Family outing

First of all - Yes perhaps the Germans have more Bank Holidays (13 in Bavaria) BUT those falling on a weekend are "lost", not of course for those who normally work on a Saturday or Sunday. In Bavaria, there are 8 fixed date holidays & so, for instance, the 2 Christmas days 2010, New Year's day 2011, as well as 1st May 2011 all, fell on Saturday or Sunday. Strangely there is only one national Bank Holiday - 3rd October (Unity Day), the rest are in the hands of the 16 states & even within the states there are differences depending on if the parish is mainly Catholic or protestant. Must make life hell for lorry drivers as trucks are not allowed on the roads on Sundays & Bank Holidays. The Germans actually sacrificed a Bank Holiday a few years ago, apparently so as to benefit the state pension scheme finances.

Today is Corpus Christi & a non-loseable bank holiday in Bavaria, always 60 days after Easter Sunday i.e. a Thursday. Added to this, the "Volksfest" in my wife's birth village, Olching (page in English is not up to date), always takes place in the Corpus Christi week AND this year the Bavarian Interior Minister attended on Sunday to officially proclaimed Olching, a town. One needs around 25,000 inhabitants to get this status. My father in law, Sepp, is chairman of the town's veterans association & thus sat right at the front in the VIP area! I wonder if the association knows that he was born in 1934 & has not spent a single minute in uniform? Anyway, I think he was very proud, particularly so that his adopted home for the last 60 years has attained this new status.

So now to the photo taken in the tent at the Olchinger Volksfest. Sepp on the right with family from left to right: Son in law, Gerhard; middle daughter, Siglinde; son, Peter; nephew, Martin(Bubbi); son in law, moi; youngest daughter, Angelika (wife of moi); eldest daughter, Brigitte. The photo was kindly taken by Martin's daughter which I think makes her Sepp's great-niece. Lousy weather, lousy loud band, lousy lukewarm food but the beer was wet and therefore an enjoyable day was had by all.