Morges Tulip Fete

Morges on Lake Geneva has an impressive tulip show that we will have to visit again? A live band and a trio of Alpen Horn Players added to the pleasant atmosphere.

Sechseläuten: Böögg predicts a super summer.

So far we have had a warm, sunny, and dry April. Monday’s Sechseläuten festival, was all about ushering out winter and welcoming the summer here in Zurich. The festival included a parade with floats, bands, gussied up horses, fair maidens, etc. The period costumes were grand. Parade goers were given flowers by their admirers. The main attraction was a explosive stuffed snowman, named Böögg, standing atop a 10 meter high pile a brush with well placed explosives on his body.

At six o'clock (pm) the brush is set a blaze and horsemen begin running around the smokey mass. Overtime the flames climb up the pile while the crowd watches on. This year a dancing flame caught Böögg's pants on fire. And with little warning he began to explode (yes, the horsemen were still running around).

According to tradition, the faster his head explodes, the better the summer will be. The Böögg’s head exploded in just under 11 minutes on Monday – well under the 14-minute average. Amazingly no one was injured. Just how the insurance man likes it.

Carnival in Wil

 

On March 3, we went to the Carnival (Fasnacht) parade in Wil.  Lots of people were dressed up, there were fun costumes, but it was mostly monsters - some with glowing eyes. The parade started with a man reading a prepared speech from the third floor window of a large lit up impressive building.  Interspersed with his speech was music (da da daht da da daht) and the crowd in the square jumping in time with it.  The speech lasted for a long time (an hour? - we went for a beer and french fries after we got the gist of what was going on) and was followed by a parade that anyone could join.  

Apparently the Fasnacht festivals vary depending on where you are, even towns 20 km apart can have very different traditions.  In some cantons, the festival has pagan origins and is meant to drive away evil spirits, which is clearly what this Fasnacht was in Wil (in addition to being a nice chance for young men to drink heavily).

http://www.swissworld.org/en/culture/seasonal_customs/carnival/

 

A lot of people had these "balloons"  tied to strings on a stick.  It wasn't until we were leaving a restaurant, where the patrons had considerately left their balloons at the door, that we were able to confirm that they were actually made of an animal's intestines.  The monsters seemed to get a kick out of waiving them in your face, and then later the children had fun bouncing them from their sticks on the ground - they made a nice loud and deep bouncing sound. 

 

Fiona was also intrigued by them...

RMS

Silvester

In Switzerland and nearby countries, they call New Year's Eve Silvester after Saint Sylvester who was pope from January 31, 314 to December 31, 335 (when he died). We spent Silvester at a friend's house in Winterthur, CH. She had a bonfire and we roasted brauts for dinner. Our contribution to dinner was Apple Brown Betty for dessert. When they asked us why it is called that, all we could respond with is "Why not?". Just before midnight, we walked into town and saw a small gathering of people letting these lights go up into the air.

It was fun to watch, although a little nerve wracking. The cloth or paper "bags" had a fire lit inside, which is what caused them to rise. I wondered what might happen if they came too close to the buildings before they were free high in the air. Fortunately we didn't find out. Once they were up in the air, it was just a very peaceful sight to behold in the stillness of night, right before... The champagne bottles cracked open, the church bells rang rang rang, and people starting let their fireworks go. En guete rutsch!

Baseler Christmas Market

Lots of gluhwein consumed on this chilly night.

Episode 2 of Our Town: The Christmas Market

The 2nd Episode of Our Town. A story about two Americans and their dog, living in Fehraltorf, Switzerland for a year. In this episode, the Sofields go to the Christmas Market, a one day event in Fehraltorf.... (P.S., the quality of this is better on my Facebook page if you want to watch it there, Ruth)

Geneva's Proclamation: We'll try everything once.

Boy it had all the markings of a great event... Street barricaded... Good beer before hand... Lots of people from all over the world, waiting to watch... but, Geneva's L'Escalade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Escalade ) fell short of our expectations. Maybe I was nauseous from all the torch fumes, but it was really boring watching hundreds and hundreds of people dressed up in 1602 period clothing, filing into a square (30 minutes worth) to have someone pronounce (in French) their freedom from an oppressor (the Savoy) that is long gone.

This one cost about a 1,000 Francs

Ruth was lured to the event by the Chocolate Mirmates (chocolate pots filled with fruit shaped marzipan, which represents the soup pot that the much celebrated lady used to hit a soldier with in 1602). Ruth dreamed there would be free chocolate shards everywhere(!) –but found out that the cost of Mirmates was at least 75 Francs. Ruth, nothing is for free in Switzerland!

Klausjagen!

So what are all these people eagerly waiting to see?

