Please Don't Touch The Old Timer!

An old castle, a horde of visitors and this old timer.

Yesterday was one of those days where I did feel as if this sign was for me. Jostling through the crowds I wouldn't have minded a please don't touch this old timer. The inaugural garden fete or rather party to join the recent royal celebrations in the perhaps soon to be non-European country was a huge success. Might be distant family in any case.

A two day affair within the garden and grounds of the delightful Kohfidisch Castle was attended by so many visitors that even though I grumbled while having to queue for 30 minutes to get a bite to eat ( yes, seriously and after 15 minutes one gets a bit stubborn and doesn't want to give up one's place ) I was pleased that our neck of the woods is so popular.

The lawns in front of the castle were little oases of garden exhibits, furniture makers and several wine stands. Elegant with proper glasses and none of the plastic variety. The various prices had a royal seal to them, as even the Bobster quickly put down a rose plant when he saw the 50 Euro price tag dangling from it.

Meandering about this beacon of history was interesting, thought provoking and simply marvelous. The castle still needs to be restored in many places but somehow this more than anything else could, conveyed an authentic royal touch. Authenticity and class amid a world that has a collective crazy obsession to always have everything ship shape, perfect and enviable.

Eventually we saw an old timer parked as an exhibit with the required cordoning off around it. Appropriately it was an English MG and in a royal shade of red too. In this modern age of let's reproduce any and everything, I wasn't too sure if this highly polished chariot was freshly made or reconditioned...definitely a car to keep in the garage only to be driven around with nary a rain cloud in sight.

A perfect garden feature...

A small view of the Kofidisch Castle...

This might have been the old stables or garages.

Biggi

We Aren't Called Burgenland For Nothing...

It's the details that colour in our lives with a breathtaking spectrum.

Our lives are geared to rushing around and trying to accomplish everything at once. Multi-tasking isn't a skill once only had by successful executives but a skill now honed to perfection by even Aunt Mavis.

We are so busy trying to get it all in ( and often that ' in ' is having enough fodder for the Smartphone and news stream ) that we only take time to skim the surface. Like Fool's Gold...all shine but no substance. Of course it looks pretty on Facebook but when did we start to live our lives to cater to our virtual friends?

Apart from rushing around on holiday trying to get your money's worth, half the time you're bent over an iPhone answering banal enquiries. Whatever happened to having the holiday-debriefing at the end of it, with a lot of wine and good friends?

Anyway, life has so many attractions to offer even in our little part of the world. In fact we have got a smorgasbord of castles and fortresses...we aren't called Burgenland for nothing.

Bob and I, in our first year here made a point of using Sundays to explore our area and often we'd visit a castle. My word, these castle are an amazing and beautiful part of history that we are fortunate enough to still be able to explore for real. Moving around a castle is exhilarating and humbling at the same time.

History is a great teacher because it shows us what could and can be done without the use of modern equipment or technology. When I walk into the various tracts and rooms of a castle, I can't help but imagine how life must have been back then in the middle ages.

We are blessed with so many stunning attractions, be it a Buschenschank held by a vintner with the accolade of having created the best red wine in Austria, be it the picturesque landscapes so synonymous with Burgenland or just a divine tasting Schnitzel eaten at a scenic spot and enhanced by either a Puntigamer or a Grüner Veltliner.

If and when you come for a peek into the lusciousness of Burgenland, please take enough time to let it soak in...

Taking the time to see the details is like taking a crayon and filling in the grey spots of your live. Certainly not necessary but oh so nice when you do.

Biggi

Are You Also Wowed By History?

Do you also imagine who lived, walked and had fun somewhere back in time?

Living in Burgenland, which means the land of the fortresses, you get to stumble across a Burg / fortress more often than not. It is fantastic when family and friends come to visit as everyone loves visiting a Burg or a castle. Our visitors from South Africa or America enjoy it even more as they don't have any castles in their countries. At least not any that are over 300 years old.

Bob and I are becoming experts at showing off our various Burgs. Yesterday we went to Lockenhaus . A great example of a Gothic castle. It even formed a part in the Knights Templar history, complete with a Round Table. We were a bit short of time, so we just did a stroll around the garden ring at the bottom of the castle. ( I know it is a fortress, but castle sounds more divine, so please allow me to call it that ).

Apart from the rubbish bins and the odd sign of " Try this at your own risk " ( which of course Bob ignored and you'll see a pic of it later ) it could have looked as it did all those years ago when the real owners walked this path. Well, in those days the princesses or countesses perambulated slowly around the grounds.

Looking back at those times from our perspective, we wonder how they could have managed without fast food, Smart Phone, a television and gosh without a flushable loo, but we forget that when they lived there, they were modern for that era. The ladies might have strolled in order to catch a glimpse of a beau. They might have played ' Hide & Seek ' from their governesses or just admired nature.

At intervals around the castle, there are seating alcoves that were built or chiseled into the wall. It boggles the mind to think of a real life princess or countess having sat there and wondered about her life. Yes, these places simply ooze history, past and dare I say violence. Oh yes, they all have a torture chamber complete with Iron Maiden and heavy metal to hurt you. ( Eh, no, the irony is not lost on me...a Frank Sinatra fan ).

Honestly, I won't go into those torture chambers because the walls almost feel as if they are plastered with all the pain inflicted over the years of use. No, I would rather see the dining rooms, round tables and libraries.

Another bonus of living in Burgenland, is the abundance of history, beautiful scenery and of course oh-so-moreish coffee shops. Lockenhaus, the village, has great example of this....and we did it justice.

Biggi

The wall around the castle.

The guillotine set in the recess...some sort of entertainment in those times?

Didn't I tell you that Bob ignored the signs? His acting class in High School payed off...

The garden path circling the castle complete with a knight without shining armour...