Great Memories...

It has been awhile since I came online, so lots to update. Have been away to visit 21 in Freiburg, then onwards to a quaint little alpen town for conference. Now I'm happily back in Londonshire yearning for normalcy in my life again.

Hilarious 'Doomsday'
Is it even a statistical possibility that 4 people hanging out together can each have a different accident in 15 hours?

Victims: 21, 23, 24 & Marc, 21's german friend and our unofficial tour guide. (21 is the host, all friends who visits her are branded with a new number by Marc, so I'm 23 and harrie is 24.)

The calm before the storm:
On our 2nd night in Freiburg, we had dinner under the starlight on 21's landlady's balcony. The dinner was superb, and everyone was sitting around the table feeling happy and content, listening to the wind rushing in from black forest, chatting about anything and everything, enjoying the darkness of the city and the brilliance of the stars, sipping honey beer, I must say it was the most relaxing day I had in ages and it's no wonder we didn't move till past midnight =)

1st accident: 23's Blueberry Bottoms
It as almost 1am when we decided that it's getting cold and we should bring the dishes downstairs for washing. Feeling sleepy and eager for a warm shower, I happily juggled plates and cutlery in 1 hand and bottles in the other, and treaded lightly down the well worn stairs of the 100 year old house, trying not to wake 21's neighbours with the creaking floorboards. As I started on the 2nd flight of stairs, "wooish... BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM... klang-ang-ang-ang" That's me slipping and bouncing down the stairs till the very bottom. It all happened so fast that all I remembered was a voice screaming in my head "Don't drop the plates! Don't drop the plates!" Well I didn't drop them, but a fork hopped off at the very end. Not that it matters because the sound my bums made could have woken up the entire street. When 21 and 24 found me I was bent over and laughing very hard at the freak accident that has just happened and even harder when I saw their concerned/confused looks because I didn't think they'll believe me. I came away with blueberries bums for souveniors (which 21 and 24 were curious to see but I won't let them) and a sprained back for 1.5 weeks. 24 kindly pointed out that I could have just dropped the plates and saved myself. Now, why didn't I think of that?

2nd accident: Petite Herculeza
21 wanted us to have proper dinner before we leave Freiburg in the evening so she woke up really early to cook dinner for us before we even started on breakfast. Her pans are not teflon coated, hence some rice was burnt at the bottom and we had to air the room. Windows in old german houses can either be opened sideways like normal doors, or leaned inwards, pivoting on the lower edge like an oven door. There is a mechanical fitting that allows the opening modes to be switched. So 21 left her room to open the windows by the stairs and never came back. Then 24 went to check on her and a few minutes later I heard someone call my name and I went to have a look. Well, what do you know? The window that 21 tried to open fell out of its hindges and 21 had been supporting the huge century old thick glass window with solid wooden frame all by herself until 24 came along! The window was so wide that 21 can barely wrap her fingers around it and it took the combined strength of all 3 of us to lower it onto the ledge and out of harms way. It was a good thing that the window didn't become killer litter or shatter on 21 in the process. As they say, never judge a person by her size. I'll trust this powerfully little friend to save a window any day.

3rd accident: Stubborn Big Toe
Marc came over and fixed the window before prepping us up for a cycling trip out of the town. We followed the river northwards through the valley and for miles and miles there were people like us, cycling leisurely in the sun, stopping at a nice spot along the river to play with the water or nap in the sun. Many parents were cycling with kiddie tricycle-playpan in tow and there was also an amusement campsite set up on the outskirts of the city where kids were playing in pools and parents were sitting around having bbq. We cycled all the way out of town and took a break in the shade when the river touches the skirt of a forest. Marc took off his sandals and slip into the cool river water eagerly but he could go no further after his first step. His big toe was cut by a piece of broken glass in the river and it appears that it was the only piece there. Oh dear, what a day, we need a shamlock!! After being 'rescued' from the river by 3 ladies, he stubbornly refused to apply pressure on his wound to stop the bleeding until 21 took a tissue and pressed it fiercely. 21 must have used quite a bit of strength cos after that Marc was like a obedient little boy holding his big toe and sitting on the grass with 3 oriental girls chatting merrily away beside him. Two old ladies strolled by and mutted something in German which made Marc blush. I wondered what they said.

4th accident: Lora Ho in action
After the toe incident, we managed to find a beer garden right smack in the middle of the valley which serves authentic black forest cherry cake and lovely ice-cream. Thereafter, we took a short-cut back to the city. Marc stopped by the side of a glider plane airstrip to show us the motor which draws the cable that pulls the planes airborne. As he turned around and the rest of us braked behind him, he watched in horror as 24 flew into the air and did a spectacular forward sommersault over her bike!! Miraculously, she survived with abrasions and to her arms and chin and no broken bones. There were one blue-black spots above her knee on each leg, marking the spot where they collided the handlebars. There were no tears or whines as 24 checks her wounds and explained that she had been lost in her thoughts and only noticed that we've stopped at the very last second. By mistake, she pressed the front brake lever and the next thing she knew was she was flying. Marc said her quick reflex and amazing performance reminded him of Lora Croft and that was how 24 got the idea of going to back to work the next day in an all black, sleeveless outfit to show off her battle wounds. :) Incredulously, she was still able to give 21 a haircut in the afternoon and the only complaint I've heard from her was how her butt ache after all that cycling.

I still find it quite unbelieve that all those crazy stuff could happen to us in one single day. Accidents are not usually embraced with much enthusiam but we all had our personal little misfortunes and shared some good laughs and I guess because 21, 24 and Marc were such great company that our 'doomed' sunday became sort of amazingly fun.