Lump 'n Lisa - 2003

(Music on/off)

~ Part II ~

The parking lot at the Zum Sternen was pretty empty on a Sunday, even with lots of the merry band arriving in the area. After an enthusiastic welcome from Tina and Rudy, it was time for our first Fürstenberg. Damn, it's a long time between beers. Then Gary (Roosia) and Carolyn (CGRAM434) arrived followed by Beverly and Chuck (CKronenbur) and off we were to a larger table. Bavaria Ben and Larry (Pstuyvsant) arrived and the party was underway.

There was an informal dinner meeting in nearby Neukirch that evening, but we had to take leave and go to Wölterdingen to meet with our friends. It turned out Paul was in Finland at an educational conference. It seems during the last world tests that Germany's education system has declined so much that they finished behind Romania and has raised alarms in the German school system. The meeting in Finland was to explore the Finnish system, which finished very high in the testing. Luitgard greeted us with a big hug and she made a very good Kirsch cheesecake. Oink,oink. After a chat we drove to Luitgard's school and she opened up the building to show us the classroom where we would meet on the following day. It's a very old school and needs maintenance, but they don't have metal detectors at the doors and it kinda reminded me how schools were when I occasionally attended. Then we went back to Luitgards and took a walk thru the back of the village and then headed back to the Sternen.

It was a little slow there as several were at the Neukirch dinner, but they showed up after a bit. The place where they ate wasn't a big hit (according to some), but now the party started again. There were several who hadn't been to the first meeting in 2000, so greetings were being exchanged and faces were being put to names. We were staying at the Sternen so we wouldn't have to crawl so far to bed. The weather so far has been spectacular with very mild temperatures in the Schwarzwald. Several members of the Stammtisch wandered in and out saying their hellos. This is going to be a large gathering for the dinner on Tuesday evening.

We had dinner, schnitzel for Lisa and paprika schnitzel for me, and of course more Fürstenberg. Jim (Tooooobah) was getting ready to put in a swing shift after a day shift. Man, that guy can drink beer and he makes the rest of us look like pikers. Towards the end Lisa called it a night, but in the end it was Tooooobah, Rudy, Heidelberg Bob, and me. I think it was after 01:00 when Tooooobah started belting out tunes on Sternen’s piano. Finally at 02:00 I called it quits and left the rest to do whatever.

We were up in the morning without a hangover, down to breakfast, and since it is a free morning, we take a drive and do some backroading. After arriving back at the Sternen, we met our mates and headed to the Fürstenberg Brauerei in Donaueschingen. Roosia had set up a tour ahead of time for whoever wanted to go along. Tooooobah joined us as we followed Ben and a carload of crazy women from Oklahoma. The four Okies, as they were affectionately called, were on a mission to not miss out on any fun. Pat S (Queenan2), Pat M, Terry and Maryann (Drsmom) were a delight to be around, even if they talked funny.

We met up with the rest of the gang and our hostess and tour guide, Nicole, gave a very good tour. One important note we learned was Germany has fallen to third in beer consumption behind Ireland and the Czech Republik. At the end of the tour we hit the gift shop and then were treated to free beers and a sandwich snack in their hospitality room. Fürstenberg Brauerei

Tooooobah told us that Rudy had broken out his private stash of plum schnapps after I went to bed last night and it was sooooooo good. Perhaps tonight we’ll give it a try. Rudy and Tina were offering a couple of special meals for the evening. One was Rehragout, which is a venison stew, and Schnitzel at a reduced price. This place just doesn’t put out a bad meal. It was another great evening and after people started to trickle out, I hit Rudy up for the plum schnapps. It was very smooth and several of us killed the bottle and then tried pear schnapps. Not so good to drink as the plum stuff, but we did it anyway. I hung with Tooooobah and Rudy, but Heidelberg Bob called it a night sometime after midnight. Finally, I turned into a wienie after 02:00. Holy moley, this is two nights in a row trying to drink Sternen dry.

We’re up in the morning ready to go to school. Lenny and Shari (Lenox862) came down the street from their lodging and away we go. We took two cars as Lisa and I were going back to the brewery to buy some gifts. We walked into the school and knocked on the door, not knowing what to expect. We were warmly greeted by what was the 3rd grade class. (we are assuming that, as we are not sure if they have the same class/grade structure that we do) The students introduced themselves in English, first with their own names and then with "my English name is....." There were Mary’s, Bobby’s, Tommy’s, Ellen’s, Monica and even a Justin etc. Then they gave a brief description of their family, homes, and pets. We introduced ourselves and showed on the map where we lived. Lenny and Shari told them that one of their daughters worked at Sea World training dolphins, and that got their excitement. Florida - Sea World - USA!!!! Lenny can expect some guests in the future.

We went out with the kids during the break and the principal came over and introduced himself. We attracted a large crowd and several in other classes were asking questions. Surprisingly, several of these kids have been to the USA, including NY, Florida, and Colorado. At the bell, we went to another classroom and these students were a bit older. The kids then asked all about the each of us. What kind of car did we drive, how big was our house, and did we have any pets. At this school the teachers trade rooms and the students stay at the same room all day. Lenny tried some of his best German on them, but the NY accent gave them the giggles. Then they were anxious to show off for us and they did. Luitgard tried to do some teaching, but the kids wanted to talk; so we just had a general question and answer session until the end of the period. It was A LOT of fun. We took a lot of photos and at the end of the class, they all came up and we wrote a short goodbye as well as our address and phone numbers in their studies book. Even Lenny left his business card, so he could sell some hotel supplies. The school also has students from Bosnia, Turkey, and several other countries. In addition to this class, they must all take German. I would have to say that this has been one of the highlights of all our trips over here. At the end of the class time, we said good-bye and Lisa and I headed for Donaueschingen and shopping. The rain was coming down hard now. We had a very nice lunch and beers, did our thing, and headed back to Urach and the big evening.

There will be several reports about the meeting, but some of the highlights for us were the big turnout from the USA, a great meal from Rudy and Tina and the staff they put together, the Musikverein from Urach and even a reporter from the local area paper came by to write about the event.

I don’t think I saw anyone who wasn’t having a good time. After a bit, I was kinda surprised that several were calling it a night a bit on the early side. But, not everone is interested in adding to the wealth of the family Fürstenberg, ‘cept those of us who had sore kidneys and failing livers. We were joined tonight by Tooooobah’s wife Bess, and my Frau and away we went. This one went till 03:30 and when we left, Rudy was having a staredown with the table cloth. Lisa and I were to drive to Vianden, Luxembourg tomorrow, but what the heck we don’t see these people often enough and its full speed ahead. We loaned our car to AsbachNate and his family to head back to their digs as they arrived by cab or something. We had a great time and thank the Bärmann family for the food, shelter, and memories of a great time. And to BavariaBen for putting together this gathering, I’ll get even with you later. Ha, Ha, Ha.

Here are a couple of my favorite photos. They are themed:

“This is your brain”

“And this is your brain on Fürstenberg.”

~ Part III ~