Just before Christmas, we went to Herr J's company dinner. Well, at least the local management part of it...there are thousands of employees, so it was a smaller subset.
Very interesting for me, as it was my first real corporate German company outing. Lots of speeches, a few awards, and small talk. It was held at a beautiful chateau-type hotel in the country outside of Munich, at the Gut Sonnenhausen.
A gorgeous scene - a full moon shone over the snowcovered grounds and we were greeted at the entrance by a warm fire pit and a lady serving glühwein.
I also discovered the huge challenge posed when combining black tie with public transportation and snowstorms. The streets are too wet, cold, and snowy to wear nice shoes - or anything other than cozy boots! And you have to carry the hem of your dress, as floor-length silk does not mix well with snow and de-icing salt. So, I wore shearling boots and carried heels in my purse.
;)
As a good Southern girl, I'm ashamed to admit that I just kept the boots on all night, and laughing at myself. But no one noticed or seemed to care, as very few had actually shown up in black tie.
We did have one special guest, who was properly attired....one of the hotel's resident cats, who decided to hop from chair to chair, joining the guests for aftet dinner drinks.
As with the dogs here, he was unusually well-behaved. And for a cat, I mean that he came when asked, and politely moved to another empty chair when someone wanted theirs back. Odd for a cat... But it was quite a cute little surprise. I love seeing cats in bookstores, flowershops, and antique stores - somehow it just seems right to have a cat lounging in the sunny window in those settings!