Cow Parade in Schüpfheim, a Favourite Swiss Tradition

Saturday September 28, 2024 -- We entertained our California friends for three days during their yearly visit to Europe, where they always grace us with a visit and hope we can show them some new fun experiences in our country...

Back in September 2017, almost to the day (see photos HERE), we took them to Canton Glarus to experience one of Switzerland's coolest traditions: An Alpine Cow Descent, a beloved event where mountain farmers descend from their higher elevation summer farms and bring their cows down to valley bottom farms. This event consists of decorating the cows (and goats) with flowers and wide bell bands, and walking them about 10-15 kilometers down mountain roads in a sort of parade. The members of the farming families are dressed in local traditional costumes, and even the children, right down to the babies, take part in the procession. When the parades arrive at the goal villages, there are additionally alphorn players, yodeling groups, traditional dance groups that join the parade. Then there are usually market stands and beer and sausages and schnapps coffee to warm up. These events take place all over the country between middle of September and early October and are a lot of fun. 

Having thoroughly enjoyed this experience, our friends requested to see another one, so we arranged to visit one of the most popular Cow Descents in Central Switzerland, in Schüpfheim in the UNESCO Heritage Site of Entlebuch. It was such a shame that the day was cold, overcast and rainy, but thousands of spectators showed up anyway. (The commentators claimed 10,000 in attendance). I'm sure it wasn't so fun for the farmers, but most of them came into town with big smiles anyway.

When all seven families with their cows had made it from the surrounding valleys into the town of Schüpfheim we headed off to the train station for the short trip to the Kambly Cookie factory for coffee and cookie tasting.... which was a real hit, as nowhere else can you taste so many different kinds of cookies for free!

While waiting for the first of the seven families to arrive with their cows, the parade started with some local folklore groups at 10:45. The first wagon was a brass band. 

After the brass band, the local children's folklore dance group walked past, and stopped along the way to demonstrate some dances

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The children's Folklore Dance Club performed along the way

What's a cow parade without the alphorns?

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A little bit of Alphorn Music

(The commentator was way too loud in the background)

Shortly after 11 a.m. we heard the first cowbells from afar, and the first family arrived at the outskirts of Schüpfheim at 11:15. 

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First family arriving in Schüpfheim

All the equipment is coming through as well!

The family from the Alp Aebnistetten farm (from the valley just over the hill to the south of here) even came along with their children and a baby in a wagon! (The two photos with the wagon were taken by Carrie). 

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The Cheiler Family from Alp Aebnisstetten came through Schüpfheim from the opposite direction, then turned around and passed by again!

This family is from a farm called Alp Schlacht, which is actually near Sörenberg up the main side valley, a 20-km walk from here! Everyone was smiling, even with the rain and bad weather!

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There were some difficulties withe the goats!

Some very pretty goats with their sunflower belts!

Lots of sunflowers!

The covered tents were a great place to get out of the rain and have something to drink! 

There were several market stands along the road, selling handmade wooden products and cow bells. 

This family is from Alp Farneren, just on the other side of the mountain here, from the valley where we had walked through in August of this year (Photos HERE). They would have walked about 10 kilometers. 

Family from Alp Farneren.

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Family from Alp Farneren

We were headed up to the town's church when the final family made it through the town, so this one we watched and photographed from higher up!

Final family coming through town, so the event is pretty well finished. 

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Standing on the church stairs,

watching the last family walk their cows through the town

We then went into the church to have a look. This is a typical Baroque church like so many that we look at. Lovely organs, several side altars, ceiling paintings. 

After visiting the church, we were going to head to the train station, but couldn't get down the stairs any more (They were doing some final speeches, or maybe some yodeling...). We had to find a detour to get back down to the main road!

Final look at the church in Schüpfheim before we headed to the train station shortly after 1 p.m. to travel to the Kambly Cookie factory to eat free cookies!

It was only a 15-minute train ride from Schüpfheim to the Kambly Cookie Factory in Trubschachen. At the shop part of the factory, you can taste as many of the cookies as you like, for free! Even Carrie, who eats very little sugar, was tempted to try! Coffee isn't free though. And you cannot take any of the free cookies to the café part of the shop. It was a real hit, though, and a good way to end the very rainy day. And everytime we come here, Urs always buys three bags of his favourite cookies. (The cookies are "second rate" cookies sold in bulk bags, as opposed to the ones that are sold in shops). 

