Traditions to maintain a traditional spirit

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A few days ago we were in Seebach, about 15km away from here, to visit the "Streisselhochzeit".

For the last 28 years, a local group have re-enacted a traditional country wedding typical of the Alsace some 100 odd years ago.

Seebach is not really that far from us here in Pfaffenbronn but the contrast couldn't be greater. Whereas we have our hills and valleys, Seebach lies in the plains that have been created over centuries by the Rhine. It's much flatter and also warmer here. We've had, unfortunately, more than average rainfall for July and so our expectations were a little more on the damp side. But, there is climate and micro-climate and whilst other parts of the region were drenched, not a drop fell on Seebach.

This festival was created back in 1982 and traditionally takes place on the first weekend after the July 14 celebrations. And here is one word which is central to understanding what goes on here. Tradition.

The "Streisselhochzeit" has become one of the largest festivals with traditional costumes in the northern Alsace. And it all fits. Seebach is a small village full of half-timbered houses. Traditional costumes still are worn every now and then. It's a quiet place, almost a living museum.

The festivities get underway on the Friday evening, continue through Saturday. One highpoint is the night parade on Saturday. The whole town is lit up and the courtyards and stables are cleared for artisans and artists to display there skills.

The actual "wedding" takes place on Sunday. It is a love marriage, the happy couple are called "Schorsch and Bawele". Of course, she is a stunning beauty and he is handsome and likes to accept responsibility. At 10.30am the wedding party sets of to church. As it is a family affair, half the village is invited, friends and family, teachers, clergy...

After the wedding, Schorsch and Bawele, standing in front of the local mayer outside the town hall, promise faithfully to uphold traditions and customs for future generations. Something taken quite seriously here.

Then the celebration begins. The courtyards are opened up again, food and drink are the order of the day, typical dishes as Kesselfleisch (boiled pork), Choucroute (pickled cabbage) and the infamous "Schneeballencreme" (snow ball cream) are offered, all washed down with either a good beer or local wine.

In the afternoon, around 3.30, people gather to watch the large and colourful procession. Costumes, bands, local customs are displayed. And to round it all off, there is dancing in the evening. On a Sunday night? Well, most of the region is closed on Mondays, so a chance of a lie in are given.

So, a note for your diary in 2010. The first weekend after July 14. Invitations are not necessary. Just turn up.

The fascination, even after 30 years

What still fascinates me, even after 30 years, is with which freedom my eyes contemplate this landscape. Even in times of pressure - you can see a certain emptiness which is quite full, if you know what I mean.

It just frees the spirit and frees your thoughts. It puts all the problems right back into their place. For fear of sounding a little to philosophical, but what we experience here is a certain intellectual space and freedom in which to sort out any problems and to solve them.

We always see the contours of this landscape, the freshness of the colours in spring, the blossoms in summer. Then the change to the warmer, more earthen colours of autumn and then the snowy landscape with its bare trees during the winter months. It's like a painting and I look forward to each new season because each time I look out, I have a different landscape to see.

And the interesting thing is, when you see so much, the beauty, the differences, the details, you almost expect the landscape to deliver this. It is as if you are constantly redecorating your house with new paintings or going to an art gallery.

You don't want to be dissapointed.

It's like being on a permanent holiday!

For the past 31 years, I have been telling people here that we don't live to work but we work to live. And even if it is easy, we do have to make sure that we really aren't on the job 24/7.

But then, we do have the landscape to help us maintain the perspective.

What we also hear is, "well, you've been on holiday in Pfaffenbronn for the last 31 years!". That might be another way of looking at it, but actually, we don't share that opinion. We divide our work and it's our intuitive combination. I can't really say this is work and this is leisure. It can't really be separated so we just let it flow, one into the other. But those really stressful situations? We don't have them. Not that we are without problems but they're other things which concern us.




an extension of our office?



Thea and I divide our work. Whilst she does all the administration and the accounts, two things which aren't exactly my strenghts, I do the other things. Back in Holland she worked in an administrative capacity in a museum wheras I was an interior designer. Basically, we both think that if two do the same thing, it only leads to conflicts. So, I don't touch the admin.

There are 100 privately owned houses here. The total area is 5 hectars. There is a swimming pool, a tennis court, 1 hectar of forest. The houses are recorded at the land registary and the owners decide on their own interiors. Outside, we have a uniform and binding village policy.

About 10 or 12 owners actually live here as their main residence. Then there are many owners who use them asa holiday home. They come in the spring, for 2 or 3 weeks in the summer, a week in autumn and maybe for Christmas. Many come from either northern Germany or Holland. Then, there is a group of people who use it as a weekend retreat. They usually come from a radius of about 150-200km, from towns such as Karlsruhe, Stuttgart or Saarbrücken.

So, you could say, we actually have a small international community here, made up of French, Germans, Belgians, Greeks, Irish, Spaniards. And what we have begun to notice as well is that the owners have really begun to appreciate the value of pure relaxation the area provides, making them come here more often.

From our point of view, running a place like this, when we experience 100 owners, we experience 100 or even 200 different possibilities.

It started with a vision

Why did we move to Pfaffenbronn? Thirty years ago, we already had quite an ecological mindset and were looking for a different lifestyle. We also had 2 small children. The owners of the holiday village offered us a 12 month contract and out of curiosity, we agreed.

We also actually had a house in the Dordogne and thought we could pop down there on the weekends. While it was over a 1000 km away from our home in Holland, from Pfaffenbronn, it was only half the distance. Oh well....

Construction had already begun and was carried out in 5 stages. We then decorated and set up the houses from scratch. Everything, from curtains, bed linen, vacuum cleaner right down to the bottle opener. We were then authorized to sell or rent out these houses.

Sometimes potential owners told us, "We like this house and I'll be back in 3 months." We set to work and took care of everything for him, telling him that all they had to bring was the cheque and their toothbrush.

We started here March 1, 1978. We still worked in Holland the day before, then drove through the night and when we arrived here, jumped into the deep end and started working.

The initial contract was only for 12 months, but it lasted until 1983. The houses were sold but we remained in our positions, also partly because our children had by now integrated themselves in France. So, we registered with the local Chamber of Commerce as real estate agentsand continued maintaining this holiday village.

Well, in the meantime, we've become grandparents. Our grandchildren are French. You could actually say, we're no longer a Dutch family but a French one.