Monday 18 August 2014

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

Have I got you humming that funky song now? (Kay, I just know you won't be able to get it out of your head now for a while, he he)
It fits the topic of this post so well, because we have had a great week of celebrating my Mum's 70th birthday. Yes, nearly a whole week! Us mere mortals usually have a party lasting a few hours at best, but my Mum is one very special lady and so she had a fully deserved week of it.
For the past years, we usually had her birthday party at the allotment, as you can see here. But for her 70th, my sister and I insisted on something a bit classier, with less work for her to do; something where she would be able to go nicely dressed up, and then just relax and enjoy her party. Two years ago, my Dad had his 70th birthday "do" in a restaurant (you can read about that here if you like), but we wanted something else this time, a place where we'd be able to enjoy the outdoors as well, weather permitting.

After much deliberation and comparing many different offers from various places, we settled on the café in the palace grounds. Have a look at the venue (fittingly called Parkcafé), isn't it beautiful?

Entrance to the Yellow Salon, which we had to ourselves:

 
 The beautiful fresco on the ceiling: 

Because the weather turned out to be the nicest it would be all week (how lucky we were!), champagne was served on the lawn in front of the building. Later, we went inside for two speeches - one by my Mum and one by her good friend, my Godmother - and our most delicious meal. Have you eaten yet? If not, how about some mouth-watering pictures:





Sorry - I forgot to take a picture of the first course, which was a huge mound of all kinds of summery goodness in the shape of a leafy salad, surrounded by shrimps. The desserts were Panna Cotta, Crème Brûlée, Mousse au Chocolat and the fruitiest of fruity sorbets I have ever tasted: the raspberry one was pure raspberry, the minty one pure spearmint, and so on. I went to the dessert table twice, although I had been full up already after the first and main course!

But let me get back to what happened during the days leading up to the big event. Or, better still: let me end this post here, and tell you more about it in my next post. Maybe I'll manage to talk my Mum into writing a guest post, there is plenty to tell!

12 comments:

  1. Wow, how special to have a whole week of celebrations! And you are right, the food looks just amazing. The salon is beautiful too. I bet your mum has been on CLoud 9!

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    1. She was, Jenny! We all enjoyed the whirlwind week of activities very much, with the party on Tuesday night as the climax.

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  2. Celebrate good times, COME ON!! HA! No humming for me, I just flat out sing it out loud!!!
    HOW WONDERFUL! What a gorgeous place within the palace with fantastic food, it is like something from a fairy tale, I am sure your Mom just loved it and all those who celebrated with her as well!
    Yes please, let us know more and also, let's have a guest post from your Mum!
    A birthday to remember for sure, best wishes from Georgia Girl With An English Heart! xx

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    1. It really is a gorgeous place, Kay, and we are glad that they kept it in its original style and have not over-modernized it (although we are glad that, on the other hand, kitchen and sanitary facilities are NOT left the way they used to be when that structure in the palace grounds was originally built...!).

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  3. Wonderful. I wish for your Mum a long, health and happy life. And what a way to celebrate one's 70th. I've only ever once been to a (60th) birthday party that lasted a week. The friend concerned and her husband have an apartment in a gated complex down on the seafront in the South of Spain and a crowd of us had a ball for a whole week of celebrations. The Parkcafé looks absolutely beautiful and Champagne on the lawn would have been right up my street.

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    1. You would have out-glamoured everyone, Graham, had you turned up in your super stylish kilt! I, too, hope that my Mum will be healthy and happy for many more years.
      A week by the Sea in southern Spain sounds also very party-able.

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  4. How elegant and beautiful your 70th birthday celebration for your Mom! Someday perhaps I will see your palace again! Your mother must have enjoyed it immensely and will have beautiful memories! I just finished breakfast and your have made me hungry again! I send your Mother "alles Gute zum Geburtstag"! (I will be 70 in January, and it does feel surprising to enter another decade!) May your dear Mom be well and happy in her 70's!

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! Like you, my Mum can hardly believe she is now 70. Can anybody, really, when they reach a certain age? I find it odd to think that in 3 1/2 years I'll be 50!
      If you'll come to Ludwigsburg again, we must make sure to visit the palace together.

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  5. Lucky Mum! Ad happy birthday, too.

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    1. And lucky her family and friends for having her in our lives!

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  6. What nice daughters you and your sister are! The meal looked very special indeed. Reaching seventy is a great achievement and deserves to be marked with nice memories and good food and drink. Happy Birthday Mutter!

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    1. Thanks, YP! My Mum has already sent me the draft for her guest post, which will appear here soon and include a heartfelt "Thank you" from her to everyone who sent their kind wishes via comments on this post.

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