A coffee and some free cookies at the Kambly cookie shop was a nice way to end the rainy, cold day. (The picture of me on the bottom right was on a separate trip we did earlier in the summer). 

 

Short Walk to the Ponds and Glacier Boulders near Wohlen in the Freiamt Region

Friday October 11, 2024 -- A rare nice sunny window this afternoon so I visited a friend for an afternoon coffee and a small walk near where she lives, in the forests above the city of Wohlen in Canton Aargau, in an area called the Freiamt, a region shaped primarily by the retreat of Alpine Glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. (Only about an hour's travel time from where I live. When I left home it was raining quite heavily here, but just 30 kilometers to the north, the sun was already coming out!). 

There are several small forest ponds there, and in particular three interesting historical sites in the middle of the forest featuring erratic boulders transported to this region of Switzerland's Central Plateau by the alpine glaciers many thousands of years ago. The ponds also are results of indentations formed by the retreating glaciers, leaving moraine depressions full of water behind. (The depressions are still there, but the ponds have been remodeled and refilled). 

It was just a small 7½-kilometer walk we did (one which she does often) in a region I don't really get to, so it is a nice new trail to add to my hiking map, as well as a few nice photos.

Pretty flowers in someone's garden on our walk up the hillside. We started out on this walk at about 2:40 p.m. 

A small pond just as we reach the higher plateau. 

Here on the high plateau you can't see anything of the city of Wohlen, but you can just make out the outline of the pre-alp hills near Luzern (Pilatus Range etc.). 

Walking through some uncut grass between forest and meadows. There were beehives here, and what was probably a flourishing flower meadow for them to get their loot right from their front door!

In the middle of the forest was what looked like a tree farm. But then from here I insisted on trying out some "unofficial" trails to take a round-about way to the first lake, but the path was overgrown and very muddy. 

After beating our way through muddy overgrown paths, we finally reached the first pond called Steffetsmösli, an 8000m² forest pond under regional protection. 

This particular pond is quite full of lily roses. Also, the water is nicely reflecting the blue skies as the clouds are clearing here in this region (not like just 30 km away at my home where it was raining!)

We walked along this pond first to the west along its north side, and then back again on its south side. 

On the east side of the pond is information about the creation of the three forest ponds here, created by the retreating glaciers about 20,000 years ago as depressions were left in the moraines. These forest ponds are under regional protection. 

About 20 minutes later, we got to the largest of the three ponds called Cholmoos. 

First we walked all the way around the lake, then on a short side path, headed for some benches at its shores. We sat here for a few minutes enjoying the sunshine, but those other people were talking too much, so we left soon afterwards. 

The Cholmoos pond was also very full of lily pads, and here there were still some of the water lilies in full bloom. 

Water lilies on the Cholmoos pond

There were also a few coots swimming in the pond. There are probably lots of ducks here at warmer times of the year!

Lovely sunshine on our forest and pond walk. 

Continuing on our walk, we took a detour to the first of the three erratic stone sites (large boulders left behind by the retreating glaciers about 20,000 years ago) that are located here in the forest near Wohlen. 

From this angle, you can see that this might have made a decent roof to take refuge under. This erratic stone has the name of "Bettlerstein", or "Beggars' Stone", as legend has it that homeless people would sometimes take refuge here. 

The most well-known of the three sites is the "Erdmannlistein". The stones that are stacked up here are the largest preserved erratics in the region.  

There are six large boulders measuring between 5m² and 20m². Although their placement might have been purely random through the retreat of the glacier ice, it is posited that these stones might have been manually stacked here for ceremonial or astronomical reasons. (Nearby rocks also seem to have been manually placed with regards to the sun's position).   

Additionally, there is a legend surrounding these stones. The legend claims that small human-like creatures called "Erdmännchen" (like gnomes or leprechauns) lived in the hollow between the boulders. If a person walked around the stones seven times holding their breath, and then offered them some vegetables, they would have been rewarded with a gnome dance. But if someone hit the boulders, it meant a gnome lost their head. Apparently some bad people threw stones into the hollow under the stones, and after witnessing loud cries, there were no more sightings of the gnomes. 

We didn't go see the third pond, nor the site of the third set of erratic boulders, as it was 5 p.m. already and we could just make it to the small train stop near the Erdmannli site. At the train stop are stone sculptures of what the little gnomes might have looked like!

