Housewarming

Not ours, but Mango and Becca's - a party in honor of their new flat.

First step - removing the shoes.

Next step - a lesson in beer drinking. Mango was kind enough to explain the finer points to the Wren.

And a few other eager listeners. The Wren then socialized a bit with the many guests:

Leonie, Sophie and Maike.

Deanna, Lorna, Stefan, Benedict and Simone.

Then some one-on-one time with Stefan - even better.

Hanging out with John, Deanna and Lorna.

And the Siemers group as a whole (this is our lab group - unfortunately minus Björn and Reni).

The party culminated in a housewarming gift from the Siemers group to Mango and Becca. Apparently, it's German custom to bring bread and salt as housewarming gifts - as every house should have these basics. Maike and Leonie took this a step further and baked a giant pretzel in the shape of a key. Yes, that's right - a GIANT pretzel - the Wren was quite pleased.

I think it is safe to say, however, that the true culmination of the party (in Lorna and Gwendolyn's eyes) was the discovery of the dangling bamboo partition at the entrance to the kitchen. I love this video - kids happily at play, fathers vigilantly standing by.