Hessenpark Open-Air Museum in Neu-Anspach, Hesse, Part 2

Our tour of Hessenpark continues–

I try to imagine the people who lived in these places.  The mothers and fathers, the children, the grandmas.  You can almost feel their spirits here, watching over and remembering their time on earth.

I wonder if they felt comfortable and happy here.  I like to believe they did.

Here is a blacksmith’s shop:

This is a wheel-maker and carpenter’s shop:

When I last visited my Grandpa Rudolf’s home Bauernhof, there were small farm wagon like this up in the hayloft.  I brought one of the extra wheels found there home with me.

This is a quince tree, full of fruit.  Grandma Elsa had a quince tree north of the farm house.  In the fall, she’d pick the bumpy golden fruit, peel and cut it, and cook it on the woodstove in her kitchen.  She added cinnamon and sugar and made quince sauce and jam.   Cooked quince is delicious, delicate, fragrant and sweet.  You can’t eat quince raw.  It’s pithy and tart and the skin is tough, but cooked and sweetened it, it’s wonderful.

Here is another family home:

I love the care they took to beautifully detail their homes.

Here’s another workshop:

Here are a couple more family homes, my favorite places to see:

Here is a school house:

And here is a church:

Tour continued in the next blog post.