Wood.

No accident that my Hero found this in his Christmas stocking this year, because actually, we take pleasure from our small woodstack.  Or, possibly more accurately, I take the pleasure and enjoy the warmth of his labour in stacking it all.

Only last week, we took delivery of a load of fresh logs, ready to be stacked and seasoned over the year.  There’s a similar quantity of seasoned logs stacked and drying in the garage ready for use, every one lifted and placed carefully, for there is a satisfaction in such things, don’t you agree?

But we are not in the same league as some, as witnessed over the weekend.

Of course, if one has to heat the whole house for the winter, then a larger stack is needed.  But my hero’s critical eye was cast over this one, lacking somewhat in the rotation, we thought.

This being a farm, then perhaps heating would be needed in the barns and cowsheds too? 

Plenty of room for new supplies here, though.  What a fine woodstore,with a clean, tiled back to it.  Having said that, the open design of ours allows the wind and rain to blow through from front to back, seasoning the wood nicely.

At least when the wood is stacked around the house, there’s the benefit of insulation too.  As you can tell, driving around we take note of such things and from time to time, one of us will “ooooo!” and spot a particularly fine example and admire the skill and sheer hard work involved in creating it.

On Sunday, though, we spotted the best woodstack ever.  Really.

It stretched three sides around the boundary of the Karthause Ittingen and contained more wood than we’ve ever seen, all neatly stacked in evenly sized and well built stores.  We’d met our Swiss friends for Sunday lunch in Frauenfeld at the marvellous Goldenes Kreuz (Goethe war da!) and on a lovely, Spring afternoon, their suggestion of a walk in the country was spot on.

The woodstacks were remarkable in the way they were sorted: some stacks contained smaller, kindling sized pieces and these variations in texture and pattern were very attractive.  I was also rather taken with the small drifts of what I assumed to be a variety of willow.

My favourite, perhaps, was the stack of dry vines, each one covered in lichen and in spite of being oddly twisted and contorted, was just as neatly stacked as all the others.

A grand sight to lift the spirits.

Formerly a Carthusian monastery, Karthause Ittingen is now a venue for concerts, weddings and suchlike.  There’s an hotel here, a good restaurant, a gallery and a spa.  We enjoyed looking around the reconstructed residence of the monks and soon realised why so much wood was needed.

A kachelofen in every room would have required regular feeding throughout the winter months.

And oh my, what beautiful kachelöfen they are too!

This one dated back to 1677, though it had been restored in the 1990s.

A silent order, the Carthusians must have savoured such a wealth of visual treasures.

I mean, the refectory is rather pretty too, isn’t it?

As for the chapel.  Well.

Altogether breathtaking.

After a spot of tea and a short stop in the lovely monastery shop we made our way back to our cars.

What a lovely day we’d had.  What great company our friends are!

And for sure, those Carthusians chose a great site for their monastery, even if they did need a fair quantity of fuel to get them through the chilly times.  Whether the concept is attributed to Thoreau or Ford, wood does indeed warm at least twice; once when cutting and once whilst burning.  When stacking is included, then my Hero definitely gets an extra boost.

In die Schweiz

We are just home from a few days in Switzerland.  We flew to Zurich on Friday lunchtime, arriving in the late afternoon and feeling very happy to be there again.

It’s always been a favourite, ever since our first visit as a couple in the summer following our wedding in 1980.  Driving past a road sign to Effretikon just a few miles from the airport brought back happy memories of that first trip, when the generosity of lovely Swiss friends of my family enabled us to discover the character of a country which enchants us both.

Even though the weather forecast didn’t sound too promising, the late afternoon sunshine highlighted the Alpstein nicely to greet us and the clouds revealed Säntis there on the horizon.

We left the laptop at home this time, so there are still a few stories to tell and a lot of details to share.

We stayed in St Gallen, where the peach and grey building holds a treasure trove of riches to interest me.  What better place to spend a rainy Saturday morning?

For sadly, the sun doesn’t shine continually and those green fields need a drop or two of rain to keep them looking lovely.  Saturday was especially wet and driving to a concert in Winterthur in the afternoon we made sure we had umbrellas and raincoats with us.

My Hero will surely be reporting on this grand occasion, when the highlights of the programme were works by Joachim Raff, bringing Swiss, German and British Rafficionados together to share enthusiasm, research and friendship throughout the weekend.

We might have enjoyed a few “white angels” lovingly created in the brewery next door to our hotel, the oldest brewery in Switzerland, no less.

At this time of the year, there are not so many visitors around, so we enjoyed peaceful times by the lake.

We were the only visitors – the only people – in the museum where the cloakroom is imaginative and utterly charming.  That was a fantastic place to visit!

