On Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:51:01 +0000, William Black wrote:

On 08/11/10 22:30, wooly wrote:
Tom P wrote:
One of the sights you may occasionally see when traveling the
autobahns of Germany is a "zimmermann" - a journeyman carpenter - in his
traditional clothing -

http://www.part-2.ch/felix/uploads/Zimmermann_los.JPG

The clothing is subject to strict rules, the hat, the waistcoat
jacket, the shoes, the earring, the watch chain, even the number of
buttons on the jacket.

The tradition of the journeyman carpenter goes back hundreds of years.
Tradition expects that after the apprentice has finished his training
with the master carpenter, he should go on the "walz" or "tippelei" -
meaning that for three years and a day he must leave his home town and
wander the world, seeking work to earn his keep.

A journeyman must be single, free of debts and of good standing.
During his time on the road he is not allowed to wear anything but his
traditional clothing - his "kluft" - in public, nor is he allowed to
own a car, but must walk or hitchhike. On the other hand, every master
carpenter on the way is obliged to offer a journeyman lodging for the
night.
Recently I gave a lift to a carpenter on the highway from Frankfurt
going south. I had stopped at a gas station when this young man with
his distinctive clothing approached me with a smile and asked me in a
kind of sing-song ritual something like, excuse me sir but would you be so
agreeable as to let a good and honest journeyman accompany you on
your way?
Such a charmingly phrased question was hard to refuse, so as I drove
he told me the story of his travels. The most remarkable was that he
had been in Thailand where he had been hewing timbers to restore the roof
of a buddhist temple. His three years of travel were nearly over and he
was heading home.

So if you see a journeyman on the road, remember to give him a lift.
And remember, another tradition says that touching a button of his
jacket brings good luck.

T.
Read mo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeyman_years

Amazing! I see them here in Switzerland very often.
btw the foto has been taken in CH.



When I 'came out of my time' the bloke who was technically my master
took me out for a pint and said 'Well you won't be able to ask me how to
do it any more'.

I replied that I hadn't needed his advice for over a year by then, and
he said 'Yeah, but I was there if you'd wanted'.

Oh yes, and I got a tool kit of my own issued...

But when the company went broke it was in the factory and the
liquidators pinched it.

Little boy playing outside his carpenter-dad's workshop.
Carpenter hits his thumb with the hammer.
Little boy rushes into the workshop.
"Did you call , Dad?"