May 1 through 15, 2013
Austria, the country of perfect postcard beauty. The Austrian mountains. The Tyrolean area. Cared for villages, wooden houses, carvings of mountain animals, trees and flowers march along in rows of alpine designs on balcony railings. House colors of browns, greens and white, a bit of red. Farms on steep hillsides, steep swatches of crops. Heidi is up there somewhere. The mountains are sharp and craggy with snowy pockets and slides. A sunny day. Para-gliders have left a perch high up and drift downward, about 30 gliders heading to one designated spot. It must be an amazing feeling. (If the chance arises we would do it tandem with a professional. I guess we should make that happen.)
And what is that? Airplanes? No, large size remote model planes. We take a detour to watch. These are not childrens' toys. Serious fellows are taking turns showing off what their planes can do. One fellow looses his cockpit cover in flight...retrieves it and sets it back securely, and off it goes again. Another cocky young fellow is too anxious to show off and crashes his plane in minutes. And then there are the perfect flights. One red glider is the show-stopper, moving so smoothly, climbing so high. Amazing technology and such fun to watch. And as we move on down the highway we see a real glider rally, bicycle clubs moving in draft, motorcycle groups and family picnics. Certainly a day to get your kicks!
To get to Innsbruck, the most expedient way for us is to dip into Italy, into the Italian Alps and then back to Austria. We are stopped at the border. “Border control.” But we are off again quickly.
Innsbruck.
This is a former site of the Olympic Games, looking as it should, nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains in which 23 ski resorts reside. It is a stately sort of place. Stately parks, stately large buildings and wide market streets. The most noticeable of antiquities is a large clock tower at the end of one of those streets. Ornate, old and beautiful. We did not stay long but we did wander the streets and do a bit of shopping for a new pair of jeans for David. We walked into the Levis store where the saleslady grabbed a pair for David to try on. “Here, these should fit. You look 34/34.” Right on. They fit perfectly, even a size smaller in the waist than when we left home! We found a few shirts in the H&M department store. Someone said....”Go to H&M, everything is cheap and everything is cool.” Our Innsbruck souvenirs!
Our drive from Innsbruck offers our first look at heather in bloom as we stick to small high roads in the mountains. Spectacular, even in some very hard rain. The weather puts a beautiful soft veil over the landscape. We are about 30 km from Switzerland and stop for haircuts, grocery shopping and also to get a slow tire leak fixed. Overnight on the outskirts of Zurich.
May 4
The GPS takes us straight to the Scheurer-Schuler home. The family is just starting out to do their Saturday morning routine...walk to shop for groceries. It has been over 25 years since we last saw Fabian at our home in Washington State. He had red-purple hair topped by a light blue beret. A good looking lovable boy. Well, today, things have changed. His hair is threaded with grey, he is still good-looking and lovable, but he has a wife, Anna, and two children, Fanny who is four, and Quirin who is 1 ½. They are all beautiful! We are greeted like family. “Do you want to come with us to shop?” Of course we do, so we follow the leader down the hill...the leader is Fanny on her scooter. Intrepid! She charms everyone with a smile that is like sunshine peaking our from a fluffy white cloud in a blue sky. (David's mother was named Fanny so this name is special to us.) Quirin is in his stroller. He is a shy flirt...with a beguiling dimple in his smile. Anna, is alive and vivacious, fun and so easy to be with. Fabian has done well!
The Migros grocery store is great. It reminds me of Bainbridge Island's Town and Country Market. A great selection. Deli, bakery, butcher. The layout is unconventional and interesting. From here we go to the bakery down the street for coffee and nibbles on good things. Fanny and Quirin have special perches above us on a wide shelf-like kid space. Smart thinking on the proprietors part.
And off we go home. Their apartment is fabulous, in a wonderful neighborhood. It has spacious rooms. Great family rooms. We have a comfy bed in a study corner, curtained off for privacy. Long graceful white curtains made by Fabian's mom. A very nice guest space. Anna brings forth a traditional German raspberry cheesecake she has made. It is very good...a lot less sugary and more dense than we get at home. Then we are gone on another adventure.
