Karneval Ssitzung
Wed 06 Feb 2013
Party thursday
For some reason not entirely clear, Thursday of Karneval is as good as any other for a party, particularly for students it seems.
In the University district there is a main shop street lined with bars, cafes, clubs and restaurants. On Karneval Thursday it is mayhem as it is blocked off and filled with 10,000 or more university students or aged there abouts dressed to perfection in costume of all types. In their hands beer by the volume or party spirits in shot glass sized bottles. Setting about drinking their own body weight inside 6 days, everyone is quite merry and genuinely in high spirits. Indoors, bars like the Museum is squeeze space only, with admittance troubling unless you have a full costume. In our group were three guys in some type of South American celebratory balaclava, devilish in appearance, bar security did not see it as enough or appropriate for the party inside.
... and obviously so, indoors you could not move for Batman, bears, cowboys, Red Riding Hoods, tigers, a large clutch of pirates at least one air stewart and more.
Once again spirits were high and the Kolsh beer by the 200 ml glass.
From the speakers through out are the same 10 Karneval songs seemingly played in a loop.
The only downside of the event for mine was the growing smoke density - the Germans have, for the most part banned smoking indoors. The loophole is that clubs and bars can nominate themselves as "smoking clubs" - inside which smoking is still allowed.
I am told that even if it were banned in a club or bar, the nature of Karneval is to flaunt the rules as they are "a long way from Berlin", and smoking would occur anyway.
Regardless of people's feeling on the matter, the party continued on the street, the bars, and elsewhere well into the night with my hosts arriving home for a break and heading back out for more action in a local bar.
So be it, Thursday is one hell of a party.
