For a long time we (my husband and me) have been very happy for the trip to Tonder. And then the great day appeared. The suitcases have been packed and with all other things like "this must also come with us" and "is there a little bit place rest for this" placed into our car. When the alarm clock was ringing on Wednesday morning at half past three we got awake very quick.

We put our bicycles very quickly and of course very soft on the top of our car and then we started. We thought to drive the way (950 km) in small parts with 250 km and so we stopped for the first time at 6 o'clock behind Würzburg. There we had a very good breakfast. After two more small breaks we arrived at 12 o'clock in Hamburg at the "Elbtunnel". We have been very happy about this, we didn't decided to reach Hamburg so early, and we hoped to need only three more hours to arrive our destination.  Therefore we had no troubles witch the traffic we reached Süderlügum (in Germany) at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We rented an apartment there because we wanted to stay a few days longer then the festival goes. Immediately we saw the traffic sign " Tonder 8 km ".

On Thursday in the morning I went at first to the hairdresser (it was very
necessary, because since October I have been very often at the dentist, and
I had a lot of problems witch the temporary things on my teethes) and then
we went to Dagebüll at the North see and on the way back we had a little
walk in Niebüll.

And then the Festival started: The office for information opened at 6 o'clock in the evening. We had made an appointment in the same way we always do for the German Congress. So we
had to go there to get our documents. The office was in the Freizeitcenter; there are also tree great halls for sports.

We found the office very quick and we had to wait in the queue with the Sign "German". Around us we heard al lot of different languages and more and more peoples arrived. Finally it was our part and a very kindly lady gave us a folder and our nameplate in a nice blue textile bag. So we looked for a place to sit down (and there are really a lot of places inside and outside) to look, what we have got now. And of course we put the nameplates (with a small flag of our country) on our shirts. In the map there was a program and a map of the town (beautiful, the distances are not so far) and the opening hours, a list of all participants (very good, sorted by country's) and of course some patterns.
 
 

Kids from Slovenia - making lace!

The first two patterns have been very nice point ground laces and I was very delighted. I started with this sort of lace a view weeks ago and I liked to do it very much.
So there we had no problems we put all things back in the bag and went bag to Süderlügum.
Friday morning we waked up very early (of course). At 10 o'clock we wanted to meet Marianne, Laurin, Arne und Aage (Spilis) at the camping in Tonder. We did organize this by email. So we droved to Tonder and we parked the car near the halls and went to the camping. This place was behind the halls (there is also an youth hostel) not far to walk. We arrived punctual there and Marianne, Laurin, Arne und Aage also. We said hello together, which was a little bit funny, because we didn't recognize Arne immediately. Then Marianne took us to her caravan for a cup of coffee.

The weather was very nice and so we sat together for nearly 2 hours and had a lot of fun together. But then we decided to go to the Festival. But before we left, we made an appointment for 13 o'clock at Gabriele (Klöppelkiste) to met some more Spilis and Arachnes. The sellers in the halls would open at 13:30 so we went at first to the town (a really nice little walk about 10 Minutes) to look at one of the exhibitions. 

More kids from Slovenia - making lace!

The exhibitions have been in 4 different houses. Two of them have been in the pedestrian street the two other ones have been a little bit outside. But this doesn't mean, that we had to walk a long way. If we started at the halls (with the sellers) and went to the pedestrian street with the two exhibitions we could went back other way along the museum and the watermill, there have been the other two exhibitions. The time we needed for whole way was about 20 Minutes. So we visited at first the Drohseshus. Just if we came in we stand in front of a big table with a lot of books on it. 

The museum of Toner (Tonder is an old lace city) makes themselves books and also sells books especially lace books with Tonderlace. These books have been there on the table. We looked at all books and my list of books I want to buy became much longer. But then we went to the other rooms in this house and looked at the exhibitions.

Now we looked at the clock and we recognized that we had get to the halls. When we entered the halls somebody gave us a small booklet which included a plan of the halls, all names and addresses of the sellers, and where they are in the halls.
 
 
 

Now I must tell you how wonderful the festival was organized. Everywhere you found very kindly and friendly people from the organisation of the Festival and they always answered all questions. They always had got time to talk and never we had the feeling that they would be glad until all is over. The folders and all other booklets looked very good and if you lost your booklet suddenly you got a new one. We felt very well and it was a very personality atmosphere.

At "Langendorfs" (a seller for bobbins) we stayed for a while. We know us a while, and we always met them at such exhibitions and they also come from the south of Germany. More and more people came into the halls and the offers have been so big so we decided to visit some of the other exhibitions. We went to the Brorsonhus in the pedestrian street. When we went to the entrance we reached the stand from Lotte Heinemann (Margaretenspitze). I have had a course (very great) in Margaretenspitze at her last year. So we talked together nearly for an hour (that is rally my problem, at each stand I spend at least one hour, and so I need a lot of time to see all things). At last we said goodbye and went
upstairs.

