There and Back Again!

Amberg European Beard & Moustache Championship 2006

by

Jonathan Halbert

 
Hearty greetings Handlebars!   Our small party of four which included myself, Rod Littlewood, Stella and Ted Sedman, arrived in Nurnberg, just before Mitternacht, where Albert Durer was born and died.   We collected our Meit Auto and set off in an easterly direction into the Bavarian Countryside to find our small Hotel Garni near Amberg.  As we hurtled along dark country lanes with no signposts to be seen anywhere, I could not helping thinking.. This must have been what it was like in England during World War II when all the signposts were taken down in order to confuse the Germans if they landed, and now, its pay back time!   However, on my return home I was reassured to discover that this is not an unusual occurrence for English Handlebars abroad, to get lost...
     
All warmest wishes and thanks must go to Dan of the SVENSKA MUSTASCHKLUBBEN who turned out of bed in the wee small hours of the morning, and came to find the lost sheep waiting at a Petrol Station, hoping it was the only one in die Umgebung!  Our friends from Sweden proved to be super troopers, on arrival at our Hotel we found Hans and Bo extending a warm welcome and guarding an excellent spread of cold food and beer!  What more could one want at 2am, I asked myself, as I thought of the mornings early start.
 
After snatching a few hours sleep, we were once again hurtling along narrow country lanes to-wards Amberg, on a beautiful Bavarian dew spangled morning amid a landscape of rolling farmland, following close on the heels of the intrepid Dan who once again knew the way.

We arrived early at the appointed rendezvous, and I watched with fascination at the growing number of people now before me renewing old acquaintances from previous Beard and Handlebar Club Events.  Many of whom sported huge beards down to their waists, and moustaches straight out of my childhood memories of Arthur Rackham's Illustrated books.

Our hosts  the OSTEBAYERCHER BART und SCHNAUZER CLUB 1996. e.v. courtesy of their President Willi Preuss, organised an outstanding weekend. beginning with a visit to the FALKENHOF SCHLOSS ROSENBURG.  A magnificent Castle high up in the Bavarian Alps, which has the most splendid Natural History Museum of Falconry that is second to none.

We arrived within minutes to spare for the first twice daily demonstration. The birds were finely arrayed on the their blocks around an arena of simple wooden seating from where we watched.  First up was the European Eagle Owl, which gave a  display of how Birds of Prey are trained to the Lure.  The Lure, is food for the bird and is swung around the head of the handler on a rope which he slowly extends as the bird circles overhead, after a short period it is dropped to the ground and the bird swoops at the most astonishing speeds, in the case of the Peregrine Falcon up to 100 mph!  This was a common method of hunting recorded as early as the 15th Century, in a most splendid Illuminated Manuscript from Les Tres Riches Heure du Duc de Berrry. 
 
During our visit we were treated to displays from, Peregrine, Lanar Falcon, Bustard, and Bald Eagle, but never in my experience of the study of these birds, have I seen such an impressive display of discipline, from, the Egyptian Vulture and the Griffon Vulture.  The birds were trained to fly from rooftop to adjacent rooftop where an experienced handler waited with an award of food.  They swooped high and low above the spectators heads in obvious delight to all concerned.  During this time, the indigenous Black Kite, was much in evidence, swooping and diving between all of the others, making a magnificent contribution to an unforgettable display, that will live in our memories for many years to come.

We re-assembled on our coach for an afternoon visit to the BENEDIKTINERABTEI  ARZBERG BERGSPORN. (BENEDICTINE MONASTERY WELTENBURG ARZBERG HILL), this entailed a wonderful boat trip on der Schonste Bluen Donau.  On our arrival at the Monastery we discovered that we had to rub shoulders with great hordes of people.  Pssst! Tourists.  However we soon discovered that tables in the shade had been reserved in the Monasterys magnificent Courtyard, for our much stared at group of people.  Amid this seething mass we had a delightful traditional German lunch with all food locally sourced, including a free pint of a wonderful dark beer from the oldest Brewery in the world, WELTENBURGER KLOSTER, SEIT ANNO 1050.
 
As a Church Warden and Art Historian, a visit to the Baroque Monastery Church was a must do.   I was not disappointed.  The Church is rather small but artistically valuable, the interior is divided into three rooms with a superb ceiling painting by Franz Asam, there is no doubt that the Asam brothers left their significant mark here. The altar had an amazing life size statue of St George and the Dragon.  The Church was very crowded and my visit there was brief, and I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but from where I viewed this magnificent statue of St George, it looked as though the Dragon was Chinese?
 
