Happy Birthday v1

We had a wonderful meal to celebrate Mum's 75th birthday in Germany. The family met up in the restaurant at the Schloss (castle) which had been booked. In reality, this meant that we ended up with the room pretty much to ourselves.

I did think that we were the only people there, but, I later realised that there were actually several rooms in the castle that are used as the restaurant. This was ideal, as it meant that each of the parties on that evening were completely separate, giving a feeling of exclusivity.

Having eaten there earlier in the trip, it was very easy to decide what to eat on the night. No one had a starter, but we all selected wonderful main courses. My poor Grandma chose duck, but was rather shocked when she got half a duck presented to her. It may have been delicious, but she could only eat a little. (Mind you, she did have a go at finishing the whole lot!)

It was wonderful to see my aunts and uncles and we had a good time. Somehow though, I missed the ordering of any deserts, and, as we sat talking, uncle Conrad was presented with a plate of ice-cream as if by magic. Jess knew what she wanted, so, when the waitress came back for another drinks order, I asked for a desert for her ans well as one for myself. Evidently, this was a surprise to everyone else, as now there were just the two of us eating! Well - someone had to do it.




After the meal, Conrad persuaded one of the staff to show us the cellar downstairs. This was an old coal bunker, which had been cleared out and was now used for functions. There are actually 3 separate rooms - one, nice and cosy for intimate events, one big enough for weddings, and another, usually used for parties or discos. As we came back up the stairs, the manager was really nasty to the girl that showed us around, and demanded to know what she had been looking for. Sadly, I wasn't quick enough with my German to defend her, and Conrad didn't like to get involved. It was a shame for her, as she had done nothing wrong at all - in fact, she was being very helpful to the patrons. I hope that she was able to explain herself later, without being reprimanded.

Thankfully, Andreas now lives very close to the castle, so we were able to walk home in just a few minutes. Many is the time, that I had to hold both of my brothers up, as we staggered down the hill and up the other side in our attempts to get home from town! Now we just eat out, then drink loads of Altmeister when we get back.