The Oldest Tradition

The oldest tradition going on daily (or, rather, nightly), and unbroken, I should say.

What is it?

You'll soon find out, and of course I have no way to "prove" this claim to be true, but it sounds all quite believable.

Let's skip back two posts to where I ended my description of Fountains Abbey and pick up from there.

Our 2nd day in Ripon began with another big, delicious, full English breakfast. As this B&B has only six rooms, the whole place has a cosy family feel about it which also becomes obvious in the breakfast room, where people say good morning to each other and begin conversations, something that is rarely done in large hotels unless you know the other guests.

A friendly couple in maybe their late 50s was already sat at the table when we came in, and we started talking. I made a remark as to how I found it a pity that the church opposite the B&B had no bells chiming (I have written about this topic here), to what the lady and her husband looked at each other and smiled. She then said it was funny I mentioned church bells and that I actually missed them, when they were coming from a place where the bells had just been ordered to stop chiming after a couple of newcomers had filed a complaint against the noise.

Back in our room, my sister looked this up on the internet and we found, among other articles, this one. It seems incredible, doesn't it?

Today did not look quite as nice, weather-wise, and so we decided to take the bus to Harrogate and browse the shops there. It was a pleasant day with plenty to look at; I didn't buy anything, but I do enjoy window shopping (and having a closer look inside a shop that looks interesting) without necessarily having to "have" something.

We returned in the afternoon, and I stopped at Mary's again for a chat before joining my sister at the B&B, where we waited for the arrival of my aunt and uncle, J and B. We had arranged with them to stay one night at the same B&B so that we could spend an evening and all of the following day together, and were very much looking forward to that.

J and B arrived, and we decided to take a meal at one of the pubs in Ripon. Since the Unicorn had re-opened not that long ago after renovation, and I had not been in there yet, we went there.The food was good and the company excellent! Just before 9.00 pm, Aunt J said that we could catch the Hornblower setting the watch if we left now - and so we did (which lead to me leaving my little brolly under the table... we looked for it the next day, but it had obviously found a new owner, and I hope it will be a trusted companion for them as it had been to me for years, withstanding strong winds, snow, hail and rain on many occasions).

The Setting of The Watch by the Ripon Hornblower is claimed to be the longest on-going daily tradition in the world, dating back to the year 886, when Alfred the Great not only granted the place a Royal charter, but also advised them to do something about the safety of their community by appointing a wakeman.

So, since that year, every night at 9.00 pm, the wakeman blows his horn to announce that the people could now safely retreat into their homes while he would be keeping an eye out for anything and anyone representing danger. This has been going on without interruption, not even by one night, apparently.

You can read a lot more about this tradition as well as the man who currently holds the position of Hornblower on this website.

We found Mr. Pickles to be a most charming and friendly man, who obviously takes this part of his life very seriously without being pompous our sour-faced about it. After he had blown the horn at all four corners of the market cross, he asked whether the small group of onlookers (apart from the four of us, there were maybe three or four others, and a few local boys of maybe 10-12 years of age) wanted to hear some history. And that's how we learnt about this tradition, and were even given a lucky wooden penny each!

Funny, isn't it, that in spite of having come to Ripon so many times before, I've never been to witness the setting of the watch until that night, and I am grateful for Aunt J for having suggested it.

It was a cold night, and we were glad of our warm coats, and even  more glad to be back at the B&B, where we sat in the lounge together for a while, deciding on what we would be doing tomorrow, before we all retreated to our rooms.

And you'll find out what we did the next day tomorrow.

Driving South

Those of you who have been reading my blog long enough may remember that O.K. and I usually take time off work together in May, and then again in September. You are by now also familiar with our hikes and walks, often in the mountains. Last Saturday, one such September Hiking Holiday began.

We had booked 10 days in a hotel in South Tyrol, the northernmost province of Italy, a region that was part of Austria for centuries before being assigned to Italy after the First World War (German: Südtirol, Italian: Alto Adige).

Nearly everyone here speaks both German and Italian, as do I, and nearly all street signs etc. come in both languages, sometimes with a third language added, the old native Ladinisch.

It is a region popular for walks and hikes, for skiing in winter, water sports on the lakes in summer and cycling all year. People come here for the mild sunny climate, beautiful and impressive scenery, delicious food and excellent wines. The inhabitants pride themselves on their hospitality and sense of tradition mixed with continuous progress. It is not the cheapest place for a holiday, but certainly a good one.

Back in May 2019, O.K. and I were in South Tyrol for a hiking holiday; now we were returning, but not to the exact same spot.

Leaving at about 9:00 in the morning from O.K.‘s cottage, we arrived at our hotel in Naturns/Naturno at around 4:00 in the afternoon. Apart from a slowdown through the very busy city of Zurich, we had a smooth drive, taking two breaks.

Our last break was here, high up in the Alps, shortly after entering Italy.

We found everything at the hotel as expected, and after coffee on the sunny terrace and unpacking, set off for a first short walk to explore the immediate neighbourhood.

View from our balcony

living room

bedroom

It was then time for dinner, which was delicious and sumptuous. We had reason to look forward to the following days.

View of Naturns; not exactly a beautiful town, but ideally situated.

This small castle, not far from the hotel, intrigued us.

We found out that its oldest parts are from the 12th century, but it has seen so many additions and changes that it has hardly anything left from that time. 

It is now someone‘s private home and has been closed to the public since the 1990s.

A nicer view of Naturns

Another old building that I found intriguing.

