This exhibition has featured a few times on my blog already; for instance here and here. The theme is a different one every year, and for 2014, it was Royalty. I'd never pay money to see it, but as we have season's tickets for the park, admission is free for us, and so we usually go to have a look once while it lasts (never on a weekend, though).
Exhibits were (among others)...
... Elvis, the King of Rock'n Roll, and the Black and White Kings on a chess board...
... Fat Friedrich (the first King of Württemberg, about whom I have written on my blog before, too)...
... Tyrannosaurus Rex, King of the Dinosaurs...
... the Frog King (in case you are not familiar with it, he is from a popular German fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm's collection), and a Queen Bee with some of her subjects...
... a Royal Joust (the most "noble" game in a Medieval tournament)...
... Robin Hood, King of Thieves...
... and a large crown, about my height.
Some of the exhibits were not made to suit the theme, but simply to show what pumpkins can look like. My Mum and I found these fun to look at:
Set somewhat apart from the main part of the exhibition was this little pumpkin village. At first glance, it looked cute and idyllic. But as I came closer and looked at the pumpkins properly, I must admit I found them a bit scary. They looked as if they could be quite a threatening crowd to an unsuspecting human finding him- or herself on their own in the park after sunset.
As every year, there is a large wooden hut set up as a shop for all things pumpkin. Not only pumpkin oil, chutney, cookies and many other such products can be found in there, but also a huge array of autumn-themed decorative objects (and some Christmassy stuff, too). If you know me a little bit through my blog, you also know that I have a hearty dislike for clutter, and want my (mostly) clean (and mostly) empty surfaces at home. Walking through this shop for me is, therefore, a bit like what riding a ghost train on a fun fair would be for some people. I see all these things and shudder at them - while at the same time of course I do admit that, taken individually, some are pretty or cute. I just can't see the point in filling every inch of available surface at one's home with STUFF. And it amazes me to see how much money people are willing to spend on these things - business was brisk at the shop, and it wasn't even the weekend when busloads of tourists from all over Germany and further away come to the exhibition.
Along the outside walls of the shop, pumpkins of all sizes, shapes and colours are displayed. I find this really interesting; there are so many different kinds! Some are edible, some are grown only for decorative purposes.
As every year, there was another large temporary wooden structure with a kitchen and counter, a "pumpkin restaurant". Here, my Mum and I usually have something to eat (pumpkin quiche, for instance, which is really nice) and to drink (pumpkin secco, which strangely enough tastes of apricots). We found a table in the sun and enjoyed our break as much as watching the world go by.
Going out with my Mum always makes for a good time, and that sunny Friday afternoon was no exception!
Heavens! People must have spent many hours on their pumpkin exhibits. Amazing!...You mentioned clutter so now I am feeling guilty about the clutter in our house - not a nice feeling on my birthday! Do birthday cards count as clutter? What about the driftwood we brought back from Washington State? Now my brain's feeling cluttered too!
ReplyDeleteBirthday cards are NOT clutter. They are allowed to be displayed for up to one month after the event. If they are still there after that, they become clutter.
DeleteDriftwood... hmm, that's a tough one. If it is a souvenir with a story attached and means a lot to you, it's not really clutter. But if it has to be moved every time you clean, then it comes dangerously close to being clutter.
Oh I always love the Pumpkin Festival! I would love to see all those displays! Somehow, the one of the chess board looks even harder to have done, imagine getting all those perfectly aligned to make the squares so very straight! Your Mum looks like a movie star! Tell her I said so. x
ReplyDeleteI am sure my Mum has already seen your comment, Kay :-) Yes, she looks like a celebrity with her new hair style and big sun glasses, I think so, too!
DeleteNot sure how difficult to do the displays were; of course they had prepared the ground by fixing strings in the shape of the squares (or maybe they've done it with water-soluble paint) to get the chess board right, but it certainly looks impressive enough at that size.
Wow, I have to blush, when I read those compliments....Thank you!
DeleteYour Mum is lovely, as are you..."The apple didn't fall far from the tree."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jill, you are so kind!
DeleteWhat an amazing collection of pumpkin art. Peoples creativity never ceases to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a great day out with your lovely Mum, I adore her kitty scarf, :)
We enjoyed the afternoon!
DeleteThe kitty scarf was a gift my sister and I brought home from Ripon this year :-)
We have pumpkin festivals here, but I've never seen anything as fascinating as these pictures show. What fun! BTW, two pair of socks from your mother arrived yesterday and I love them. Plus, she always sends something a little extra and there was a special little tea light in the package. Please thank her from me! I think I'm set for this winter in the sock department!
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know, Kristi, thank you! I hope the first package (which you ordered a while ago) has arrived too.
DeleteThe first package arrived quite a while ago....Sorry. Thought I said something.
ReplyDeleteNot to me, now. But now we know it has arrived, thank you :-)
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the first two posts and I enjoyed this one too. I would pay to go and see this and experience the various goodies on offer such as the sparkling wine I recall you mentioning in one of the posts.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice, that sparkling wine, but it has to be chilled. For most people it would probably be too sweet, but we like it!
DeleteWine adds to any occasion... Never see anything like this in NZ but we enjoy a good roast pumpkin. It felt wasteful to see them used that way! Clutter ... The daily battle to keep things to hand, remember good times, be prepared, and subdue dust collection. A fine balance. Too little seems sterile.. Too much just lazy....
DeleteYou're very right on both points, Fi - it seems wasteful to use pumpkins just for display, and there really is a thin line between too much and too little "clutter" in a home. If I had to choose between the two, I'd definitely go for the sterile, though.
DeleteThat's amazing - something I would definitely make the effort to go and see. What a lot of skill and imagination has gone into some of these! A nice photo of your mum too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jenny! Maybe you could get the task of writing about the exhibtion and come visiting next year :-)
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