When the weather brightened, we drove out and up into the mountains to new places and old favourites.

Sadly, the aroma of a Swiss cheese shop simply cannot be effectively communicated.  You simply have to be there.

The Gold Bunny on top of the car park was a reminder of something else on the shopping list.

Finally, with a couple of hours to spare before returning to the airport, we never have a problem simply sitting in a favourite place and watching the world go by.

So, the next few posts will surely be about our glorious weekend.  I’ll try not to forget to share the story of the Zuger Kirschtorte too. Textiles, transport, music, landscape, Weissbier, chocolate, cheese, rösti, friends, mountains, lakes and fun.  We love it all.

Oh, and there’s this, too.

Wood.  (I’ll explain later)

Unterwegs

Sadly, it was time to leave Rapperswil this morning and to make our way home.  We passed the little cart with the pumpkins for sale one last time and with no traffic behind us, we could slow down long enough for me to snap a photo.

The Swiss Army was on the move as well, but as they peeled off and gathered for some kind of manoeuvre in what looked like a supermarket car park, we headed on towards the airport.

 

Though we left the hire car and our luggage there, we were not quite ready to leave yet and hopped on a train down into the city centre for a few hours.

We’ve made this journey so many times, since the very first time we travelled together to Switzerland when we were first married.  34 years ago, we stayed with some friends who worked at the airport and lived nearby, so this was our daily route into the city.  We’ve been lucky enough to come here rather a lot since then too and it all feels very familiar indeed.

We didn’t mind that it was a bit overcast when we stepped out onto Bahnhofstrasse, as long as it stayed dry, we’d be happy.  Didn’t fancy mooching around in pouring rain though!

We had a short shopping list of mostly foodstuffs and though it was tempting to bring home these heavy ready mixed fondues, we had of course been to a book launch, so our luggage was already groaning under the strain!

So we settled for lighter, airier things

The last time we sat watching the ships at Burkliplatz, it was a deal warmer and sunnier than it was today, but no matter, it’s still fun to sit and watch the world go by.

Around the corner on the Limmat river, by the Rathausbrucke, was a controversial piece of artwork.  My hero had read about it earlier today, so it was interesting to see it for real.

The commentary on the board told the story.

The graffiti on each leg said it all.  (“Separate this hateful object from the base here”)

I normally find such brave and controversial objects interesting, as much for the chatter they provoke as for the things themselves, but on this occasion, I think I’m with the crowd.  I can’t see that the crane has a place here – but perhaps I’ll read a little more about it and maybe Ill understand it a bit better.

I wasn’t really on a quest for anything special today, though I had it in mind that, if I came across a likely source of the fabric the farmers’ shirts are made from, then I wouldn’t mind bringing a bit home with me.  I asked in the Heimatwerk shop where the shirts are sold and heard the magic answer: “Maybe in the Bernina shop?”  

Can you believe I had never found the Bernina shop in Zurich?  We have now! 

The Bernina shop assistant sent us one street further, to a large fabric shop where sure enough, my request was answered with a “Ja!”  A little bundle of fabric in hand, we went back to Bernina to say “thanks” and to take a closer look at that little bag, which i recognise as being made from one of the very first patterns I came across when I bought my new machine.

It was almost 1.30pm by now and someone’s patience needed reward in the form of some lunch.  As we headed for our favourite Zeughauskeller, we passed a young woman taking an unusual pet for a walk: a vacuum cleaner!  Fans of Gifford’s Circus will see the comparison with Tweedy the clown’s pet iron, Keef

Anyway, after a hearty lunch, we felt we ought to be making tracks to the airport.

A last journey by train: Should we take the 3.01, the 3.07, the 3.09 or the 3.15?  Oh for a public transport system like this at home!  We retrieved our luggage, checked in and enjoyed a trouble free flight home.

I wonder, how long will it be before the sewing machine is switched on?

A day full of culture

Art, literature, music – what more could we ask for?

The weather wasn’t so clear when we set out this morning, with real Alpine skies overhead.  We were in for a changeable day’s weather it seemed.

From time to time, patches of sunshine broke through, though the clouds were never far away.  We were driving south east, towards Vaduz, and over the border into Liechtenstein, where our friends had recommended a visit to the Kunsthaus: the art gallery.

Travelling fast on the motorway, the traffic wasn’t so bad and we hoped we were right in thinking it was brightening up rather.

Though much of the journey was within tunnels and each time we entered one, we could never guess what the weather was going to be like when we came out the other end, several kilometres beyond.

We left that motorway behind, turned left and travelled towards the border.

Not that there was much to see.  Liechtenstein is more of an extension to Switzerland than a different country, from a visitor’s point of view, at least.

