What to do during winter in a small European country

So, you find yourself facing a long, dark, snowy winter somewhere in the rugged middle of Europe...what to do with yourself...?

1. Eat as many rolls as you can on Dreikoenigstag "Three Kings Day". By doing so, you might have the good fortune to bite unknowingly into an enamel-chipping miniature king which has been baked into one of the rolls. Assuming you do not need emergency medical care, you get to be king for a day!

Kevin, with teeth intact, sporting his crown.

 2. Sit in the snow and eat hot cheese. Fondue is a sort of national dish (but strangely, most Swiss, when pressed, will tell you that they much prefer Raclette). It is however disputed as to whether it comes from Switzerland or France (Savoy region (Dave will remember the Savoy wine in Evian)). Regardless of it's beginnings, Fondue is a highly entertaining way to make sure that you do not sleep for at least one night (try eating a pound of melted cheese and drinking half a bottle of wine...). It is important to eat your Fondue outside (preferably in the snow). The exact reason for this is, again, disputed, but it is usually because people do not want their houses to smell like hot cheese for the next week.

 Steam rising from the Caquelon.

 

 For the full effect, it is best if it is actually snowing while you eat.

3. Partake in cultural events. We decided to head over to Grindelwald for the annual snow sculpture competition. The day was beautiful, as was the artwork. In addition to large piles of carved snow, there was food (the obligatory hot cheese, assorted sausages, and gluehwein), and music...well it was loud at least.

 

 Some of the snow sculptures.

 

Here is one of the bands taking a coffee break. We are not sure, but it seems they were going for a 1980's disco/jungle theme. How this fits into Swiss culture, I can not say.

 

...and of course, cow bells. There were about 20 guys with gigantic cow bells. As they walked, the bells swung from side to side. It was actually quite melodic. I have no clue why they did not just walk the cows through.

Well, that is enough for now. As the winter blows along, I am sure we will discover more exciting things to do!

Tis the season to drink gluhwein...,

Well, the holidays are just about over, but we thought it would be nice to write a little something about festivities in this part of the world. After 4 years in Germany, we were not altogether sure what to expect from a Swiss Christmas. Our standard December in Hannover consisted of standing around in the cold with a couple thousand other people in the Finnish Weihnachtsmarkt drinking Glog, with the occasional foray over to the Mittelalter Weihnachts markt for a Johannisbeer Gluhwein, or simply to Kropke for a traditional Gluhwein (mit oder ohne Schuss).

       The Christmas lights around the old Marktkirche in Hannover

So, what about Switzerland? Well they also have Christmas Markets. They are typically much smaller than their German equivalents, but still well worth the visit. We tried out a couple in Bern, at the Baerenplatz and Muensterplatz and came to the conclusion that in this case, smaller was better. The comparatively tiny market at the Muensterplatz was wonderful. The imposing Church of St. Peter and Paul makes a fabulous backdrop for a relaxing evening with friends. The Baerenplatz market was typically too crowded to really enjoy (especially near the only Gluhwein stand).

A view of the Church

         Revelers (and the street, I did my best without a tripod).

In the spirit of inquiry, we also checked out a couple other Christmas Markets. One of the nicer ones that we found (the city itself is quite nice as well) was in Basel. We headed up on a freakishly cold day.

     Here are some impressively frozen water sculptures by Jean Tinguely.

The market had everything that it should, lots of little shops, gluhwein stands, food, etc. There was also a great childrens market, where the kids could do everything, including smithing their own iron candle holders and then making their own candles.

     Here are some random kids forced to bake their own bread.

     The rest of Basel was also decked out for Christmas. Lights and trees everywhere.

     And even more lights...

Just before Christmas, we popped over to Luzern to see what there was to see (In reality, we were just looking for a pet food store, and thought that we would see a bit of the country at the same time). The city is built on the north side of the Vierwaldstaettersee. I feel a bit like a bit of a broken record here, but yet again, this is a beautiful town. There are very few places here that are not beautiful, but I will continue writing it none the less. One of the high points of Luzern for us at least were the wooden bridges over the river. They have bizarre paintings of skeletons enacting scenes from the history of the town...neat.

     View of Luzern from the Kapelbruecke.

And then it was Christmas. We would like to thank everyone for the wonderful gifts. We had a great time (and so did the cats).

     Sid looking not unlike the Grinch.


     And on to December 31.
For New Year's Eve, we walked across the hallway to the neighbour's apartment and had a wonderful evening with some of their friends. We had a traditional evening with raclette and wine (followed by bubbly of course). For those who have never had it, raclette is one of the culinary joys of Switzerland. It essentially consists of melted cheese and potatoes (see cheese melting below). It was originally done over an open flame, but the times have progressed, and now there are handy raclette ovens for any number of people. You do of course gain sustenance by eating it, but the true reason to have raclette (or most Swiss foods) is to take your time and talk with friends. (Really, a fairly large amount of Swiss life revolves around spending time with friends and family)

After raclette, we watched the local hooligans set off fireworks, and then went inside to light the "Tischbomb" or table bomb. I have no idea if this is a typical Swiss tradition, but it was rather entertaining (especially after a lot of good wine). The bomb explodes and all kinds of toys, noise makers, and magic tricks come flying out.

 Among the other exciting things in the table bomb were some rather convincing disguises...

Happy New Year!