Just a small two-hour afternoon walk near the large city of Wohlen, but interesting to learn about the geology of the terrain! Originally we wanted to walk all the way to Bremgarten and take the train back from there, but we ran out of time due to unfortunate detours through the forest to get to the ponds!

What this 2-hour (7½ kms) walk looks like on Google Satellite Maps.

On the train ride from Wohlen southwards to Rotkreuz. There are some neat cloud formations in the sky. 

This train line (actually between Lenzburg and Rotkreuz) is a scenic one, as you get a lot of views of the Reuss River and the farmlands between here and Zug. 

On clear days you can see all the way to the Uri Alps and good views of Mounts Rigi and Pilatus. But not today!

These are the hikes we have done along the Reuss River and in the Freiamt region between Muri, Bremgarten and Lenzburg. It looks like we really need to find some trails to walk in this region! It would be a good area for lake autumn and nice winter days, as the snow doesn't stay much here. 

Day 2 of two-day trip to Canton Valais: Binn Valley in Upper Wallis

Sunday October 6, 2024 -- The weather on Sunday wasn't nearly as good as the day before, but because we had decided to spend a night in the area, we planned another hike in the region. Our accommodation for the night was in the city of Brig, which is very centrally located in Canton Wallis. The hike we did on Saturday (Photos HERE) was about an hour west of Brig in Lower Valais (more French-speaking area), so for Sunday we decided to go east in the direction of Fiesch in the Upper Wallis, where German is spoken. Back in 2014 we had rented a small chalet for a week near Fiesch and done some outings from there as a base, and we had discovered the Binn Valley at the time (Photos HERE), but hadn't been there since. 

We left the train station in Brig at 9:23 and got to the start of hour hike further back in the Binn Valley at about 10:30. We soon found out that this valley is known for its many minerals and mined crystals, and saw many displays of these on our walk back down the valley. Our goal was to go as far out as possible, but we only made it back to Ausserbinn, less than a 10-km and three-hour walk. But we took it easy, admiring all the houses and chapels, and the outdoor sculptures in the Twingi Gorge. (Side note: The Twingi Gorge has been used as an important passage to Italy and a trade route since before Roman Times, as well as a popular pilgrimage route during the Baroque Era). To make access easier, a road was built through the gorge in the 1930s, but even that became difficult to navigate especially in winter, so a tunnel was built in 1964 to bypass the gorge, and the old road is now a very lovely hiking trail.

We had little sunshine this day, but it was quite alright to do a valley hike like this one. 

We left our hotel in Brig at about 9 a.m. and headed by train to Fiesch, from where we took a bus into the Binn Valley. The bus passes through the very pretty village of Ernen, which we had a close look at back in August 2014 when we spent a week in a vacation home in Fiesch. 

There are some very pretty houses in Ernen, and it would definitely be worth coming again. Back in 2014, when we visited the church, there was a fellow there playing the bells (carillon) who told us that he was retiring soon but could not find anyone to replace him. Seems to be a lost art. 

Heading into the Binn valley now: The roads are very narrow that it is difficult for two cars to pass. 

These houses along the Binn Valley road are in a village called Ausserbinn, which was actually where we ended our hike later in the day (3:30 p.m.), and caught the bus back to Fiesch from here. 

Once through the tunnel, the bus passes through the village of Binn, which we walked through on our way back down the valley. The large building is the historical Ofenhorn Hotel. 

We got to the hamlet of Fäld (or Imfeld), end of the bus line, at about 10:35. (An hour and 15 minutes travel time from Brig). This is where we started our hike and walked back out of the valley. 

Road signs and maps call this place Fäld, but it is also known as "Im Feld", pronounced the same way. It means "In the Field". 

We discovered that there is a lot of mining for crystals and minerals in this valley, and here was an actual mineral museum (closed) and a mineral shop (also closed). We peeked at all the crystals and rocks through the window, but this one displayed in front of the shop is magnificent!

Wandering through Fäld. 

Heading up and down the alleyways between the houses in Fäld.

Ah yes, the village chapel! Is it locked?

The chapel was open, so we did have a look inside. I thought the door must be only for decoration, with those potted flowers on the steps. This Chapel (St.Martin's) was built in 1660.

