It's Market Day. . .

At last, it's Market Day, and the square between the Rathaus and local university is abuzz as townsfolk and country people alike journey to the center of town to have a look around.  Perhaps, they might also purchase some common necessities like seasonal produce, flowers, or freshly caught eels for instance.

Finished the important surprise details mid-afternoon, and have had a little time to set up better lighting, the tripod, and camera for a few slightly better photographs.  Still some tiny things to see to and some final painting, but nothing anyone but me would notice.  Ladies and genetlemen, I give you the town of 'name-yet-to-be-determined.'

-- Stokes

Children frolic around the corner in the square before the old Hospital of the Holy Spirit.  And is that?  It is!  It is!  Here comes Magarete the Marketenderin on the way to set up her stall around the corner for Market Day.  A bit further afield, in front of the coffee house, just behind the Rathaus, you'll observe Father Tibertius attempting yet again to save the souls of notorious local madame 'The Naughty Lola' and her coworkers, all of whom plan to take full advantage of Market Day too.

 The Rathaus and Hospital of the Holy Spirit beyond have, if you look very closely, had their clocks installed, so that the townspeople can keep better track of time during the long summer days.

Meanwhile, Gerda, Helga, and Big Daddy plan to take full advantage of the increased foot traffic to peddle their beer and spirits.  You didn't know that Big Daddy is the proprietor of The Duke of Brunswick, did you?  Many local students from the nearby university spend considerable portions of their already meager stipends here in the afternoons after classes have finished for the day.  The university, by the way, offers various courses in jurisprudence, canonical law, grammar, rhetoric, Greek, Latin, medicine, and philosophy.  The faculty of the latter is especially strong when it comes to Metaphysics.  Indeed, a recent public disputation, which ended in fisticuffs, dealt with the number of angels one might fit onto the head of a pin. . .  Ergo the appearance of Big Daddy and a platoon of infantry to restore order in the lecture hall.

Across town, Herr and Frau Tesdorpf stop in front of the Zollhaus (Customs House) to say hello to a young Prussian officer, who hopes to make the acquaintance of their daughter, Lady Antonia Tesdorpf.  Notice too the town coat of arms above the door, which really is the town coat of arms for Lübeck in Germany, but I like the design so much, it seems like a good idea to borrow it in miniature.

Last of all, Aunts Gertrude and Waltraud have decided to see what all the fuss is about.  Pleading a migraine, Aunt Hiltrud did not accompany her sisters and remained at home.  Meanwhile, a few terminally errant soldiers have decided to risk running into their sergeant to see if they might instead meet some local  farmers' daughters in town for the day.