I heart Fasnet (part three) - Rosenmontag in Denzlingen

This year we decided to heed the advice of my students and check out the Rosenmontag parade in Denzlingen, as opposed to Freiburg.  It was worth it!  Still a decent-sized parade, but with groups I hadn't seen before (such as Mr. Scary Bo-jingles pictured below) and much better candy.  It was also less crowded.  Oh and did I mention the candy?  You know when you're a kid and go trick-or-treating... there's always that one house with the full-size bars of chocolate as opposed to the fun size.  That was Denzlingen.

Oh, and it snowed some more!

I heart Fasnet (part two) - Fackelumzug

Ah yes, the famous Fackelumzug ("torch parade") of Elzach.  This year marked my 3rd trip to see this traditional event.  And it was the best yet!  We had a great spot on the parade route (I'm guessing it wasn't as crowded this time around since they also had a night parade for their Narrentreff {see previous post}).  Since we had such a great spot, this allowed for me to get hugs and kisses (and sometimes hit with pig bladders) from the Narren, which really made me feel, well, local.

We stayed through to the very end, when they all tossed their torches into a large bonfire pit.  One person caught his 3-cornered hat on fire, but other than that the night was nothing but fun and smooth sailing.

Snow!

Hello winter, it's about time.

Snow-covered evergreens.

Snowy Fasnet.

Freiburg Alte Friedhof

I enjoy a walk through a cemetery (in the daylight).  I find them to be very peaceful and typically very beautiful.  Stone, marble, moss, and flowers; all things living, dying, alive, and dead, both physically and in thought.  Just serene.

Today we went to the oldest cemetery in Freiburg.  It was a somewhat overcast day, and it had been raining earlier.  That combined with the unseasonably warm day and black birds scattered about, both silent and cawing, gave the Alte Friedhof a distinct eeriness.