A pleasant stroll along the banks of the beautiful blue Danube found us once again on the ferry and swiftly heading  downstream to our waiting coach.  Time was always our enemy, we arrived back at our splendid Hotel Garni Kleindienst, only to do a swift clean and brush up in time for our next event, dinner in an Amberg Restaurant.  Home late, up early next morning for the big event....   The Amberg Championships.  At this point I was beginning to realise why my friends and contemporaries who live in the City age prematurely.
 
We were once again amongst the first to arrive at the venue.  Pre- registration was an embarrassing time for a new boy like myself because I knew I did not fit into any of the categories!  For the benefit of our many internet friends they are, MOUSTACHE; Natural, Imperial, Dali, English, Wild West, and Freestyle.  CHIN-CHEEK BEARD; Natural, Imperial, Chinese, Musketeer, and Freestyle.  FULL BEARD;  Verdi, Garibaldi,(there was one wearing a kilt?) Natural, and of course the Free Style, a great show stopper. I do hope you have fun sorting out these categories in the accompaning photographs. 
 
There was a period of waiting before the panel of six judges, who all looked very young got under way.  It was a very long hard day of Judging for them, and I was constantly surprised at their knowledge and accuracy.  As the various categories were paraded before them, their points were constantly read out to us, the words ''Neun komma Funf'', will ring in my ears for ever and a day. In the English Category our very own Steve Parsons, of the HANDLEBAR CLUB, London, UK, the World, Established 1947, knocked the Berlin Club Champion into second place by half a point, und Der Konig lebt wieder! (the king lives again)
 
I was also placed in the English category, and was delighted at my performance of 5th place!   Considering my moustache was restyled only ten minutes before the judging began.  One of the  Judges actually gave me NINE POINTS!  I do think this may be because I blew her a kiss.  As a Show Pony and former Concours D'Elegance Judge, I cannot believe I did that!  This may account for the Judge sitting next to her, giving me Four Points.  I wonder who he was?  
 
Germany dominated most of the Competition, Ted Sedman of the German Belle Moustache Club, was a trophy winner in the Chinese category, however there was also a good win for Gunter Rosin of the Bavarian club, all of whom are making plans to visit our, WBMC,BRIGHTON,SEPTEMBER 2007.  Also planning to be with us, is the Berlin Club who carried the Dali Trophy home in great style.  Competition was fierce in every category, all striving for perfection in their presentation, and doing so with an elegance and dignity second to none.  The  friendly ambience of those who attended made this for me a wonderful event.     
 
The finale of our visit to Amberg started with Sunday morning worship in the Great Gothic Parish Church of St Martin which we sadly missed!   Anyhow, we were in time to take part in the Great Butchers Parade at 9am through the Town to a typical Bavarian Beer Tent where some people drank beer from huge 1lre flagons and swung them in tradional, Eins, Zwei, Drei, style at around 9.30am, I had a Shorle or two.   English readers, you don't want to know what that is.
 
After lunch in the magnificent Beer Tent we were at last treated to a guided walking tour of Amberg, courtesy of Joseph, a member of the host Club.  Most of Joseph's information was translated into English by Jorg Diamantopoulos, " Pavarotti to us" and very old friend of the Handlebar Club.  Amberg was once a rival Town to nearby Regesburg as the capital of the Oberpfalze region.  Only a handful of the towers now remain, we passed over the most important, (Stadtbrille), known as the City of Spectacles, where the two arches make perfect circles when reflected in the water.
 
The highlight of the Amberg tour for me, was a brief visit to the Schulkirche, a most splendid example of a Roccoco Church, built by Wolfgang Dientzenhofer in 1697.  It is one of the most delightful Churches of this period I have ever seen.  We proceeded from there to the Rathaus.   It had a wonderful renaissance arcade beneath a steep Gothic Gable.  You will also find the smallest Hotel in the World in Amberg, although I am not sure that Hotel is the 'beste' description for this Building.  The Brass Panelled door gives a very iconic description of quaint Mediaeval German customs.
 
We bid our farewells to our Swedish, German, Dutch,and American friends, over Coffee and Italian ice cream, in a very famous Amberg Trattoria, beneath the beautiful clear blue skies that were omnipresent during the whole of our visit.  A huge thank you to every one who worked so hard to make this the Great Event that it was. Bis Bald.
                         
                       

All Best Whiskers, Bart Wichs!

Jonathan Halbert.
 
 
Acknowledgments: My grateful thanks to Rod Littlewood, Steve Parsons, and the General, who supplied all the accompanying photographs, moi meme stupidly left his tiny, can do everything camera behind...