Beach Volleyball in Bonn

Last weekend was the annual Smart Beach Volleyball tournament in downtown Bonn. I had seen this event last summer right after we moved into our apartment. Although I knew that we’d been here now for a year, it didn’t hit home until I saw this tournament for the second time.

The best part about this event was watching them set up a few days before the weekend. There were truckloads of sand dumped into Münsterplatz to transform the cobblestoned square into a beach. The huge piles of sand created a dune like sand scape in the middle of the city. It was essentially one giant sandbox for kids. They were having so much fun playing in the dunes that I was even tempted to kick off my sandals and join them. I saw a few kids trying to have a sand ball fight (with marginal success) in some of the wetter sand. Seeing the kids have so much fun, it made me sad to think that in the litigious US kids would never be allowed to tumble around in the sand for fear that someone would get hurt and sue the city or the event promoters.

On the day of the tournament, the weather was absolutely perfect for beach volleyball. It was in the high 80s without a cloud in the sky. It was so hot in fact that we were only able to watch for a few minutes before moving on.

Unfortunately, I erased the pictures that I took of the event but maybe you can imagine the picture of the Münsterplatz below filled with sand while Beethoven’s statue presides above.

One thing that confuses me about beach volleyball is the attire. Why is it that the women essentially wear a bikini while the men wear long shorts down to their knees? These poor women have to stand with their back to the fans while getting a sandy wedgy.

If I remember correctly, the next event in Bonn after the beach volleyball tournament is the wine festival. Sadly, that won’t be as fun for me this year.