Test Fart (it's spelt Fahrt)

[Loiq]

After establishing my base, I popped out for tea, I might have had a few beers... afterall 640 miles take abit of cleansing.... Then I checked out a couple of old maps... these show the main roads but also the "Heer Weg" which are the old drovers, traders paths.... and these are linked to these massive stones in towns, which have carvings on'em... when I lived there we use to roam all over the place looking for olden stuff.... so I like to look for these paths to check'em out....
some routes dating back to the 1300's.... there's the whole prussian, austrian, danish wars all of which raged between 1830-1880...the last being between the prussians (with the help of the austrians against the danish armed with muzzle loaders... so not exactly a fair fight... but that resulted in half of what was danemark being taken by the pussians to get control of the herring and mackrel fishing

 

[Loiq]

so after breakfast, I picked up the local tracks following these for about 60 miles having a look at what there is... which mostly is nothing... little villages and clean and tidy but no people ..... which is kinda odd.... oh that green pond we use to swim in that as kids during the summer needless to say... our immune systems must have been pretty healthy

 

[Loiq]

Then I had to cross the North/ Baltic Canal obvious it seemed like a good idea to have some lunch... so if you have a thing to potatos, bacon and eggs... your in luck... obviously the menu is all in german, it's so rural... they thought a space ship had landed when I parked up...! then I checked out a few more houses the red place as about 200K but I fancied the old mayor's house.... which looked my size....! then found the park and ride for the Viking thing.....

 

[Loiq]

So I found the parking and it's all very germanic and teutonic... all the cars needs to be lined up.. again it threw them cos they've obviously not had right hand drive car there... they couldn't workout how to park me up to leave enough space for the car next to me... they all stood about scratched their assorted heads... when I chipped up in the local dialect... "Moin" it's a greeting that covers anytime of day.... your from round one of'em chips up... and I answered yeah sort of... so the cue to get on the bus to the showground seems very long so I got bored and walked it... it seemed so much simpler... again this astounded the shit'em...!

 

[Loiq]

So I get my first look at the Vikings and I kid you knot it's a festival of several complex social groups, there's... the historical types, the dressy up vikings, the folks who think they are vikings, there's the kids based around the TV program called vikki der wikinger... so it's very family.... oriented... and I in my wooly hat looked very under dressed.... like I really hadn't made an effort at all.... there's folks who took this proper serious.... they all have similar tents, clothing etc... it kinda reminded me of a UKGSERS do....



I was a fan of the BBQ set.... anyway they did demo's of. chopping each other up in a friendly sort of way.... and then I heard someone from the fighters speak in english... so these people exist over here too....

I wandered about, listent to the historical types speak at length about a topic I really had even scratched the surface of....

 

[Loiq]

So there's folk talking about making stuff, processes used, the tools, the whole nine yards... around 300 exhibitors, with some 100 traders and probably 25% of the people attending being dressed up...

 

[Loiq]

So there is a moment, when all that learning about stuff needs to be suppressed so I wound into the mead... which was very moorish.... and must have had a reasonable kick... after abit I mooched around the rest of the place.... found the trading post and entertainment arena...

 

[Loiq]

All that walking about made me really hungry so there's loads of unusual food... this is a wild boar and deer bratwurst... covered in they called forest sauce ( ketchup, mustard and either something like red currants..? or cranberries..?) which was remarkably good so good infact I had to have another one.... people watching took over... I find them all fascinating, folks who believe they are vikings and you need all the gear... form swords to bottles and bottles of mead...

 

[Loiq]

Once I walked round that bit it dawned on my wearing a wooly hat really made me look like I was really taking the piss... so I opted to take that off... I did want to see the boat... but instead I was way laid by the salami dealer...

 

[Loiq]

finally I found the waters edge... "the Sigyn..." (name of the boat) was a project that took over 10 years to get off the ground.. the old boy with the beard and baseball cap was the chap who came up with the idea to make a scaled model of a viking boat and in fact they've made several.... the whole process for them has been remarkable as a story in it's own right

The built the first one and in his own words well it floated.... while it looked right they used the wrong tools to make it... the wood wasn't right and just everything wasn't correct... It was only once they got access to the Germanic Boat from the Nydham? excavation that they got it right... what they had to do is firstly go and collect all manner of old tools, from roofers, builders, carpenters etc.... and then learn how these tools where used... which then gave them the process to cut the planks and following grain fitting them then using the correct fixtures...

in the bigger picture this physical historical rebuild it's given the historians a better understanding for a history that wasn't written down... it's also explains the movement of technology and people... from a point that starts probably 500-1000 years before christ and continues to around 1066 ish.... so it's a snap shot

the dude in the blue top and white trousers is the current chair person and after I had chat with him and another old boy who first thought I was dutch ... and then was amazed I live in the UK... so they all took a real interest in my interest in them... So I volunteered to help cos it seemed fair it's run by the local historical society... who've been self funding

 

[Loiq]

so after that mind bending conversation... it made me feel really hungry... prawn roll.... which was really good....

 

[Loiq]

the idea that came from the conversation suggested the whole story of the vikings maybe wrong...
Cos based on the boats they found all of which are Oak, the central trading hub was in Haitabu Northern Germany... that Vikings didn't just use boats but all the ships build more than likely came from that one region, the second map also shows the HeerWeg the trade route... that supplied Haitabu with food was a defended path... cos the village of around 20-30,000 people involved in trade, shipbuilding and figuring out how stream out into the north sea after they learnt to cut they're teeth on the baltic and following rivers upwards into modern day russia....

 

[Loiq]

I then got abit bored, so zipped up the road... to visit the state museum which had the boat from 1000 years before christ.... all this really fired me up so.... well it's a simple pattern booze and fried pork product and then looking for houses....

 

[Loiq]

There's loads of places for sale.... anything from little houses in town... but it was short lived.... cos I had my eye on booze and fanny.... which of course is spelt Pfanni...

 

[Loiq]

and after I got my hands on fanny... I went back to check out a silver hoard found a while back.... the rain started so I checked the fuel consumption for a final time and headed home... already planning to go back more time when I go back... to check out the sailing of the boat... and that was my test fart....!

 

[Wapping]

Strange days.

 

[Loiq]

Strange days.

very.... to be honest, I had no idea..... that...

1. People identify as, and so choose to live openly as Vikings WTF...!
2. that others do but more for profit
3. That there's an accademic set that live as Vikings but only so they can confirm their own theory of an unwritten history
3. Also there loads of others do that as well, for their own reasons... as yet undefined
4. would I go again..? I'm not sure
5. I never realised that I wanted to learn to sail before.
6. What fuel consumption I would get outta the Mk2

As an off the cuff no planning involved 4-5 day trip mini adventure it was alright... the alternative would have been sit on a unspecified forum sniping into threads I haven't read or if the truth be told don't fully understand

 

[Wapping]

A great trip report, not least as the whole jaunt is different to “Me and my mates, we went to the Alps”. Along with Doc’s jaunt to northern Holland / north west corner of Germany, it shows that alternatives are out there and not a million miles away from Calais,

 

[Loiq]

it's funny cos, and can't recall who posted the thread about their trip and the comment was "I went past that bit, you know the boring bit of Germany that's flat and has nothing in it...!"

there is stuff there but you really need to go and find it....

 

[Jockser]

View attachment 278373

That's making me hungry

That was a bit different, thanks for sharing

(Edit - no idea why it ain't displaying the fanny picture )