My Glockenspiel clock experience in Frankenmuth

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Sometimes it’s not in our power to choose just what we keep and what we lose. And those who can’t see beyond the cost should consider this tale and what was lost. It ought to sway even a doubting Thomas: Better to lose your purse and keep your promise!”

- Robert Browning, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin"


A glockenspiel clock is a mechanical clock that, during certain times of the day, showcases a set of figurines that reenact scenes from a fairy tale while bells (e.g., carillon) play some really nice, soothing music. When I was in Switzerland, I was determined to see one; only to learn that I was in the wrong country. 

(The Rathaus-Glockenspiel, which I saw on the telly when I was a kid, is located in Germany.)

Seven years after my Swiss adventure, I found myself in a German settlement in Michigan called Frankenmuth. The city's vibe reminded me of Solvang, CA because of the touristy feel and the architecture. While checking out the Bavarian Inn, I learned that there's a 3pm show of the Pied Piper of Hamelin at the clock tower. I was so excited to bring my son so he could see it too. Exhausted from our long road trip, he fell asleep as the opening notes of the show began. 


I learned that the story of the pied piper is actually a legend from a real town in Germany called Hamelin. In the medieval ages, this piper was hired by the town to lure rats away from the town through his music. But the townsfolk refused to pay the piper, so he used his music to lure the town's children away, never to be seen again.

I couldn't help but hug my sleeping son a bit tighter as I listened to the sombre story of the pied piper and the possibility that it is a true-to-life story. And there I was, thinking it was an appropriate story to watch with my toddler son.

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