“Guh!”

I extracted the hair from my mouth as I returned to consciousness.

“Wassa time?” the mound beside me asked.
“Early I think,” I allowed before locating a device with a readable readout, “er nearly quarter to seven.”
“’s too early,” Con groaned before turning over.

Well I’m not exactly a morning person either but with sunlight lancing across the canvas above me I’ve no chance of returning to the land of nod. I pulled my fleece on before extracting myself from the sleeping bag and pulling my flops on. It occurred to me that I hadn’t showered last night what with sun bathing, barbeques and making out.

Making out, what was I thinking? I left the bedroom and then spent a couple of minutes trying to find my towel.

“Urgh, its you, thought we’d got unwanted visitors,” Heidi suggested appearing from the other side of the communal area.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you, can you see my towel anywhere?”
“Didn’t leave it with your boyfriend?”

Boyfriend? Max isn’t here.

“You were getting quite cosy,” she mentioned.
Aargh! “we were just talking.”
“With tongues,” she chuckled.

I grabbed my wash bag and huffed out of the tent.

Sure enough, there was my towel draped over a guy line, not ours but one of the smaller shelters the lads were using. Bum! I crept over to retrieve it, I so do not want to wake anyone, however once I got closer, the chorus of snoring seemed to preclude that likelihood. A quick snatch and I dashed off directly to the shower block where I quickly took refuge in a cubicle.

Clean and somewhat refreshed it was only after i’d put my hair into a long braid that I noticed the mark on my neck. No, not missed dirt, aargh, its a ‘love bite’, nooo! I scrabbled around in my wash bag in the faint hope there’d be some concealer, why would there be?

My hopes of getting to my makeup bag unseen were dashed when not only Brid but Steff too emerged from the tent. In a panic I slung the now sopping towel around my neck, urgh, gross! I forced a smile onto my face and completed the journey.

“Morning guys.”
“Morning Gab,” Steff offered.
“Someone couldn’t sleep,” Brid suggested.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “once the sun’s up that's my sleep done.”
“Good night last night,” Brid opined discarding a pair of socks she’d been sniffing at.

Yeah, I know and we are supposed to be the fairer sex.

“Er yeah,” I agreed.
“You seemed to be getting on with that tall lad Gabs,” Steff mentioned.
“Ernst?” I shrugged in an attempt at nonchalance, “he’s okay I guess.”
“Looked like you were getting quite cosy,” she teased.
“It did get quite chilly.”
“Whatever.”

“What are you up to?” Con enquired.
“Putting some slap on?”

I checked my neck, I think the offending mark is covered okay.

“What for, its gonna be like thirty degrees again.”
With a shrug I replied, “helps protect from the sun.”
“If you say so, I prefer factor thirty.”

Phew, she bought it.

Our tent and the campsite in general was coming to life, the sound of kinder, the smell of bacon cooking, a multitude of radios apparently all tuned to different stations, just another day for the hardened campers that we aren’t. Breakfast was consumed, coffee purchased, bodies clothed, there was no urgency, its not like we had anything planned exactly.

“We need more milk,” Donna observed as we sat about in loose committee.
“And butter,” Pia added, “we can get it at the site shop.”
“You seen how much they want for two fifty? Its alright for Brötchen but other stuff...” Steff declared.
“There’s a Penny and stuff in town,” Nen mentioned.
“I thought we were hanging with the boys again,” Bridg stated.
“I don’t mind going,” I offered.
“Anyone else?” Anna asked.
“I guess I can help,” Con allowed.
“We can have a proper look around the town,” I suggested.
“As long as there’s no more ruins.” my BF sighed.
“What’re we doing for dinner tonight?” Heidi queried.
“You were on about going into town Gabs,” Nen mentioned.
“It was only an idea.”
“We could get dressed up and stuff,” Steff enthused.
“Vote?” Anna suggested, “in favour?”

A sea of hands went up.

“Against?”

Only Brid half voted not so it looked like we’d eat better tonight.

“You can check somewhere out for us when you go shopping,” Anna proposed.
“Yeah, I guess, I suppose we should do a list.”
“I’ll sort you some money,” Anna told us.

