Cow Update

I talked about the cow concert, but that wasn’t the end of the cow story. Yesterday we were walking around town and we heard a loud clattering, banging noise. Thinking it was a parade coming around the corner we stood on the side of the city street to see what was happening. A herd of cows, complete with big cow bells around their necks and Christmas trees tied to the tops of their heads were walking down the center of town herded by some un-cowboylike folks with sticks. Apparently the cows spend their summers up in the mountains grazing then come down to town for the winter. Their twice annual trip up and down the mountain is called Alpsabzug and the timing of our trip coincided perfectly with the winter move. For the rest of the day we had to step around the piles of cow manure in the streets but today’s rain finished off that problem.

We never did hear why the cows are decorated with Christmas trees on their heads, but we will try to figure it out for the next chapter of the cow story.

I have written a little about how we have split up our responsibilities on the road to play to our strengths, but the more time we spend on the road the more clear those unique roles have become. I don’t mean things like laundry; we both wash our own laundry out in the sink every other day, or if we are in a town for several days, every day. The trick is to do the laundry with at least on complete day to dry. The real division of duties is in things like asking for help (Mike unless it is a little old lady- then Deanne), scanning the guidebooks and planning the logistics of the trains (Deanne except when Mike was excited about visiting Lungern, which he planned), managing the finances and tracking the budget (Mike, totally and completely). We spend all of our time together and talk about everything. Other than walks, which Deanne has taken alone while Mike heals, most of our day is spent together. We have our quiet times while we are working on individual projects such as blog updates or journals, but most of the time we are doing things together. We are very compatible travelers.

The more days we are in Switzerland the more German I am remembering. Those five years of German in high school were not completely forgotten. This morning I asked the kitchen helper to refill the coffee and I asked her for our bread basket. When the owner came in, I greeted her formally (and correctly) and earned a smile. She is an older woman who speaks English very well, but she is being very helpful with my stabs at German. Mike and I are both trying to improve our language skills as we move from country to country, but it is sometimes hard to remember where you are and what language to use. Over the past week we have both found ourselves thanking someone for our food with a quick, “Grazie”.

The weather is starting to get cold. It has been raining some nights, which is quite cozy in our fourth (top) floor room with the sloped, wood paneling ceiling. We hear the rain falling on the roof all night then wake to a chilly, but clear and beautiful day. We have been taking strolls through town each morning, then while Mike rests his foot, I take longer walks out into the countryside in the afternoons. Interlakken has been a restful stop for us.

We found the fitness club. It is "geschlossen". Not exactly sure why it is closed until October 5, perhaps vacation, but we aren't working out at the fitness club.

Deanne