The German American Institute’s Sommerempfang in Bebenhausen is always a big deal! This year especially so – it was their 70th Anniversary! The event was held on July 6th. I went with Helena and it was awesome!
Helena and I live in Horb. The Sommerempfang is in Tübingen, a city – a college town – about a half hour away. To get to Tübingen you have to take a train, then to get to the event, you have to take a bus. So there’s a lot of traveling involved. Fortunately the views consist mostly of the beautiful German countryside, with rolling green hills, farms, and bright blue skies.
This is the bus I was telling you about. It will take us to someplace near the event and then we’ll walk the rest of the way. The bus is clean and the views of Tübingen are spectacular!
After the bus we had to walk a little way before we finally arrived at Bebenhausen. Much of the Kloster is under construction this year. Scaffolding lines the walls and fences divide the grounds. I won’t be able to roam as freely as I did back in 2018.
We were following a group of people as we made our way to the event. I had to get a picture of this guy in the wrinkled blue blazer. It looked like he was less than enthused about attending this social gathering. His entire being seemed to be drooping – from his soul to his shoulders to his pants…
Once you enter you’re inside these ancient passageways that seem to run forever in every direction. There are stairwells crafted before time, where monks once walked silently in the darkness, hearing only the beating of their heart and the near silent swish of their bare feet rubbing against the stone stair. Okay I’m just making that part up. I have no idea if it was dark or not. They probably had candles. And I’m sure they would have worn shoes – maybe some sort of leather sandal or some crocs made of hay and mud. Eh….let’s just keep going….
We climbed many stairs that night. With each step we were increasingly beguiled that the end was increasingly close. And yet we still climbed many stairs. When we finally reached the top we stepped out into the late afternoon sun and found ourselves at the top of a castle wall. Here we paused to drink in the view:
There was a castle tower to our right and just beyond were the roofs of the buildings – most likely half timber housing. In the distance were rolling green hills framed by clusters of thick green trees. This picture-perfect view was not diminished by the scaffolding and plywood on the deck.
After walking north along the castle wall I stopped to take another look at the view. It’s almost the same view that the monks saw 500 years ago, in what must have been a magical time – our species was not in peril, our thoughts were not polluted, and we could walk with God without distraction.
After traveling along the castle wall we ended up in a cobblestone courtyard. There was a church or rectory before us, and just beyond were the gothic spires of a grand cathedral. I was following Helena. She moved like a breeze on a warm summer day. For me I was moving slow, captivated by every view. As an artist, this was like being a cat in a catnip factory!
Apparently it’s customary to take a picture of the gilded clock. Either that or Helena was just mimicking the guy in the pink shirt…
The cobblestone courtyard was the gateway to the chamber hall. The black arrow on the white paper sign was a sure giveaway in any language that we were getting close…or closer. In the courtyard was a smattering of people, including two Estelle Getty lookalikes and some guy in a dark blue suit wearing a parachute for no apparent reason.
Since we arrived we had walked up a long driveway, then a cobblestone street outside the castle, through a medieval door, down ancient passageways and up ancient stairwells, along the top of the castle wall, into another cobblestone courtyard, and we still had not reached the main hall. If only there were some 3D model that could show us how far we had come and how far we had to go. Oh….here’s one…
We followed some people through an ivy covered arch into a large empty hall. I found it fascinating that virtually every single thing in this space had been hewn and placed by hand. As an Artist it’s impossible to ignore the work of the anonymous craftsmen who placed every stone and cut every piece of timber. You can see the evidence of their labors everywhere you look. While their sweat and blood have long since disappeared, their handiwork lives on, which is what matters most to an Artist.
On the far end of the big empty hall was an open archway that led us into another courtyard. There were people here. We had no idea where we were but apparently we were not lost, or if we were lost, we were now lost in a group.
We followed the people as they turned right. My eyes were drawn to the arches and the well behaved ivy, then to the person in the red jacket and white pants – an ensemble that must be from the Peppermint Candy collection. Before me there were three DAI staff checking to make sure that everyone’s name was on the list. Our names were checked by Daniel, the young man on the right in the light blue surgical mask.
After checking in we were ushered through the ivy covered archway and into another great hall. This one has a magical Wizard of Oz feel to it. If there weren’t cameras everywhere I would impersonate Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion as they made their way down the hall to see the Wizard.