Looking down from the site of the chapel is a small restaurant (where the two people are sitting). The owner had just opened the restaurant, coming from her home on the other side of the alley. 

We spent over half an hour inspecting this little hamlet. 

At the very edge of the village is a sign which reads: "Welcome to the the most beautiful village square in Switzerland". 

Intersting information about the village of Fäld: There was a fire in 1598 which destroyed the entire village (14 houses) except for one single house at the top of the village. Immediately after the fire, seven or eight of the houses were rebuilt on the old foundations. 

At 11:20 we were ready to start our hike down the valley toward Binn, and from there through the Twingi Gorge, i.e. the side valley to the right of the mountain in the back. 

Our actual hike started at 11:20 in Fäld, and we got back on the bus at Ausserbinn at 3:30 p.m. We took our time enjoying the wooden houses, the chapels, and the magnificent gorge. This was an easy hike, about 10 km and 3 hours. 

It was nice to walk with the sound of cowbells, still in the pastures this high at the back of the valley. 

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There was some argument in the cow pastures:

And there were still some meadow flowers! The large clefts in the moutain ahead of us were pretty spectacular. 

A look behind us at the hamlet of Fäld as we head down the valley. 

A nice small comfortable trail makes walking fun. 

Far up ahead past the rooftops of Binn is a church we want to visit later. 

Entering the village of Binn from the east side. 

The most dominant building in Binn is the historical Ofenhorn Hotel, here since 1883. 

Information about the community of Binn: First became renowned in the mid 19th-Century when the first tourists from England discovered the Binn Valley and its minerals. The largest building is the Ofenhorn Hotel from 1883, which has as status in the inventory of "Swiss Historic Hotels". The stone bridge over the Binna River was built in 1564. 

We popped into the Ofenhorn Hotel to look around a bit. There was a very nice display of crystals in the foyer as well. 

View from the Ofenhorn Hotel's glassed-in terrace on the river side. Urs would have liked to have a coffee in the this room, but it was heated too much and I wasn't prepared to change into lighter clothes for a coffee!

I always like the little buildings (granaries) on the mushroom posts!

Main street in Binn, including a small grocery store. 

Looking up the Binna River from the little stone bridge. Urs is on his way to another shop selling crystals and minerals. 

This valley is really a hotbed of minerals and crystals of all kinds!

The mask hanging on this wall is a traditional mask of the Lötschen Valley in Canton Valais.  These masks are called Tschäggätä. They are usually much more hideous-looking.  

The stone bridge over the Binna River dates from 1564

View down the river (from the bridge) to the church we are headed to next. 

This is a fun detail on the side of a house!

On display is an old flax and hemp mill. 

An old typed description and pencil drawings explain that from centuries ago until 1940, hemp and flax were grown on the southern slopes in the valley and processed into fabrics. The diagrams show various apparatus for this process. 

Now we are off to see St.Michael's church, a small detour on our planned trail. 

A little cemetery tucked in between a residence and the church. 

Interesting how the church is tucked between the residences. 

We went in to look at the interior of the church, but there were people practising musical instruments for a concert. The strange instrument that lady is playing is called a "Hackbrett" or Dulcimer. (The tune she was playing was not very melodious, though). 

Details of this church and cemetery. The date above the door reads 1565. 

We sat on a bench next to the wall to eat our sandwiches at 1 p.m. This was our view. 

Heading back down from the little church on the hill to continue on our walk down the valley. This is the last look at the village of Binn. 

A nice little forested section.

This is now at the junction of the other valley called the Lengtal. Just three kilometers into this valley is the pilgrimage church of Heiligkreuz (Holy Cross), one of the most popular pilgrim churches in the Upper Wallis in during the Baroque Era. Major storms this summer caused lots of damage there, and the restaurant is closed, as are the hiking trails into the side valleys. 

This little hamlet called Ze Binne sits on a promontory above the reservoir lake at the entrance to the Zwingi Gorge. The hamlet was first mentioned in documents of 1395. The St.Sebastian Chapel in Ze Binne was built in 1725. 

Here in Ze Binne is where we started our 2014 hike down the Binn Valley, the only other time we were here. (Photos are HERE). 