A walk down the hill in another direction, to the middle of the oldest city section. Fabulous high-end shops, a yarn shop!, creative jewelry...a window shoppers dream. We make our way up another hill. Now Fabian has his strong Dad-hand on Fanny's back...a push to go uphill on the scooter. At the top there is a park with a great view of the city. Here there are Roman ruins beneath...and no one is allowed to build on top of this place of their history. It is to be kept for the enjoyment of Zurich's community of people.
And in a prominent place stands a stunning statue; a woman soldier with gun, in long skirt and military jacket. She portrays all the women in Zurich who dawned uniforms and weapons to save the city. All the men were away fighting when an invading enemy marched toward Zurich. The women went to stand as soldiers along the high walls. It appeared to the invaders that there were far too many soldiers. They turned and ran!
It is such a treat for us to link in with this family. It is an amazing way of life we do not experience in our travels. We are very lucky. The busy-ness. The child-needs. The book readings. Eating....speaking of eating...Anna found the time and energy to make a scrumptious German meal (both Fabian and Anna are German). Time to get pajamas on and say goodnight to the house guests. And we cannot really talk to the kids! They do not speak English of course. But it doesn't really seem to matter.
On Sunday, plans were made for a boat ride down the lake. A sunny day. Perfect for this jaunt. The boat is a steam paddle wheeler which David loved. All the workings were open to view...just lean over a rail and look down. After a few hours of viewing beautiful homes and boats and pretty hills and drinking and chatting, we got off at a perfect Swiss town. Winding streets, tall old buildings and a castle on top. Then we took a fast train home. Luxury. What a day.
Monday...a work day. Anna takes the children with her on the bus as there is a day care facility near her office. She is a family lawyer. Fabian takes the train in the opposite direction. He is....hmmmm...a hard one to explain. His company works with architects to make their designs come true. These are architects who are known to make complicated buildings...a sweep, an angle, a circle...unconventional. They draw the designs but not to scale. They don't even know how. Fabian does. He has a resume of very important impressive work.
David and I take off for a walk they have suggested. We take a funicular up a hill that overlooks their house, the city and beyond to low mountains. The top of our hill is forested and we choose a trail along its edge, 'pea patches' below. Elegant gardens with little sheds. Tables and chairs to sit in the sun. We find out that these are in demand. They get passed down within families and if you would like one of these plots, your name goes on a list...maybe for a long time. It is like going to your place in the country but it is in the city. The other great thing about this city is the myriad of trails for folks to use...wood and river walks, short cuts into town...a walker's paradise. Finally we take one of these short cuts down to the 'Spar' grocery store to pick up food for dinner. Our turn to feed the family. Tonight we say goodbye. Hard. Fabian has always been in our hearts. And now his family joins him.
May 7
We visit our friend Urs, who lives very close to Fabian. I met Urs over 30 years ago when spending a week at the Community of Findhorn in Scotland. We have kept in touch over these years and twice he has come to visit us, once on Bainbridge Island and once in Spokane.
Urs (Bear) has lived in Zurich all his life. He is definitely Swiss, and as we are to find out, very proud of it! He lives alone (oh yes, preferring to be a bachelor still at 65, but with a girlfriend we never met!) in a house that his grandfather built, where his mother grew up...that has been passed on to him. He lives also up on a hillside, but on a road that is away from traffic and just above a green belt and stream where trails meander down into town. At 10:00 a.m. we are greeting each other at his home. Good to see that familiar face and smile. Our bedroom is upstairs, with a large window facing the back garden. A huge cherry tree is in full bloom,branches almost within reach and bushes laden with yellow flowers have been densely planted just below us. This will be a lovely place to spend some time. Fresh spring air to sleep by. We visit awhile and then we are off to see some of the city. He has a plan for each day...if the weather cooperates. We call him our 'detour' guide, as he always has a little side something to show us. And if we hear him say 'excuse me' we know we had better stand at his attention as he has something important to tell us.
