Bob And My Funny Carnival Adventure.

It could only happen to us, couldn't it?

We locked our gate for Halloween and it brought to mind our funny adventure. In fact, we both remembered at the same time and had a good giggle.

When we were still renovating our house, we were fresh off the city bus and had no idea of the local customs and habits. It was late on a Saturday afternoon, and we could hear a rowdy bunch of voices and a lot of noise stop outside our neighbours house. Bob peaked around the corner and saw a carnival procession or as he later told me, a bunch of people dressed like the original Village People, who were obviously headed to us next.

Bob being prudent by nature, high tailed it to the barn, and thought he'd chosen a wise hiding place, when the carnival procession came into our yard. Being either the brave or stupid one, I was the one answering the door and was rather embarrassed to be surrounded by a bunch of people in disguise.

Look, they were jolly happy ( how could they not when they had to drink a tot at every stop ). At that stage I was lucky enough to not drink any alcohol and could without guilt decline the many offers of a tot of schnapps.

The troupe was of course well oiled by then and demanded to see the man of the house...the man who had to come down from the barn and mumble an excuse of sorts. Just for good measure, he was made to dance with a nun ( don't fret, it was a lady who had chosen the habit for a day ), surrounded by a clapping circle of villagers. Those who know Bob, will know that it was his worst nightmare come true. Dancing and and on public display.

Fast forward to the next year and Fasching ( carnival ) and you can surely imagine that Bob had a plan. We decided to outfox the carnival procession by pretending to not be at home. I think we might even have parked the car somewhere else too! From 9 am, the two of us were barricaded in our house. Curtains drawn and lights out. Even any excursions into our garden were done to an almost military standard.

My mum was aware of our planned internment and thought we were silly and should have just joined in for those few minutes. Oh no, Bob was adamant not to live through his own personal horror again...By five o'clock in the afternoon, we still hadn't heard the loud voices and shouts coming down our lane and were debating whether we could brave a peek outside, when the phone rang.

It was mum, a mum who was laughing so much she almost couldn't talk properly...

" Biggi, the carnival procession is only every second year in Eisenberg. This year they were only in Deutsch Schützen. You hid for nothing."

Yip, a rather funny adventure indeed and Bob and I still laugh like mad when we think of it...those that laugh together, stay together...

Biggi