Germar's Monthly Updater

A Wedding in Bavaria One of the highlights in August was the wedding of one of my best two friends. It was a three day event. The first day was dedicated to the ceremony in the civil registry office. I was waiting outside until the official part was over and one of my tasks was to through rice on the bridal couple as soon as they leave the city-hall. I don't know the background of this tradition. I assume the goal is to most effectively torture the couple at the very beginning of their marriage so that obstacles, which eventually show up later in their lives, can only be less painful. After they had bravely endured serious suffering we all danced waltz on a parking lot and opened the first bottles of champagne. Obviously delighted, bridegroom and bride posed in front of their car before we went to another place, having more champagne and beer. The next day was the most serious one: The promise of marriage in front of the lord. My friends chose a small church on a hillside overlooking Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Actually, it was the same church where my parents married over 30 years ago). It is a beautiful jewel in baroque style, like many churches and chapels in Bavaria. Everything is full of gold and precious old paintings. The priest was very dignified, emphasizing the important moment. After the vows were spoken the bridal couple and the pastor assembled with both witnesses to the marriage, concluding the ceremony. Outside the church, the next torture was waiting. The couple had to prove that they are able of solving a problem together: Sawing a beam (or more precisely, a small windsurfer) in parts. They solved the task faultlessly, even without arguing. It will certainly not be possible to use the debris again for windsurfing! Next, the official pictures were taken. Here is my collection of the not-so-official ones. Choose by yourself which one you like most! Click on thumbnails for enlargement! The next item on the day's agenda was partying! The venue was a restaurant up in the mountains above Garmisch. We even had to take a cable car to get there. It was a beautiful place. The party went on until early in the morning the other day. Most of us stayed overnight. The weather on the next day was just gorgeous and I had a short hike before breakfast. That's how it looked like in the immediate vicinity of our venue: The next photograph is taken close by and shows the view on Garmisch's enormous landmark, the Alpspitze.

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