We parked the car for free and headed along the modern, pedestrianised main street, finding the Kunsthaus right there in front of us.  As we bought our entrance tickets, the desk clerk felt the need to warn us not to expect paintings in here, for this was a gallery of modern, conceptual art.  Did we really look that conservative (with a small c!) ?  We reassured him that it was fine, we’d be ok…

There was a small permanent exhibition, including a couple of Warhol prints, a small Liechtenstein work (of course!) and one or two works in neon by an artist I didn’t recognise.  But the main exhibition currently was Gary Kuehn’s “Between Sex and Geometry”.  To begin with, it took some understanding.  Reading the background to such abstract concepts auf Deutsch was a challenge, but gradually, we got to grips with what the artist was exploring and really enjoyed the chance to challenge our own preconceptions by chatting further with a couple of the museum staff.  We left inspired to find out more about the artist and his work, though we were ready for a stiff drink!

First, though, we thought we’d walk the length of the main street, as far as the parliament buildings here.  The sun was shining now and it was really warm: such a pleasure to be out and enjoying the fine morning.

The new entrance to the parliament wasn’t exactly a fine example of exciting architecture, I thought, though it sat alongside the older building and perhaps needed to conform.  The royal Family live in the castle/palace up there on the hill, looking down on their realm from above.

I seem to have taken the photograph of the old parliament building at a most peculiar angle.  My apologies!

We returned to the car to find several busloads of Korean visitors still there in the car park, all taking the same photograph – sometimes, it’s interesting seeing places through the eyes of others, isn’t it?

So that was it for Liechtenstein – the border on the road southwards into Switzerland was even less of an event than the other one: a couple of flagpoles and a small stone marker.

Our destination for lunchtime was Maienfeld, a pretty old town with unmissable connections with Johanna Spyri’s character, Heidi.  Though we had no intention of making a pilgrimage, when we’d identified the town as a possible destination this morning, I’d downloaded a copy of the book to my Kindle and was curious to see what was what.

But first, some lunch: a platter of Bunderfleisch and Alpkäse, washed down with a beer, of course.

We made our way through the town following the signs to “Heididorf”, admiring the sunflower heads floating in the water trough as we went.  Maienfeld is a wine growing town, too, and we passed several vineyards on the way – I think those are a relatively recent development, since I couldn’t remember Heidi and Peter snacking on the odd bunch of grapes in the story!

It looks as though it could be a good harvest this year.

Soon, we were in open fields and leaving our car in a well filled car park, we didn’t have far to walk to a wooden bench in the pasture, overlooking the mountains.

Here we were in Heidi’s flower meadow and though there were, of course, other people here, it was quiet and sunny.  What better thing to do than to get out the Kindle and read?

It’s an easy read and in an hour or so, I was already almost half way through.  We could have stayed longer but we were invited to a performance in Glarus, a few miles down the road and we didn’t want to be late!

So leaving Heidi’s meadow over there under the wooded mountain, we joined the motorway again and headed for Glarus.  We left the blue skies behind on one side of the mountain, though, for coming out of the tunnel, the first spots of rain appeared.  By the time we reached Glarus itself, it was torrential and set in for the rest of the day.  Just as well we managed to park right outside the concert venue, then!

So, a day of art, music and literature, though whether Heidi counts in the last group is open for discussion, I think.  Maybe that box was ticked by the readings of Dumas and Tolstoy which were interspersed with the Raff piano duets, then?  No matter, we’d enjoyed every bit of our day again, and saying a last goodbye to our friends for this time round, we returned to Rapperswil tired but happy.

Maybe I’ll manage to stay awake long enough to finish Heidi?!

The cows have come home

We had no plans for today, except for an arrangement to meet friends for apero and dinner this evening, so did a little search online to see what was on.  The answer was here so off we went in the general direction of Luzern, initially, and then onward to the village of Emmetten, where today there would be the “Alpabzug”, when the cows would be brought down through the village after spending the summer on the high alp above the lake.

We left the car in the car park and walked down into the centre of the village, where the market was getting going and the band were tuning up.

Dressed in their traditional costume, the band made a great sound and provided the perfect accompaniment to our mooch around the village market.

We decided to take a look around, taste a bit of cheese here and salami there and chat to one or two of the stallholders.

We liked the toy stall which was selling a range of farming figures, much the same as those Britain’s toys Edward used to collect as a child.  But the traditional farming roles here were rather more clearly defined for the 21st century, for there was the vet,

the chain saw operator and the strimming man.

The farmer’s wife with a bowl of eggs and the farmer himself, with the pig under his arm were possibly a little more conventionally cast.

