Band visit to Durmersheim 2007
The following is what happened on the Littlehampton Concert Band's recent trip to Durmersheim in Germany with the Littlehampton Twinning Association. There are a number of photos, which you can click to enlarge.
Day 1:
4:30am and a few bleary eyed people beginning arriving at the meeting point ready for a 5am departure. From the people who were actually awake, there was some excited chatter in the air as the coach was loaded with bags, instruments and presents for our friends in Germany, then at 5am on the dot, the bus left on its long journey.
For the people flying, there was not much of a lie-in either as they had to meet at 8:30am in Gatwick’s North Terminal. All arrived in good time and check in went without a hitch which left plenty of time to enjoy a cooked breakfast and relax ready for the flight.
The flight was a little late leaving but not by much and the coach arrived for it’s ferry crossing in plenty of time so all was going well by this point. When the flight arrived in Strasbourg, the sun was shining and the travellers had a very pleasant journey to the train station in the centre of town.
However, there were some major building works going on and this meant that the flyers had to walk round the outside of the station to the other entrance which took almost 15 minutes. This meant that they missed their connecting train and had to wait an hour for the next one, however, musicians being musicians, a bar was found to enjoy a couple of beers and some lively banter.
The coach was not faring much better as had to make an unexpected return to one of their stops in France due to a left bag. This delayed them a little but did mean that the two parties were once again neck-a-neck. But all was still not right in coach land due to a Satellite Navigation system which had a rather warped sense of humour. It decided that the bus should take the scenic route via Metz, Strasbourg and Karlsruhe so this impacted on their journey time a great deal.
By this point, the flyers were on the train to Karlsruhe and, on arrival, quickly found a tram to take them to Durmersheim where they were greeted by a small welcoming party. The flyers were then taken to the Rathous (Town hall) where they enjoyed some German beer and pretzels whilst they waited for the bus. After an hour of waiting, news came in that they were going to be another hour and a half due to the pesky Sat Nav system and so all the flyers ended up going to get some dinner with the German families.
By the time the coach arrived, it was 9:30pm and unfortunately the reception had to be cancelled. Instead, the German families took their guests home for a much needed meal whilst the people staying in the hotel were taken to their accommodation in Karlsruhe. Sadly the Sat Nav struck again so the people in the hotel had to wait even longer for their food but eventually everyone arrived safely ready for a good night’s sleep.
Day 2:
Bright and early the next morning saw most of the group arrive at the Rathous for the day’s tour. This was down into the Black Forest to a famous lake called Mummelsee which is said to be haunted. Sadly the weather was against us and it rained constantly throughout the tour. Despite this, spirits remained high and after a brief stop at a reservoir, we all arrived for a bit of shopping and some lunch at the lake.
A few die-hard people took a walk round the lake which took about 20 minutes but despite the rain, was rather peaceful and relaxing. Most of the others quickly found the restaurant where they enjoyed some traditional German food including the excellent Schwartzwalder Kirschtorte or Black Forest Gateaux to you and me!
After lunch we travelled further into the Black Forest and through some very picturesque little towns before the bus dropped most people off at the bottom of a hill for a walk up to the mill where we would spend the evening. The rain had eased a lot and by the time we reached our destination, had stopped fully; not that we minded as there had been time to enjoy some naturally chilled schnapps on the way!
On arrival at the mill, we were all crammed into a rather tight space but had plenty of apple wine to enjoy whilst talking amongst ourselves. The next thing we knew, a lady in traditional dress brought out a butter press which involved some of the party beating a large stick up and down in order to make butter. After several people had given it a try including our Chairman John [pictured], it was declared ready and we were served the butter as part of our meal. Then came baskets of bread, trays of delicious meats and cheeses which we enjoyed enormously, especially as it was all washed down with yet more apple wine.
The rest of the evening included people spinning wool and shaving wood into makeshift candles accompanied by some traditional accordion music. And we were treated to some more schnapps which perhaps explains why we were quite willing to sing a number of local songs in the native language. It may have been badly pronounced but it was fun nonetheless.
For the people staying in the hotel, they had the run of the great city of Karlsruhe and many decided to explore the shopping areas of the town. The picturesque castle was also an attraction as the city is literally built round it. Some of the others also visited the acclaimed Karlsruhe Zoo but all met up in the evening for a meal and plenty of excellent German red wine.
Day 3:
The following morning saw the band meet for its rehearsal in the Chennevieres Platz named after the French town that both Durmersheim and Littlehampton are also twinned with. There were a few blood-shot eyes and sore heads to start with but everyone muddled through and the rehearsal went well.
By lunch time, everyone was free to recover and most people went off with their host families for a bite to eat. After lunch, some looked round the shops whilst others went to the Rhein to walk along the riverbank. However, the pleasant weather was soon to turn as storm clouds rolled in during the afternoon causing a few showers.
The showers were really heavy but luckily, the rain abated in time for the evening’s entertainment which was at the Wurmersheim Schule (or school to us English folk). The night had a Caribbean theme and saw everyone dressed up in the most outlandish outfits you could imagine. (Typically the Littlehampton Concert Band were the most outlandish of the lot!)
To everyone's delight, there was a well-stocked bar and the barbequed food was delicious. Entertainment wise, the Wurmersheim band played some great music for an hour and a half followed by our own offering. We also had a few people from other local bands join us and there was a great spirit of camaraderie throughout the evening. Both bands also joined together to play the local march Hoch Badnerland which had the German contingent singing heartily; And, not to be outdone, the twinners from Littlehampton were in fine voice as they belted out Sussex by the Sea with gusto.
Following that was some light Caribbean style music in the background as we drank yet more German beer and chatted happily to both our English and German friends. By 1am, most people had finished but there were a few hard-core partygoers who stayed until 4am. Good for them!
Day 4:
Mind you, it was an early start for the trip home as the coach had to leave at 8am; but not before the traditional singing of Auld Lang Syne which saw everyone link hands and sing in the carpark. John Haselip had the clarinet out to lead the singing and the coach party were presented with boxes of locally grown strawberries as an extra gift on their journey home.
The flyers had a lie in and gathered a little later in Karlsruhe before quickly making their way to Strasbourg on the train. From here, the luggage was stored in lockers before the group went into the town to look around. The weather was now hot and sunny and after a look around an excellent art market, it was a popular choice to sit outside and enjoy a good French meal. (Washed down with plenty of red wine of course!) After lunch, we walked further into town and admired the great cathedral that stands in the centre of Strasbourg before heading back to the station.
The remainder of the journey went according to plan for the flyers and even the coach had some good fortune when the troublesome Sat-Nav stopped working and one of the party gave directions, shaving 3 hours off their outbound journey time. All the weary travellers met again in Littlehampton to collect their things then all went home for a good nights sleep.
Everyone had a thoroughly good time and we hope to be able to do the whole thing again soon.
