Ian's Blocker Blog 2022

Concision is an important part of the writing process. I think this always applies—being able to directly and intently describe ideas in any format is a virtue. After having written this post, I am writing this here preface to present the fact that I understand the value of concision, however elusive the blog format may make it. What follows is an anecdote and hearsay—but ultimately a piece which remains invested in answering a question: Is what I experienced in Radolfzell the perfect representation of the European relationship between space and community or was it just a holiday weekend? Having read the preface, you are probably wondering, "what happened in Radolfzell?" Trust me its not as exciting as that makes it sound, yet it is thought provoking.  While in Radolfzell, Baden-Württemberg on the night of April 16th I, accidently, attended a Catholic Easter Mass. Well okay it was really 11:00 PM, and I did choose to attend, but I had not planed to attend nor be in Radolfzell

 Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to have been informed about and invited to a peculiar, yet exciting, local tradition: the Esslinger Entenrennen (Esslingen Duck Race in English). As I intend to be exploring space and community as touchpoints for cultural difference in this blog series, das Entenrennen feels like the perfect place to start.  What is the Entenrennen? The Esslinger Entenrennen is a charity raffle where around 7000 numbered rubber ducks are dumped into a canal along the Necker river in Esslingen. Each duck is numbered and locals are encouraged to buy tickets which each correspond to a duck. The ticket holders of the fastest 125 ducks win prizes, donated by local sponsors, ranging from coupons to the grand prize of an E-bike. Why? The Entenrennen is a component of the broader local festival of "Esslinger Frühling" (Esslingen Spring), a weekend-long local market festival held every year to mark the beginning of Spring. From11am until 6pm the town center i