Saturday May 16 we said good-bye to Geri in the morning and got picked up by Othmar and Esther Weber. They took us a scenic route through Switzerland, where we stopped at a few places to get out and see them. Our first stop was at Alpschaukäserei Schwägalp. It is a little cheese factory/shop in the mountains. Othmar had been a cheese-maker by profession so he wanted to show us different places that make cheese. He hadn't worked at this location, but we went anyway!
Instantly upon walking inside, the odor of cheese was in the air. It was kind of stinky, to be honest and not the best smell ever. Unfortunately they weren't making a batch at that moment, but we still could look through the observation windows to see the machines and such they use to make the choose. Othmar pointed things out to us and told us the process.
They had a large container with different cheeses in it and we were able to sample some. They were good! We bought some for our trip.
Glenn and the cow. :D
Just across from this little cheese factory/shop was a ski resort.
We walked up a bit and looked around. It was very cloudy/foggy that day so we couldn't see the tops of the mountains, unfortunately, but it was still beautiful! The resort had a cable car that took people us to the top. It was fun watching it disappear into the fog.
On our drive, Esther told us about a tradition that still happens today: farmers taking their cows up to the mountains to graze on the good grass . As we were coming down from the cheese shop, we could hear lots and lots of bells. We pulled over and saw that this tradition of bringing the cows to the mountainside was happening--right before our eyes!! It was so fun for us to see it right in front of us!
I loved seeing these old homes dot the countryside. It was so green and peaceful there.
We made our way to _________________ where Othmar and Esther once lived. Here Othmar had a cheese and yogurt-making shop. We stopped to see it, even though it has since changed a little. The woman who now owns it was very kind, letting Othmar look around and talk about his shop and what he used to do. We chose another kind of cheese from this store to also take with us.
We walked around this old city, looking at the old Swiss architecture, the details on the buildings and even the little blessings/prayers they used to paint on their homes.
We continued our drive through the country and saw old bridges, quaint churches and picturesque villages.
Finally we came to Stein Am Rhein. It is a scenic city on the Rhine River. It nears the border between Switzerland and Germany. Othmar's family had lived in this city when he was a little boy. He showed us different homes and churches and places where his mother lived and where his father worked, etc. This is a view from the south, looking north and west. Othmar's mother's family had lived on this hillside and we got to see the old house and church. They even had this crucifix with years on it, depicting the years his aunts--and I believe uncles--went on missions for the Catholic church. It was amazing to me to see places that were such a part of his family history. Even though we aren't related to Othmar or Esther, it was wonderful to learn about them and their families. Maybe because I didn't grow up in one place where my father's or mother's family also grew up that it amazes me that people have that kind of history. I bet doing his family history work was pretty easy!
This white house is where Othmar grew up. His brother now lives there.
Then we crossed the river to the other side of the city and up the other hillside to the castle on top.
Glenn fell asleep on the short ride over--he was worn out from the traveling. So while climbing to the top of the castle, I held him. Then while we were inside, climbing the stairs, I passed him off to Paul. My back can only take so much of this not-so-little-anymore little boy.
Glenn did wake up though and got to run around in the castle and see the views too.
The inside of the castle was pretty interesting. Some of the levels have been turned into a restaurant and sort of museum. Other levels didn't have much in them. We liked the new stairs they installed in some parts--they were lit with a green light!
The very top ceiling was pretty neat to see--see the wooden pegs holding the beams together?
Othmar also pointed out the tile shingles on another part of the roof. It's cool how they have that little notch holding them onto the beam. They are all their individually, so if one gets damaged or something, they can easily be replaced.
There was a small chapel located inside the castle as well. It had great acoustics and I recorded Paul singing a song. Sadly, it is too large to post on the blog. But then Paul recorded Glenn singing "Silent Night". This one isn't too long, so I can share it.
Then we went down into the old part of the city. There were a few different gates/entrances inside and we happened to go in through the one with the clock.
We tried to go to the Museum Lindwurm, but it had closed for the day. So we just walked through, admiring all the old buildings with their year-built dates on them, their unique features and interesting art work. We also liked the details on the streets.
See the smiling sun?
This one was my favorite! It was a large painting on the main building in the square and in the corner the artist painted this man and woman kissing. I wonder what the story behind that is...
We also walked out to the river, then back through the streets to the car again.
As it was getting closer to later in the evening and we still needed to get groceries for Sunday and Monday, and we still needed to eat, we left the old city. We crossed the German/Swiss border a few times trying to find stores that were open. This was the gate between the border. I guess I'm slightly disappointed that Europe is now pretty open to travel between the countries because we didn't get a stamp in our passports. Boo. It's fun to get those stamps!
After grocery shopping in Germany because its stores were open later, we headed back to the Swiss side for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Gasthof Raben.
We ordered traditional Swiss meals, which I can't remember their names anymore. They were delicious! I love ordering food with Paul because we usually find a couple dishes that look good, so we order them and eat half, then switch.
After eating I noticed this absolutely large tree and had to take a picture. Othmar then told me that that building was his grade school! Seriously, though, that tree is huge!
The sun was setting and we raced to the first hillside, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. It took a bit longer than we expected to get over there, so we caught the tail end of it. So it wasn't as beautiful as it could've been, but it was still nice to say good-night to the city like this.
On the way back we drove closer to the white house where Othmar grew up.
Then we crossed over the border again in Germany because that's where Othmar and Esther were staying in an apartment for awhile. Crossing country borders for them is like crossing state lines for us. It was amazing to drive all over the Swiss countryside and then to end up in Germany at the end of the night. It was a full day of sights and we were ready to relax and rest at 'home'.
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