Fountains: Art, Form, and Function

Pontrasina, Engadine

One my greatest little pleasures in Switzerland was finding the town fountains. Some time I was surprised by the artistic fountains . .

Zurichbad, ZH

or how they were commissioned to mark a special event (like above).

Old Slate Fountain, Tirano IT

But one thing I could always count on was a cool, drink of water and a place to wash my hands.

Cool Summer

After a warmer than normal spring, the Swiss have been commenting on the cooler than normal summer.  A Weinfelden, CH knitter felt the need to add wool caps to the boys in this fountain.

No Birds Fountain

Despite the warm weather no birds played in this Stein am Rhein fountain.

Darrell's Fountain of Youth

Actually, it is a little used fountain near our house. The cold spring water does wonders on my sore and tired legs.

Note from Ruth: I keep waiting for the Fehraltorf police to call me to say that they arrested Darrell for sitting in the public fountain like he is doing in this photo....

Marmot Monument Fountain

One of my favorite animals, marmots, were worthy of being immortalized in a town fountain in Andeer, CH. No one there seemed to know why.

Fountain for an Olympic Champion

The small alpine town of Unterwasser honored its hometown hero, Simon Ammann, with a cool fountain. If only I could be so lucky.

Simon Ammann (born 25 June 1981) is a Swiss ski jumper, and double Olympic Champion at both 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics. He is the most decorated Swiss Olympic athlete, with two gold medals in the short and long hill competition. That makes sense his last name has double Ms and Ns :)

Fountain turned flower garden:

Apparently, this is what happens when you can't fix your fountain.

This fishing fountain in the tiny town of Dingelsdorf, Germany says a lot. We were cycling along Lake Constance and passed Dingelsdorf. Turns out it is home to one of the larger marinas on the lake and the fishing has always been great on its shores.

Kyburg Blooming

Kyburg is this super cute town just 8k up the road from us. A modern castle (in the distance) helped the Hapsburg Empire rule over the little people like us down in the valley.

Playful Trinkenbrunnen

Within eight minutes of Zurich's main train station is this beautiful trinkenbrunnen (drinking fountain).

Beautiful Brots on Uetlilberg

Reto's fine slicing technique on display that make for beautiful brots. On Darrell's birthday last week, we met him after a mountain bike ride in the hills near Zurich (Uetliberg). We hiked up to a plateau with views of the Alps and a grill.

This was our first real experience with this common Swiss tradition. We had everything you needed to grill Swiss Style. Friends, grill, meat, fire, chips (to eat while you eat), mustards, brots, views, nearby Brunnen (fountain), and a Swiss Army Knife. FYI: You can wash your hands with fountain water, keep your drinks cold, and put out a fire. Also note my town (Fehraltorf) issued knife in the left-hand picture.

Carrrara Doftbrunnen:

Kind of bizzare, why is there a roof over the fountain? That is the Glarner Alpen in the distance. - Glaubunden

Valendas Town fountain:

Wow strange, a wooden mermaid fountain, seit 1750.   It is 500kms from the sea  and 800 meters above sea level makes you wonder who the carver was. - Valendas, Glaubunden

Old Fire house:

Built before fire hydrants and fire companies.  Two built the built to house a pump and canvas hoses. The fountain (with reservoir basin) in front is to draw water from.

September Daily Pics

In September, I started posting pictures on Facebook to share. Eventually, I figured out how to make and post to a blog. Here are the posts I made to Facebook. En Guete!

Welcome: This photo is out of sequence. But it is so cool. Rain and clouds in the Southern Alps could not ruin this sunny day in der Val de Unterschachen, Uri and the light on the waterfall in the midground.

Friday 17.9.10: Brooken Haus. Ruth and I made quick friends with the local 'used store' (think Goodwill) we have an apartment to furnish and the rental car to move items. I used our camera and Ruth's hand signs to remember the sofa options and their price. Fondue Set .. .. Check!

Sunday 9.19.10: Farm Stand. Sunday I went for a road bike ride on one of the national bike routes. Well signed, the routes are popular with bikers and keep to bike paths and quiet backroads. Along the route, farmers have set up stands. This one sold eggs, jams, and fruit syrups. Note to self: bring a bag to carry home the fresh good I find while biking!

Monday 20.9.10: Ruth’s First Trip to work. Fiona and I walk Ruth to the Bahnhof (9 minutes). Fiona was willing to wait right there for Ruth to return. Zurich's commuter rail system is great. 20-25 minutes to Zurich, Ruti, Winterthur. Trains leave every half-hour from our town.

Tuesday 21.9.10: Tuesday Night Ride. I found out about a Tuesday night ride starting 5 minutes from home. Lead by Mac, we had a great ride in the hills west of home, Fehraltorf. Not much single track here.

Wednesday 22.9.10: Local Viewpoint, Scheidegg. With foul weather on the way, I took off for a bike ride. I fed my obsession for climbing hills with this doozy. Roads are steep here in Switzerland 450 meters in 3.8 kms . . ouch. I learned not many people cycle up to the nearby high points. However, you are likely to find a restaurant with plenty of people enjoying the view even on a Wednesday. There were a group of Para-gliders as well. Enjoy the view toward Zurichsee and the Alps.

Thursday 23.9.10: Local Farm. Our new friend Iris, told us about her friend who has a orchard and make great bread. It didn’t take long for us to find it. Yummy Williamsbiren (pears), Rubinolo Apfelds (new type of apple), and Italian plums.

Friday 24.9.10: Functional Sculpture. Plenty of creative people making a living.

Tuesday 28.9.10: Fountains. I just realized there are bunch of Fountains in Fehraltorf (more than most towns).

Saturday: 25.9.10: Southern Escape. With the advice of a new friend Tara, we took the train south to Ticano, Swiss’s Italian speaking Canton on the south side of the alps, to escape some pretty heavy rain on the north side of the Alps. Lots of firsts for Fiona; first train station, escalator, bus, tram, Swiss goats, and mountain hut. It was hard to pick just one picture from this day. But I had to pick this plate of Risotto and Wurst, Malaise style. The wine I hiked/ tramed up from the town Monte Carasso.

Sunday 26.9.10 Mountain Light: Strong winds last night due to the low pressure north of the Alps spilling in to the Southern Alps. I am glad we were in this mountain hut.

Monday 27.9.10 Family Vineyards: The tram provided a unique view of these family wine plots. Bellizona, the city, is in the distance. In this region, middle class families come to these vineyards to relax and enjoy the land. This weekend was harvest time and the whole family seemed to be involved.

Tuesday 28.9.10 Photo from the top of Griggo, 2100 m.

Wednesday 29.9.10 Well maintained yard for everyone to enjoy. Thanks. - Oberholz, Wald, ZH.

Thursday 30.9.10: Urnasher VechSchau. The three us got up early and took a wonderful 2-hour train to Apenzeller with the intent of seeing a cow show. Apenzeller is a region with a strong tie to tradition and we were not let down by the day's festivities. We were in Urnasch, a small town below the the Santis Massif. Everyone was getting ready for the event when we arrived. There was lots of activity in the town when we arrived, wetting the street (cow poop is easier to clean off wet streets), and setting up booths for food and crafts to sell. The town's center was set up with corrals and plenty of fresh hay. Within the hour, the parade began from different farms east and west, all headed to town.

Men and boys, wore traditional knickers,vests, and hats. Girls, handmade dresses. Each participating farm had only small variations to a customary procession that included: 1) a young boy leading the way followed by a herdlet of goats; 2) well dress young men singing and leading the 8-15 best cows; 3) The train ended with an older man (and often his dog) to keep the cows on course.