Where is Bruchsal? It’s a small town in south-west Germany near the border with France. Would you go as a tourist to Bruchsal? No.
It’s most famous for being Europe’s largest producer of asparagus. Germans take Spargelzeit in May and June very seriously, with festivals, seasonal menus and Asparagus Queen competitions.The tender white asparagus grown under cover like forced rhubarb is only available at this time of year, disappearing on the 24th of June each year. I was in Bruchsal the wrong time of year to get any special white asparagus.
The host teacher at the school was very hospitable, and constantly plied us with pastries and home-made cakes made by her daughter, and took us on trips after school. Staying in Bruchsal was a linguistic blur. I spoke English to my co-workers. The owner of the guesthouse was French and had limited English, and once she realised us teachers also spoke French, spoke French with us at home. In the town, people spoke German with a thick accent I had to listen carefully to understand. My students were studying for an exam, and when we revised pronouns and compared the English and German ones, they struggled to remember what the standard German ones were as opposed to the very different pronouns of their local dialect. Every time I opened my mouth I was never quite sure what language was going to pop out, or if I was going to make it to the end of the sentence in the same language.
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