No one parties like the Germans

Yesterday we drove up to meet Tom’s Aunt Micky and her husband Helmut. It was Helmut’s 70th birthday. We checked into the hotel at Plankstadt, Germany and then went to Helmut’s brother, Manfred’s house. We just showed up, no advance warning. And once again they were great. Manfred’s wife, Racey, immediately got out the coffee and cakes. One of the cakes looked like a bunt pound cake, but it was more like an angel cake. I could have eaten the whole thing.

After an hour of sitting in their great garden, drinking coffee (or water in my case), eating cake and everyone talking at once, we returned to the hotel to change for the party. And what a party it was. It started at 6pm with Champaign (orange juice for me). As the hour passed, more and more people arrived. After about 30 minutes, I gave up trying to remember names. It was interesting to be the only Americans there but many of the guests spoke some English, and some had better English that we do.
Link to videos of party.
Link to more photos of party.
At 7pm the food was set up and we went inside the hall to start eating. We sat with Micky and Helmut at a long table full of their friends. There were about 60 people all together. Tom sat next to “Katie”. She’s a German who spent 25 years in Brooklyn, NY. Her English had a “Yankee” accent. Also across from us was the “professor”, neither Tom nor I can remember his name. We called him the professor, because that’s what he looked and sounded like. His English (he’s German) had a British accent.

Before everyone got up to go eat, Helmut gave a little speech. During it, in English he thanked us. He said that he was happy “Tom and Kathy” could be here to help him celebrate. He’d been practicing his English for weeks so he could get it right. After everyone had had their fill of the food (great German potato salad), the fun really started. The wine, water and beer flowed freely as it was all free. Did you know that in Germany the person’s birthday it is, pays for everything? Yea, Helmut had to pay for everything. Anyway, after dinner the games and music started.

It was just like the movies of German beer halls. During some songs they linked arms and rocked to the music. The professor said “I had hoped that this wouldn’t happen. When I hit sixty, I was sure I’d never have to do this again. When I hit seventy, I thought for sure it was over, but here I am at 75 and I’m still required to hold hands and pretend this is fun”. Although he said he didn’t like it, I noticed he was rocking with the best of them.

The party had lots of things we didn’t understand as it was in German. Helmut’s friends told all kinds of stories told about him. The best part was when two Guys dressed up like “Fat Weather Girls” came in and danced to the music (English song). I’ve never laughed so much in my life. You didn’t need to understand German to catch the sight gags. They bounced around throwing ladies panties, hose and other stuff to the audience. By the time they finished, the entire crowd was dying of laughter.

By mid-night, Tom had forgotten he didn’t speak Germany. He was holding conversations with everyone without much problems (might been the wine). It was after 1am before anyone started to leave. Since Racey and I were the designated drivers, we went to the cars. I only had to take a couple who were staying in the same hotel, so not much trouble at all.

If you’ve never been to a German birthday party, you’ve never been partying at all.