Having read about Vatertag in Grass's The Flounder (didn't end well and slightly off-putting) and then Lutz inviting me at new year to Vatertag 2026 in the Harz mountains I am at St Pancras stupid early to get the first of 4 trains to Lutz's local station outside Hannover. Vatertag is the German Fathers Day but instead of gathering kids around you all adult men go off hiking and suchlike laden with beers and snacks. Lutz has a tradition of going to his family's place in Harz, where we spent new year in the snow, with a group of friends. I'm leaving our German guest Paul in London which is odd.
It's an easy Eurostar journey to Brussels but delayed going to Cologne. The countryside is flat until Liege where two years ago we saw the Spring Classic of the same name. Passing through Aachen the outskirts have rows of bungalows with gardens where people go on days off to relax from the city which is a feature of a lot of German cities. Weather was sunny and cold in London but cloudy in Belgium and going into Germany. The countryside is lovely countryside so although longer the train is a lot better than flying. At Cologne I have a 45 minute wait so grab a coffee next to the cathedral which I went up in 2010 with the kids. At Arpke I'm met by Johanna and it’s straight to a party celebrating Lutz’s and friends birthdays. I’m plied with beer and gin and chat to Germans, in English of course. We end the night playing table football which Germans are very good at. A good start to the trip.
Wednesday starts with heavy rain and we go to the supermarket to stock up on burgers and fake meat supplies then we collect Tom from school. Late afternoon we get picked up by Lutz’s friend and driven to Harz. There's lots of people here already with the beer waggon setup and a big sound system complete with dry ice and disco lasers. We're greeted with hazelnut schnapps shots and the local beer. There are about 15 here and they've been coming for 25 years starting as a way to keep in touch and now is a must do event. A great mix of people who are all very friendly and chatting to me in English.
Thursday is Father's Day the coldest they've had in 25 years, and wet and windy. Apparently Germany often has a couple of very cold days in late spring. A few of us go on a short hike to get rid of the hangover and then it’s a BBQ breakfast washed down with beer, of course. The fire is going all day to keep us warm whilst listening to German punk. During the sunny spells we go up on the roof for the great view and to wave at the steam train passengers. Not many hikers today because of the weather but a couple drop by to clamber onto the roof and offered beer. Evening is cold and pretty wet so eventually we go inside to play football and watch films. I slink off to bed about midnight. It's been a long day.
Friday we wake at 7 for an early drive back to Arpke for Tom’s birthday. After lunch I have to drive an electric automatic to a small amusement park with Tom's friends plus Levi and a couple of his. The Erse adventure is from the 1970s and it doesn't look like it's changed much. The rides are geared for younger kids and it’s a very pleasant place, although I get soaked on the third water slide run. After all the excitement we drive back to the village and drop it kids off then a fairly early night.
Saturday is fairly lazy day and my shoulders ache due to the upside down ride at the park. I help with the cable routing through the front wall. In the evening we go into Hannover with Tom for a lovely Asian meal.
Sunday is my last day and after goodbyes I get the train to Hanover then Amsterdam where I have an hour or so to wander around. Uneventful journey back to London and read and watch the towns and countryside go by. So I survived my first Vatertag I'm back home safely.
