Highland Games in Machern, Germany

[A Hay]

Sept 15 and 16, my wife and I went to a small town near Leipzig, Germany for a Highland Games and Piping Competition weekend.
Here are just a few of the pictures, with comments.


Here am I, wearing my German Heritage Kilt from USA Kilts. In the background you can see one of the Guinness trailers. German festivals are all about food and bier (German word for beer).


The massed bands marched onto the parade field from the center of the town. Nothing beats hearing 50 pipers and drums go by four feet away!
There were about 8 bands from all over Germany. On Saturday they competed in the different grades and on Sunday they had individual piping competitions.


Another view of the bands on the parade field. They also had competitions for the pipe majors of the various bands.


Here is a pic of the back of the palace (Schloss) and some of the vendors. There were a couple of kilt vendors but they had nothing I couldn't get online or from one of our own.


Two of the vendors were selling Irn Bru. For those who don't know about this, it is a soft drink made in Scotland for over 100 years (says the can) It tastes to me like a cream soda, but not quite so sweet and US soda. Not bad if you are not a bier or whisky drinker. There were local biers on sale in addition to Guinness and a couple of whisky sellers/tasters.


Final pic is of a couple of double-decker busses used to sell food and for spectators from the top deck. The Mac Geiz bus was from a firm that seems to be springing up in smaller towns recently. They advertise big savings for "thrifty" people. Sell mostly dollar store type stuff and some basic foods. They sponsored partly the games.

There were also traditional games. On Saturday it was amatures and on Sunday, the heavies and even some ladies. It was hard to get good pictues, the perimeters of the venues were crowded.

This was the third games I've been able to go to this year in Germany. All have been a lot of fun. Kilts are in the minority at the games, but not uncommon. Lots of tablecloth type kilts among the younger crowd.
We stopped at a McDonalds on Sunday on the way back. I was still wearing my kilt. Got a few stares, but on the whole Germans have been very accepting of the kilt.

Regards,
Tom

[McMurdo]

Good photos Tom, you are right about IrnBru, at the Fergus games I basically lived on IrnBru and Haggis on a bun, great stuff.

[James MacMillan]

IrnBru and Haggis on a bun!

[walkerk]

Thanks for the pictures, Tom. Appears you had a great time. Your German Heritage tartan looks splendid.

[Dirk Skene]

The world is becoming smaller & smaller. & that is a good thing A Scot fest in Germany! That is cool. The Germans have already managed to get much of the rest of the world into Oktoberfest

[jackson1863]

Great pictures! They made me miss Germany. Hope you were able to get some Schnitzel or Currywurst while you were at the games.

[CelticRanger66]

Great Pictures!! Meine Oma kommt aus Leipzig aber sie ist yezt im Weiden i.d. Oberpfalz.

[cessna152towser]

Excellent pics, Tom, nice to see that kilts are alive and well in Germany and that you were blessed with fine weather.
Now we know where some of those London Routemaster buses have gone.

[A Hay]

Great Pictures!! Meine Oma kommt aus Leipzig aber sie ist yezt im Weiden i.d. Oberpfalz.

That's interesting! Right now I live in Mantel, which is about 5 km west of Weiden! We just went over there for dinner at a Chinese Restaurant.

If you get back over here to visit your Oma, we will have to get together.

Tom

[GMan]

You did capture the spirit of the games in those pictures!