May8
Breakfast at one of Urs' downtown spots. He knows them all as he eats out most of the time. A delicious croissant and jam, coffee (Big American coffee?... we are asked). We are going to visit his aunt in Einsiedeen. He has many relatives, 20 cousins, but I think this is his last aunt, Marie. He has a route mapped out, a loop trip by tram, bus and train through a mountain pass, villages, lakes and towns. Gorgeous. This country is picture-perfect, too. The town of Einsiedeen is lovely to walk in and we set our first goal to the Einsiedeen Monastery Church. Here is the story of this site.
A hermit monk, St. Meinrade, wandered and lived alone here. He made friends with two black ravens who followed him everywhere. Thieves were keeping an eye on him as they had heard that he was a very rich man with lots of gold. Finally they decided to search for it, and when they found none, they killed Meinrade the monk. The ravens watched their friend's peril and returned to the nearby village. There, the villagers noticed that their hermit friend was not with them and knew something tragic had happened.
This story is illustrated in stained glass in the church. It is so unique. The two black ravens show up illustrated in many places in Einsiedeen. This monastic church and grounds is a topper. We would not have wanted to miss it. On the way to his aunt Marie's apartment we stop at a bakery...a very old one that has been there for many years, owned by the same family. Behind the sales area there is an interesting museum of photos, tools and stories of the old bakery days. Urs buys his aunt a yummy gift and we are off to meet her. There is a mystery guest waiting there also. All day I have been trying to guess who it could be. Urs just laughs.
We ring the doorbell and are greeted by two ladies. Aunt Marie and Brigid, a friend. The apartment is large and beautifully appointed. Brigid, it turns out, is Canadian, but married Mr. Bisig, a Swiss man. We know all the same places in Vancouver where she grew up and her kids grew up. But after their children were out of school her husband wanted to move back to Switzerland. She is the mystery person. She has been here so long she speaks English with a German accent. Most of her children chose to live in Canada. One son and family is here. Aunt Marie is a lovely woman who welcomes us graciously at her table for tea and a chat. A lovely afternoon.
May 9
Breakfast at another of Urs' favorite places before we board a train to go to the 'Top of Zurich'. We hike up in the woods from the train stop and reach views of the city, rivers, hills. It helps us to place the areas we have been visiting into a whole. David climbs a tower to a higher vantage point for photos. I watch young people run up the tower stairs. It is a bit of a reminder of how far I have come in my 71 years. Never one for running, certainly not upstairs, I get everywhere at my own happy speed and time, which is definitely not as fast as David with his long legs. You can't look about when you are moving too fast! That is not a new idea...it has been a mantra since I can remember. The slow, steady turtle. Even my kayak paddle moves strong and slow and rhythmic.
Next on Urs' list is the art museum, a Marc Chagall exhibit. Chagall's homeland was Russia, were he lived in the Jewish culture, the folklore and rituals influencing his modern symbolism. He tells captivating stories of his own life in his fun fantasies, using bold color and a myriad of twisted images. Of course I cannot decipher all the meanings, it is enough to speculate and enjoy. Sometimes the titles help you through, such as 'Paris Through the Window'.
And on to our last adventure of the day. Our detour director keeps us occupied and interested, but this last event is pure fun. We climb aboard a 1930s tram and tour the city for an hour and a half while we eat, drink, laugh and talk. Good idea, Urs!
There are signs for Muttertags Brunch! It is almost Mothers' Day.
May 10
MURI. Urs has been showing us outstanding churches. Here is a Baroque church and museum. Old and beautiful with detailed stained glass windows that look out on to the cloister. At one time this was a Catholic monastery.
WINDISCH. A medieval church. Extensive stained glass. Today it seems a performing hall. At the alter end are metal bleachers stretched high, almost touching the ceiling. They are facing the back which has become a stage for a dance practice. I sit and watch the rehearsal. The dancers are excellent. Perfection in their movements...modern, graceful. How do they remember their sequences/routines?
