Balkonien: Dream vacation on 4 square meters

Free beach chairs, delicious cappuccino, and no one who bothers: who makes a vacation on balconies, recovers twice as well. This is certainly the opinion of a balcony connoisseur and author Burkhard Müller-Ullrich, who wrote the Marco Polo travel guide "Komm mit nach Balkonien": "The balcony: a fresh air oasis, a lookout for horizon viewers, a platform for astrologers, a luxury suite for city dwellers. A holiday paradise where you can really feel at home, where you know and speak your language, a place that is easily accessible and yet not overcrowded. "

Some of his tips for a successful holiday on balconies can be read on the following pages. And then: Happy holidays!

Shopping: You just have to have that

The stay on Balkonien wants to be prepared. Some products are indispensable, you should have them in the house before you leave:

CANDLES: 100 pieces of tealights in a large bag cost less than five euros! How is it possible that there are always missing ones - late in the evening, when the mood is most romantic? So think ahead and buy generously!

MOSQUITO DEFENSE: Why not make a joke out of necessity and fight one of the biggest plagues of balcony in a conceivably stupid, but quite entertaining way? Although you will not catch every mosquito with an electric flyswatter, some will do it thoroughly: you will be briefly fried on the metal grid. The device looks like a small tennis racket, except that the covering consists of electricity-carrying wires, but which pose no danger to humans and pets (for example, www.insektenschroeter.de).

SALT PASTRY: Yes, even chocolate tastes on the balcony, but their behavior in the summer heat is uncontrollable. Salted biscuits, on the other hand, preserve the shape, and those who sweat all day long are literally hungry for salt (and liquid). Crackers, pretzels, fish, chips - balcony can not live without.

SPRITZER: Comic word with unclear etymology for a wonderful thing: a mixture (usually half and half) of white wine and carbonated mineral water (for children: apple juice), called in Austria and Switzerland injected. If you are not a beer balcony, Schorle is the drink of choice in summer. Preferably, fresh wines such as Grüner Veltliner, Chasselas (Fendant), Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris are suitable. And their stock as well as the mineral water you should always have in mind!

CHEST: There are many great furniture for balconies, but the most unassuming piece is one of the most important and practical: a chest. In it, if necessary, all the offensive stuff that accumulates on the balcony disappears: plastic butts with which you have gardened, empty flower pots, which are too good to throw away, a little lemonade and of course the seat cushions. Some tropical wood coolers from the hardware store look good, but they break when a person falls for it. So make sure beforehand if your dream chest can act as a bench and withstand the weight of one to two adults.

Wellness on Balkonien

Have a conversation with your body again! Listen in and listen to the delicate voices of the skin and joints, the blood vessels and the internal organs, all of which desperately want only one thing: a wellness weekend, on the balcony. Because on the balcony you will find much better to the necessary relaxation than in the most expensive wellness temples that you can travel.

There you are foreign. The reception may be so friendly, the atmosphere imposing and the mineral water renowned - as a stranger you have to find your way around: you do not know your way around the building, you do not know what kind of food awaits you, you ask yourself even in silence, if the whole thing is not too expensive. All this is a psychological burden that releases stress hormones and makes equal three times undisturbed wellness days.

On your own balcony, on the other hand, you do not have to make any adjustments. Here is true wellness possible. Carefully carry the mysterious vessel of your existence, the body, into the deck chair. Give the flowers a hint to make them smell, and let the wind blow a little. Ask your favorite music one, but quiet and away. Start with a few Diaphragmatic breathing exercises and air your thoughts. Before you go to the application, imagine your whole arsenal of the next hours intensively: Coconut milk, massage brushes, Ayurvedic oils, avocado mask, healing earth, ginseng tea, The mental effect precedes the physical. You have time. They will be quiet. The first wave of coming happiness flows through you gently.

Food on balcony

The diversity of its cuisine is one of the greatest assets of Balkonia. If picnic or dinner, if coffee table or cold buffet - Food intake plays the most important role in addition to the sunshine on balconies. Therefore, not only is the range of services wide, but one can say without exaggeration: It tastes like home.

