Mittelalterfest in Eggenburg

The Mittelalterfest in Eggenburg is getting bigger and bigger each year. It was our 2nd time we went there, and we absolutely loved it.

It is in the mild south of my beloved Waldviertel, before Horn you make a left and then drive another 10 minutes down to Eggenburg. If you ask me: The real Waldviertel (the North where I come from) starts in Horn which is about 10 minutes North from Eggenburg.

In pretty Eggenburg the first thing you need to do is get rid of your car. There are a few parking areas, but the signs showing you there are not too good. So you just need to follow your feeling and your luck, and after you found a parking space you will realize that on your way to the castle there are lots of mideval campsites everywhere.

Then we walked up to the main site. It is the main square of Eggenburg where they have a marketing area and an area where they do show and dance.

 

I especially loved the guy with the falcon. He is a falconer in real life and obviously always ready to go to Eggenburg to the Mittelalterfest.

And of course there are many dancing choruses performing medival dances. I especially enjoyed the music.

At the main square there are performances all the time and it is packed with people. I got acquainted with a lovely aged couple who gave me one of their paper schedules which helped me a lot later.

One of the performances we caught was the Witch Dance - I really did not get it at all, but it was amusing. In mideval times if one had said "Hey, I am a witch and I am dancing" the life span of the witch would have been really really short...

 

One of the best performances were the DRAGONS. They came with a lot of noise and they were hillarious! We have a video showing why they were so great but I dont really know how to put it on display. Anyway: They were so cool!

 

Of course there were mideval dogs as well, and they had their own mideval tents. I was so happy I had left my kiddos at home - less stress for me, and less stress for them - but it did not keep me from admiring other kiddos.

There are many lectures in the townhall - here we have a lecturer in Florentine style telling us about Dante´s "Göttliche Komödie". Many professors from my university are here as well, giving speaches like "Was Sie immer über Runen wissen wollten" and "Hey, hey Wikie". Problem: I have done the semester classes, so the 1 hour speach would not have been very satisfying. But still it is fun!



There are so many things to see and do, in fact the whole town of Eggenburg is full of points of interest where you can see lots of things of mideval life.

When we went back to the car we thought that it had been a brilliant day. And who knows, maybe next time we come back with mideval clothes doing mideval things as well? I sure loved the dresses. And everything else...

Cheese fondue in Gruyeres

Gruyeres - or Greyerz - is a little town in the Swiss canton of Fribourg. The famous Gruyeres cheese - or Greyerzer - with its special flavour is right from there. From Spiez it is a little bit more than an hour ride.

As usually we doubted the GPS when it took us there, the trick is to pass the proper exit on the motorway and then go back on the country road, because otherwise you don´t have a chance to take a photo from the small town as a whole.

The parking area is down the hill, because Gruyeres is kept in medieval style and no cars are allowed up there, which is a blessing actually. After you have done your walking up one of the two roads that lead up to the town center you have a lovely view around. 

This is the main road of Gruyeres and basically it is all there is. You find little souvenir shops and restaurants there and it leads up to the castle (where we have never been inside because dogs are not allowed. Okay, so sod it. Who does not like my dogs does not get me neither.)

One of the most prominent places for eating Cheese fondue is the "Le Chalet". If you are non-suisse like moi you might be surprised to learn that Cheese fondue in Switzerland is THE classical fondue - whilst "my" classical fondue, fondue with meat, here is called Fondue Chinoise. To get around in Switzerland this is one of the basic things to know otherwise it will be an endless reason for confusion when you go and eat out (which - I am certain - you will not do very often because everything is bloody expensive here except if you are Swiss, Saudi or Japanese) or lunch with a friend or invite people over for dinner.

Anyway, Cheese Fondue made from  Greyerzer is the top speciality here in Gruyeres, so if you got a chance stop at the Le Chalet and go for one. Surprisingly so the prices are quite reasonable and the size of your meal will be decent (which unfortunately this is something you do not get everywhere in Switzerland). And the Le Chalet is dog-friendly! Another big plus from my side.

We had booked a table in advance, at lunch time the place is packed. We got a nice table at the 1st floor at the window with enough room for the kiddos to relax, and we had a good glimpse of the place itself. It is decorated in Swiss style and we heard many people go "aaaaah" when they came in for the first time.

The fondue comes in a bowl (the caquelon it is called I think) and with potatoes, bread and pickles on the side. The smell is wonderful, so if you like cheese you should definately give it a try. I am not so fond of cheese fondue actually, I had tried ready-made ones before because in Switzerland there simply is no way around and I never really liked it. But this one was absolutely great!

After lunch we continued uphill a bit more and passed the Giger-Museum, which is the only one in the world (I wonder why). Maybe it is something you want to uncheck when you are in the area, nothing for me though. I like "Alien" the movie and of course the strange creature that frightens the heck out of Ripley, but honestly: Gigers other creations are simply too... hmmm..... lets say overwhelming for me.

One last Family photo taken by a Frenchman who had waited patiently until I had asked him en Francais to take a photo from us (you think that saying "Please", making clicking noises with your tongue and shoving a camera right into a person´s face should be enough, but no), then we went home to Spiez again. It was a perfect little run.