We wander to an area of Roman remains. Barracks of the legionnaires...8 to a room sleeping side by side on bunks along one wall. Also a room for gathering around a fire and socializing. A Roman soldier tent was set up as it would have been originally, armor, chain mail, weapons...pots, grinder. Then a walk to an uncovered channel of water, still running today after 2,000 years!
MARTHALEN. I think we have just crossed into Germany where we experience a typical (non tourist) village. Most houses are timber-built beams in patterns, filled between these patterns with mortar/cement, whitewashed. Window boxes with bright flowers. Benches on which to sit and contemplate this beauty. Small vegetable gardens. Carved crows and owls perch on posts and rooftops. A few homes have hung out signs...'A baby born...Elena!' Funny happy animal faces. Hearts. Such a great tradition! We buy a Smiley Face (European version) cookie to walk with.
RHEINFALL. A waterfall in the Rhine river. Hard and fast it flows, not too dissimilar to the size of Spokane Falls, but the Rhine is not dammed, the flow is natural. A boat leaves the opposite shore filled with brave tourists. They cross turbulent currents, the boat sashays and fishtails seemingly out of control, making its way to a tall rock island in the very middle of the river. Mist from pounding waves rises around it. The skipper knows his way and wiggles into a dock. The brave tourists crawl out and climb a stairway to the rock islands top. We watch all this from the safety of our trail lookout high above. David and I both mentally take our kayaks along a few different routes...but there is no way though the raging white-water for our ocean boats. It is a fun and scary exercise!
May 11
Urs tells us that today will be a 'small day'...meaning perhaps a restful day? Hmm. I think not. We drive to a wonderful town...a Leavenworth sort of place but the real thing! Creativity oozing down each street. Shops of all shapes and sizes and decoration. APPENZELLER. Highest of quality offerings in crafts, art and food. A really good art museum was open. Artists we have not heard of ... always so exciting when we see good 'fresh to our eyes' art. First, the art of a father and son, Carl August Liner and Carl Walter Liner. (I believe both of these men have died.) Landscapes painted with the freedom of confident eyes and hands. Fluid. Extraordinary color. I was allowed to take photos and have just now looked at them. They show the knowing of how to keep things simple, a bit primitive, but sophisticated, and the knowing of when to take your brush away and call it finished. Wonderful. Another artist exhibiting was Stefan Steiner, a contemporary painter. Simple strokes on small boards. This I loved too. For me, a goldmine of painters in a small Swiss village.
We bought a grilled fresh sausage from a butcher. He put it in a bun for us. Exactly what we wanted to fuel us for the rest of the day. And before we left a visit to the cheese shop was on our list. There must be some good cheese here. And yes, there was nothing that was not especially good in this store, as the proprietor told us. We found a strong flavored hard and older cheese and a creamy tasty Gorgonzola, and added to that, some fig-nut bread (oh my) and salami. We left happy and munching on a traditional cookie which was wrapped with copies of the Appenzeller style paintings...sort of a Whistler's Mother type, depicting all the cozy warmth of farms in the mountains and the activities that go with it. Cows with huge bells on their necks (which we witnessed several times). Goats. A pig farmer, smoke coming out of his house in the distance. A horse packed with items for the market, on his way with owner in leiderhausen followed by their faithful dog. Always the mountains in the background. Oh, and the cookies were good too!
There was sort of a silly bicycle race going on. I think every participant had the same old style army bike...some riders had dawned a bit of a costume, including
army helmets. Nobody looked too worried about winning? At a signal, they raced off, but we found them not too far away at a pub...the bikes all lined up outside... giving them away. Seemed like a fun kind of race!
We walk through HEIDEN, where Urs shows us a statue/monument of Jean Henri Dunant, born here. He was the founder of the Red Cross. This town is on the Lake of Konstancne, very near the German border, but we are about to enter the small country of LIECHTENSTEIN which has the richest monarch (a Prince) of all Europe who lives above the Parliament Building. The capitol is the town of VADUZ. This country has a laid-back feel. Less control over the landscape. More modern buildings. Art on the streets.
