Crazy Times or how Germans get the Spring on!

Here is our contribution to Dar's Spring Challenge. It is not as famous as the carnival in Rio de Janeiro but it has very traditional roots that goes many generations back in time: The Fasend (carnival) in Zell. 

Every little town has its very own ritual to awaken the Schalk (or Narro, as they call the joker or fun maker in local lingo).

Sunday at 2PM, the officials called the Narro and ordered him to better wake up, and spread the fun for the next three days until Ash Wednesday. You must know, that the only way Germans can have fun is by dressing up and pretending to be somebody else. Believe us, it has a long tradition, we grew up with it... Hence, we were not surprised to find many locals were in costume.

And to mingle with the crowd we dug out our Calgary Stampede outfit, and we fit right in. Yee-Haw!

It looked like the whole town were on their feet to celebrate carnival. It was a happy and relaxed event for big and small alike.

There were several marching bands, some of the playing traditional music but the younger generations rather preferring jamming to jazzy style rhythms.

Many of the traditional costumes originated in the early industrialisation and its related businesses. The paper joker costume (Bändele) is made completely out of paper and represents its industry.

Same goes for the deck-of-cards (Spielkarten) joker. It's made out of 1800 cards, and about 10kg (22 lbs) heavy.

All costumes are handmade. The snail shell (Schneckenhüsli) costume contents of approximately 2000 shells and weighs roughly 40 kg (88 lbs.). Also, the wooden faces are very special, and have to be made in a certain way that only insiders are made familiar with. It is all about tradition and rules.

Awww!

There was also a marching band from Basel, Switzerland. It is normal, that one "fools guild" visit another.

The reason for these crazy times are of course originated somewhat in the medieval times, when food had become scarce and people were about ready to cut each other's throats after a long and hard winter. These funny times before fasting became an institution for relief. And people still enjoy it even in nower days when lives have become much easier, and cold and hunger are no longer an issue.

Now, there's undeniable proof, we Germans can be funny at times, you know.

A Sportster Upgrade and a Test Ride

Thursday I got a call from Hawg Supply that Rover, my 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster 883, was finally ready for pick-up. I had to work late on Friday, so our reunion needed to wait until Saturday. I could hardly wait for the morning to come, when we rode two up on Roland's Vespa to the shop.

The modifications on my bike were merely cosmetic, because unfortunately I got way too quickly to the end of my budget. However, here's the little that had been done:

Kellermann turn signals in front and rear
and
lowered plate holder with Alcatraz rear light

Hollywood handlebar
Adjustable clutch and brake levers and steel braided lines
Black mirrors
Arlen Ness beveled fusion grips
Gaitors

Progressive shocks (430 Series)
and
Arlen Ness beveled fusion foot pegs and shifter peg

Sportster 2014

Rover's evolution for comparison

Sportster 2013

Sportster 2012

Sporster 2011

The weather was somewhat fair, so I thought a little test little test ride was in order. With Roland on Bella in the lead we took a ferry to cross the Rhine, entered the empty roads of France, and by following the river upstream meandered to Weil am Rhein. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany, where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, and a suburb of Basel, Switzerland.

Here we visited the VITRA design museum. More on this can be found on our Magers-in-Europe blog.

Living Spaces Exhibition

Vitra Design Museum

It was a long day, and on its first outing in 2014 my bike collected over 200 km, and part of it on foreign territory even.

Besides Rover getting a slimmer look, the new handlebars and shocks instantly proved its money's worth. Thanks to the angle of the bars the ergonomics have improved a lot by allowing a more relaxed upright sitting position, while the shocks provide a deliciously smooth ride over potholes and bumps. Now we're ready to explore the Black Forest in earnest.

Translation of Ursel's comment: Now, she's really happy to have her Harley back, isn't she?

***

Zurück aus der Werkstatt

Am Donnerstag bekam ich einen Anruf meiner Werkstatt, dass meine 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster fertig sei. Ich konnte es kaum erwarten, aber musste doch dann bis Samstag morgen warten, bis ich das Motorrad schließlich abholen konnte. Zu zweit fuhren wir auf Roland's Vespa dann zu Hawg Supply nach Kürzell. Leider hat mein Budget nicht für mehr gereicht, also waren die Veränderungen dann doch "nur" kosmetischer Natur. Im Einzelnen waren es diese:

• Kellermann Blinker vorne und hinten
• Versetztes Nummernschild mit Alcatraz Rücklicht
• Hollywood Lenker
• Verstellbare Brems- und Schalthebel, sowie Stahlflexleitungen
• Schwarze Spiegel
• Arlen Ness Griffe
• Faltenbälge
• Progressive Stoßdämpfer
• Arlen Ness Fußrasten

Wir machten uns auf eine Testfahrt, nahmen die Fähre über den Rhein und wechselten auf die französische Seite. Leere Straßen führten uns flussaufwärts nach Weil am Rhein, wo wir das Vitra Design Museum besuchen wollten. Mehr dazu gibt es auf unserem Magers-in-Europe Blog.

Es war ein langer Tag. Meine Sportster hat wieder 200km mehr auf dem Tacho und die Upgrades haben sich bereits bewährt. Während der Lenker durch seine Krümmung für eine entspanntere Sitzposition sorgt, bewahren mich die neuen Stoßdämpfer vor argen Schlägen in den Rücken bei Fahrten durch Schlaglöcher oder über Bodenwellen. So bestens gerüstet, freuen Rover und ich uns schon, den Schwarzwald erobern.

Vitra Design Museum

Roland: The Vitra Design Museum is located in Weil am Rhein, close to the French-Swiss-German border triangle. We actually had never heard of it before when some friends suggested to meet them for a motorcycle trip and have a look at it.

So after we had picked up Sonja's Harley from the shop we - an unlikely trio of one Harley, one Burgman and a Vespa - headed towards France, followed the way upstream along the River Rhine and re-entered Germany just a few miles before the Swiss border. More on this can be found on Sonja's Blog.

Vitra is a Swiss furniture company with emphasis on design with one of their factories being located in Weil just a few miles from Basel. When a fire destroyed most of the factory in 1981, various new factory and exhibition buildings have been constructed by various architects, and this resulted in a huge variety of styles.

Eventually we did not visit the Design Museum itself, but the adjacent (free of charge) 'Vitra House' - with the charm of a giant Lego house built by a madman - where we strolled through the many different living spaces from six decades. Many designs look so familiar, that it is sometimes difficult to imagine that somebody actually had to invent these things. Others still look as strange and weird as they must have been when they first were presented to the public.

Verner Panton 1959

Unfortunately - after we returned home - I realized that my recently revived Nikon camera had a hardware problem (again!), and I had lost all pictures I had taken over the day. Luckily Sonja brought her camera, too, so at least we have a little bit to show for. But the days of my Nikon are undeniably over now!