In 2014 we walked from here to Grengiols, an approximately 3-hour hike through the Twingi Gorge. This time we are headed towards Ernen, although not that far. (1 hour 20 minutes to Ausserbinn). The road through the gorge, built in 1930's is 2.4 kilometers long. Because the road was difficult to navigate in winter, a 1.8-kilometer tunnel was built in 1964 to bypass the gorge road, which is now a pedestrian trail.  

At the start of the trail there is information about the history of the Twingi Gorge and the construction of the road in the 1930s. This photo of the Postauto bus in the 1950's is kind of neat. 

As we started along the road, we were surprised by this collection of red birdhouses on that tree, and then I had a memory of an art display that we experienced along this road 10 years ago. Sure enough, there was a small sign with a description next to the tree describing the piece. So we kept our eyes open for other such displays along the way. 

The cliff walls on the south side of the Twingi Gorge

An easy walk along the Twingi Road. 

At some point I saw a molded rabbit in a small cave. Then later another and another, obviously made of cow dung. By that time I figured this can't just be a random person hiking here and molding cow dung. Sure enough, by the time we got to the other end of the road, it was confirmed that this is an art exhibition, running from the 16th of June to the 13th of October, and that the rabbits were part of the exhibition. 

View down the Twingi Gorge to the Bettmerhorn-Eggishorn Ridge in the Aletsch Arena.

Tunnels along the way always make a trail more interesting. 

Old Twingi Road built in the 1930's, but no longer in use for vehicle traffic

View back up the gorge. 

The disc above me was another one of the art pieces. Most of the displays were pretty weird. The creators of the art pieces are from all around the country. 

By the time we got to the other end of the gorge road, it was confirmed that this was indeed an art exhibition. The rabbit art is called "Schisshasen", literally translated to "Shit Rabbits", but a play on words because figuratively it means "Scaredy Cats". Apparently there were 10 such rabbits made of cow dung along the trail, but we only saw three of them. Had we started on the other side of the gorge road, I would have known this and looked out for them better. Also, I can submit my photos now and maybe win a limited edition "Dung Rabbit" as a prize! Also, it looks like today was the last day of the exhibition. 

It's 2:26 p.m. now, and the bus reaches Ausserbinn (on the way out of the valley) at 15:30, so we have an hour to get there (any other bus stations past that would be cutting it too close). As it turns out, we took longer than the 25 minutes expected!

Heading toward another small side-ravine which we have to descend before heading back to the main road and Ausserbinn (on the right). 

Across the Rhône Valley, a close-up look at the summit of Mt.Eggishorn on the right, the summit station of the Fiescheralp-Eggishorn cableway, and the houses at Fiescheralp on the left. Behind this ridge is the massive Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps. 

Also some interesting fungi on this trail!

We had to descend into a small ravine through which a side stream flowed to enter the Binna River. From there, a similar ascent back to the road. 

It took us 45 minutes to get here to Ausserbinn, instead of the expeced 25! We still had 10 minutes for a quick look at the village church.  

A short walk up through the alleys of Ausserbinn to the small church there. 

Small chapel in Ausserbinn. It was open so we had a look. 

The date above the door on the lintel reads 1614. 

From beside the church, a look up the Twingi Gorge. Now we have a bit of sunshine!

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps, starting in Fäld higher up in the Binn Valley, and walking through the Twingi Gorge to Ausserbinn. It was about a 3-hour hike, but the whole outing was about 4½ hours. 

Bus ride back down to Fiesch train station via the village of Ernen. 

From Fiesch it is about the same time to return home via Andermatt as via Brig/Bern (3¾ hours). We always prefer the Andermatt route. We caught this train in Fiesch just before 4 p.m. and were home by 7:45 p.m. 

Heading up through the Goms region toward Oberwald we pass a fairly new suspension bridge at Bellwald. The town across the gorge is called Mühlebach, and back in 2014 we walked from Ernen to Mühlebach and then here to Bellwald, but the bridge had not been built yet, and so we had to descend into the ravine and out again to get here. 

This region called the Upper Goms (right before the train heads through the Furka Base Tunnel) is wide and open and very popular for cross-country skiing in winter. This is still Canton Wallis, and on the other side of the tunnel is Canton Uri. 

The various hikes we have done around the area of Fiesch and the Binn Valley. 

Where the Binn Valley is located within Switzerland. 

On the artist's Website www.pierabuchli.ch,  I found this picture in her portfolio, which seem to be the locations of the 10 "Dung Rabbits" !