Dear friends of good wine,
There is a cruel custom in northern Germany called Easter fires. At temperatures just above zero, you are roasted from the front and frozen from the back while you desperately nibble on a bland piece of dough with a black crust that is glorified as stick bread.
Well, we in Weyher also have a cruel custom, but it's more fun: The Fermenters . Never heard of it?
It is a Palatinate tradition that is hundreds of years old: From Maundy Thursday until early Easter morning (when, as we know, Jesus was resurrected), all church bells are turned off. However, it is well known that the bell (apart from the sun) was the only way people could tell time back then. To ensure that the people of the Palatinate didn't run around completely out of their minds and timeless over the Easter holidays, the Gärrer came as a kind of bell replacement! They made noises with a wooden ratchet and called out the time loudly. They also announced when it was time to go to church and when people should go to pray.
Times have changed. Digital alarm clocks, iPhones, gold watches (from Switzerland or China) and many other timepieces have made church bells less important. But the fermentation remains and continues to be the privilege of the young people of the Palatinate, who enjoy "fermenting" the village out of bed at the crack of dawn over Easter with a hell of a racket.
For us counts, it is a great childhood memory. Imagine running around the village at four in the morning, making a lot of noise and waking people up with a deafening noise that echoes off the old walls - and all of this is completely legal! Wonderful! Only newcomers get the shock of their lives. The people of the Palatinate mutter grumpily and turn around again with a sigh.
But that is not the only Palatinate tradition that we hold on to with passion. The second is: get out into nature (well equipped with snacks to nibble on and a delicious Riesling spritzer, of course! Because for the Palatinate people there is nothing worse than thirst or homesickness...). Hiking is the Palatinate's passion, with one small peculiarity: for us the destination is not the journey, but the forest hut . At some point the rest of the world realized that these are unique and gave them the well-deserved title of "UNESCO World Heritage Site" (more on that here ). Not that that surprised anyone in the Palatinate. The view over the Palatinate Rhine plain, the squirrels, the wild boars... All wonderful. OK, the thing with the wild boars is another matter.
We once had a trainee who worked in the vineyard very early in the morning so that he could have the afternoon off. He was wearing headphones and happily doing his leaf work. Suddenly he felt something behind him. He turned around and found himself face to face with a fully grown wild boar that weighed at least 200 kg. Full of panic, the trainee jumped onto the hood of the tractor. From this safe position, he called the senior boss and asked what he could do. It was 5:30 a.m. Otmar recommended, with true Palatinate calm, to wait until the pig had lost interest in him. :-)
So if you fancy an adventure in nature, you should take a walk to our forest huts at Easter . Both the Swiss House and the Amicitia are open. On Good Friday there is fish (another tradition!). Classic herring salad or fish lasagne with a twist are on the menu, as are vegetarian spinach dumplings. Combined with Riesling, of course, how could it be otherwise!
And if it gets cold: our wood stoves make the cabins cozy and snug whatever the weather . And light drizzle doesn't even get through the trees!
Two more tips: If you want to experience wild boars up close (but safely), you should head to the Silz Wildlife Park . It is only half an hour from Weyher. And if you want to get really high, you can rent a paraglider and glide elegantly over the Swiss House. We'll wave from below, we promise.
With that in mind: Happy Easter!
Many greetings from the Palatinate
Your Waldburschen & Grafen
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