Today my wife, kids and I headed to Gstaad and the surrounding area. The main draw was a very small festival to recognize "the most beautiful cow in the alps." I'm not making that up. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of cows here and there are numerous festivals celebrating them. Among the best are the Des Alpes festivals in the Fall in recognition of the cows' return from the high summer pastures. The cows are adorned and wearing larger than usual ceremonial bells. Since we only learned of the beautiful cow event, we didn't know what to expect but it sounded like it would be worth seeing.
So this morning we hopped on one of the scenic train lines that combine transportation with incredible views.
The train passes through a number of very quaint towns. This one, Les Avants, is quite close to Montreux.
After arriving at our destination, we began the hike up to the Alpage -- a mountain pasture and farm house -- where the celebration was taking place. While not in the high mountains, the area is quite beautiful.
Despite spending the first 47 years of my life in Wilmington, Delaware; St. Louis, Missouri; and Columbus, Ohio; flat places all, mountains are the terrain I now love best.
I often wonder if Swiss cows understand how good they have it. Not only do they enjoy fantastic scenery, they are typically treated quite well. I used to refer to flying coach as going "cattle class" but can no longer do that since no Swiss farmer would allow one of his cows to go through that hell. :)
We passed over the summit of this small mountain (1832m) and then down a bit on the other side to get to the party. Almost there.
We're a bit skeptical about this being the most beautiful cow in the alps. Not because of any deficiency in the cow but because the size of the celebration implies that the competition may not have been very far-reaching. There was much food and drink and then the guest of honor arrived. She was serenaded by folk music which was wonderful to hear. Then a bit of wine to toast the winner. It was a completely charming event that I'm very glad we decided to see.
"Here she is, Miss Most Beautiful Cow in the Alps..." Where's Burt Parks when you need him?
This is the view from our table at the festival, enhanced, of course, by a certain timepiece.
A Nad shot through the train window on the way home.
Moon-rise over the mountains.
And finally, almost back home.
Thanks for coming along. I hope everyone enjoys it.
