18 April 2011
Appenzell
Last week I went on another lovely excursion with the American Women's Club. This time it was on the train to Appenzell, a Heidi-like small town near the German Border. The trip was a gourmet delight! We had a wonderful guide who loaded us up with food and facts.
Our first stop was in the middle of the road - literally! A local artist put in a round turntable right smack in the middle of the road. His rationale? He wanted all the tourists visiting Appenzell to be able to stand on the circle facing outwards and take in the whole panorama in two minutes. He also built a table and two chairs by the bubbling brook. In the summer, a drawer opens up intermitently under the table and a waterfall gushes out. Unfortunately, it had not yet been turned on for the summer.
So ... a table was placed in the middle of the turntable. It contained a local white wine and a focaccia like bread with Appenzell cheese on top. Yum! There we were, all crowded around a revolving disc in the center of the road, stuffing our faces!
For the next two and a half hours, we followed our guide through the lovely old town, the center of which is mostly pedestrian only. We stopped at a meat shop to sample wonderful cold cuts and salamis; a bakery where we sampled different breads, including a delicious pear bread and a bread stuffed with hazelnut paste; a hotel where we sampled the local beers; and, of course, a cheese shop to try some of the famous Appenzell cheese.
We also peered into windows where we saw the crafts of the area: leatherwork and silverwork, lace making and primitive folk art featuring lots of cows. Our guide shared pictures of the local folk costumes: for the women tall hats that would look appropriate on the Flying Nun's head and a large spoon worn in a farmer's right ear.
The area is famous for its Landesgemeinde, an open-air parliament where citizens vote directly on major issues. We saw the square where Appenzell's 1000 citizens gather annually and vote with a show of hands (although some of the men still follow the traditional custom of bringing a sword to raise). One year, the vote was so close that candidates voting for one guy had to go into a building on one side of the square while those voting for his opponent went to a building on the other side. Each citizen had to walk through a hallway, single file, which made it easier to count.
Some of the buildings date from the late 1500's, following a fire in 1560 that destroyed most of the old wooden buildings in the town. The town is famous for the pastel colored murals that cover the facades.
There is a lovely old Catholic church with an organ that has around 1200 pipes (I think she said.) Behind the church is a cemetary with unusual burial markings. The ones covered with black linen scarves are for adult; the white is for children. Bodies only rent the space for twenty-five years. Not sure what they do with them afterward ... maybe send them off to the Catacombs in Paris?
It was overcast most of the day and so the pictures aren't great. But hopefully they'll give you an idea of this charming little town surrounded by gentle hills and mountains and hiking trails.
www.appenzell.ch
Appenzell
Last week I went on another lovely excursion with the American Women's Club. This time it was on the train to Appenzell, a Heidi-like small town near the German Border. The trip was a gourmet delight! We had a wonderful guide who loaded us up with food and facts.
Our first stop was in the middle of the road - literally! A local artist put in a round turntable right smack in the middle of the road. His rationale? He wanted all the tourists visiting Appenzell to be able to stand on the circle facing outwards and take in the whole panorama in two minutes. He also built a table and two chairs by the bubbling brook. In the summer, a drawer opens up intermitently under the table and a waterfall gushes out. Unfortunately, it had not yet been turned on for the summer.
So ... a table was placed in the middle of the turntable. It contained a local white wine and a focaccia like bread with Appenzell cheese on top. Yum! There we were, all crowded around a revolving disc in the center of the road, stuffing our faces!
For the next two and a half hours, we followed our guide through the lovely old town, the center of which is mostly pedestrian only. We stopped at a meat shop to sample wonderful cold cuts and salamis; a bakery where we sampled different breads, including a delicious pear bread and a bread stuffed with hazelnut paste; a hotel where we sampled the local beers; and, of course, a cheese shop to try some of the famous Appenzell cheese.
We also peered into windows where we saw the crafts of the area: leatherwork and silverwork, lace making and primitive folk art featuring lots of cows. Our guide shared pictures of the local folk costumes: for the women tall hats that would look appropriate on the Flying Nun's head and a large spoon worn in a farmer's right ear.
The area is famous for its Landesgemeinde, an open-air parliament where citizens vote directly on major issues. We saw the square where Appenzell's 1000 citizens gather annually and vote with a show of hands (although some of the men still follow the traditional custom of bringing a sword to raise). One year, the vote was so close that candidates voting for one guy had to go into a building on one side of the square while those voting for his opponent went to a building on the other side. Each citizen had to walk through a hallway, single file, which made it easier to count.
Some of the buildings date from the late 1500's, following a fire in 1560 that destroyed most of the old wooden buildings in the town. The town is famous for the pastel colored murals that cover the facades.
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| This is the oldest house in the town. |
It was overcast most of the day and so the pictures aren't great. But hopefully they'll give you an idea of this charming little town surrounded by gentle hills and mountains and hiking trails.
www.appenzell.ch
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