Wildeshausen

My first taste of Germany was a young kid at the airport who couldn't have been more than 12 wearing a T-Shirt that read, "SAVE WATER, DRINK BEER!". This turned out to be an appropriate message.

Wildeshausen is a town in Northern Germany of about 20,000 people. Once a year they host a week long Pfingsten Festival and I was invited by two of my German friends to join their family for the celebrations. The fun began on the night two with my introduction to 'Dixie' - basically Craps but with a lot more vodka. Sitting in a circle everyone takes turns rolling two dice and on a seven everyone has to yell "DIXIE." Whoever is slowest has to drink. There are plenty of other rules which also lead to drinking as proved by Day 2's scorecard:

Everyone was feeling understandably seedy by the morning of Day 4 when the main event began. Just before lunch more than 2000 guild members and one Australian assembled in the centre of town dressed in tailcoats with top hats and rifles. After dividing up into 400 man companies we marched out to the first 'feeding of the troops' for an hour of free beer. After another march through town we snuck home for a barbecue and then returned just in time to see the new king of the festival crowned. The new King then led all 2000 troops on a 2 miles march back through town while everyone else from Wildeshausen lined the streets to cheer us on.

Our final duty was to assemble together in huge hall for another hour of free beer. The atmosphere in a room with 2000 drunk German men, all singing, dancing and pounding their rifles into the table has to be experienced to be believed. Almost completely deafened, we rejoined the rest of the town in a giant tent where the party continued until well after sunrise.

Many thanks to everyone in Wildehausen for being incredibly friendly and showing me an amazing time. Special thanks to my marching crew "The Dixi Dicks":

Thorsten "Humerous Remark Not Appropriate In This Family Blog "

Nico "Actually I'm from Denmark"

Lars "I need to pee"

and our support crew, "The Dixi Chicks" without whom we would never have survived.

Yvonne "Anybody"

Nicola "Mum Noises"