British Day 2009, or How I met Paddington Bear
Hi there,
I finally got Girl to help me tell you some of my adventures last year. Took her long enough!
Did you know, that Hamburg is not-so-secretely British? I didn't, but they celebrate it every year with a very special holiday at the Hamburger Polo Club, where you can learn about all the very British things to be found in and around Hamburg. The British Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg organizes this thing every late Summer for a weekend, to give vendors and organizations the opportunity to present themselves and puts together a showprogramme. They even copy something called The Proms, but I didn't quite understand what that was, because we had to leave before it started. The money they make goes then to charity. Look here for more information on that and on when the next event will take place.
Anyway, my Big Ones had been wanting to go to this event for the last couple of years, but every time something else came up. Then we learned, that the Paddington Bear would be there, reading stories to children and walking around to greet them. Of course Miss Paddington and I had to come along after hearing that!
On the day we even had appropriately British weather with rain and sunshine all mixed together. I always thought, that was typical Northern German weather, but what does this little bear know anyway? Hey, at least I can spot a Finnish raincoat when I see it!
View over the Polo Club grounds just past the entrance. The tents had all kinds of nice things, like rose scented soaps, pretty plates, doggy stuff and weather appropriate coats. There were travel agents and language schools, a club for sidesaddle riding and a very loud man with lots of touristy stuff. We later bought a Union flag from him, so that I can blend in with the locals if I ever travel to England, and some yummy lemoncurd and meringue thing. xspitefulangelx, do you have an idea what that might have been? We kinda forgot the name, but it had a piecrust underneath.
As you can see, people brought their British dogs and also their British cars.
I wanted to take a closer look, but Girl and Grey Fur walked on, past some other tents with hats and Indian food and information about cruiselines around Britain and Scandinavia and I was almost ready to pout, when we saw Him. Paddington Bear. Larger that life and walking past just a few metres from us.
The guy in the funny hat was his minder, helping him spot the little ones in the crowd. We would have asked for a photo with Paddington, but it had just started drizzeling again and Miss P and I didn't want to intrude on his moment with the children.
And then Paddington tried to trade a little ones snack for the dry old sandwich he kept in his coatpocket, but she didn't want to. Smart kid, who knows how old that thing was and it had bitemarks!
I'd rather have tried this:
I didn't know they made so many different flavours of fudge. There were also booths with Walkers cookies, Lays crisps and Bassett liquorice as well as more substantial food like scones or fish and chips. Which is what we chose, later. But first we walked past the little croquet field thingy, the whiskey taste testing and some vendors with classy furniture, tailored suits (and kilts) and yet more fancy hats to the falconry.
They had mostly vultures, which are pretty fascinating, as we learned during the bird show they put on. Great eyesight, cleverly designed beak to pick the tiniest bits of meat from bones and they can even regurgitate their last meal at will to escape a predator.
There was also a bald eagle, that some brave woman took onto her arm. I kept my distance to all of them. Have you seen those beaks? This little bear would like to stay in one piece for lots more adventures, thank you very much. They even asked before the bird show to put all plushies away and all dogs on a leash, so the birds wouldn't mistake us for prey!
Right then it really started to rain and everyone seeked shelter under the tents. We lucked out with a vendor who had dried and candies fruit, where we could buy some ginger and try other stuff while waiting out the shower. There were also Scottish pipes and Irish folk coming from the CD shop in the next tent.
A game of cricket, which involves a lot more running than croquet and less hooks than crochet from what I can tell, but they are still confusingly similar in name. This was at the far end of the polo field where we had some fish and chips after looking at childrens books and outdoor accessories. Here you could also get information about the English Theatre in Hamburg or try your hand at darts.
Unfortunately us missed the side saddle demonstration while eating. Here's some pics from afar:
On the way back to the entrance we caught the last of some highland games competiotion where a guy threw a weight backwards over a rope, walked past someone in oldfashioned garb near the whiskey booth and had to make room for a pipe band, but each time Girl wasn't fast enough to grab the camera.
Oh, well. At least the boots for wellie throwing stood still long enough.
I hear, that's a very serious sport in Britain, Finnland and Northern Germany. You big ones really get the strangest ideas. *shakes head*
A last look at the tent with all the touristy souvenirs and off we went.
I had lots of fun and am making teddyeyes at Girl to take me back this year. Maybe we'll see you there!
