Maybe I’m reading too much into one instance, but…. Canadians for the most part are rule followers. It is part of our national psyche. Our Constitution promises us “peace order and good government” where our neighbors to the south aspire to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (These days they probably are wishing for […]

Just a few pictures today of Saturday’s snowfall in Sulzburg and the surrounding vineyards.

I woke up Sunday morning and there was snow on the ground. Winter is almost over, and for the first time the flurries didn’t melt on contact. Not enough snow to justify putting on boots mind you, the streets and sidewalks were bare, but it was better than nothing. I’ve missed winter. It will all […]

I’m sure there’s a story behind this church, though I ‘m not sure what it is. One of these days I will ask.  It is a modern building, looks to me like a 1970s interior. I didn’t see the name out front, but the city website says it is St. Bernard. (In Canada municipalities don’t […]

Dog owners know that they have a responsibility to make sure their pooch doesn’t leave nasty deposits on public (or private) property. Vigorously enforced municipal bylaws back that up. I expected Germans to be even more diligent than Canadians when it comes to cleaning up after their pets. It is a clean country, and citizens […]

Today a photo essay, just some of the pictures I took last Sunday at sulzburg’s annual Weckensonntag event. I’ve been considering the differences between this very local festival and the much larger Fastnacht which is observed throughout the Black Forest.   Fastnacht is bigger and more colourful, but having seen it once I have no desire […]

There’s a certain fascination that comes with watching someone perform a lost art.  Though I guess it isn’t really lost if people are still doing it. It must be 50 years since I last watched a blacksmith plying his trade, so it was nice to see one in action this past Sunday at Sulzburg’s Weckensonntag. […]

Continuing from where we left off yesterday, some thoughts on this unique Sulzburg tradition. For my neighbour it is a nostalgic time. When she was a child, Weckensonntag was the day the children revived their new spring outfits (in Canada for many families it is Easter for that). So I understand her excitement over what […]

Our neighbour was insistent we had to take part in Weckensonntag, which is held the third Sunday before Easter. She told us it is the biggest and most important festival of the year. That sounded strange to me. I’d seen no preparations, seen no posters. “Bigger than Fastnacht?” I asked. “Much bigger.” That made me […]