There have been very nice laces and a scene of a story from Christian Anderson all in lace (Angela liked it very much). Then we went the other way back to the halls and stopped at the museum. The museum is really great. To the museum belongs a tower with the designer museum in it. But the tower himself is great. By lift we went quickly up until the seventh floor and there  we had a really nice view to Tonder and the land around. In this room (round) there are table and chairs and we think they use this room for conferences. It looks a little bit like the round table of King Arthur, a great room for conferences. We sat long there and looked out but then we
went on to the watermill. The handcraft association showed how to turn bobbins and a lady worked with a spinning wheel. But then it has been late and we wanted to go back to Süderlügum to freshen ourselves. Very punctual we have been back to the halls and we had to wait a little bit
until we could get in. The hall looked very nice and the table have been decorated. We got in and found a big free table in the middle of hall and sat down there and of course hold the other places on this table free for the Arachnes and Spilis. So we looked for the others (Gabriele's sign was a
great help) and step-by-step the others arrived. And then the table was international: Danish, English, American, German and Netherlands. And so all languages went around. While we had coffee with cake we talked about making lace and much more and had a lot of fun.
 
 

At the beginning everybody had reached a small booklet with songs in it, and during the evening we sang some of this together. We gave our song booklet around and everybody on the table signed it. The end came very quickly at 10 o'clock and we went back to Süderlügum. But we made a new appointment for the next day in the evening for the banquet: same time, same place.
Also on Saturday we awaked early in the morning. After we have had breakfast we droved to Tonder and found a place for our car at the halls.

Outside of the halls we met another Spili, Marianne. She was on holiday in St. Peter Ording and so she came for one day to Tonder. After this we hurried up to reach the Gymnasium because we had booked a lecture about Flemish lace. The lecture showed all sorts of Flemish lace from the beginning until yet and showed a lot of pictures of the special lace.
 
 

After the lecture we went to the town hall (there would be a meeting which the mayor at one o'clock).  On our way we passed the museum and because there was some time left we made a little rest in the tower of the museum (this lovely place). At the town hall we met Elaine and we got the original Arachne pins. And then we went into the town hall. There we listened to the mayor's speech in Danish language (we got an English translation) an then we have been invited for a little snack some coffee or win. So we had also time to talk to other peoples and of course we also met some we already knew.

Back to the halls it was time to spent money. I bought the lovely book with shawl pattern at Christine Mirecki and some more silk thread at Gabriele.  Sometimes we had some coffee and a little snack at the cafeteria. This was really great. At all time you got something to eat or to drink at the cafeteria and therefore we never felt hungry or thirsty. Time went by and so we had go back to Süderlügum because we wanted to dress fine for the
banquet.

A little bit after 7 o'clock we have been back at the hall and have been allowed to get in immediately. We looked for our table the middle of the hall (not all places have been free, we have had been back much earlier) and waited for the others. Unfortunately not all of us found a free
place on the table (sorry to Marianne and Laurin, but next time we'll do much better!!!).  The decoration on the tables was very nice an everybody became a little gift. Also the songbooks have been distributed. Several people said some words, also the "Deutschen Klöppelverband". Then the meal started. A lot of hands brought the things and as soon one was empty the next one brought a full one (a very good organisation). The end of the meal was a nice dessert. At the end of this wonderful day we sang a song together. Before we leaved the hall we got a folder about the next festival in 2004.

And so Sunday came up. I was still excited and so we stand up early in the morning. We knew the last day had appeared.  When the doors at the halls opened we already have been there. During this early hours until 10 o'clock less people were walking in the halls. So I found a lovely book at Fay's and I bought a piece of fabrics (at least big enough) to sew inside my lace (since 2 years it is waiting).

After we met Angela and Elgar we went for the last lecture of this festival to the gymnasium. Marianne Stang did make the very interesting lecture "a comparison of different tulle lace" (a really great lecture based on the odifa book).  Once more, the last one, we went
through the nice little town of Tonder (I nearly forget to tell how nice this little town is) back to the halls. We started a last  walk through the halls and I found a very nice linen thread for my next big project (a lace with 8 edges from Inge Theurerkauf) at Fr. Noelle (she also came from the
south of Germany, but I didn't know her, funny).
In the evening we droved Tamara, Sally and their luggage (Tamara's luggage was to big for the bus) for the course to Hojer and this have been the end of the festival.

During the following 4 days we made some excursions because we don't  drive very often to the north of Germany. The Monday we spent in Schönhagen (very quit place, we decided to go there after a strenuous festival) and Damp (loud and no nature) at the East Sea. On Tuesday we went to the Danish island Romo (pure nature). For the next excursion to the island Sylt (a wonderful very big white strand I never had seen before, but also so much people I never had seen before) on the North Sea we had to take the train. Our last day, the Thursday, we visited Glücksburg at the East Sea (very quit, a lot of wood, very nice for walking).

Exhausted, but very happy and a lot of nice impressions we droved home on Friday.  Also on the way home we had no problems with the traffic and so we only have good impressions (only the weather seams to be a bit better, a bit more like  June) but we know in June 2004 will start another trip to Tonder.

The End