Summer Dreams in Backnang
Life has quieted down considerably in Backnang over
the last few weeks. After all the hubbub surrounding the Swabian Street
Festival in June and the predictably frantic end of school year in mid-July,
August visitors to the down town district will find sleepy streets which give
away few secrets about the thousands of pairs of dancing feet they hosted just
a few short weeks ago. Indeed, one of the more striking things about the way
Germans do celebrations is how quickly all traces are washed away, as if the
colossal party were nothing more than a collective dream.
For the careful observer,
however, a few hints linger, and, serendipitously, these markers remind us of
our lasting ties with Chelmsford. During
their stay here, artists Jennifer Flint of Original Creative Work and Tamara
Eden were invited to paint windows in a newly opened tea shop overlooking our
Market Street. The delicate designs reflect the mission of shop owner Cara
Thompson Barthels to promote the fine art of English tea drinking, while also
creating an intimate venue for local artists to exhibit their craft. Jennifer
and Tamera contributed to Cara’s vision by decorating one of the two main
windows with the logo of Partnerschaftsverein Backnang-Chelmsford, a
generous nod to the organization working behind the scenes to make such
artistic collaboration possible.
A few blocks down the
road, on the appropriately named Chelmsford Place, a more robust reminder of
our twinning partnership glows red under an overcast summer sky. Originally an
official anniversary gift from Chelmsford, the iconic British telephone booth
stands refurbished and reimagined for the street party as an open bookshelf featuring
works in English, French and Hungarian in honor of all three of Backnang’s
twinned cities. It’s the perfect last stop on the way into summer vacation.
Grab a paperback and prepare to dream in the shade about festivals and
friendships – and about great encounters yet to come.
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