March, April and May in Germany seem to offer an endless stream of public holidays. No sooner is Good Friday over than we take a big Easter Break. And before you’ve even made a dent in your Easter basket, the ironically named Labor Day gives us yet another well deserved breather. Clearly never having heard the phrase “too much of a good thing,” the Germans rise once again to the occasion with Ascension Thursday. And just when you’re beginning seriously to wonder if even the kitchen sink gets it’s own holiday in this country, there comes Pentecost Sunday, which, despite its name and for the sake of keeping spring entirely work-free, is also celebrated on a Monday.
Normally on such three-day weekends, families pack up the Skoda or Audi and head for remote (in cozy Europe any destination beyond 20 km) destinations: lakes, forests, grandparents etc. The forecast called for rain from Friday through Monday, however, dousing our own Pentecostal plans of grilling and chilling at the grandfolks, so we had to come up with ways to keep Lloyd entertained.
On Saturday we went to the Dresden Airport:
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| Off to the airport! |
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| First we took the train. |
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| We weren’t the only parents with this idea. |
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| Our plan’s working! |
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| I’d like this size, please. |
Today, Sunday, we took our first trip to the Dresden Zoo.
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| Giraffe and zebras |
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| Are you sure we’re safe? |
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| Father and son |
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| Let’s call it a morning. |
How can we top that tomorrow?
***Update*** Thanks to Ann in the comments section for confirming that I was never cut out for the Catholic business. Whit Monday is an honest-to-goodness holiday. This only leads me to the question: Is there an inverse correlation between the religiosity of a country and the number of religious bank holidays? And if so, isn’t that a form of freeloading?
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on Sunday, May 31st, 2009 at 14:12 and is filed under Chris, Dresden, Family, Germany, Lloyd, Society.
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Looks like fun weekend activities. dont blame it on “keeping lloyd entertained”
i remember going to the airport with YOU just to hang out!
It’s actually Whitmonday , the day after Pentecost, which is on Sunday here just as it is everywhere else. What is special about Monday? – I have no idea. The religious calendar changed long before I was born and at least in the US, there’s nothing to celebrate on Monday, ok nothing in particular. Sort of like the day after Christmas, which also confuses me.
You are definitely reflecting the authentic German experience, though, because my husband said exactly the same thing. The special (or in this case, shorter name, just gets tacked onto the holiday.) Sontag hat man eh frei.
And it looks like you put the day to good use! The pictures are adorable.
He’s getting so big, I want those cheeks! You guys are great at this parenting thing…you should have another…oh right. BTW nice hat on Lloyd.