Mittlealterlicher Markt!

Mittelalter = Middle Ages = Medieval

Ebernburg sits in a bend in the Mösel River, about half an hour West of Mainz by train.  The Mösel-Saar-Rower feeds the Rhine and this is the famous German Riesling wine growing country famous, with vineyards tucked into steep rocky hillsides.  The rocks protrude far about the wine growing hillsides, a beautiful backdrop to the jousting and entertainment camps.  For a day, my senses soaked in the quality of the entertainment, architecture, food, and costumes with the freeing space and beauty of the landscape.  I took my time meandering with the river in the town before strolling into the Markt.

Apples!

Pear!

A half kilometer stroll along the Mösel from the market to the camps and jousting tournament

Vineyards at the foot of rocks, on the same walk

Scene at the jousting tournament.  I chose a bench up a hill overlooking this  whole camp.  

Mittelalterlicher Markt in Ebernsburg/Bad Münster >> 'Renaissance' Festivals in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York.  The architecture, culture, and attitudes of our festivals are enjoyably more Medieval than Renaissance, and would be better advertised that way.  Germany admittedly has an unfair advantage since people lived here during the Medieval Era.  Medieval Markets occur all over Germany at all times of year, most of them, including this one, last only a weekend.  In contrast to festival settings I've strolled through in the states, Ebernsburg seems like a town where people actually live, albeit tiny and rural, but it does not exist solely for the festival nor inhabited only during that time.  Again, some of these buildings probably were built the first time during the Middle Ages.

Just inside the market town, everything was up narrow, sometimes stone roads.  

Then, everything was down narrow, sometimes stone roads

Cute couple watching musicians

die Tür

die Tür für das Auto (?)

Skins and a snake carved from wood

Tale of a Tub

Mmmmmmm

A not young, but very entertaining couple on the way to the camps, one in the foreground, one in the background

At the camps by the jousting arena

Without understanding most of the dialogue, the jousting variety show tickled all the senses for amusement.  The seriousness, ceremony, authenticity of the physicality and crowd cheering resembled a good-spirited version of professional wrestling in the states.

Opening ceremonies, more music!

Crash!

Fire!

Bar fight!

The hero of the bar fight has a pet eagle

Distracting scenery

The town drunk

I learned three things that day:

1)  If a German tells you some place is far, maybe it's not.  This place is closer than Frankfurt.

Deutsche Bahn!

2) Trust your senses:

a) If the train drops you in a town the size of my last pinky knuckle (say Mainz is the size of my hand) and the posters don't give an address for the festival, wonder around and you'll find it.  If you like what you see, take your time.  See photos 1-15

b) When you hear drums,cross the bridge over the gentle waters and go towards the sound.  Ta-da, you're there!

b) When feeling slightly tipsy and cold because it's 4:30pm and the only thing you've had since breakfast is a cup of wine, eat a sandwich with steamy pork stewed over hot coals, complete with cooked onions and pickled cucumber shreds in a rustic flat roll.  That'll get your blood flowing.  Wash it down with a cup of dry mead.  Choose dry mead over medium or sweet.

3) When contemplating not to go somewhere because you'll go alone, go anyway.  Even if you might not have as much fun going alone as with a friend, you will definitely have more fun going than not going.