About 2023
2023 – an intense year with many events! But before I take a look back and report on the current situation, I’d like to briefly explain how I came up with this topic for the blog. On the one hand, it’s very normal to look back on the past months at the end of the year, but on the other hand, I’m not normal, not even close, and that’s a good thing. No, I often have ideas about what I could write in the next blog, which is usually 3-4 days before I write. Then I go for a walk, for example, talk to Linda about it and then I write. This time I had no idea, I just said to myself, tonight is the last evening I have time to write, so off I go. So until I got the photos ready a few minutes ago, I had no idea what to write. So let’s see where this ends…..
For us, the year ends as it began, with our stay here at the zoo, working in the Varieté. The months in between were too cold, too wet, too gray. With the exception of August and September, but that’s just not enough for us weathermen. That’s why we’re back here in the Hunsrück. It’s cold, wet and gray here, but there’s often a strong wind. So what more could we want? In between there were many events, lots of laughter, lots of new things, lots of nature, lots of peace and quiet, lots of lovely people but also sad moments, farewells, tears, pain and anger. Everything that belongs in a decent year. Everything was and is good the way it is. Even if there are moments when you really wonder whether it’s a good thing. Doubt. Healthy doubt is important, but despair is exhausting. I admit that every year I have the feeling that the last one was the most intense. This year too. When I look back on the last 4 years in general, I sometimes wonder whether I’m still normal. But the thought doesn’t end in doubt, but in pride and gratitude. Grateful for everything we have been able to experience in the last few years, how many great people we have met, that we were and are healthy and also proud that we have pulled it off and always remained true to ourselves. The next few years will therefore remain exciting and no less intense. Even if you consider that we’ll be pretty stationary in 2024, I don’t think we’ll be bored.
That’s enough of this ranting, let’s take a look at the latest news. What’s going on in the park. As most people know, the variety show started almost 5 weeks ago. We have performed 13 shows in that time, plus 4 children’s shows. In the 3.5 weeks until the end, we will play 17 more times. 2 times 5 shows in a row and in the last week 4 more in a row. We are now a very well-rehearsed team, everyone knows what they have to do, the artists are brilliant with their acts, very few mistakes happen, not with the special menus anyway (I’ll get to that later), it’s going really well. But physically it’s not without its problems, 13 hours of work, 4-5 hours of sleep, a lot of heavy lifting, a lot of hot lifting. That leaves its mark. Linda’s and my hands fall asleep at night, my heels hurt, my neck hurts. But as soon as the dismantling is finished, everything will recover. It’s fun and that’s the most important thing. There’s a lot of laughter, the atmosphere is right, so there’s no reason to complain. So it’s time for the first pictures. All about the Varieté
I already mentioned in the last blog that I find the work here more honest than the armchair farting where I was well paid for years. Even if you try to compare the work now with what we did before our restaurant, it is of course difficult. However, I can see parallels, but they have a completely different scope. Let me divide them into 3 categories. There are people who see the work and do it. The end. There are people who don’t see the work. And then there are those who see it but refuse to do it or just cherry-pick. No matter where I’ve worked, there are 1-2 noses that keep away from the work with such professionalism or even ignore it that they almost deserve a medal. But only almost. In my office jobs, it was basically never a problem for people like that. The “damage” to teammates or whatever was usually minor, if at all. But here, when things get busy or it’s getting towards the end of the day and 1-2 people skilfully avoid work, everyone finishes work later. So that tends to lead to red heads. I find it very exciting to observe, it’s easy to hide behind a screen, but when work is right in front of your feet, to skilfully walk around it and watch the others toiling away requires a pretty healthy dose of ignorance. It never ceases to amaze me.
It’s also scary to see the new generation slowly knocking on the door of the working world, whether here in the park or in the surrounding area. Does anyone know who came up with the name “the last generation”? We don’t have to worry about the climate. The earth and the climate will survive homo sapiens anyway, humans are more likely to die out due to laziness or resilience and, at some point, stupidity. The statement “Hard times create strong people. Strong people create good times. Good times create weak people. Weak people create hard times.” has so much truth in it and in my eyes we are currently experiencing the transition from good times create weak people to weak people create hard times. I have no idea how long this process will take, but it feels like the whole process is picking up speed. In my opinion, it makes perfect sense not to look too far into the future. It’s better to enjoy the here and now, otherwise you’ll end up in despair at some point, as I mentioned at the beginning.
On the verge of despair, we turn back onto Freudensstrasse, not to be confused with Freudenhausstrasse, with other much simpler words for the finer things in life. We are parked with our camper van right outside the park and next to us are Eddy & Josy with their beagle Louie. We were already neighbors last year, the Swiss connection, although Josy is not from Switzerland. We have a cool little camp here. There was a big fire bowl standing around all by itself, we snatched it up and regularly sit outside around a very cozy, warming campfire. We really enjoy the time in the right climate. We have already developed from a small barbecue grill on stones to a large tripod with a decent grill and kettles. Soon we’ll be able to eat a proper fondue there. Here are a few pictures of what it looks like here.
Before I come to the end, a few words about the food at Varieté. We have a standard 4-course menu, which you can have either with meat or without, i.e. vegetarian. Of course, we also cater for vegans, gluten and lactose intolerants, nut or other allergy sufferers. With around 220 people per evening, you can imagine that a lot comes together. But I’ll tell you what, it’s a lot less bad than you might think. I’ve kept a little record of some of the performances. The proportion of vegans is a stable 10%, vegans make up less than one percent. The same goes for gluten and other allergy sufferers. Of course it’s kake for us to find out at 1900h that we now have one more special, as we say. We know that they are always there, so we can prepare ourselves for the small amount. I just find it reassuringly reaffirming that this miserable vegan hype plays a role for so few people. Again, it’s nothing more than money-making. I am of the opinion that the human body needs animal proteins. I am against factory farming and in favor of conscious meat consumption, even if I find the latter very difficult to implement. Especially when you see the quantities that are processed per evening, as is the case now at the Variete. Meat and bacon per evening, a good 25 kg, for 30 performances that’s three quarters of a ton of pork. I don’t think I need to go on. If you then look at the prices here in Germany. REWE has been throwing pork fillet at you for weeks for well under 10 euros a kilo. I didn’t want to write any more.
Finally, here are a few pictures of happy animals. Namely of Brownie and his new friend Louie, the beagle of Eddy & Josy. There are also some pictures of animals here in the park and a few pictures with us and other people here.
Ah, I almost forgot. If you looked carefully at the barbecue area pictures, you’ll have seen that there’s a bird feeder in the background. We were able to buy it very cheaply and feed a few birds that have missed their way south or wouldn’t fly anyway. For me, of course, it’s an opportunity to get the camera out when we’re not working and it’s not pissing. A regular guest in our little house is the nuthatch.
I hope I can take a few more cool pictures here. It would be nice.
But now I’m really coming to the end. We wish you all a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a Happy New Year. I’ll probably be back somewhere at the end of January.
We from here
