Weltenburg and a Wedding
The world's oldest cloister brewery can be found near Kelheim, Bavaria.Weltenburg, founded around the year of our Lord 600 is situated beautifully in a ravine of the Danube, south of Regensburg. Although it can be reached by land, the best and most scenic route is to take the ferry down the river from Kelheim. Enjoy the sights, savor a fresh tapped beer, or even swim in the Danube - Weltenburg is a treat for the whole family.
Advertising aside, it was a great way to spend one of my last days in Germany. For that matter, so was the German wedding I attended yesterday...
The niece of my host parents, Uli, was getting hitched to the son of a preacher man, Clemens. We showed up in semi-formal attire to the church at 3pm, Saturday afternoon. The service was performed by the father of the groom, accompanied by a choir, Bavarian horn music, and a few Arias. There was none of this "Do you? I do." business - though the couple read promises they wrote to each other. After some champagne and a little more music outside the church, we all packed in the cars and headed south. 15 min out of Regensburg is a small town called Matting. Traditionally a farmers community, its been expanding in recent years as a bedroom community for Regensburg. Fortunately, the history remains: We reconvened on a farm property founded in 1400. The main celebration was held inside a barn filled with Bavarian beer tables, lots of candles, and a stage.
I enjoyed some cake and coffee with an Iranian couple living in exile for helping dissidents flee Tehran. Their story was highlighted by the scaring on the man's face from torture he underwent at the hands of the hard-line Islamic government. After we first met, Darioush turned to me and said "You and me are enemies. You are the Great White Satan. I am the Axis of Evil." Apparently backgrounds as conflicting as that can't get in the way of human understanding and companionship. Thank the Lord.
Surprises and entertainment continued non-stop the whole night. The guests were treated to traditional dancing (which we of course had to learn and try), a tour through a farmer's museum, skits about the couple, various choirs and singing groups, a jazz/funk band, a magician, a fire dancer, and more Bavarian food and local beer than we could consume. It sounds expensive, that is until you learn that all the performers were friends of the couple. By the end of the night a good 60% of attendants had contributed to the festivities. Delightful!
I was particularly grabbed by two ideas the couple implemented to make their first year a little more exciting. They handed out pre-addressed post cards with dates on them. Everyone would then have to mail that postcard during the week listed on the card, meaning that the couple would receive a new postcard from one of the guests every week, all year long. The other idea involved large quantities of helium. Everyone took a white note card and wrote out a voucher, something along the lines of "1 free carwash". The back the cards stated that they were for this wedding and bid the finder of the card to send it to the couple (who's address was listed). We then tied the cards to balloons. Hundreds. In one big huzzah we tossed 'em into the sky, where they floated away to be found by Germans all across Bavaria. If your card gets found, you have to make good on your voucher. This is where gambling and wedding gifts meet.
Pictures for Weltenburg and the Hochzeit (wedding) can be found HERE.
posted by Jason @ 3:36 pm
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