Having looked around the market, we decided to explore a little further, enjoying the fine weather and the glorious views along the valley.

Looking up, we were surprised to see a few hang gliders not far above our heads.  I was happy to keep my feet firmly on the ground, though.

The post bus passed us by at regular intervals, too – well, this is Switzerland, after all!

Even out in the sticks, there’s a regular and reliable service.

I took a fancy to this traditionally restored house, near the centre of the village.  Sitting comfortably in a smallish patch of green , it faced the valley and would have marvellous views from those upstairs windows.

It was getting near lunchtime by now, so we returned to the marketplace and found seats at one of the tables where we ordered drinks and bratwurst.  The band were relaxing there, too.

We watched as the little cablecar carried the milk churns up the mountainside and wondered at what time the cows would come home?  No-one seemed to know, though most thought it would be shortly after lunchtime.  So we waited.

It was no problem – the local cider was good and the people watching was fascinating.

Shortly after 12.30pm we noticed people moving, forming groups along the roadside and we looked up the street.  Was something happening up there?

There was no doubt about the noise – a cacophony of bells was coming towards us and zooming in with my camera, sure enough, here they came.

There really is nothing quite like it.  The sound of the cowbells, the pride with which the herdsmen have dressed their cows for the occasion and the way the village turns out to greet them all is quite remarkable.

Each of the cows wore a headress with flowers and flags and of course, an enormous bell.

Most walked quietly on, following the herd and needing little direction.  They eyed those of us on the pavement with curiosity, but paid us no attention otherwise.

Just one or two skittered about, got a little jumpy and wanted to be off in a different direction.  They were soon brought back into the herd and coaxed on their way.

A few towards the back were less ornately decorated, but were nevertheless beautifully groomed and tagged along behind the main herd.  The noise was extraordinary and in little more than a couple of minutes, they were past.

There they were, gone.  We followed them so far, to the car park, where we jumped in our car and headed off up the valley.  That had been worth waiting for!

A little further along, we stopped to take in the magnificent view.  We were in no hurry to return to the hotel and had time to stop and stare.

So we did.

More than once, in fact.  Here, high above the Vierwaldstaettersee, we stood for a while and simply absorbed it all.  Another couple were there at the same time, from the Netherlands, judging from their car registration and we all shared the wonder, nodding and smiling in agreement that it was indeed “wunderschön”

We were at Seelisberg and consulted our map to decide which route to take.

Except our map was a walking map rather than a driving map, and the printing around Seelisberg was so concentrated that it was difficult to see where the roads around there were.  We wanted to make our way south to Altdorf, but was there a road under that heavy red walking route?

We set off and drove on further.  “Make a U turn” said the GPS.  We ignored her and continued behind another car.  “Make a U turn” she said again.  We ignored her and carried on – that signpost said “Treib” so there must be a road.  “Make a U turn” she repeated.  But now, the road was getting narrower and we began to doubt our judgement.  Should we?   “Make a U turn" she said again – and this time, oh for heaven’s sake, we did!  Later on, you’ll see why this was the right decision!

So, back we drove, through Seelisberg and snapping a quick shot of the most incongruous building, formerly a grand hotel but now the Global Headquarters of the Transcendental Meditation movement.  How fortunate of them to have such a beautiful spot in which to study!

Of course, our route took us back through Emmetten, where we hoped we wouldn’t get stuck behind another group of cows.  Thankfully, we didn’t and our journey back was trouble free, behind the farmer’s cattle wagon.  As he slowed down to take this corner, though, we spotted something there in the lane, right on the bend. 

He was coming to pick up one of his stragglers – one of the cows from the procession earlier was standing there with her herdswoman, waiting for a lift.  Had the cows come this far then?

Well, yes, they had, for as we indicated to turn left at the junction to join the motorway, we could see them making their way down there on the road into town. In the time we’d taken to drive beyond Seelisberg and back, the herd had walked 4 or 5km down the mountain.  Well, all but one had walked…the other had hitched a lift!

We bade them farewell and joined the motorway towards Fluelen, to make our way home via a different route.

The motorway went into a tunnel shortly afterwards and for several kilometres, we drove directly underneath the villages in which we’d just been standing. 

Driving along the opposite side of the lake, having turned the corner at Fluelen, we spotted the Meditation centre high up there on the alp and the Seelisberg viewpoint just a bit further along.  Then looking directly beneath as the wooded hillside fell directly into the lake, with no shelf nor ledge between the rock and the water, we realised that we had been right to “Make a U turn”!

An hour or so later, we were back, with just enough time to shower and change before meeting our friends.  An evening in good company with the best of Swiss hospitality was a lovely way to round off another wonderful day.

I wonder where we’ll end up tomorrow?!