It was gone ten before the shopping expedition departed the campsite, we might not have any adults here but Anna is keeping us in line just like she used to. Apparently it doesn’t bother anyone, it does sort of take the responsibility off the rest of us.

“You okay here Gab?”
“Eh?”
“Its just you don’t seem to want to hang out at the site,” Con explained her thoughts.
“I’m fine, I just don’t do sitting about well, you know that.”
“You’re okay when we go to Remagen pool.”
“Thats just a few hours,” I pointed out as we pulled up at the bypass crossing.
“I guess.”

We parked the bikes up in the Kurpark so that we could explore on foot, we’ll do the shopping last thing on the way back to Camping Knaus. Bad Dürkheim isn’t the biggest of places, the Abbey and Castle constitute fifty percent of the tourist attractions! There was a ‘guided’ walk flier at the tourist office so we set off to follow it, missing the side trip out to the ruins of course.

“Well I can’t see it,” Con huffed.
“The map says its here, look, Dürckheimer Riesenfaß,” I told her pointing at our map.
“Well all I can see is a big car park.”
I don’t know why but I slowly turned around, “er Con.”
“I mean, it can’t be that big can it,” my BF droned on.
“Con? Er behind you?”
“What?”
“Its behind you,” I advised without taking my eyes off the Riesenfaß, with a 1,700,000 litre capacity, the biggest wine barrel in Germany. Not that they keep wine in it of course, well not these days at least, it houses a bar and restaurant.
“I guess it is a fair size,” she allowed.
“Prices are reasonable,” I noted checking out the menu board.
“It would be pretty cool, come on lets see if we can get a table.”

By the time we’d had a walk up into the vineyards and explored the Saline, that's what they call the purification thing, we were a bit foot sore.

I collapsed onto a chair, “i need cake.”
“Well I need Eis,” Con suggested.
“Or Eis,” I agreed flicking through the menu card.
“Your concealer’s worn off.”
“Eh, i’m having the fruit cup.|”
“Your neck Bond.”
“My neck?”
“Looks like you had a good sucking session last night.”

Neck, last night, sugar!

“Er sort of, well not really, I bruise easily.”
“Give over Gab, I know a hickey when I see one.”

“We’ve got a table reserved,” I told Anna as we stowed the shopping in the cool box, milk, butter and well, some chocolate. I couldn’t resist okay.
“Not too posh is it?”
“Nah, bit like the Sebenschuh’s.”
“What time?”
“Sevenish?”
“Best tell the others,” our leader stated.

“Why’re we walking?” Bridg whined.
“Don’t want to fall off on the way back,” Con told her.

Heidi tittered behind us.

I think we made quite a sight, not exactly done up to the nines but certainly everyone had nice frocks on, hair looking decent and a coat of makeup – some of us more than others. Rather than the direct route Con and I shepherded our gaggle of youth a longer way around so we’d arrive like the pair of us did earlier. Not that anyone, except Bridg of course, was complaining, it was a pleasant evening, still mid twenties and it felt good to just be here.

“So where is this place?” Nen asked when we got to the car park.
“Just here,” Con deadpanned.
“Where?” Steff queried.
“Think big,” I suggested.
“Er guys,” Anna mentioned, “over here.”
“Really?” Pia enquired.
“We are on the Weinstraße,” I pointed out, “come on.”

And so the Ahr Angels plus two descended on the Riesenfaß, I hope they’re ready for us!

“That was flippin’ excellent!” Bridg announced as we wove our way back towards our beds.

High praise indeed.

“You shouldn’t have got on the table Gab,” Pia suggested.
“I took my shoes off.”
“I thought they were gonna kick us out,” Nen told us.
“And lose the free entertainment?” Heidi opined, “you’ve got a right set of lungs on you Gab, you should be in a band or something.”
“She is,” Con announced, “you heard of BlauHase?”
“My brother is into them,” Donna advised, “they just got a new singer right?”

Con and several others pointed at me.

“No?”
“Yup.”
“I’m not really in the band,” I protested.
“You sang at Moselfest,” Pia accused.
“’s right,” Anna agreed, “told me so yourself.”

Yup, we were certainly at least half cut, the wine was cheap and palatable, I’ll be ill later I’m sure but isn’t this what this week of unparented holidaying about?

Maddy Bell © 23.01.2018