A Rose in a Balloon? Yes, please!

This is the story of my quest* to obtain a rose in a balloon.

My first couple of weekends in Hamburg seemed to last forever since I didn't have anything to do, anywhere to be, or anyone to meet. I spent a lot of time wandering around the city on foot, which actually served a very functional purpose.

One of the things I encountered on one of my many trips through the streets of Hamburg was a spotting of a small child holding a balloon with a rose inside of it.

I had never seen such a thing.

Then I started to notice other women and more children carrying them around. I then discovered that it was a celebration/marketing tactic for Budnikowsky (Budni for short). This store is your average drugstore (without prescriptions) which can fill all of your shampoo, soap, nail polish removers, and toilet paper needs. It's a kind of Walgreens and Target mix, but without clothes.

That day I never found the source of the balloon and rose combo, but it kind of stayed in the back of my head. Every now and then I'd see a smattering of these rarities, but I never followed the trail successfully.

Until last Friday.

Balloons and roses were the farthest thing from my mind. It had been a long (rainy) week and I'd been dealing with a bad headache and my healthy afternoon snack of an apple left me wanting something sweet. I decided I'd pick up something on the bakery as a special treat. But each bakery I passed didn't have exactly what I wanted -- because I didn't know what I wanted (!).

This led me to take a very long path to an area where I sometimes shop. And that's where I spotted the first sighting. Then I saw two more across the street. Without much thought, I started drifting toward the Budni around the corner. I knew I needed a replacement toilet bowl cleaner/freshener, so it couldn't be a complete bust.

The doors opened and the balloon setup was visible! Not wanting to look too eager, I perused the Halloween (minimal and not that great looking) and Christmas (it's going to be a tough battle not to gain 10 pounds this holiday season) treats.

And then I made eye contact with the balloon man.

"Would you like one?"

I paused, as if considering, "Yes, gladly!"

"With or without?"

I had to think about this a second. I wasn't entirely sure what he meant. With or without what? I must have looked like I was in serious decision mode.

"With a balloon or without?"

Ohhhhhh.

"With, please."

I think it's always safe to say "mit", aside from when the question is in regards to Sahne (cream) in which my grandmother would argue, "always mit!".

Ten seconds later I was in possession of a clear balloon surrounding an orange rose. And I was excited. And then I was even more excited when I was offered a sample of a new kind of candy.

But then about five minutes later, after exiting the store with my toilet cleaner replacement, I was hit with a minor case of embarrassment and thoughts of "now what do I do with this?"

So I rushed home which was thankfully just around the corner.

In summary, I avoided eating a not-so-healthy snack and gained a rose in a balloon (and a clean toilet). Success. Both personal and marketing.

Also, it's been a while since someone gave me a flower and a very long while since someone has offered me a balloon. It's amazing how such silly, little things can brighten your day. It's still sitting in my foyer, propped up by a tape dispenser.

*My definition of quest, in this case, is more like a not so long and no so arduous search for something.