School started this week, and it’s been so busy!
Monday was the big day for everyone! It was Ryan’s first day of High School, Brooklyn’s first day of her junior year, and Matt’s first day in school with the students. They were all pretty excited when they left together on Monday morning; it was so sweet. I was also home alone for the first time in who knows how long and could be super productive, except for listening to the dogs who barked non-stop all day.
School activities are back in the swing, and we are settling back into our regular routines. Ryan is back in Boy Scouts this week, and Brooklyn has softball. She is taking the SAT in October and trying to fit extra study time between homework and activities. Brooklyn also got a job at Pizza Hut on base! There was a lot of paperwork and appointments to be done before she can even work, but she was able to finish it all up and will hopefully start soon.
We wanted to celebrate the end of the first week of school on Friday. Matt, Brooklyn, and I went to the Flammende-Sterne, or ‘The Flaming Star’ competition in Ostfildern. The Flaming Star is an international fireworks competition, and each year, the top three countries compete over the weekend. The festival starts early in the evening with food and drinks in a biergarten environment with music.
The weather was so nice, and there was a beautiful sunset before it started getting dark and the fireworks began. We ran into some friends and sat with them for the show.
Once it got dark, there was a laser show ‘to warm up the air’ for the fireworks, creating the most favorable environment for fireworks. Germany always competes on the first night, so we were able to see their display.
On Saturday, we visited the Schäferlauf Markgröningen or the ‘Markgröningen Shepherd’s Run.’ It is a big festival in a town about 45 minutes from where we live.
In its earliest version, the festival has been celebrated since at least 1445, when it first appeared in written text, but it is assumed it goes back many years before that. I’m always amazed at how Germans keep these old traditions going!
The festival was originally an annual meeting of all the regional shepherds, where they got together and discussed all the shepherding issues of the time. A race through a corn stubble field would be held, and the winner would be “King of the Shepherds” for the following year. Because of the large gathering of shepherds, a large market would also occur, and parties and dancing became part of the festivities.
In modern times, the festival is held over five days. Each day, there is a parade in which many members of the towns participate, dressed in different costumes representing the different medieval guilds (butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, etc.). Then, there is a race held in the stubble field where this year’s king and queen of the shepherds will be crowned. There is a huge carnival and market spread across town and many parties in the evenings.
Our goal was to arrive in time for the parade at 1:30 and then the shepherd’s race in the corn field at 2 p.m. We got there just before 1:30 and ended up having plenty of time because the spot we chose to watch from was at the end of the parade route; it was almost 2 p.m. before we saw the first of the procession.
The parade was really long; it felt like everyone in the town participated. At least 40 guilds were represented, and hundreds of actors were in costumes. There were also at least five marching bands throughout. It was really cool, though, as everyone was totally in character as the monks, townspeople, and villains (I still haven’t figured this part out, but everyone booed when they passed us).
It was also HOT! Not only was the temperature over 90F, but the sun was intense, and you could feel yourself burning if you weren’t under shade. Germany has weird high UV index days, and this was one of them. The fire department even opened a fire hydrant near where we stood on the parade route to spray the parade participants down and keep them cool.
When the parade was over, we followed the crowd to the stubble field, where I was surprised to see bleachers were assembled to watch the races. A considerable crowd waited to enter the stadium. After waiting about ten minutes out in the sun to enter ourselves, we decided we wouldn’t survive another hour in the sun. We will return next year to see the race because I really want to see it. I’ve been trying to come to the festival for the past couple of years, but we are always out of town, so I’m glad we at least made it to that.
We made our way back to the market in search of food.
When we were all fed and had walked around the fest, we headed home to cool off and relax for the rest of the evening.
Sunday, we took it easy. Ryan worked at a bake sale for the Boy Scouts, and Brooklyn hung out with friends all day in downtown Stuttgart. It’s a new thing for us to just drop her at the train station in the morning and let her do her thing during the day, but she’s growing up, and we’re trying to let her be more independent. When she got home, she told us about how they went to Five Guys for an early lunch, a museum, a Thai restaurant for a late lunch, and walked around downtown. I’m pretty jealous because I would have loved to spend a day in the city as a teenager; I’m so glad she gets to experience those things! Matt and I hung out at home and even got a nap! It was the perfect way to end the week!
Gilcrests Abroad 