4. Juli

Despite it being a regular Thursday here in Germany, we had a group of 30 internationals don red, white, and blue for a spectacular American picnic at Planten un Blomen. My  friends, Alisa and Emily Joy, and I helped organize a little party which turned into a full-fledged event.

We had just over 30 people who represented more countries than we imagined: Germany (natürlich!), Romania, France, India, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and the USA (of course!).

Our BYOB was somewhat unsuccessful because everyone was so generous, we ended up with more to drink that we could handle. I did bring my own beverage -- a Dr. Pepper. I bought this can of pop last Fall because I was so excited to see an American-shaped can at Rewe one day. And, while I do enjoy Dr. Pepper, I just don't drink a lot of pop. And I think it will stay that way. I was disappointed with my (too large) can of pop and ditched it before the end of the night.

And then the food. Muffins. Homemade cheese cake with fresh raspberries from the market. Olive cheese bread. Banana bread. Veggies. Fruit. Fruit Salad. Guacamole. Olive salsa (my mom's famous recipe!), popcorn (I attempted to make it patriotic colored...). Brownies. Focaccia. Cake. Pesto Pasta salad. Cranberry couscous. An Indian pasta dish. Vegan Cajun beans. And more salads and bread and even more fruit.

We were worried we wouldn't have enough blankets for everyone to sit, but I didn't sit down once the entire time! There were too many friendly and familiar faces and so many new ones that.

At 22:00 we all gathered by the water to watch the water and light show. The theme was "Pump and Circumstance" which was obviously fantastic. The schedule of the show rotates a few times each summer and many of us agreed this show was better than any of the shows from last year. Good job to the person controlling the water and lights. How do you get this job?

Sorry you can't hear the music!

Despite thinking of all the small details one is likely to forget (garbage bags, beer openers, etc.), the one thing we didn't plan on was cleaning up in the dark. By 22:45 the sun had actually set and we were scrambling to clean up and get out of the park before getting locked in. After doing some research today, I don't think we would have actually been locked in at 23:00, but you never know.

To end the evening on an even better note, Alisa was able to give away a lot of the leftover food to some homeless people at the train station who really appreciated the gesture.

Surprise appearances?: Obama the Finger Puppet, an American flag, a single sparkler, and red solo cups.

Thankfully absent?: Rain (although it was close).

It might have been the best picnic ever.

Bonus shot of the olive salsa.

Directions + umbrella marker = 99% success