August 27th was Meabh's 18th birthday so I checked with my Gastfamilie as to which words should be sung to the usual Happy Birthday tune? Thirteen -year-old Bastian was horrified! We don't sing that any more! He grabbed pen and paper and wrote frantically as the car wended its way to school between vineyards & over level-crossings... his valiant efforts were much appreciated, more so when he also volunteered to sing with us, to make sure we got it right. Pretty courageous for a young lad to sing with strangers, but a whole crowd of older foreigners to boot - respect Basti! Fortunately Frau Glanzmann found the song online and downloaded copies for all of us: "wie schoen, dass du geboren bist" = how wonderful that you were born. Look it up online, it's a pleasant tune. We all sang lustily & fortunately Frau Kroll has a super voice. Meabh received cards from the group and also from Frau Glanzmann. Later that day all course members were invited to Meabh's house for a party and food - I do hope nobody was tempted to eat Handkaes mit Musik...Coincidentally, this was the day when Frau Kroll taught us all about customs and traditions in Rheinland-Pfalz (A-level syllabus: another tick!). A few pancakes don't really compare with the fun & games of Karneval, sadly, & why don't we have a Hexennacht? (Witches night with fun for naughty children). I also loved the idea of popping cherry tree twigs in a vase on the 4th December (Barbara Day) so that they bloom at Christmas. However, the online video of Rosenmontag processions in Mainz was wonderful - if you look closely you may see a rather unusual President Trump figure, as many politicians are lampooned. Poor Meabh must return to school before anyone else, ie the Friday after our return, but perhaps they won't mind if she's present in body but not in spirit on the first day back? The photo today shows Meabh and friends enjoying our boat trip on the Rhein.