Tag: Germany

I dare you to cross that bridge

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This is the entrance to Burg Wildenstein (a fortified spur castle, around 800 years old, in the south of Germany, the south of the Black Forest, used as a youth hostel today). It’s the only access, more or less even ground with the parking. Innocuous, you might think.

Still fairly harmless from this view. A bridge. The castle is situated on the edge of a steep hillside. So this is really the only access.

This is what it looks from below. And directly below.

It was a unassailable obstacle. The castle walls were never breached.

Except by fair maidens carrying beer.

The Cosmic Photo Challenge: Over the bridge

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The winged helmet

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The helmet gives it away, this here is either Hermes or Mercurius, the Greek or Roman god of merchants and thieves who was often employed by the other gods as messenger because of his speed as symbolized by the wings. He stands high up on the walls of Castle Biebrich in Wiesbaden and I wonder why they chose to depict him so … mature rather than the young spritely god.

More the merchant, possibly the thief, but not the fast messenger after whom the fastest of all planets and thus quicksilver was named.

FOWC with Fandango: Helmet

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Migration

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Political correctness has a negative connotation but in many cases I wholeheartedly agree with being more careful about the words we use. Particularly words we use to label people. In Germany we always had many people with non-Germanic ancestory – being in the middle of Europe that comes with the territory (sic!). Nowadays many of these people are often visibly non-Germanic (which can be half-jokingly referred to as bio-Germans). But many of them are second or third generation immigrants. How do you call them without being offensive. They are to all intents and purposes German so “foreigner” (as they used to be called) is wrong, open references to their looks are complete no-goes. Often it is not necessary to call them anything at all. But occasionally when talking about schooling, about job opportunities,about living areasm etc. a label seems necessary.

Disclaimer: This sculpture probably depicts an ordinary medieval woman, some saint, or an allegory. From a time when a headscarf didn’t say anything about your ethnicity.

In Germany, we now describe these people with the unwieldy but accurate “people with migrational background” (Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund).

Ragtag Daily Promp: Migration