The first weekend in May is also a celebration of spring and a reason to drink beer, have barbecues, and fireworks. This past weekend felt a lot like Memorial Day weekend with a bit of 4th of July mixed in.
In the Rheinland, young men profess their love by putting up a maypole next to their loved one's house. They strap these ribbon ladden birch trees to drainage gutters or lampposts or anything they can find in front of the house. Some of these trees are so tall that this can't be an easy task. Of course, the trees also have a heart with the girl's name on it so the guy gets credit for it and it isn't confusing when you are dealing with an apartment complex rather than a house. Where they get these tall birth trees, I have no idea. I didn't see anyone selling them, but we saw tons of boys lugging them around on the evening of April 30th. 
The first weekend in May is also when Bonn sets off a huge firework display. Throughout the summer, there are firework displays along the Rhein which they call "Rhein in Flammen" (Rhein in flames). Saturday was Bonn's Rhein in Flammen. Along with the fireworks was a huge fair in the Rhinaue Park south of Bonn. I have never seen so many people in Bonn. Apparently about 270,000 people come to the festival and watch the fireworks. I had envisioned setting up a blanket and watching the fireworks in the park. However, after a bunch confusion as to where to watch the fireworks, we ended up on the bridge with traffic between us and the fireworks. Although it was not an idyllic spot, it still gave us a pretty good view of the fireworks.
In the Rheinland, young men profess their love by putting up a maypole next to their loved one's house. They strap these ribbon ladden birch trees to drainage gutters or lampposts or anything they can find in front of the house. Some of these trees are so tall that this can't be an easy task. Of course, the trees also have a heart with the girl's name on it so the guy gets credit for it and it isn't confusing when you are dealing with an apartment complex rather than a house. Where they get these tall birth trees, I have no idea. I didn't see anyone selling them, but we saw tons of boys lugging them around on the evening of April 30th. The first weekend in May is also when Bonn sets off a huge firework display. Throughout the summer, there are firework displays along the Rhein which they call "Rhein in Flammen" (Rhein in flames). Saturday was Bonn's Rhein in Flammen. Along with the fireworks was a huge fair in the Rhinaue Park south of Bonn. I have never seen so many people in Bonn. Apparently about 270,000 people come to the festival and watch the fireworks. I had envisioned setting up a blanket and watching the fireworks in the park. However, after a bunch confusion as to where to watch the fireworks, we ended up on the bridge with traffic between us and the fireworks. Although it was not an idyllic spot, it still gave us a pretty good view of the fireworks.
No comments:
Post a Comment