And Now For Something Complete Different (3)

Normally I do not have any drunken escapades. Yet in Germany I had two that was completely absurd, typical Loekie style. One in Belgium and one in Erlangen. The Erlangen one is funny, Belgium was just painful.

To set Erlangen up, I went to Amsterdam for my birthday when I was working in Erlangen in 1994. I had an amazing time. And got a tattoo. The train trip back was a bit long and I was tired but I stopped at my local pub, the Dartmoor, for a pint. Yes, they have pints in Germany.

As always, I chat with people. I got to chat with a couple of dart players and they introduced me to weißen, or wheat beer. Deadly stuff. They are smooth and pack a wallop. I had three before I had to go to the washroom. When I stood up, my body seemed to be made of rubber. Whoa!

Of course, this should have been a sign to stop. Nah! I had a couple more and then had a Scotch just at closing. The conversation was great, especially with a couple about German angst. It was a great way to cap a great vacation. And now I let my journal tell you what happened after I left the Dartmoor:

As I went through Bohlenplatz, my alcohol soaked mind started to churn. Did I pay my bill? I couldn’t remember, so I decided to go back and make sure. I didn’t like the idea of leaving without paying.

But I did it so quickly that I slipped and went flying into the mud. It had rained that day, so the ground was soaking wet. I must have looked like a complete fool, sprawled out in the mud. With my baseball cap rolling away from me.

And of course, Claus and Sondra got a laugh, at my expense, when I came back. They were putting the bar stools up on the bar, when I came back in. They looked a little surprised at me. Yes, I had paid my bill, Claus told me between laughs. So I then meandered my way back to my place. Certainly not a ceremonious way to end my Amsterdam trip.

The point is, I did not realize how bad I looked. When I woke up the next morning I saw my clothes. The left side of my jeans and leather jacket were caked in mud. I mean caked. My baseball cap was completely caked. At the same time, I saw my door was ajar. I had left my keys in the lock.

Of course, that night when I went back I became the butt of many a joke which lasted for a couple of days. It’s too bad it wasn’t video-taped. I chuckle when I think back to that time.

Definitely did Canada proud that evening!