I’m not sure about the music…

I’m not completely sure what to think of the place we ended up this weekend. We have been here since Thursday, to enjoy the long weekend with friends and their two kids. It’s a kind of nice place, but with some weird touch to it.

We’re staying on a Ferienhof – a holiday farm – in the Bavarian forest. Although the place itself is reasonably charming, bordering some rolling hills with patches of forest and some goats and horses for the kids to pet and ride. I’m not completely sure we fit in with the audience they seem to generally cater to. The people staying here are mostly very friendly middle-aged hillbillies. Perhaps I do fit in, but just have a very unrealistic picture of myself.

The music blowing through the speakers at the farm and sanitary building is a fine mixture of classics from Michael Jackson, Prince, Earth, Wind and Fire, and German Scheisse of the worst kind. I’m pretty sure I also heard Gangnam style yesterday. Luckily, the kids sleep through bad music without difficulties.

We took a little stroll this morning, as the kids were not feeling optimal. One in the backpack, one in the sling, and off we went. A couple hundred meters away there is a small number of artificial ponds, one for swimming, and four or five that in the past probably were home to trout or duck rearing. They now served as a nice element to the landscape, and the local herpetofauna didn’t seem to mind. In a stretch of about 20 meters, I spotted probably 10-15 grass snakes of different ages. They were enjoying these ponds very much. The rest of the area seems to be former spruce plantation, some older trees still standing here and there. I’m not sure what the foresters are up to here, parts had been replanted with beech, others with alder, and a large stretch of road in newly planted spruce was lined by elder which spread their sweet and fruity fragrance. It’s a strange area, but quite nice.

The weather has also been somewhat off. Cloudy with some clear moments in between made it almost perfect. The strong hurricane wind that accompanied it made it feel chilly. Sunburn weather. I think I got myself a mildly unhealthy lobster tan.

We thought it would be a nice idea to meet here with the aforementioned friends and their kiddos. We somehow had in mind that the kids would entertain each other, while we could laugh and have fun. Although it’s been fun, I think the kids have started getting on each other’s nerves. Instead of providing entertainment, we needed to provide distraction. And entertainment. It’s been fun, but I’m also feeling pretty dead.

Now that the kids are asleep, we’ll have to think of something edible. I’m hungry.