Tobi & Ramona

Given yesterday early morning’s events, I have had to postpone posting what we got up to for the afternoon and evening. So today I am getting around to posting the photos. We had been invited to two weddings. The other one was of our friend Maria who has often appeared on Blip. There was just a tiny chance we might get to both and had also taken along her presents but as things turned out we couldn't.

 
First a bit of background. Angie has two elder sisters, Brigitte with two girls and Siglinde with two boys. Cousin#1 was at her best friend Maria's wedding; her sister, Cousin #3 did manage it and admitted the slight bump in her belly was not food related and will possibly marry soon. Cousin#4 was his brother's best man at today's wedding of Cousin#2, Tobias.


Tobias and Ramona have known each other for several years. They both work in Munich but got to know each other in the town of Geisenfeld north of Munich near Ingolstadt and in the centre of the world’s largest hop-growing area, the Hallertau.
 
In April 2017 while on a cruise and beach holiday, Tobi proposed on one the Maldive Islands. He went to the beach and put a “treasure chest” in the water with the words “Will you marry me” on the inside lid and with the ring inside. Ramona came down to the beach and as she approached, he threw her a pair of goggles which fell short but at the spot where the chest was. What a romantic!
 
On the beach, they set the date of the wedding in the sand (18-08-2018) and on the flight home, Ramona was corresponding with the village priest and others to get things moving.
 
In fact, they officially married on 18-08-2017 at the local town hall, accompanied just by the most immediate family and their own friends. This was in full “Bavarian dress” of Lederhosen and Dirndl for all attendees. See 1st Extra photo, a copy of the front page of the “Wedding Newspaper” that was handed out this year after dinner.
 
What I now describe is pretty much how many German weddings are held. There are lots of variations. It may include the civil wedding (mandatory) event at the town hall and then church and reception all on the same day.  Because of the early morning’s events, we had to leave late, missed the early parts and only got to see the last 10 minutes of the church service.
 
 
Today was all in “modern” dress – full white brides dress, bridesmaids, dresses and suits. The day started at 11:00 am with Bavarian Weisswurst Breakfast – white veal sausages brewed in water and served with Pretzels, sweet mustard and Weissbier (Wheat Beer) – this was held in the garden of the house they are building in a small village where Ramona’s parents live.
 
Then, 90 minutes later, the village mayor having closed the roads (I suspect as normally,carried out by the voluntary fire brigade), the pair were marched up to the village church by the village’s brass band and followed by the guests.
 
After the normal church wedding service and a short chat outside, everyone piled into cars and drove in a column the 13km to a location in the forest, the “Birkenheide”, best known as a beer garden where people from Ingolstadt and Geisenfeld will bike out to. We had been there back in 2012. The beer garden was open to the public throughout today's events.
 
The huge site is also the site for a garden construction and maintenance business (no sales) and the old buildings and grounds are wonderfully kept. Other older houses and buildings in the grounds have been renovated and new ones built to also now have a flourishing “Events Location” including weddings.
 
Started with congratulating the happy pair, handing over presents and a bubbly toast and general chat with friends and relations in an outdoor shaded garden complete with a stream. Then seated on white-draped tables and chairs under umbrellas and in open-sided pavilions, the wedding cake was cut and together with a selection of various other cakes. Was washed down with coffee and the first beers. See extra photo 2
 
After an hour or so, someone gets the couple separated and “kidnaps” the bride taking her and most of the guests to another location, in this case,  about 100 metres away in a large open-sided garden “shed”. The bridegroom is informed of her disappearance and has to set off (appropriately dressed) with his mates to find her, usually listening out to hear where the sound of live and very loud music, clapping, glasses being raised and laughter is coming from. When things go wrong, his mates take him from one pub to another to locate her, having a drink in each and this search can take in lots of pubs. Extra photo 3 of this location. I made lots of videos rather stills but include Cousin#4 with "bump" & partner and also my dance partner for the day, another family member.


However, here not many possibilities and he arrived sober and had to pay a ransom by carrying out silly tasks, culminating today in him having to do a striptease until the point where the bride stops the last rags being removed. Then a few hours of drinking - wine only -, dancing, sing-a-long and general madness. In a town setting, this interlude is often held in another establishment and thus allows the staff at the main location to clear up and set up for dinner.


Early on during this session, I felt my legs giving way and was just able to clutch some railings. Seemingly not having any food, as good as no sleep, the events of the night, the breakneck concentrated 200km drive at maximum speed (200km/h where possible) on one of the busiest weekends of the year on the autobahns and then two beers, had not done my circulation any good. Angie happened to be close and quickly went over to the beer garden and brought me a large bread roll stuffed with thick slices of roast pork. Within a minute I was fine again!


Perhaps the Extra Photo 4 of me sitting with the lovely Azra just before had given me heart palpitations. One can see my swollen eyes. Due to a challenge made on Friday with some of my 1960/70s school chums, I wore a hat, my 1972 school tie and was the only man (of about 80) who did not remove his jacket once all day. We Brits need to maintain standards and neither the EU, Saharan heat or Equatorial rainforest humidity will stand in our way.
 
Finally, we made our way to a third location on the other side of the lake and a dining room on the first floor of a lovely modern building above the beer garden. There followed a candelabra lit dinner and finally, the live band struck up and the dancing started, again. Extra 5

 
I spent much of the day walking around the beer garden (Extra 6) and gardens (Extra 7) with poor Luna who had not had her morning walk. She coped well but as the music got louder she sought shelter with Angie who had gone back to the original location to join her father enjoying a cool beer in the quiet and shade of the garden. And luckily as dinner started and the sun was low, we could put her in the safety of the car with all the windows and the boot open. Not wanting to overdo things, we left at midnight with the band still playing and the dance floor full.
 
Angie drove home, very safely and well. Back at about 1:45 and I spent a few minutes to wind down, have a coffee and make a sandwich. There was a shadow behind me all the time but when I turned to see, it had gone.
 
Thank you, Ramona and Tobi, for a perfectly organised lovely day. I know that you will forgive me for not being in the full exuberant party mood! But it did help enormously to simply be there and see your joy. My very best wishes for a wonderful future.