But no afterthought, it’s a recording studio/barn. Okay, it was a barn. A small barn, fit for a donkey or two. In the front room are the mixers, a PC and a foosball table. Through a door, which is actually a heavy curtain, we arrive into the recording room. Complete with a trough built into the heavy brick wall on one side, and a free-standing wood stove on the other, to call the studio intimate would be a cliché.
A lone microphone takes centre stage on the carpeted floor. A row of four vintage movie theatre seats takes its place along the back wall. Heavy spotlights beam down on us from above. The space has a romantic, ticket-for-two feeling.
Our mission was to lay down 33 conversations in English,
which will later correspond to the word-for-word written translations in
German. This old method is a proven effective technique for learning and
keeping a language in one’s porous brain.
This Friday experience was filled with many ‘do-overs’,
lots of coffee, and many questions (on my part) about the history of this property.
Herr Schütz, obviously a fan of his home, gave us a tour, including his chock-a-block
filled garage. Framed photographs lined the walls, garden furniture and other
normal paraphernalia jammed every surface. And nestled in the middle, like a
grinning Cheshire cat was just enough space for Herr Schütz’s first car, a cheery-red
’64 Opel Rekord. The crowning glory teetering above his prized possession was a wrought
iron candelabrum; adding a bit of chic to his shabby.
According to the town’s website, its lifeblood is horses,
wine and rock. Personally, I think those sound like perfectly acceptable
ingredients for a home-sweet-home. I once lived in small town Saskatchewan
whose lifeblood was more like, cows, tomatoes and cows. Also nice. But, here in
Neu Bamberg, vineyards surround stud farms, and the stone ruins still stand
from the 1253 built Neuer Bamburg, seat of one of Germany’s noble families, the
Raugraves.
The Schütz house was once part of the gatehouse of one
of the city fortress’s three gates. Standing next to the town’s impressive clock
tower, the house is easy to find. The family bought the house in 1996, knowing
it was a significant piece of the town’s history and already a protected
landmark. Over the years, they came to realize that many of the town’s families
had personal stories who also called the house their home. Originally, four
families lived on the property at a time, in very close quarters.
So, acting in concert with the town’s restaurants,
mills, farmhouses and five wineries, the family felt strongly that their
property should be open to the town. The owner wrote to me saying, “For too
long the courtyards, farmyards and gardens, with their high stone walls, were
closed off. Though the walls were once necessary, protecting residents from the
various troops coming through, as in the thirty-year war;” they separated the
townsfolk from each other and from visitors.
Neu Bamberg is a short 85 kilometres south-west of
Frankfurt, nestled in rolling hills between the Rhine and Nahe rivers. With an
abundance of walking and bike paths, through forests and along lakes, this is a
casual adventurer’s dream. Called Germany’s Toscana or Rhine-Hessian
Switzerland, the region is just eager to burst its German borders and ‘be’ something
bigger.
As we departed, Herr Schütz invited us back next year
when his family will open a small café in the courtyard for the wanderers and
hikers who pass through. We said we might just do that. It was enjoyable meeting
a kindred spirit; the only downside of the day was constantly hearing our own
voices during the playbacks.
Spending time and trading laughter (the tears only
coming when ms. potter gets the bill from this adventure) with my dear
colleagues, blondie and lizzy was also a treat from the everyday.
The only thing missing was the donkey.
(er war am schaffe)
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