staffelberg

Staffelberg

I remembered vaguely the way. Although last time we got a bit lost.
But then we went up the hill. I didn’t plan to do that by bike. To steep.

It would be my 1st beer during holiday.
Well, I got 1 at the Fest in front of the church when I arrived. Got treated by the people I rented the appartment of.
I didn’t dare to tell them I didn’t like the beer too much.

So I sat down. Stood up (nobody was coming). Went to the bar. Asked stupid questions.
Stupid, because I wasn’t able to speak decent German yet.

But I ended up with everything I wanted, everything I needed to give my holiday a start.



counter

Counter

At days like this I better choose between too big, too small, too ugly or damaged.
At least for the coming 3 hours I won’t go out. It might be better to stay inside the whole day.

Strangely enough I do have good memories of days like this during holidays as a kid. I loved the sound of the rain on my tent. It felt safe. & I could read lots of books (instead of making long walks with my dad).

I decided to do too big. Maybe this is a 1-time opportunity for one of my most beautiful T’s.



mahr’s

Mahr's

It was the day after Easter. We had to go back.
But 1st we had to collect some beer.

After filling up the van with crates & kegs & handing over empties I asked for T’s.
I couldn’t resist.

It resulted in a free T from Hummel, a stein from Schlenkerla (4 beers for on the way), a crate of beer from Beck (not the big one) & at Mahr’s I got the T for ½-price.

We drove back home.
I drank beer. I believe 5 of the free beers.
It was the day after Easter, I suddenly realized. The 100th day of the year. The 10th of April.
My birthday.

They had given me presents, while we all didn’t know.



reblitz

Reblitz

It was my 1st full day in Oberfrankenland. Totally on my own, but my nervousness was finally gone.

Not that I felt selfassured.
To find the brewery, clearly marked in my guide, it took me 5 minutes. Riding up & down the hill the village was built on.
I didn’t look too good.

& Entering the Gaststätte, I didn’t want to make any mistake while ordering a beer.
Of course that resulted in several of them.

I asked whether they had a T-shirt of their brewery.
Well, they did.
I smiled.
Kann ich ein T-shirt bekommen? I asked.
Selbstverständlich.

The manager walked to the back, behind the kitchen & stayed away for more than 5 minutes.

I just kept on standing in front of the bar. Ocassionally smiling at the bartender.
She smiled back.
We said nothing. The only thing she did was rinse some clean glasses.
I took sips of my beer.



another

Another

There are good weathershirts & bad weathershirts.
It depends on their colour.

That’s why something like white-T-shirtday exists. In the heat of the sun I can’t do anything else than wear a white T.

So on days like this I have to turn to a black T. Otherwise all the light coloured ones will be gone when I really need them.

Though I have to say I don’t like black.
And I especially don’t like to wear this one.
I do like the joke, but all the people will start staring at my T, wondering what’s written on it.

Don’t stare at my tits, I’ll say to them.



rulles

Rulles

I still think the other T was better. But I have to do it with this one.

I met the brewer twice. Had to ask for the T (the nicer one) in French.
My English is very mal, he said.
Je vends votre bière, I said. Je veux votre T-shirt aussi.

Oui, oui, oui.

& For the rest of the beerfestival we said nothing to each other.
A smile & that was it.

Smiles can look totally different in other languages.



meister

Meister

We had been cycling around for quite a long time. Visited some caves in the middle of the day. Drank beer.
& Were planning to drink some more.

But it’s hard to cycle in hot wheather only for the cause to find better beer than you would drink if you didn’t take the effort.

But it was heaven, overthere in Unterzaunsbach.
& Although we had to wait 10 minutes before we had our beers, it was still worth it.

So we waited another 15 minutes for a 2nd mug of this deliciousness.

Then we left. To cycle back to our appartment, 20 km further away in the heat of that day.

& At the last moment of standing in front of the brewery I saw this T hanging in an inconspicuous display.

So I waited another 20 minutes for my turn.



roi des buveurs

Roi des Buveurs

I won’t ever do that.

I used to know a guy who possibly could do it. He never lost when somebody challenged him to empty a glass of beer faster than he could.

No, I won’t ever do it.
I speed up drinking when it’s already too late.

Strange, that is. Most people have it the other way around, I think.

Translation: ‘Here lies the King of the drinkers.’



dogfish

Dogfish

I had to change T-shirts. It was to warm to leave the other one on. The illustrations on back- & frontside both sticked to my skin.

I do feel sweaty already with this weather. I shouldn’t make it worse.

People keep on making remarks about the drops they see on my head. In this season each working day somebody has to say that my head looks wet.

After all those years I still don’t have the right joke to silence them.



nino

Nino

The strange thing about taking all these pictures is that everything becomes a mess.
Nothing is as organized as I thought it was.

Its a bit like the T’s themselves: you think you folded them nice & tidy, but when you take one out of the wardrobe it suddenly looks crumpled.

It’s like big waves, hidden underneath the surface, until it arrives at a shore.

I probably forgot to look. I only saw.