In our days of travel Urs has been joking about the Kanton system in Switzerland. There are 26 Kantons, much like the state system in the US...or provinces in Canada. Some are large, some small, some surrounded by another Kanton. Each has its own sheild-shaped badge which is displayed on their license plates. And, it seems that each kanton has its own special flavor to joke about. One joke is that they call Germany the 'Grand Kanton'! As a rule, each kanton has one type of cow...IE: brown, black and white, etc. A joke: White cows give milk, brown cows give chocolate, black and white cows give black and white. (Yeh, it sort of falls flat but it is funny.)
The government was set up based on that of the United States. Instead of a president, though, there is a body of seven equal individuals. This body has a president but his duty is to remain equal but to direct and lead the discussion.
May 12
Okay, this is the day of rest. No gallivanting around until noon at the earliest. My rule! I spend the morning blog writing. I am getting behind because there is so much to write about. But at the appointed time we head out for lunch at the Kunsthaus (art museum) for lunch and a look at Indian art, Chinese, Japanese, even NW Indian art. Quite a stunning exhibition. The Rietberg Museum. The collection we see is a gift from a wealthy businessman, Eduard von der Heydt, himself a life-long meditator and expert on Asian culture, the collection of art and artifacts, his specialty.
Also included was an illustrated exhibit of an incident orchestrated by Mao Zedong called THE GIFT OF MANGOES.
It is said that in 1966 he placed the leadership of the Cultural Revolution into the hands of the students. They were to reek havoc with the old system and overthrow Mao's opponents. The young people embraced this request enthusiastically and managed to put the country into chaos. These 'Red Guards' then split into irreconcilable factions fighting for power. Mao Zedong adopted even more radical measures in an attempt to reunite these revolutionaries. He came close to succeeding but in 1968 the ideological conflict between these factions turned into battle in Beijing at the Qinghua University. Mao called for thousands of workers to form the ' Worker-Peasant Mao Zedong Thought Propaganda Teams' and to occupy the campus on July 27th. A week later Mao received a gift of Mangoes from a Pakistani foreign minister. He ordered these to be distributed to the Propaganda teams stationed at the university. These rare and unfamiliar mangoes became a 'precious gift' to these workers, showing the benevolence of their leader and became a relic of religious importance to them... an object of veneration.
I found this account interesting as I never understood the revolution of that time (not that I do now).
That evening Urs wanted to take us to the Crazy Cow for traditional Swiss food. I had Hornli...a one dish macaroni and cheese with chopped veal and baked apples. Stick to your ribs home cooked food.
May 13
The Grand Tour Finale! An overnight two day drive starting in smooth green hills, though mountain villages and very high rock mountains boasting a layer of fresh new snow. Waterfalls really fall...straight down from a mountain ledge to a 'catching place' far below. Scattered houses and barns are large...all Swiss style. The roof and walls meet in a different angle, like a filled-in sloping eve joining the wall ends. We stopped at Schallenberg pass and hiked higher for a better view, the alpine fields full of flowers. Along the way we talked with an environmental scientist who was taking his border collie for a mountain walk...a break from his job of traveling to measure designated spots for any environmental change. This is Emmental... the area of the making of the cheese we all know.
Next we are in the town of Thun on Lake Thunersee, a wide spot in the river. The old center arranged along-side. Very pretty. A French style castle on the hill. Covered walking bridges, good stores...everything clean as a 'Swiss whistle'! On through more villages, hillsides of wooden chalets with lace curtains behind green shutters, flowers cascading over balconies. Cows on steep green grades in little bunches. Sheep. I honestly have a longing to read 'Heidi' again. Snow on ridge valleys, slowly melting. One town advertises...'Come up-slow down'.
We find a hotel for Urs in SGANEN...another art-filled village nestled in magnificent mountains. Every home and business are of dark stained wood, all similar styles. In the morning we wander and find a working pottery shop, some potters throwing, some sculpting, some decorating with glazes. The work is all good and unique. This is one of those times I wish we had room in our van for a lovely hedgehog (they are becoming more rare). We find an open church of the
year 1604, built as a catholic church, now protestant. Many paintings on walls, lovely arched structures and windows.
