| Blogs > bondjam33 > The pursuit of happiness |
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A day out at the Flower Parade (Blumenkorso) Waking up to early morning rain did not give us much confidence that we would be able to see the Blumenkorso at Ebbs (in the next valley) this year. We have been promising ourselves a trip to see it for several years but this is the first year we have been here on the right weekend for several years and it rained last time. By the time breakfast was finished the weather was improving rapidly, however and we set of in bright sunshine to see what promised to be a spectacular sight. A 20 minute trip round into the next valley and we were set up in plenty of time to catch the parade as it travelled from the village of Ebbs to the Festival site in a local garden centre.  A local hostelry chosen for a post parade beer and providing a good viewpoint. The parade was a little slow in making its way out of town and a sizeable crowd had gathered by the time the first float appeared but it was well worth the wait.  With over 30 floats in the parade and some taking many thousands of flower heads to decorate (all pom pom dahlias btw) the parade really did live up to its billing - some of the tableaux must have taken thousands of man hours to make and the largest apparently took over 300,000 flowers to complete.     At the end of the parade the floats were parked up for judging and we were able to get some close up shots - and they looked even more impressive close up.    All of the floats were pulled by old tractors and cars - most by big guest houses and businesses but some family affairs. This one even won a prize against all the big boys - with the young girl driving the tractor all the way too.  |
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Impressive for sure ~ very much a labour of love and wonderful to see the humble pom pom dahlia put to such creative use 
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