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Wonderful story about Wandergesellen, Germans who have finished their required training in any number of trades and are traveling to gather experience.
While on the road, journeymen are not supposed to pay for food or accommodations, and instead live by exchanging work for room and board. In warm weather, they sleep in parks and other public spaces. They generally carry only their tools, several changes of underwear, socks and a few shirts wrapped into small bundles that can be tied to their walking sticks — and that can also double as pillows.
The color of their jackets indicates their trade: Carpenters and roofers wear black, tailors maroon and gardeners deep hunter green
Traditionally, a journeyman was not allowed to travel or seek work within a 60-kilometer radius of his hometown — a guideline intended to encourage an exchange of ideas among those practicing any given trade. Today, it remains a way to ensure that the journeyman develops independence.
