Holiday pics: Itinerant Germans, the museum, and a cat

[vilakins]

Here's the next lot. Only a three more small posts to go now. :-P


Amish drinking cappuccinos? No--they're itinerant German carpenters in traditional costume, out here for experience and a working holiday.
[Edit] They're journeymen! Thanks to daiseechain for the term I was groping for.


Museum garden


Elisa Emma King's Botanical Display - done for the Crystal Palace in 1851, this is an exquisite collection of skeleton leaves, fruits, and flowers which took her from March 1850 to January 1851, in her late 20s, to create.


It was a time-consuming task and it is probably that the plants were soaked in rain water for up to two months before the painstaking job of removing any remaining plant membrane began.


The cat came back! The gorgeous Birman who visited us last year sauntered up to our door and was invited in.


And she made herself at home for a few hours.


I was sorry to put her out when we went out later. She watched as we left; awww.

I have two more pictures of her from last year's holiday here.

Comments

[ultrapsychobrat.livejournal.com]

Oh, I want that cat! She is gorgeous! Does she belong to the owners of the place you stayed?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I meant to ask and didn't get round to it. Both times she just turned up, stayed a while, and wasn't seen again. Maybe she makes a round of all the apartments.

I have pictures of her from the last holiday here (http://pics.livejournal.com/vilakins/gallery/0001kez2).

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

LOL a time share cat! Every holiday villa should have one.

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

Awww, beautiful cat!

And wow, that skeletal plan arrangement is both beautiful and strangely chilling.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Just what I thought!

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, the cat! The pics are nice, really, but s soon as I saw those blue eyes, I forgot them.Mňau, such a beautiful thing!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I have two more pictures of her from last year's holiday here (http://pics.livejournal.com/vilakins/gallery/0001kez2). :-)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

The cat is very beautiful, and I'm in stitches about the traditional carpenter custom (imagining some carpenters of my acquaintence in it)...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They told us that it's an ancient custom that when they've finished their training, they go on a three-year foreign work experience, and wear this outfit. Part of the apprenticeship rules perhaps? Greg knew who they were because he'd seen some others on TV.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

The correct term in English is 'journeyman' - Wandergeselle oder Mauergeselle?

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

adorable cat!

Those plant arrangements are very intricate

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It took her almost a year! I should add that to the caption.

[the-summoning-d.livejournal.com]

The museum gardens are beautiful. And the skeletal flowers - hauntingly so.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They are, like the frozen ghosts of plants!

[jacteest.livejournal.com]

Love the ones of the skeleton leaves collection. Mind if I snatch them? Maybe I'll use them in a manip.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Go ahead! I found them absolutely fascinating.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Oooh, skeleton leaves... now that's intriguing.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Aren't they! I went to the museum just to see them. :-)

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

Ooo, those skeleton leaves and stuff are beautiful.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Greg's sister told me about them. To me they, and the lovingly created 50s family caravan, were the best things there.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

You had a good holiday! Men in costumes, fuzzy cats and a cool museum!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

There are still some pics to come! :-)

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Those eyes! Wow! They are really blue. She is amazingly beautiful - and obviously knows a cat lover when she meets one.

Did the itinerant Germans carry carved walking sticks? If so, they were journeymen. Quite a way for them to travel though. I've usually only heard of them roving round Europe.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

She is very beautiful! She got a bit bitey with excitement once she got to know me. Claudia does that too out of affection.

I didn't notice any sticks, but yes, that's the term I was groping for! They're meant to walk between jobs or use 'traditional transport' but I assume they didn't here: the distances are too great. Perhaps people gave them lifts.

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

The journeymen we met at autobahn service stations weren't shy about asking for lifts. I think they make allowances these days for the scope for much greater journeys, even around Europe.

A pity they didn't have the walking sticks. They're usually amazingly carved.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They may have had them. [goes to look at a photo of one of them standing by himself] Nope. It seems not.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Lots of lovely pictures. You did have a good holiday.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I did! And there are still some pics to come. :-)

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

These are all spectacular! I especially love the big smiles on the friendly-looking Germans, that lovely cat, and those fascinating floral skeletons.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

The Germans were lovely; we chatted to them for a while. I hope they found some work in Taupo.

The cat was there last year too; I'd been hoping she'd come back, and there she was, walking purposefully towards our door. I think she tours all the apartments and spends a day in the ones she's welcomed at. She was rather attention-seeking. :-)

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

She clearly remembered you.
I didn't realise there were still journeymen left it's a tradition that has died out pretty much in England (at least as far as I know).

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I didn't know either, but Greg did. :-P