 95 year old Carnival club from Heinsburg with their king and queen, band and dancers, and 2 awards ceremonies where they give out very fancy medals to guests of honor and important participants in the party.

We had appetizers, a huge dinner with 4 meat entrees and all the sides, then an amazing dessert spread with delicious German tortes and donuts. Most people had at least 2 if not 4 large pieces stacked upon their plates. Delicious!

And the dancing. Normally I am extremely shy about dancing in public. I don't like it. I don't feel comfortable with it. Even at International Women's events, I usually try to stay in the back where people can't see me. But with the pink wig - it was different - like being on stage and playing a character. I played an outgoing, bubbly girl who couldn't stay off the dance floor. I danced the whole night and it was great!

Funny moments: I still laugh at the music that even during this German holiday party, is 95% American from Beach Boys to Reggae, and Michael Jackson's Thriller to country western. And... the internationals seem to know it better than the Americans do. The oddest musical moment was later in the night when a tribal band got up and began to play and sing "Cumbaya" - a song we always used to sing around the camp fire at church camp each year. That morphed into "Ooga Chucka" which morphed into "A lion sleeps tonight." Crazy. It was funny to see the Elvis' together. The French '73 Elvis stood on the side videotaping the Danish '68 Elvis during the latter's first act.

I really need to sit down and talk to one of my German friends about Carnival. Each year I pick up a new bit of understanding, but the more I read the newspaper and glean bits of what's going on around the area, the less I know - or the less I understand. Each town has a Carnival Association that puts on the Rose Monday Parade, the costume ball, and the Altweiberball. Sometimes there are more activities planned, but there is always a Prince and sometimes a Princess and they dress in traditional red and white costumes. They bring with them dancers and bands and hand out medals. It's all fun, but taken extremely seriously and there seems to be a great pride there. Last year the Aachen Prince came to our party, but this year he was booked, so he sent medals and we had the Heinsburg committee come who also brought dancers and music and medals. The president introduced each group as if they were his pride and joy and told us that they were the oldest group in the region - except of course for Aachen. The Prince and Princess through roses and after all the celebrating and about 25 minutes, they marched grandly out just as they'd entered.
A dance group brought by the Heinsburg Carnival Association - The princess and prince of Heinsburg (at least during Carnival time)