gamsbärt' and real men

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the 'gamsbart', literally chamois beard, is a tuft of chamois hair worn as a hat decoration. needless to say that the size of this thingie closely correlates with the wealth and influence of its owner.

it is definitely *not* made of the hair of a beard as chamois don't have one, unlike goats, but from the middle hair of the back. that means that earlier only licensed hunters were able to harvest the necessary hair.

hunting was a royal privilege in bavaria (it still carries a bit of this reputation nowadays, along with a unobjective cost-benefit analysis), and the stories of the fights betwean poachers and foresters are an essential basis of literary tradition as well as popular old songs.

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brass bands marching

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bavaria generally and the traditional mountain costume associations (what a monster expression, we just say 'trachtler') especially are inseparably connected with brass music. only at indoor events, we call it 'hoagascht', guitar, zither and hammer dulcimer replace the wind instruments.

clear shapes and reflections of course make those brass units very photogenic. musically the bands at events like the present one are on a real high stage, and in the last decade fortunately a lot of re-discovered really traditional music went into the programs, replacing the innommable beer hall music of lowest possible niveau.

only the sheer level of the sound became a bit problematic in the moments when the procession stopped with the band playing some 2m away from my ear. but the little suffering for art (not with a capital a, nota bene) is neglectable in the greater context of 'hue and saturation to the max'.

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easter fountain

I know that easter is over, but it took me until yesterday to find my way to the easter fountain on Bad Reichenhall's Florianiplatz. those eggs, more than 3000, are not plastic! the fresh colours, the old buildings, the afternoon light and the absence of billboards make up for a beautiful scenery (ok - you don't see the pub with the traditional bavarian name "dirty nelly's"). so it was worth a look for me, and an incentive to come back early in the morning to see it in a different light.

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