The Lads arrive

I will pass over Wednesday 27th as a mere repetition of Tuesday 26th without the benefit of Oktoberfest Park. I will only say that my webediting days came back to haunt me when I offered to help Cora set up her website. No internet access, three laptops, and a lack of German all conspired to send us to a wireless cafe where a.) we discovered the wireless card wouldn't work, and b.) that Victor was well capable of pouring half a litre of apfelschorle over himself. This particular feat was interesting in that there was a pause of some seconds before the spilt drink actually chose to fall off his baby chair in a deafening splash on the floor of the crowded cafe.

Thursday in contrast was a quiet day fulled on anticipation. Felicity and the kids left at 9 in the morning; the real kids were due at the airport at 7.00.

Known though I am for chronicling my eating habits, I will pay particular attention today as it is of some relevance. Vowing to finally get Cora's website up and running at 2.00, I ate near her apartment at the cafe we had visited the day before. The BURGER, pleasant though it appeared on the outside, was a little raw at centre. Please note. I left most of this centre, but some may have got into my system.

Vow broken, but advice on how to proceed with the troublesome website proffered, I next went to buy beer and water for the lads. Phil had recommended an off license nearby, but this proved to be shut when I had tried that morning. My next approach was to try the supermarkets. I felt a little worried, however, when I couldn't find any crates in the local supermarket, particularly so as the only way out of the store was via the cash register. How could I avoid appearing a shoplifter without some purchase? Luckily I remembered the water and struggled home with eighteen litres.

Eighteen litres of water in plastic bottles was as nothing compared to the twenty glass bottles of beer in a crate I had to handle when I finally did find an off license. I took a lot of rest breaks.

I had offered to meet everyone at the airport, so out I went via S-bahn. Hungry I had a HERRING SANDWICH, which did taste nice, but these things can be deceptive. I met the four lads from Palmerstown school (we were schoolmates), and two from DCU (workmates), and hopped in a taxi. 70 euro was a little more than an S-bahn would cost, but there was comfort.

Leading the DCU boys, Ian and Justin, to their hotel, we decided to have a beer and a THAI MEAL, before going on to the Beerfest to meet up with the others. Things then were well advanced when we had our first mas of alles (litre glass of beer), and went further when we went on to two more bars. It was at the second of these bars that apparently more FOOD was put on the table. I say apparently because I lose a lot of my memory of the reminder of the night just before this point. No one else suffered ill effects from the finger food, but I personally find it strange that it was at this point I puked, and continued puking, like I have never done since I was a teenager. Not nice.

The contention that I cannot handle my beer, though a plausible one, does not bear scrutiny given the evidence of the following days. There, that's my story and I am sticking to it!

It was a good start to the proceedings though.