UNEXPECTED SWISS DELIGHTS!
COWBELLS
As you wander through the Lauterbrunnen Valley, you hear the beautiful sounds of the many cowbells clanging in the distance, and you know you're in Switzerland. In addition to finding wayward livestock, cowbells play an important role in Swiss festivals. When the weather warms and the snow melts, cows are adorned with fancy cowbells held on with decorative collars and are marched up to higher grounds where they "summer" and take advantage of the fresh food.
Most of these cows produce milk that is ideal for cheese production. There's a cheese shop in Lauterbrunnen that has a wide variety of local cheeses. Add a bottle of wine and that's all you need for a well-deserved meal after a long hike in the Alps! |
SWISS LOG STACKING and HAY BALING
A testimony to the exacting nature of the Swiss, we were mesmerized by these displays of wood storage. How do they do that?
While the cows are munching in the high country during the summer, farmers in the valley are growing hay to feed them in the winter. We paused a moment on our walk through the valley to watch these hay bales being transported and stored.