The familiarity with the available products of course facilitates their preparation. There are no surprises or confusions, such as in France, where chicory is called "endives" and endives are "chicorée". Also the breads, the quality of butter and oil, jams and coffee as well as the common types of fish, meat and vegetables are well known to you. Given this excellent supply situation, cooking is really fun. Let's start with a meal in which, apart from coffee, tea and eggs, there is actually no talk of cooking, namely the balcony breakfast.

This is particularly instructive, because the two decisive challenges of open-air gastronomy await you here: the temperature behavior of food and drinks and the mischief of winged insects. Specifically, it looks like this: The coffee is faster cold outside even in midsummer outside than in the living room. This is due to the often barely perceptible air movement, which accelerates the evaporation process, which is associated with energy loss.

On the other hand, something cold, like ice or prosecco, gets hotter outside faster, and that's because of the radiant energy of the sun. As confusing as these physical effects may be, they are easily mastered - at least at breakfast - when the coffee comes in thermos and the Prosecco in one Ice bucket - or you drink it faster, which gives the day a much droller coloring.

Useful utensils for balcony

The good news is that inexpensive balcony utensils are often inferior to the expensive ones, even aesthetically. For example, there are very simple for just 30 euros market umbrellas made of wood with bright cotton fabric, which are just as good as an awning for 1500 euros. But be sure to attach the umbrella directly to the parapet with special clamps and do not lie down with an umbrella stand, the balcony's worst enemy! Everyone stumbles over them, their toes are sore and most of them get a lumbago when they try to dislodge the foot, which is 30 to 50 kg when they are full of water.

Romance? Yes, please! But only with Baströckchen on the balcony. A parasol not only serves to provide shade during the day, but also creates a very special sense of space in the evening or at night. The impression of sitting under a tent roof or a treetop is enhanced when the soft glow of a wind light the scene is lit up.

If you enjoy this romantic atmosphere in intimate togetherness and feel seduced to physical reactions, remember that the soft glow of the tealight makes its balcony a stage.

For this and many other reasons is one privacy necessary, especially in balconies whose railing consists merely of a circumferential metal grid. For privacy, raffia, brushwood or bamboo mats as well as textile coverings are suitable. The latter are almost always streaked for some unknown reason. The cheap plastic versions maintain a very loud rustling with every movement. If they are not quite tense, they hit the grid in the wind and bring the neighbors to sleep and then against you.

Education on balcony

As a member of the modern knowledge society, you are also looking for further education opportunities on vacation. Balkonien has some very special advantages: On the one hand, the combination of monastic isolation and fresh air supply promotes concentration. On the other hand, learning research has shown that the usual group size of two to three participants on balconies is optimal for the success of each course.

Also in terms of technical equipment, the classrooms on balconies do not need to shy away from comparison. For example, they can be easily transformed into multimedia centers by using a CD player including headphones or the TV take. So you can work with the latest didactic methods and not just rely on printed material. This is especially important when learning foreign languages.

On Learning English On Balkonien brings you, so to speak, the distance into the house. Methodically, this can be perfected by inviting your favorite pizza maker, your Turkish greengrocer or your Scottish investment advisor for a casual conversation. Imagine the effect of meeting your work colleagues after the holiday and, although you were on balcony, you may suddenly hear Italian and Turkish, Spanish, Greek and the finest Highland Scottish, from more exotic languages such as Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic not to mention.

Naturism on balcony

Sun and wind on the skin are such a nice feeling. But custom and law demand in this country that man covers his pats. There is only one way out with three letters: nudist. But there is something that diminishes nudist enjoyment immensely, and these are - naked people. And the others.

Those who are not constantly focused on their own skin (and in the long run that is quite exhausting!), Must learn to deal with the insight that unclothed bodies are often not pretty. For this dilemma, balconying offers a solution, because here you can Nudist holidays - without the others.

But before you turn your balcony into a nudist paradise, we quickly take a look at the law book. Anyone who lays naked on the balcony always ensures that the lawyer does not run out of work. The legal situation is relatively complex: on the one hand, the balcony is part of the sheltered area of the apartment where everyone can walk around as they like. On the other hand, the balcony protrudes into the public more than any other part of the apartment. And the public matters here. The "excitement of public nuisance" is a criminal offense according to §183a StGB and can be punished with imprisonment up to one year or with a fine.

