Visit to Saalfeld

Traveling to concerts far away is a great chance to get to know new places. There are so many beautiful towns and areas. 

In May I visited Saalfeld in eastern Germany. Travelling 5 hours by train (or car) is rather long just to visit a town, but together with a concert of favorite bands, it's worth it! Unfortunately I didn't have time to visit the famous caves of the fairy grotto, as I had to look after my merchandise stall just in front of them. But the next morning I had spare time to walk through the town and find the castle ruins.

Saalfeld is very beautiful and worth a visit!

More photos of Saalfeld

Organising a Festival - a brave job!

Some weeks ago my friends played at a medieval festival in Reutlingen/Bavaria. During the whole week before the event heavy rainfalls kept the fire department busy to clear up fallen trees and clear basements of water. The park, where the medieval community wanted to meet lies at a small hill, but the place for the stage was at the bottom. Until the last day nobody knew if it was possible to build up the stage.

In the end the organiser, the merchants and medieval camps decided to go ahead. And yes, it was worth it, although rather few visitors came to the festival and heaven knows if the organiser gained anything?

Those who used their raincoats and went to the "Guild Market", found a very entertaining programm: jugglers and musicians walking the area, theater plays, wild birds and plenty of stalls selling crafts, medieval things and food & drinks. There was a huge medieval camp and a hand powered carousell.

Many thunder storms were heard in the distance, but none came near. Once a really heavy shower poured down, but the sun was back after a little while. I was save in my merchandise tent, having plenty of entertainment taking place at the pavillion oposite where many people took shelter during the down pour.

Luckily it was dry when my friends of Dunkelschön were on stage and I was quite busy selling their CDs afterwards. 

Hopefully the organiser will keep his faith and organise many more festivals!

More photos of the event 

Wet summer

Times are still busy with extra work and expected visitors. But I'm not too sad to have little time to relax in the garden. This summer is rather like April and we get plenty of rain.

Hope to catch up with news in August!

Somewhere over the hills, behind the clouds.....

...lies a small town called Graefenberg.

Last weekend the market place of this town turned into a medieval village with a stage. 

Before I could go to that place I attended the school leaving celebration at the school of our youngest daughter. She wanted to celebrate that day with her friends rather than her old parents, so I went to the station and travelled south towards sunny Nuremberg. From there a local train took me straight into a heavy thunder storm and when I reached my destination a water fall fell from heaven. Although I had a rain coat and umbrella, it was far too much water to walk anywhere. I took shelter at a bus stop and luckily a bus arrived and took me up the steep hill near the market place.

There my friends of the band Dunkelschoen were waiting with the other bands in the room of a driving school until the rain would stop. Right then the lighting was on top of us and we heard it strike somewhere near by. Later we learned, that the lightning had gone into an electricity line and melted two cash register at two shops not far from the venue. I suppose the guardian angels did their best to save the festival!

Finally the rain stopped and I could set up all the things I like to sell at the concerts of Dunkelschoen and decorate my "shop" with lights, candles and ivy.

The headliner of that day had their stuff already on display, but the first band came last, as the don't have a help to sell their stuff. The drummer set up the CDs and some small things, like button. As he was needed on stage during the concert, I offered to keep an eye on his stuff and try to sell some of it.

When Dunkelschoen went on stage, a friend offered to keep an eye on my goodies, so I could take some photos and enjoy a few songs in front of the stage. It's amazing, but I still feel the magic of these special musicians and their music - after more than 30 concerts. They make me feel completely happy and content.

For one song they ask for help from the audience and they keep everyone clapping to one of the songs getting faster and faster. The rest of the programm I send my friend to the stage and listened to the music from my stall. 

Unfortunately most of the inhabitants of Graefenberg had gone to bed or fled during the thunder storm and there were rather few people at the festival, which was extremely sad for the organiser, but also for the bands playing until midnight.

While the last band was on stage, we packed our stuff and travelled for 3,5 hours at night to a hotel at the place of the next concert on Saturday.

Homepage Dunkelschoen

Forest of Gnomes

Not very far from us two castles on one hill look over the river. The story goes that in this mountain used to be a cave where gnomes were living. Sadly I can't tell you more about them, but when you walk from the lower castle to the castle on the top of the hill, you'll meet many little gnoms - fixed up in the trees. I hope, I found them all.

Perfect summer sunday

This year summer doesn't really feel like summer. There are summer like days - but then it cools down and we need socks and jumpers again.

Yesterday was a real summer's day and I ignored all chores. My husband and I made a cycle trip across the country, cycling up some hills to get fit for our holiday around the lake of Constance.

Then we stayed in our garden, getting some sun and finally relaxing in the shade of our terrace. It's great to have meals outside and play harp outside again. The past summers I did that every day - this year only 3 times so far. 

In the evening wild geese were flying around our house and were having dinner on the neightbour field. 

Just a perfect day.

Alive and trying to catch up....

The past 8 weeks have been spinning along like a summer storm. My work-mate is still on sick-leave but hopes to come back soon. My boss was back from holiday and went again today. Time to catch up with the happy moments of the past weeks - there have been many!

Right before my last blog post I had been to a cosy medieval market with two very well known bands of the area. Due to working I was a bit late, but got the last parking lot near the castle ruins of Vlotho. Thanks to a friend who has a friend that had a shop in a medieval tent there, I could leave my warm clothes there (badly needed at night) and enjoy a very peaceful afternoon/evening/night.

Of course I was in front of the stage when first Oropher and later Sonor Teutonicus were playing. Between the concerts I had a close look at all the goods offered for sale, had some food and drink and talked to old and new acquaintances. Knights were having fights, women did their needlework and the view over the river was really nice.

 Oropher with belly dancer

 Sonor Teutonicus

 Breakdance to medieval music.

Fireshow at night.

After midnight it was time to go home with many lovely memories.