Socializing has definitely become a rarity since i moved to Germany. J rarely has any time off and the fact that we live in a somewhat small town, there really isn't much to do around here. Plus it doesn't help that i find it challenging to hold a conversation and give an opinion greater than a few words in German.
But when J and i were invited to our very first BBQ for the Summer on Sunday we jumped at the chance.
J's friends live in another city which makes meeting up regularly hard and although they don't speak that much English, i go along for the sake of J. J's known them since he was nine years old but had lost contact for several years because his Ex disapproved of them. So naturally, when we got together, J tried to patch things up and so we've met up with them a few times.
It was one of those BYO BBQs and so we packed some vegetarian sausages, fruit, bread, beer, mixed salad, sauces and home-made mashed potatoes with a dash of Dijon mustard just like how my dad makes it.
So anyway, after escaping a 7 km traffic jam along the A2 and driving inland on a very windy road towards Hannover, we finally arrived one and a half hours later and it was just after 4:30pm.
It was in the late 20s degrees Celsius mark and it seemed like everyone was out that day. The park was huge! And every few metres you'd see a group of people bustin' out their grill and sausages.
As some of you will know, packing "light" is a concept we're not too familiar with when we go on road trips. Whether it's for a few hours or a couple of days, it always seems like we over pack.
Minus the turquoise and striped bags, Tupperware and the 3 blankets on the right, everything else was ours.
And so whilst they all laughed when we turned up with practically everything but the kitchen sink. Nobody laughed when they needed tongs to turn the meat, silver foil, salt & pepper to add more flavor and a cooler beer.
We came prepared.
Except for my German. That's still not up to scratch. Conversations were kept down to a minimum and since nobody really spoke any English, i was rather mute and ate my whole bowl of salad.
But when J and i were invited to our very first BBQ for the Summer on Sunday we jumped at the chance.
J's friends live in another city which makes meeting up regularly hard and although they don't speak that much English, i go along for the sake of J. J's known them since he was nine years old but had lost contact for several years because his Ex disapproved of them. So naturally, when we got together, J tried to patch things up and so we've met up with them a few times.
It was one of those BYO BBQs and so we packed some vegetarian sausages, fruit, bread, beer, mixed salad, sauces and home-made mashed potatoes with a dash of Dijon mustard just like how my dad makes it.
So anyway, after escaping a 7 km traffic jam along the A2 and driving inland on a very windy road towards Hannover, we finally arrived one and a half hours later and it was just after 4:30pm.
It was in the late 20s degrees Celsius mark and it seemed like everyone was out that day. The park was huge! And every few metres you'd see a group of people bustin' out their grill and sausages.
As some of you will know, packing "light" is a concept we're not too familiar with when we go on road trips. Whether it's for a few hours or a couple of days, it always seems like we over pack.
Minus the turquoise and striped bags, Tupperware and the 3 blankets on the right, everything else was ours.
And so whilst they all laughed when we turned up with practically everything but the kitchen sink. Nobody laughed when they needed tongs to turn the meat, silver foil, salt & pepper to add more flavor and a cooler beer.
We came prepared.
Except for my German. That's still not up to scratch. Conversations were kept down to a minimum and since nobody really spoke any English, i was rather mute and ate my whole bowl of salad.
My view for two hours.Not exactly the most exciting time i've ever had but i kept myself busy eating whilst J ran off to play football with the other boys.
It's amazing how fast two hours can pass when you have food to keep you company. Yes that sausage is orange. It's made out of soya and it's also a little spicy. I can't say that was my favorite.
By the time J was done trying to play football and accidentally scoring for the other team, my bladder was calling out to me.
And whilst J was complaining about how unfit he was, all i could think about was, Why aren't there any toilets!? If they build a park, i'm sure they would think of peoples' bladders.
I mean, seriously, not everyone can pee standing up and facing a bush ya know! Unless of course you are one of the fortunate ones to have a SheWee... ahahhah!
And so we decided to drive to a little café a few blocks away that J used to go to back when he was living in Hannover.
After we took turns using the loo, we drank one my favorites: an icy cold Kristal Weisen.
Time escaped us and apparently we were gone for an hour.
But 15 minutes upon returning to the park, i was busting to go to the loo... again!
I'm convinced once you break "the seal", it's all over red rover. And so i cursed my small bladder and begged J to accompany me to find a very big bush.
When we returned the sky had turned a murky grey and the wind had picked up. The sun had just gone down and it was already 10:30pm. And although i had a case of heat rash - no thanks to my skin freaking out because my skin had finally been exposed to sun after 9 months, it was nice after all to see that burning ball in the sky again.
2 comments:
Haha, I really had to laugh out loud when I saw all the stuff you packed. But don't worry, I'm no better ;)
And I see that you buy Veggie Life! I really like their stuff ... except for the sausages, haha. But most of the other stuff is great!
Oh, I like your posts with all the pictures :)
Ahaha, we must have looked like a pair of donkeys carrying all that stuff. Not forgetting the wooden stool we used for a little table to carry other peoples' marinated meat which wasn't featured in the shot ;)
As for Veggie Life, well it was the first time i ate that brand. And i'll have to agree, the sausages aren't that good.
I try to make my posts short but by the time i add photos, i get a bit carried away.
But THANKS! Good to know that someone appreciates my long windness & random pictures. =)
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