Monday, October 22, 2012

A Visit to a Country Fair ("Tag der offenen Höfe")

Yesterday, we visited one of our favorite Country Fairs, the weather was beautiful and the visitors were numerous.


There was a Basket Weaver telling stories while taking a break from weaving and...


...showing off his wonderful handmade wares.


There were Apple Farmers handing out samples of their plentiful harvest.


We could admire the incredible works from the "Chainsaw Artists"...


...such as this proud eagle...


...or the owl that was taking shape right in front of our eyes...


...it looked incredible.


Another one of the artists created a bear while we watched.


There was also a beautiful piece of wood...


...and a "Bear Angel" on display.


This is my favorite Half-Timber House of the village where the fair takes place every year.


All the houses and yards were decorated with new harvest Apples.


The wall of one of the barnes was decorated with a lot of Antlers mounted on wooden plates...



...and proudly displayed by the owner who obviously is also a rather passionate Hunter.



 There was a Wood Carver selling his wooden plates and bowls.


You could also buy lots of homemade Jellies and Jams.


And there were a lot of very colorful Vintage Tractors on display from a lot of different manufacturers.







This "Straw Couple" was watching over the visitors.


More incredible Wood Work.






Our youngest tried her hand at the "Apple Spiral"...


...and was delighted by the results.


There was also "Bread on a Stick" that the kids were invited to roast over the fire.


You could also sample different clear "Brandies" from a local destillery.


More Vintage Tractors.


A beautiful piece of Wrought-Iron Work on the side of a farm house.


 And Vinegars, Syrups, Chutneys (I bought some delightful Elderflower Syrup)...


...and more Jams and Jellies (thinking of one of my favorite fall tarts, I bought delicious Quince Jelly).


More colorful Vintage Tractors.







A pretty big tractor tire doubles as a comfortable resting spot for our two youngest daughters.


So many incredible Vintage Cars.



Our youngest also loved "Painting for a Good Cause", all the money donated at this booth will go to the Paediatric Oncology Department of the University Hospital of Bonn.



There was a wonderful display of various mustards from a well-known local "Mustard Manufacturer" (I bought some of their classic mustards that they sell packaged in beautiful stoneware)...


One of the kids favorite was a Broom Maker, his brooms looked wonderful...


...and so did his old-fashioned equipment.


More handmade baskets from the Basket Weaver (I bought the one in the front row, second to the right).


And last, but not least, you could also buy wonderful and unusual Vinegars.


This was a wonderful day spent sampling, watching, admiring and buying some pretty terrific works of art, food and housewares - all of them produced by local farmers or artists!






10 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures and what a fun day out. And it is interesting to me that you have the same kinds of fund raising events (kids painting) that I have seen in the US. And I love how your daughter was excited to peel the apple the old way.

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    1. Marlise, thank you for your lovely comment - you are right, Country Fairs are a lot of fun and a lot of the activities resemble each other no matter where in the world they take place.

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  2. A wonderful day with your beautiful daughters Andrea!

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    1. Paula, thank you, Country Fairs are a ton on fun for the kids and adults alike - I just love them and the weather was so nice on Sunday!

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  3. I really, really enjoyed the tour of your County Fair, Andrea. A question? I thought you only had two daughters but in the picture of them sitting in the tractor tire, you say they are your two youngest daughters. Say, what??? We actally have a chainsaw artist in nearby Woody Creek. HIs creations are on display in many Aspen homes. I like to watch him work. I love fairs and bazaars. Thanks for sharing your trip to one with us.

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    1. Mary, thanks for the lovely comment - to answer your question, we actually have four daughters - the others just do not like to have their pictures taken!

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  4. What a fun fair and I loved checking each picture, Andrea. It's a bit different from American style and I had fun imagining myself being there with you! :)
    Chainsaw art is amazing! I love wooden products and I can spend the entire day at the fair. I just read the comment above me - what, you have 4 daughters! Now I'm impressed even more with your cooking and photography work considering you have 4 kids to take care of. I have only 2 and struggling. ;)

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    1. Nami, I agree, the chainsaw art is simply wonderful and I would have loved to buy the "bear angel" which was my personal favorite but a lot of peolple are very interested in these wooden exhibits and it is kind of hard to get your hands on one. As far as the four girls are concerned - not all of them want their pictures taken but we are celebrating the 10-yeard-old today, it is her Birthday and the cake is baking away in the oven, maybe I will be able to take a picture of the cake and the birthday girl today.

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  5. I enjoyed this post so much. Thank you for taking us along with you on your visit to the Harvest Fair.

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    1. Elaine, thanks for your nice comment - Country or Harvest Fairs are so much fun to visit, especially if the weather is nice and you get to taste all kinds of wonderful foods.

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