Hugs from
Buerzi
I finally got Girl to help me tell you some of my adventures last year. Took her long enough!
Did you know, that Hamburg is not-so-secretely British? I didn't, but they celebrate it every year with a very special holiday at the Hamburger Polo Club, where you can learn about all the very British things to be found in and around Hamburg. The British Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg organizes this thing every late Summer for a weekend, to give vendors and organizations the opportunity to present themselves and puts together a showprogramme. They even copy something called The Proms, but I didn't quite understand what that was, because we had to leave before it started. The money they make goes then to charity. Look here for more information on that and on when the next event will take place.
Anyway, my Big Ones had been wanting to go to this event for the last couple of years, but every time something else came up. Then we learned, that the Paddington Bear would be there, reading stories to children and walking around to greet them. Of course Miss Paddington and I had to come along after hearing that!
On the day we even had appropriately British weather with rain and sunshine all mixed together. I always thought, that was typical Northern German weather, but what does this little bear know anyway? Hey, at least I can spot a Finnish raincoat when I see it!
View over the Polo Club grounds just past the entrance. The tents had all kinds of nice things, like rose scented soaps, pretty plates, doggy stuff and weather appropriate coats. There were travel agents and language schools, a club for sidesaddle riding and a very loud man with lots of touristy stuff. We later bought a Union flag from him, so that I can blend in with the locals if I ever travel to England, and some yummy lemoncurd and meringue thing. xspitefulangelx, do you have an idea what that might have been? We kinda forgot the name, but it had a piecrust underneath.
As you can see, people brought their British dogs and also their British cars.
I wanted to take a closer look, but Girl and Grey Fur walked on, past some other tents with hats and Indian food and information about cruiselines around Britain and Scandinavia and I was almost ready to pout, when we saw Him. Paddington Bear. Larger that life and walking past just a few metres from us.
The guy in the funny hat was his minder, helping him spot the little ones in the crowd. We would have asked for a photo with Paddington, but it had just started drizzeling again and Miss P and I didn't want to intrude on his moment with the children.
And then Paddington tried to trade a little ones snack for the dry old sandwich he kept in his coatpocket, but she didn't want to. Smart kid, who knows how old that thing was and it had bitemarks!
I'd rather have tried this:
I didn't know they made so many different flavours of fudge. There were also booths with Walkers cookies, Lays crisps and Bassett liquorice as well as more substantial food like scones or fish and chips. Which is what we chose, later. But first we walked past the little croquet field thingy, the whiskey taste testing and some vendors with classy furniture, tailored suits (and kilts) and yet more fancy hats to the falconry.
They had mostly vultures, which are pretty fascinating, as we learned during the bird show they put on. Great eyesight, cleverly designed beak to pick the tiniest bits of meat from bones and they can even regurgitate their last meal at will to escape a predator.
There was also a bald eagle, that some brave woman took onto her arm. I kept my distance to all of them. Have you seen those beaks? This little bear would like to stay in one piece for lots more adventures, thank you very much. They even asked before the bird show to put all plushies away and all dogs on a leash, so the birds wouldn't mistake us for prey!
Right then it really started to rain and everyone seeked shelter under the tents. We lucked out with a vendor who had dried and candies fruit, where we could buy some ginger and try other stuff while waiting out the shower. There were also Scottish pipes and Irish folk coming from the CD shop in the next tent.
A game of cricket, which involves a lot more running than croquet and less hooks than crochet from what I can tell, but they are still confusingly similar in name. This was at the far end of the polo field where we had some fish and chips after looking at childrens books and outdoor accessories. Here you could also get information about the English Theatre in Hamburg or try your hand at darts.
Unfortunately us missed the side saddle demonstration while eating. Here's some pics from afar:
On the way back to the entrance we caught the last of some highland games competiotion where a guy threw a weight backwards over a rope, walked past someone in oldfashioned garb near the whiskey booth and had to make room for a pipe band, but each time Girl wasn't fast enough to grab the camera.
Oh, well. At least the boots for wellie throwing stood still long enough.
I hear, that's a very serious sport in Britain, Finnland and Northern Germany. You big ones really get the strangest ideas. *shakes head*
A last look at the tent with all the touristy souvenirs and off we went.
I had lots of fun and am making teddyeyes at Girl to take me back this year. Maybe we'll see you there!
Hugs from
Buerzi