The view from one of the windows lining the hallway. And no, that is not my little plastic cup and red napkin on the window sill. I threw mine into that antique trash basket on the pedestal. Guess that makes it a modern trash basket…
Another view from one of the windows in the hall. At first glance I thought that was a person out there on the grounds, but I think it’s actually a sculpture of an aristocratic woman holding a giant set of pearls. That said, I didn’t bring my glasses, so I guess it could be a large slow-moving aristocratic woman holding a giant set of pearls.
And then down another gorgeous hallway with vaulted ceilings. This time, though, we had finally arrived at our destination. The long banquet tables covered in white linen and adorned with flowers were a sure giveaway, as was the Staff waiting to greet us at the entrance to the nave.
We entered the nave of the church, a majestic space with columns anchoring a grand vaulted ceiling. There was already a large crowd in attendance. Helena and I took out seats in the back. The event had just begun. There were speakers and singers, speaking and singing mostly in German. I followed along and asked Helena to translate when necessary.
I hadn’t been in a crowd this large in over two years. Some people were wearing masks and some weren’t. We certainly were.
Throughout the event my eyes were continually drawn to the ceiling. I think these floral designs are all hand painted, or if they’re not, then the monastery must have spent a fortune on custom designed wallpaper! And if they were painted by hand, I’m sure they didn’t outsource the work. There was no Yelp 500 years ago – only Help! It was fun to imagine a small group of monks standing on scaffolding in their dark brown robes silently painting each flower. There was no need to rush…they literally had all the time in the world….lucky bastards!
This is the Belcanto Harmonists. These guys were great!
This lady is Dr. Ute Bechdolf, the Director of the German-American Institute in Tübingen. She is an Intercultural Expert, and an all around phenomenal human being! I don’t remember the name of the man that is on stage with her here, but he looks sad – he must have just heard she’s retiring…
As the speaking and singing part of the event drew to a close, I looked over my shoulder and there was tray after tray filled with drinks. Oh yeah baby I like where this is going! Daniel the Name Checker was now Daniel the Sommelier, and he had lots of help!
As we left the nave we were delighted to see that the white linen banquet tables lining the long hallway were now covered in food. Oh…yes…yes…yes! I just hope these people know that buffets are a blood sport where I come from….
After the buffet people ventured out to drink and schmooze on the grounds.
As the sun set the sky turned a rich ultramarine blue which grew ever darker in the east. Lights came on at the Kloster. The gothic spires were bathed in a dramatic white light. The buildings and grounds of the Kloster now took on a magical, timeless, fairy tale quality.
As we filed out the colors made me feel like I was walking through a giant Van Gogh painting!
We left the event well after 10:00 and made our way to the bus stop. Helena was looking at her app to figure out when the bus would arrive at the train station. She became suddenly alarmed and exclaimed “WE ARE GOING TO MISS THE LAST TRAIN AND THE NEXT ONE WON’T COME UNTIL FIVE IN THE MORNING!!” Wait…whaaaaat??? OMF’ng word!!!
This glorious night had taken an ugly turn! Apparently I had misread the train schedule when we arrived in Tubingen and Helena, with her migraine, couldn’t read it. Now we were in the dark at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere where we don’t know anyone and I’m in a country half a world away from my own! Do we go back to the Kloster and ask strangers if they are heading towards Horb? Would we even find anyone? And going all the way back would mean missing the last bus! Ughh! What do we do???
We decided to take the last bus to a town that was closer to Horb – the closest we could get.
It was 11:33 when we got on the bus. I asked Helena what it said on the screen. “Unknown Location Operational Trip” she said. Yeah….that about sums it up….
I don’t remember the name of the village where the bus dropped us off but from there we called Walerija and asked her to pick us up. It was almost midnight. It started to get very cold so we went into a pizza place that is on the side of the bus station. It was the only place open and it was about the size of a closet, but at least it was warm. The man behind the counter asked if he could help us. I wasn’t sure how to say in German that we were only there for his heat – but just then Walerija texted and said she was waiting for us outside! Yay!!!!
And this is how the evening ends: A friend coming to your rescue in a car speeding through the middle of the night, the land and lights a blur, as you make your way back to the safety of your bed. I seem to remember a lot of nights just like this…
More stories to tell! Will Post as soon as I can!
Bonnie
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