Off for the second days adventures. The scene of hills looks like a child's game-board. The children of a family have been placing the farmhouse here, the cows there, a pen with piggies, black lambs, water troughs, tractor, vegetable garden, farmer, farmer's wife, dog and cat, stacked wood, cherry trees, forest....maybe an erasable pen comes with the game to draw in roads and paths...and yellow, lavender and white wild flowers. And more...sheds, crossed skis, fences, bridges over streams, churches. Do you think mother tells them to put it away before bed? I hope not.
The van engine grinds more slowly as we drive higher and higher. So beautiful! Mountain heather everywhere, more and more snow. Really, it is breath-taking. Do you think there are situations when we have just too much beauty around us? What are the lasting effects of the awareness of beauty in our lives?
Urs tells us that we are going up on two sky-cable cars, actually swinging boxes on cables, to the top of one of these mountains! We go up to a point where we change rides and go further. This ride is over a valley. Mountain walls rise beside us. We are up on the top! A most amazing view. Peaks as far as you can see. Jungfrau, Matterhorn, Mont Blanc.There are many opportunities to choose from up here. One can ski into the month of May...cross country ski, snowshoe or walk across the flat broad glacier expanse below...ride on the snow cat...para-glide. All these would mean a ride on the chairlift to take you down to the level of play. Urs chose this. BUT, much to our amazement, David and I chose to take a ride on the snow-coaster, set up very much like a luge track...up and down and around in a furious ride to the bottom, yes, also like a roller coaster. Advertised as the 'World's highest bobsleigh track!' I can see that the track goes close to the edge of the cliff...100's of feet straight down. We climb into the sled which sits on tracks. (How does it stay on the tracks?) David at the controls in the back (simply a fast to slow leaver) and me in the front, leaning into him and at his mercy! I screamed and screamed...laughed and laughed...”What was I thinking?”, I yell at the top of my lungs...I beg and beg...”David slow down, please, please.” We are twisting in a tight curve next to the edge. Scream, scream again. Exhilarating! David said he saw a different side of me! He told Urs that he should go down with me...well worth the money!!! Blood pumped wildly in our veins for hours...such a high!
Tomorrow we must say goodbye to Urs. What a wonderful host...and a great friend.
THOUGHTS and OBSERVATIONS:
> I love the decoration on plain cement/plaster walls. Patterns made with different but common tools. The top might be thick short horizontal lines placed randomly. The bottom, pushed-in or bumped polka-dots. Simple and fun and different than your neighbors. Not gaudy, as the markings are the same color as the walls.
> We made breakfast and lunch for our bachelor, non-cooking friend, Urs. It was fun for us and he appreciated home-cooked meals.
> In Zurich we learned about Bircher Muesli. It is yummy! Soak the muesli overnight in yogurt of any flavor and add fruit and nuts to it. Try it!
> There is a famous graffiti artist in Zurich by the name of Naeglei. He uses simple black line drawings. Much of his work is covered in glass/thick plastic so it won't be destroyed. Urs knows one of his brothers. The family is wealthy...and crazy. The father is a psychiatrist, wouldn't you know. There is a story of the brothers fighting over a piece of furniture for quite a while as they could not make a decision. No one wanted to give it up. Finally, one of the brothers just took the doors off and kept them.
> A ticket! Urs was guiding us around town on bus, tram, train one day. In the late afternoon we got on a tram. The system here is...you buy your all day tickets and you better have them just in case a roving ticket-checker is in your car. Well...you can guess. Urs handed him our tickets. “Sorry sir, the time on these has run out.” Urs could not believe this had happened. He was handed a citation. As he says...”I am on the Bad Boy list for the first time in 40 years!”
> My name, Louise, is Ludovida in German.
> A covered bicycle for two...the couple were seated side-by-side in a recumbent placement of pedals and seats...looked like a little car.
> Switzerland belongs to one of the rule-following countries. Parents teach their children the rules, the children follow them for the rest of their lives.