Whether this also clothing-free appearance counts, is controversial. Therefore, more often § 118 of the Administrative Offenses Act (OWiG) is considered, which deals with "harassment of the general public". It is essential that the - depending on the taste - irritating or repulsive sight of the genitals not only a definable group of people such as the neighbors is made possible or reasonable, but the general public. Therefore, there is another on a balcony, which is visible from the street legal as on a balcony, which is only exposed to prying eyes from other balconies.

While you may very well be considered a nuisance to the general public on the former, one thing stands in the way Naturist holiday on a balcony overlooking the courtyard pretty much nothing. By the way, the tolerance of our society has considerably increased since the drafting of those paragraphs. If in the public parks of the big cities in the summer time of "Topless" ladies teeming, then the state power will barely intervene against sun worshipers on their own balcony.

Balcony in the evening

Whether it is that the summer heat forcing a different rhythm of life, or is it during the holidays anyway a certain state of emergency prevails - the evening on balconies is by no means characterized by decreasing activity. It is less finish and end of the day than highlight and focus. Yes, one can say without hesitation: Who does not spend the evening on balcony, misses the real thing.

In the evening the balconies are awake, in the evening they gather together, in the evening it is busy in the country balcony. It does not matter if you come for a visit or if you enjoy the evening in beautiful togetherness, there is something like a festive mood. And so the evening begins with some preparations: the table is set, the white wine is cold, the red already opened, and the supply of candles must be controlled.

Of course they are candles the most stylish lighting for the balcony evening, her mild yellow light beautifies every face. Therefore, too lanterns - Stylish to retro or romantic in design - to the standard Balkon repertoire. Deceptively authentic are the electric, rechargeable windlight copies, in which instead of a candle a small light bulb simulates flickering candlelight (for example, Philips Imageo, available from well-stocked retailers).

Have an incomparable, wonderfully antiquated appearance lanterns, They transform the balcony into a magic garden, a park, an exotic holiday destination. You get them on the Internet, at party decorators, as a garden accessory or tinker it yourself (www.creadoo.com).

The nightfall you can smell on Balkonien: It is the smell of Citronelle candleswhich spreads quarter by quarter. He should help against nocturnal mosquito attacks? But in terms of effectiveness, you've probably wondered: Do the mosquitoes perceive the smelling candles as lighthouses with aromatherapy? Do you even take the damage promised by the manufacturers? Or are they just occasionally falling out of the air because they are laughing at the Citronelle candle creature?

But back to the festive part of the evening. What is there to eat at the moment? Candle-lit dinner? Maybe something exotic to start the holiday-far-feeling? A Thai curry is prepared in half an hour and can be - especially important on small balconies! - eat from a bowl. Or even: in twos from a single one. That is then space-saving and especially romantic.

How about a classic shrimp cocktail and then banana in a batter? At least the sea animals, it is rumored, are an aphrodisiac, at a candlelight dinner a questionable factor.

Small party customer

How many people does a balcony really look like? According to DIN 1055, the uniform load attachment for balconies is 4.0 kN / m2? for laymen: about 400 kg / m2. In addition, there is a safety margin in the order of factor 2. That is, up to eight people (each with 100 kg body weight) may crowd on every square meter? but then it does not get any tighter.

How do you behave when the police arrive? If the order power rings, then a neighbor has complained. Receive the officials politely and cooperative. Contrary to popular belief, there is no rule whatsoever that may be used to festoon once a year or a month or at any interval. Usually from 22 o'clock to have night rest. But of course you can also party outside if the noise level does not exceed the famous "room volume". Their definition is problematic because sound pressure levels (measured in decibels) do not do it justice.

How much do I have to buy? The average partygoer expects a total dose of 100 g of alcohol from his host (women a little less). You have to distribute them more or less tasty depending on the cultural level. For example, two glasses of champagne and five glasses of wine yield about that amount. But then nobody is allowed to drive a car anymore. And anyone who linguistically skids should stop drinking.

Oh yes, and you can also make the neighbors happy: go by the day after the party with the leftover supplies. So you can thank again for the patience - and spread good mood.

What are the reasons for organizing a balcony party? Lots! For example: I'm still far from having a birthday, but I do not want to wait for it. I can not count the many falling stars alone and look for helpers. I do not really like beer. maybe someone will come and finally drink it. My balcony feels lonely and just wants to meet some nice people.