German Polterabend

Last Saturday we drove up to the Trier area with some of TJ's co-workers to attend a Polterabend. Its a German tradition to have an informal reception before the bride and groom marry to celebrate the wedding itself. Here in Germany it is not common for a lot of people to attend the actual wedding and dinner that follows, so this is a good way to make sure that all friends and family...and actually anyone that wants to celebrate can. Last weekend we went to Trittenheim to Iris' Family's Winery to celebrate and it was a lot of fun. Here are Natalie, myself, and Yvonne before the Polterabend on our hotel balcony. Notice the surrounding vineyards...so pretty!

Soon after this picture we headed over to the Eifel Winery, just four blocks away to celebrate.

They served three kinds of wine...a trocken (dry) and a lieblich (lovely or sweet), and then another one not pictured that was in the middle of these...

When we arrived the courtyard was decorated and the wine and beer was flowing, along with many finger foods prepared by Iris' Family. Here is a shot of the courtyard.

The look on may face can easily be explained by one of the customs of this evening...the breaking of porcelain. It was done as you enter and people brought everything from plates to wash basins to old toilets to break. The broken schards represent the hard times they will experience, and then they have to clean it up together then symbolizing teamwork with in a marriage. The schards the better as to bring them luck. TJ and I participated by breaking plates. In the picture above I was watching a toilet being dropped by a John Deere tractor on the cobblestones. Here is a shot of the beginning of the night with the schards in the background.

And the some friends of Iris and Jens thought it would be funny to cover the street in wood chips to create more work for them...

And four loads later this is what the street looked like!

It was really fun...so fun TJ stayed out until 4 am with his co-workers celebrating! Just another interesting experience in Deutschland!

Auf Wiedersehen!