The Asparagus Festival

Dan was reading the USO tour listings for the month of May, and pointed the following out as an item of interest:

Schwetzingen Spargelfest (Asparagus Festival)
In Germany, you will find thousands of festivals celebrating beer and wine, but this weekend we are going to visit a festival celebrating the asparagus-and not just any asparagus-the white asparagus. Each year in May, Schwetzingen, the white asparagus capitol, celebrates the harvest of the white asparagus, the "king of vegetables" with wonderful activities... Many of the restauranteurs offer the delicacies at stands throughout the city, local vintners will let you know which wines accompany the asparagus, and the asparagus farmers will willingly explain their product and how it stays white. Come join the party, experience a wonderful German celebration, and decide for yourself: Is the white asparagus better than the green? Is it one of the finest vegetables in the world deserving of the fest in its honor? Bring euro for shopping and food. (Asparagus is not cheap.)

I wasn't really impressed, but apparently Dan is quite fond of asparagus, or festivals in general. He did some research and informed me later that "it is the most highly anticipated event of the year" in that region. We weren't thrilled at the prospect of taking a day off just for an "Asparagus Festival;" the decision was made to wait and search for more schedule-compatible tours instead. It was not much later, however, that Dan showed me the following, again with great interest:

Learn to Ride the German Trains-
DB Orientation and Trip to Schwetzingen
Palace Gardens and Asparagus Season
Everything you wanted to know about German trains but were afraid to ask. Come with the USO on our hands-on train orientation... In Schwetzingen, we'll have free time to visit the beautiful palace gardens, or try the region's culinary specialty, white asparagus that is only in season for a short period each year.

As it was (almost) the exact same expedition as the previous one, I was - again - not impressed. Of course, Dan was quite excited at having another chance to visit the highly acclaimed festival. I, however, suggested we search for other opportunities before making our decision. Finally, we settled on this:

Learn to Ride the German Train-
DB Orientation and Trip to Wissembourg, France
Learn all about how the German train system works on this USO train orientation and tour... we'll travel to the Alsatian town of Wissembourg. Although just across the German-French border, this town has a distinct French flair. See the half-timbered medieval houses perched along the Lauter River. We’ll see the Church of St. Peter and Paul, the church of the former abbey, which is the second largest gothic church in the Alsace region (second only to Strassbourg). Try a Flammkuchen or some of the other local specialties...

Dan has just informed me that he is interested in going on another trip in May as well; so the Asparagus Festival may still be a go.

GOOD NEWS

My car has passed inspection and is now officially legal. We spent the day on base - a different one, much closer to the apartment - and found the laundromat on our way to the vehicle inspection area.
The "Launderette" was pure paradise, compared to the one we had been frequenting, which tended to be cold and crowded at all hours of the day. Dan scoped the facility out while I made some last-minute adjustments on the car, and when he returned he told me: "I love it here! I am never going back to that other place again."