fiddle dee dee
I took a day off today.
From everything.
Left the housework-tra-la-la
Bugger the washing-fiddle-dee-dee
Picked up my camera, locked the house and went off to play tourist.
I went to Hahndorf. It's a smallish village situated both sides of the two lane Mt Barker road. This makes it hard to get good photos as the best place to take a shot of almost any building is the middle of the road, where there is a never-ending stream of cars going to and from. The footpaths are crowded with people getting in the way of anyone with a camera. I still managed to take a photo or two, or three....dozen. Well, okay, I took almost 200 and they're waiting for me to sort through and decide which ones to post.
Although I've been through Hahndorf several times in buses and cars, I haven't actually stopped there since the time I had lunch there when I was 17.
It's so very different now, to what it was then.
Hahndorf is described as an Historic German Village, and I suppose it is, but what used to be a village of cute, very German, shops, cafes, bakeries and businesses, is now a street crammed full of German "style"cafes and businesses that wouldn't look out of place almost anywhere else. The whole place has been dolled up in order to attract tourists; fair enough, but I can't help thinking they've gone a little too far.
I saw at least three lolly and ice-cream shops, numerous gift/souvenir shops, lots of other businesses that I can easily find here in Adelaide. Still, there are a lot of places worth stopping for, the old stone buildings are worth more than a passing glance, the very pretty parks are set away a bit from the shops and although the road was very busy, it isn't the freeway, so there are no huge semi-trailers rumbling through. And there are the hotels with very German items on the menus.
I found two bakeries, (cafe/restaurant), one at each end of town. The first I stopped in at was so crowded, (people standing 5-6 deep), I couldn't see the counter, much less their "best in town" vanilla slices. So I left and went in search of the other one, which I'd remembered passing much earlier in the day. (I spent about 5 hours in Hahndorf)
The second bakery/cafe/restaurant establishment was an absolute delight. Set just off the main road, it was much less crowded. Practically empty. It was here I chose to eat lunch. A quick look inside my purse and I decided lunch would be a bowl of chips with sauce.
The sauce came in one of those little squirt packages that you squeeze together and the sauce squirts out through a gap that opens in the lid. I'm unfamiliar with using one of these and wasn't quite sure which way to squeeze it. I found out fast when it suddenly squirted sauce all over my jacket, with a little bit spattering on my face and glasses.....luckily there were plenty of paper napkins available for clean up, and the chips were yummy enough so they didn't really need sauce.
The interior of the cafe section (restaurant section was still closed), was lined around the walls with about a dozen German style clocks, most with chimes and a couple with cuckoos. These were set to go off at intervals, clearly to entertain the customers, as some chimed twice, some 4 and 8 times, one chimed 12. One after the other, all fairly softly so as not to interrupt conversation.
If/when I go back to Hahndorf, this will be where I choose to eat. Always.
An "official" history of Hahndorf tomorrow, with a few photos.
Just a few, I promise.
Not the whole 200.
From everything.
Left the housework-tra-la-la
Bugger the washing-fiddle-dee-dee
Picked up my camera, locked the house and went off to play tourist.
I went to Hahndorf. It's a smallish village situated both sides of the two lane Mt Barker road. This makes it hard to get good photos as the best place to take a shot of almost any building is the middle of the road, where there is a never-ending stream of cars going to and from. The footpaths are crowded with people getting in the way of anyone with a camera. I still managed to take a photo or two, or three....dozen. Well, okay, I took almost 200 and they're waiting for me to sort through and decide which ones to post.
Although I've been through Hahndorf several times in buses and cars, I haven't actually stopped there since the time I had lunch there when I was 17.
It's so very different now, to what it was then.
Hahndorf is described as an Historic German Village, and I suppose it is, but what used to be a village of cute, very German, shops, cafes, bakeries and businesses, is now a street crammed full of German "style"cafes and businesses that wouldn't look out of place almost anywhere else. The whole place has been dolled up in order to attract tourists; fair enough, but I can't help thinking they've gone a little too far.
I saw at least three lolly and ice-cream shops, numerous gift/souvenir shops, lots of other businesses that I can easily find here in Adelaide. Still, there are a lot of places worth stopping for, the old stone buildings are worth more than a passing glance, the very pretty parks are set away a bit from the shops and although the road was very busy, it isn't the freeway, so there are no huge semi-trailers rumbling through. And there are the hotels with very German items on the menus.
I found two bakeries, (cafe/restaurant), one at each end of town. The first I stopped in at was so crowded, (people standing 5-6 deep), I couldn't see the counter, much less their "best in town" vanilla slices. So I left and went in search of the other one, which I'd remembered passing much earlier in the day. (I spent about 5 hours in Hahndorf)
The second bakery/cafe/restaurant establishment was an absolute delight. Set just off the main road, it was much less crowded. Practically empty. It was here I chose to eat lunch. A quick look inside my purse and I decided lunch would be a bowl of chips with sauce.
The sauce came in one of those little squirt packages that you squeeze together and the sauce squirts out through a gap that opens in the lid. I'm unfamiliar with using one of these and wasn't quite sure which way to squeeze it. I found out fast when it suddenly squirted sauce all over my jacket, with a little bit spattering on my face and glasses.....luckily there were plenty of paper napkins available for clean up, and the chips were yummy enough so they didn't really need sauce.
The interior of the cafe section (restaurant section was still closed), was lined around the walls with about a dozen German style clocks, most with chimes and a couple with cuckoos. These were set to go off at intervals, clearly to entertain the customers, as some chimed twice, some 4 and 8 times, one chimed 12. One after the other, all fairly softly so as not to interrupt conversation.
If/when I go back to Hahndorf, this will be where I choose to eat. Always.
An "official" history of Hahndorf tomorrow, with a few photos.
Just a few, I promise.
Not the whole 200.
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Hubby and I visited Hahndorf nearly 10 years ago and just loved it. It wasn't too touristy then - still very German in feel. I'm sorry it's changed. Sigh. That always happens, doesn't it?
ReplyDeletelife in a pink fibro; sadly, it's all about the money. And judging by the number of people there yesterday, I'd say they're making enough to keep going for quite some time.
ReplyDelete