Rainy Week

Last week, it rained on four out of seven days, and strong winds made umbrellas useless. Most days saw a high of 10C/50F; according to the meteorologists, too warm for this time of year.

On Monday (5 February), the two trains taking me from Offenburg to Ludwigsburg were on time, and I started work as usual. The afternoon was sunny, and my sister suggested we go for a walk. We met a little after 4:00 pm and walked across the city centre to the palace grounds, happy to spot many a sign of early spring. (But we are realistic enough to know we will probably get a few more frosty days and nights as well as possibly snow and ice before spring truly arrives.)

Ludwigsburg Residential Palace under a glorious blue sky.

Snowdrops in the palace grounds.

The blossoms of the shrub on the left give off a very sweet scent.

This is not a snowdrop, but what in German is called Märzenbecher ("March's cup") and usually appears about a month after the first snowdrops - I didn't expect to see them out already.

And I certainly did not expect to see the first daffodils in bloom in this sunny, sheltered spot!

Working from home on Tuesday (6 February) and starting very early made an afternoon walk to Benningen possible while still allowing for a brief rest at home before I set off again, this time to the pub: My team and I were playing the quiz for the first time this year, and for the first time since October.

You can see why I simply HAD to go for a walk before it was too late, can't you!

Four of our original team (including myself) made it to the pub this time, and I also recruited a friend of mine who had come along two or three times before.

We had a lot of fun and were doing well - but so were many other teams, and we ended up fourth, so did not carry home any of the three prizes.

Never mind; it was good to see everybody, and we have booked our usual corner table again for March 12.

Wednesday (7 February) saw me working at the office. It was a blustery day of very fast-moving clouds and changing light, and started to rain by the time I left work.

Sunrise from my kitchen window on the 7th.

The warmest day of the week was Thursday (8 February), but again wet and very windy. 

My sister and I were at our Mum's after work, first helping to stow away the remainder of her Christmas lights in the attic (we prefer her not to climb the ladder up there, especially not while carrying boxes) and then sitting down to a delicious meal of savoury pancakes, rolled up and stuffed with all sorts of good things, such as ham, chopped avocado, spring onions and so on, then topped with grated cheese and baked in the oven. A fresh leafy salad garnished with radishes and mushrooms matched it perfectly.

I worked from home again on Friday (9 February) and then did my weekly cleaning before packing my little red suitcase and heading for the station. I took an earlier connection, arriving in Offenburg an hour earlier than usual. 

We went to see O.K.'s parents briefly before having a quick snack and getting changed for the annual Preismaskenball ("costume contest dance"), a tradition in the village I quite enjoy: 

It's easy for us to reach, no car needed, no cost other than what we drink or eat, and we always meet fellow musicians from the village band, neighbours and others for a chat. The music is far from brilliant, but I do get to spend a bit of time on the dance floor, and generally have fun.

Every year there is a different motto for the event. This year it was "Urlaub" (German for holiday or vacation). I had two ideas for a costume: Wear PJs or a nightdress (since holidays mean for me to sleep in), or dress up in a classic hiking outfit (since holidays for us usually mean hiking, preferably somewhere in the mountains).

Of course it may seem a little boring to choose a hiking outfit, since apart from the trousers it is not so very different from what I really wear, but it was what it was, and since O.K. and I never enroll for the competition with our costumes, we were fine anyway - it was uncomplicated, comfortable and didn't involve buying anything extra for those few hours once a year.

Officially, the party ended at 2:00 am, and we were home about 20 minutes after that.

Saturday (10 February) it did not rain, and we took advantage of that and went for an afternoon walk around the village. After coffee and a little rest, we spent the evening in Offenburg with friends, catching up and enjoying an informal meal of home-baked bread, cheese, salad and other good things.

It was time for the annual Carnival parade in the village on Sunday (11 February), which means O.K. as a member of the village band was to participate in the parade. 

His Mum had made two big pots of delicious goulash soup, which we ate with crusty rolls. O.K.'s sister and her husband were of course also there, and after O.K. had left for the band's gathering for the parade and we had washed the dishes, we went to stand by the village road to watch the parade.

The village band were first, opening the parade.

The witches were next.

Just like last year, the very young and the not quite so young were together.

One of the witches suggested a selfie with me - I guess it was someone I know, but I have no idea who was under the mask and did not recognise his voice. In any case, his teeth look much better than mine :-D

Then followed the Beiabsäger (literally "sawers-off of legs" - don't ask!)...

...and the Dominoes, the oldest of the village's traditional Carnival characters. I find them spooky.

Another band, the Gletscherfleh (literally "glacier fleas" - again, don't ask!).

The parade was over after about 10 minutes, and we followed them to the square behind the village hall where the music groups performed some more and a few speeches were made (some in verses), as is customary on Carnival Sunday. 

It kept raining on and off, but there was also sunshine, and we even spotted a rainbow just before the parade started.

Me in my 80s outfit for the day. I don't even know the name of the young man, but his pink-yellow-green-white 80s-style track suit was just too good NOT to be photographed!

A drink at one of the venues open only for that occasion followed, and around 4:00 pm, O.K.'s sister and her husband drove me to the station in Offenburg where I took three trains back to Ludwigsburg - all of them on time. At almost exactly 6:30 pm, I was home.

(On Carnival Sunday and what in Germany is called Rosenmontag - "Rose Monday" - O.K. is busy non-stop with the village band, which means it does not make sense for me to stay longer than the parade and a little afterwards.)

I had fun dressing up and taking part in the Carnival activities, but I am not sad that it's over for another year, and things can return to normal :-)