It all started on Friday the 15th of July. In separate groups each of the 20 Parcival members made their way to the small place of Hulst, a town located in the far south-west corner of the Netherlands. It was a ride of about 110k, but this did not stop several members from taking their bikes out and beginning their weekend with a sportive bike ride. The destination, a gorgeous house in Zeeland, courteously offered as a location by one of the club members parent’s. By the time everyone gathered in the beautiful garden, the atmosphere was already buzzing. Old and new members met up during a delicious barbecue, and as the tents were set up the installing of the music equipment announced the start of a wonderful night.
The first night of the club weekend was blessed with the wonderful performance of Gin and Juice, one of the club members own cover band. It turned out that Gin and Juice not only know how to play music, but also know how to get a party going, and soon everyone was dancing to their amazing tunes. Of course the little cantus both were not to be missed, and both bandmembers and Parcivallers sang and drank well into the night.
Customary to Parcival club weekends there was a run planned the next day at 9 in the morning. And customary to the diehard nature of Parcival runners, not a single soul failed to show up. After a very hangover warm-up it was time to get the legs moving. In the next hour the runners explored the beautiful countryside of the Dutch-Belgium border. During the end of the morning there was time for lunch with a nicely home-cooked soup from a loving grandmother. The club members took the time to regain some energy, for soon after the next activity was planned. After a short drive Parcival met up in a nearby recreational park. There, chilling turned into competing, as the runners raced across the grass in an exciting game of living Catan. The afternoon was followed up by a few hours in the nearby swimming pool, cooling down from the excitement or continuing the shenanigans in the water.
After returning from the park it was time for risotto. The dish was delicious, and laid the necessary foundation for the nights drinking. Then it was time for the night’s main activity: Parcival’s own talent show! The evening was filled with many performances, some carefully prepared in the weeks before, others thought up literally two hours in advance. Some performances were so beautiful they left the crowd stunned. Others were funny enough to cause several to snort out their beer through the nose. In the end the well-deserved winners of the talent show were Maartje and Michelle, who had customized the lyrics of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to include a bit about each and every one present. Honorary mentions go out to Julian and Nathalie, who sung as a stunning duet, Wietse with the night’s most dazzling (though unsuccessful) bottle flip, and Julian’s mom and sister, who showed that Julian’s talent does indeed run in the family. Furthermore, the winner of the Parcival Holy Grail competition was revealed to be no-other than our very own Jakob, the same member who ran a 100K only weeks earlier. No-one can contend that his victory was well-deserved, and that night he was hailed as a champion. The night was followed up with more partying and drinking games, and went well on into the night.
On Sunday there was little energy for more than chilling in the sun. The bikers had left early in the morning, and around noon it was time for the rest to head back to the more populous part of the Netherlands.
Parcival can look back on an amazing weekend, and for me personally it was one of the best weekends of my life. It proved everything great about Parcival, the combination of fun activities, proper exercise, and amazing people. I want to thank everyone involved for a wonderful weekend, and if this was anything to go by I am already looking forward to the club weekend of 2023.
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