You know the way you remember that when you are a child all the summers were warmer, sunnier, funner than they are now. Well I had one such summer and it was THIS summer!.

Yes, I enjoyed eight weeks plus of un-interrupted funner, sunnier, happier days that I ever remember.... One of the best weekends of an already great summer was when my baby brother - Wady X, came to visit.  No time was wasted not having fun that weekend:

Time of arrival: 17.38

Time of first dip:
 17.52  

And then for our luck there was a `Jazz Konzert am See`  so after our swim we enjoyed rest, relaxation and a picnic with the dulcid tones of CZICHOWSKY & BUCHER & KÜHN  in the background.




Next morning breakfast on the terrace....







Followed by a swim...










 


   and some ´interesting´ sightseeing in the locality....



Followed by more R. und R. in an ambient setting..

All this R. und R. set one up for a sampling of the local brew....

 





















and .... for another swim..

Later in the evening, there was an introduction to the local cuisine in the world famous (in some places)  Hof Höfen......



And more from Bier Garten Hof Höfen where we enjoyed a fine dollop of German culture  - there was a great side story:

...It seems the owner as a young boy lived in a nearby village where his family owned one of only two restaurants in the village.   His family and the owners of the other local restaurant were ´not at all on good terms`.  But as the young boy grew to become a young man, he fell in love... with the daughter of the owner of the other restaurant
After a while of secret rendezvous-ing.  They went public.  And got married.  As is oft wont to be the case, a few grandchildren later, both families were the best of friends.
Now they have three thriving establishments: his family´s, her family´s and theirs.  Und noch was:  the couple are very open to bringing in hard working immigrants to work in their various establishments, the employees find the work situation so good, that they bring in others from their countries of origin.   There is just nothing at all awful with this story or what.  I tell you, Romeo and Juliet would have been mad jealous, if that had not gone and done themselves in!
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So all this doing nothing much on Thursday set us up for a busy day of fun on Friday:

First a boat trip to Reichenau Island where as Wady X put it, we enjoyed a sissy cycle.  First stop was the beautiful Böhler gardens; it is a private garden and a true labour of love which to the world´s  great good fortune, the public can enjoy.... It is stunning.  As you can see below...

Being in awe of Böhler´s garten was followed by a gentle-stroll-of-a-cycle to one of my favorite corners of the island.  It is indeed literally a little corner; a very quiet little spot am See in the shade of a  tree.  Perfect for soaking the feet with a cup of what every you are having yourself.

Followed by a full body soak with a cup/bottle of what ever you ´re having yourself .

So after swimming, sipping and siesta-ing for an hour or three, we headed back via bike und boat to Allensbach to prepare for den Sonnenuntergang Bootfahrt.  Or to you non-German speakers the sunset boat trip.

A real bonus for this us - apart from the clement weather and stunning sunset I mean,  was Helga was there to entertain us.

Hegla is a character in Allensbach... and a MOST respectable character too let me hasten to add.   Helga is the Queen of Fastnacht; for over 40 years she has been involved with Allensbach´s  Fastnach.  -  Which is like Mardi Gras, only with clothes on.
Helga is famous for her wit, music and perhaps most of all for her skill at what they call Mund-Art.  Mund-Art is everything that hoch Deutsch or High German is not.  Prior to the railway arriving in Germany, communities lived relatively isolated and developed their own local variation of the German language. The Volkssprache, the language of the folk so zu sagen, Mund-Art is a source of great pride to many locals, not least Helga.  The same Helga, it must be clarified, is a most educated, refined lady, but, she has killer Mund-Art.
 - And boy Mund Art is a killer for us foreigners too; we who have enough trouble with hoch Deutsch have to content with dialects which to compare makes English as spoken in  the Scottish Highlands, or south east Kerry in Ireland sound like it is spoken by the Queen herself.  The Queen, as in Elizabeth,  not Helga.
 And spare a thought for foreigners who try to learn German in Switzerland; even here in Germany they use subtitles when Swiss people are speaking on the T.V.
... So,  back to the sunset...

After all that ´busyness´on Friday we took it slower on Saturday....

The day started with ... yes...a swim.


Followed by a bit of watching the world go by....


Followed by another swim...

The final evening was enjoyed in the shade with a cool beer and b.b.q on the ´Acker Weg`. 

On the final day we set off to Birnau Church where the weather was as good as it was when Herbert and I walked down the aisle there seven years ago this weekend...

As always visiting Birnau is a... 

....surprise!

Aha, I bet you did not expect that in our little neck of the woods!






Then one final swim... before taking the ferry to the train to get the plane...

.... Now was that a great few days of summer in Allensbach or wha!  If I wasn´t me, I´d be jealous of me.  Heck I am me, and I am jealous of me!