A peek into an open air museum

I cannot believe that October has come rolling in. How did the months fly by? I do not know. 

As a new month begins, I wake up with the thought.... another one down. For those who do not know, it's a countdown to our return. With each passing month, the excitement builds up...:-) 

With the countdown it means that I have a bucket list of things to do, places to visit, events to experience and so on. I do not know whether it has something to do with the fixed time frame or pressure, but to my delight so far we have been able to achieve it successfully.

Like a visit to the Franconian open air museum over the weekend. The only sad part was that due to a misunderstanding we ended up without our camera's. Hence the pictures from my mobile which finally gave out after 15 and odd shots..:-(

Lesson learnt: Before setting out, cross check with your love if the camera bag is in the car or not.

Who doesn't love going back in time? Well, we do, especially our son. Museums help him go back so many years to the eras and times of the past, sometimes making him wish that he lived then..:D It helps him to imagine and wonder what life must have been like eons of years ago.

Open air museums are unique ones exhibiting collections out doors. You can step into homes of the ancient past, have a look at the rooms with actual furniture, see pictures of the families that lived in them and wonder how did they all fit in the small sized houses. 

The day we visited, we were lucky to witness costumed interpreters portray life in the medieval ages. There were women cooking on an open hearth in the kitchen, meat and sausages hanging from the ceiling along with onions and garlic(I missed my cam boo hoo hoo). I stood for the longest time taking in the strong smell of the crackling fire and as my eyes burnt with the smoke around, it reminded me so much of my grandmother's home!! I happened to mention it to my girl that this was how her great grandma cooked(looks like we were still in medieval cooking methods back home..:D). 

Another highlight was watching the traditional craftsmen in medieval clothes at work. We had the longest chat with a bead maker who made beads with animal bones. It was interesting to see how he worked and also listen to the stories of the years gone by. And the musician, what sweet music he played as the women were preparing the smoked mackerels for dinner. Did you know that the medieval violin had 5 strings? 

Over all it was a day well spent. The museum is spread over vast areas of land filled with fruit tress and patches of vegetable gardens here and there. It was a delight to see the luscious red apples peeping out from here and there. Also interesting sights are shepherds grazing their sheep along with a sheep dog(a delight to watch), lazy pigs waiting for a feed or two of apples and goats who do not mind being petted for a long time..:-)

Definitely a fun time with kids during a weekend!!