Klausjagen (Nicholas Chase) festival takes place in the Swiss town of Küssnacht on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. It starts with the loud attention-grabbing sound of whips. 60 talented men (everyone wears white shirts) perform whipping shows. My guess is that this kills two birds with one stone. It drives away the evils spirits in town and keeps the road open so the parade can begin.

Next is a procession of men wearing Iffelen (elaborate paper hats, eluminated with candles, some 100 years old). They are silent and do their own dance through the small streets packed with 20,000 on-lookers. There were about 150 of these Iffelen and the dance/paraded around for 40 minutes. I bet the chiropractor's office is full on Monday.

Saint Nicolas himself followed the Iffelen. Note: Here, St. Nick is thin and he has outsourced his gift giving activities to the Schmutzlien. Nick also realized that if he had is own day, he wouldn't have to share it with this Christkind (so he comes on Dec 6. not Dec 25 like in the US). Nick leads a brass band playing a traditional Klaus song. In my interpretation St. Nick is leading a chase, not being chased. Because . . .

Next came a thunderous 500 strong troop of trycheln (ringing large bells which are descendants of cow bells) ringers.

Our friends noted that only men from the town of Küssnacht are allowed to participate in the Klasenjagen. I did a little math. The census stated in 2007 that there were 6800 people between 18-64, 49.3% are female, and 20% are immigrants. That means about 40% of the towns males participate. Most ring the trycheln. It is the easiest thing to do, plus you can drink and smoke (long curvy cigarettes) while you are going it.

The parade finishes with 200 cow horn blowers. The neighboring town must love this event!

60% of the town apparently goes out after the Parade for a drink. This hall was constructed (appended onto a bar) just for this evening. Drink up! Ruth and I loved the entire night. Thanks Switzerland (and our friends) for sharing. P.S. Can't wait for Ruth's video.


Ruth's Videos Below!!!


These are the whips entertaining us before the parade.

One example of the Iffelen (or Infuln) dancing down the street...

Another example of the Iffelen (or Infuln) dancing down the street...

Samichlaus was in this part of the parade somewhere, but we were much more interested in Schmutzli, all dressed in black with a white sack over his shoulder...


The Cow Bells - it is best to just listen to this video - but turn it waaaay up to experience what we did...

Weihnachten Market Magic

I am amazed at the industry surrounding the Christmas Markets here in Switzerland. Many downtown / city centers and bahnhofen (train stations) have been transformed into little shopping villages. Thousand of wooden stalls are created/ erected. Millions of wurst are roasted. Some markets last the weekend, others all season. My favorite are the local one's that last a day.

Einsiedeln, Schwyz

Lindt Chocolate Day!

The Lindt Chocolate factory is an easy train ride from our house  on Lake Zurich.  They open the Christmas season each year with a small festival.  We were able to go see the festivities, which included several chocolatiers making Lindt chocolates - YUM!

Onion Market: Biel

The Sofield family took the train to Biel for another fall festival. The onion was the star of this one. 10 rows of stalls with beautifully crafted edible art. You can see the braids and wreaths, but there were figurines, baskets, frames, mobiles, picture boxes, plus onion bread, torts, pies, and soup! We cried a little but had a great time exploring.

Ferhaltorf Expo.

The weekend was the Fehraltorf’s (our home) time to show off. We have been anticipating the Expo for weeks, we arrived early and were not disappointed. There were plenty of competitions including, Speed Milking, the Fastest Fehraltorfian (80 meter dash), a cheese wheel rolling competition, and of course the Miss Fehraltorf competition between the best 15 cows around. We got a taste of local life with a chain-saw art demo, blacksmithing show, and butter turning expos. I learned we have a major radish producer in town, a 24 member accordion band, and a gung-hoe fire department. Later that night, they showed how to burn a building . . . . and put it out, I assume. P.S. I am not going to win any milking contests anytime soon.

Fete de la Chataigne Fully

Sonnabend 15.10.10 : Fete de la Chataigne Fully: Lots of harvest fairs this month. This week Ruth, Bill Rose, Fiona and I took the trail to Fully, Valais for a chestnut festival. With 250 food, drink, and craft stalls lining 8 blocks of the tiny town, it was hard not feel the celebration. Chataigne or Chestnuts were the excuse to gather but all the fresh local specialties were available to try. Brisolee, a dish we ordered, came with: roasted chestnuts with local grapes, apples, two hearty breads, 5 types of Alpkase (cheese), and ham. Wow! We washed that down with some local Gamay red wine. 

What I loved about this was the selections for the cheese plate. In the US a cheese plate would include 5 different looking cheeses; blue, soft, log etc. Here there were 5 different 3-4 month old, rind-washed ‘alpkase’ cheeses that looked the same, yet they were all unique tasting.

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.