Yesterday was the first day of the annual Medieval Christmas Market in my town, Esslingen - which, with its winding cobbled streets and squares, six-hundred year old timbered houses and the castle-like fortification overlooking the whole city from a nearby hill, is the perfect setting for such a festival.
Four weeks of knights, jesters, frivolous musicians, performers, fire artists, lords, ladies, peasants, herb women, blacksmiths, cobblers, furriers, armorers, glassblowers, cooks, bakers, taverns, leather workers, fletchers and chandlers - all in medieval garb and speaking in words which would be music to any accidentally present (as in whoops-my-time-machine-actually-worked accidentally) medieval ears.
Not to forget the wooden Ferris Wheel, axe-and-arrow games, the public baths (oh yes!), hot spiced wine, cannabis bread and the torch procession up to the "castle" two nights before Christmas Eve.
And all of this for the low low price of several layers off the soles of your shoes, depending on how often you go there and tread those cobbled streets of historic fun. Since I live only two minutes away from the nearest 'portal' into history, I'm going to be there a LOT. I also plan on taking my beautiful string-tied linen gown with the wide sleeves I bought last year out to mingle with other medieval haute couture. As soon as I've upgraded my language to a lady's vocabulary. Then again, a wench's vernacular might do just as well.
Here are a few pics to illustrate better what all my excitement is about:
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