[Dikkah and I...making sexy time]To my enjoyment, Cottbus (like most German towns) throws what is known as a Christmas Carnival, which runs from the end of November to the end of December, and celebrates...well, Christmas. Such celebrations, mainly consist of everyone gathering in the center of town, where there are many booths for drinking, food, and Christmas nic-nacs (Hi i'm 67 and have words like "nic-nacs" in my vernacular) as well as rides for the little ones. It really is a sight to behold, meaning, in my American imagination, this was how I pictured German Christmas.
Dikkah and I decided to walked around and check out the festivities, trying various food and drink. Dikkah, in attempt to culture his otherwise less-wordly teammate, assisted me in choosing the aforementioned food and drink. One of which I highly reccomend. It is called Glühwein, which is hot wine, mixed with Christmas spices and adult beverages (I liken it to what we in America drink around Christmas, hot apple cider). Keeping in the spirit of German delicacies, I also made a beeline for the Brautwurst and potatoes, thus completing my search for all things German.
[Christmas Festival; Bring on the hot wine]We then met up with several friends of Dikkah whom he went to school with. Filling the remainder of our time together drinking more Glühwein and disscusing differences between German and American culture. At their behest I tried my best to say complex German words, I think this amused them a great deal...I need a Rosetta Stone so I can exact my revenge.
I then parted ways with Dikkah and company to meet up with another friend of mine, Sandra (a musician from Berlin) for she had scored me a free ticket to see an amazing Swedish folk band known as Friska Viljor. I recently discovered this band earlier in the week, and had been youtubing them in preparation for the concert, snowballing my excitement.
[They were bearded and wonderful]It should be known that I love all things bizzare and out of the ordinary. Be it art, movies, clothes or music and this band certainly quenched my thirst for this odd affinity. Needless to say, Friska Viljor rocked my face competely off, playing a 2 hour set, with several encores. Pushing the crowd into music enduced frenzy, complete with European dancing and moshing (Note, I decided against participating in this, for when I pictured it, it ended in my untimely arrest for the assult of several tiny Germans...being 6'8 and 220 pounds or so, doesn't allow one to partake in moshing).
I can say without hesitation that it was the best concert I have ever seen.
Henceforth I will push Friska Viljor onto almost anyone who will listen, and tell of an amazing night.
This is Germany.
