Wiesbaden Mangrove

We did have a couple of bright spots today where the grey and the rain disappeared but in the main. it was horrid.

It was Rosenmontag here - the day of the huge parades in Mainz, Köln (Cologne) & Düsseldorf.  Millions had taken the day off to effectively party like Scotland at Hogmanay. 

Sadly the weather intervened and the parades were cancelled in Mainz and Düsseldorf, something happend in Köln but it would have been something like watching an BMW driving down the street with the windows open and the stereo doof-doof-doofing.

Very sad really.

But, as I discovered as I made my way home after work, it didn't put everybody off. 

Oh no.  Not at all.

I got to the bus stop where I have to change buses, got out and just at that moment a group of Young People* in costumes arrived.  They had beers and they had that must-have-accessory-for-all-groups-of-young-people - the portable speaker.  This meant hat they could sing along with some crappy Schlagerlied that I don't know (the chorus was something like "so sind die Deutschen, so sind die Deutschen").

I looked at the board and saw that there were at least 5 buses before mine was due.  That should be OK, they'll be going somewhere else...

I really should know better.

They were waiting for the bus that I wanted.  Of course they were.

So we got on when it arrived and they sat at the back (naturally) and kept their party going by being louder than each other (it was hilarious, but you had to be there.  And 19.  And drunk).

I was OK about that I could screen that out.  At least the noise didn't cut through you like a howling baby....

I should stop having thoughts like those.

At the next bus stop, who should get on but 2 mums with their babies.  Said babies began to howl as soon as the bus started.  And were unconsolable.

If it hadn't been pissing with rain at that point, I would have got off and walked.  But I stayed on.

Guess where they got off?

Yep, the bus stop where I got off.

And as I got off the bus, I had another reminder that it was Karneval. 

At the bus stop on the other side of the road, there was a young man dressed in his green dinosaur costume having a piss against the bus stop...

Is it any wonder that I sometimes like to get away from people?

More Hell-Autsch than Helau

*Anywhere under 30 counts as young