The Events of Monday, July 18, 2011

            Church bells and cowbells. What a pleasant way to be awakened! Here in the lovely Swiss countryside, the church bells ring in the hour, and cowbells constantly chime. In fact, I was surprised to hear them even while in the shower. Opening the bathroom window, I soon discovered why. This Swiss Chalet and its immediate neighbor are constructed like many we have seen, with the house in the front attached to the barn in the back. The bathroom window opened less than a foot from the barn portion of the house next door. Seeing that the window was not screened, I closed it quickly to keep the bugs out.

            As we prepared for today, I could feel my excitement growing. As the family’s tour guide for Switzerland, I had something very special planned for today and was praying it would be all I remembered it to be. Thirty years ago, my twin sister Pat and I traveled to Europe. After spending three weeks with a German host family, we journeyed alone to Switzerland to join a bus tour of the country. One day our tour took us to a “tourist trap” of Swiss folklore and song. There we heard the Alphorn performed for the first time. Then the big moment arrived. The invitation was made to come up on stage and try to play the Alphorn. Being brass players, we were the only ones to make music instead of sounding like sick cows. And we were hooked. We purchased a pair of Alphorns, as well as some matching dirndls, and spent the next several years, through college, traveling the greater Bay Area performing at Oktoberfests and at Swiss and German restaurants. Jim carried my Alphorn to the top of Half Dome so I could play it there. All the kids know how to play and have performed at Elk Grove multicultural events. And today, if all went as planned, I was going to take the family back to the same “tourist trap” restaurant where it all began.

            The hour-plus-long drive to Lucerne was filled with spectacular sights. As we oohed and awed, the conversation turned to the many reasons why we were glad we saved Switzerland for the end of our travels. One recurring reason was the beauty of the landscapes. Compared to the waterfalls cascading off the Alps into the valleys below, the waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge seem like mere trickles. We passed through luscious green valleys under towering Alpine peaks as our path wound through tunnels and around mountains. At one point we emerged from under a large rocky overhang to find ourselves driving through sun-streaked fog. It was simply gorgeous and surreal.

            Arriving at Lucerne, we parked at the train station. As we entered in search of the TI, Jim sadly informed me that parking was going to cost about $10/hour. Ouch. We have noticed that Switzerland is very expensive, despite a fairly favorable exchange rate. However, this was so outrageously expensive that Jim wanted to check in the TI to find parking with better rates. But Ben, our other numbers guy, came to the rescue. He humbly informed his Dad that his math was wrong and it would probably cost us about 10 SF for the day, not the hour. However, Ben couldn’t figure out where his Dad’s math had gone wrong, just that it had. We entered the TI with Ben still beaming in his smartness.  Picking up a map of the city and getting a few questions answered, we were soon on our way.

            Our walking tour of Lucerne had a fitful start. After reading about the huge stone arch which used to be the entrance to the old train station, I spied some free WCs (also a rarity here in expensive Switzerland) and made the necessary detour. I read to the family about the next stop and then as we were crossing the street, we discovered the post office. Another detour and Abby emerged with Switzerland postage for her last letter home to Uncle Scott. Finally we arrived at Luzern’s famous Chapel Bridge. This picturesque covered wooden bridge is adorned with flower boxes overflowing with color. It is decorated with paintings showing the development of the town. We viewed a few of these and the water tower before retracing our steps and visiting the Jesuit church. This first Baroque church in Switzerland is dedicated to Francis Xavier and also has a niche dedicated to the only Swiss saint, Brother Klaus. The statue of Brother Klaus wears his original robe and his gilded walking stick is encased below his feet. Ever a humble servant of the Lord, his ornate walking stick did not fit with his hermit image. Lindsey and Caitlin really liked this church, returning to visit it again at the end of our day. Lindsey felt that the swirly decorations and molded ceilings would not distract her from worship but would help her enter in more fully.

            Since the time of our reservations at the Swiss Folklore Restaurant Stadtkeller was drawing near, we paused our tour and headed back over the Chapel Bridge, all the way this time, and found our way to the restaurant. The lunch show was to begin at 12:15. We arrived around 11:40 hoping to be able to enjoy our lunch before being distracted by the entertainment. We were the first to arrive and enjoyed the focused attention of the wait staff.

            Meals at the Stadtkeller can be ordered a la carte, with the cost of the show added on, or set menus can be ordered with the show included in the price. We opted for the set menu and each chose a different one so we could engage in our now standard “bite and pass” routine and sample a variety of Swiss cuisine. Jim ordered the Rassiges Gemüsecurry mit Bratreis, a hot curry dish (which didn’t turn out to be that hot). I chose the Geschnetzeltes Kalbsfleisch an Pilzrahmsauce, strips of veal in a delicious mushroom sauce. It was served with Rösti, a Swiss special form of hashbrowns. Caitlin picked the Fisch aus dem See Pilz, Mais und Kräutersauce Rösti und Rahmspinat, which was Lakefish with mushrooms, sweet corn and herb sauce accompanied by Rösti and creamed spinach. Ben branched out a bit and ordered the Fondue Bourgouignonne Schweine und Pouletfleisch mit verschiedenen Saucen, Pommes-frites, pork and chicken fondue with French fries on the side. Lindsey drew the short straw and ordered the Kalbsbratwurst und Rösti, Swiss veal sausage and Rösti. Abby joined Ben in the fondue adventure, ordering the beef fondue or Fondue Bourguignonnemit hausgemachten Saucen, Pommes frites.

            Four of the meals came with a cheese fondue appetizer and they all came with an incredible salad and fun dessert. The cheese fondue arrived first and our thoughtful waitress, Linda, brought fondue forks for Abby and Ben so they could share in the fun. We ran out of cheese before we ran out of bread, so Linda supplied us with more cheese…..and then another whole basket full of bread. I was wary as to where this meal was headed. We were getting stuffed after only the first course. The salads that arrived next were spectacular. Although we have been managing to find some vegetables to go with each meal, this salad had a week’s worth of veggies all finely shredded and arranged just so on the plate. There were carrots, beets, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuces, bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts. Finally some roughage! However, when our actual meals arrived, many of us were stuffed and the pace of lunch definitely slowed down. Our typical “bite and pass” didn’t work very well here for several reasons. The plates were very hot, the fondue oil was at one end of the table and the entertainment had begun, distracting us just as we expected. In the end though, everyone had at least a taste of everything and was well satisfied with the meal.

            Right on time the entertainment began. First up was a traditional Swiss band of accordion, bass fiddle, clarinet or alto saxophone and piano. They played some lively tunes and then an older lady joined them on stage. After yodeling a few songs for us she announced we were in for a treat. And what a treat it was. Not one, not two, not three, but four Alphorns soon filled the stage. I have never heard more than three played at once and the harmonies were stupendous. Next came the moment I had prepped the kids for…. the invitation to come up on stage and try to play the Alphorn. The kids all went up and Jim went forward to snap pictures. Initially I hung back, but decided to try for a repeat performance of my experience thirty years ago. Lindsey was first and patiently smiled as she was instructed how to play. Her full tones were greeted with surprise and applause. Caitlin followed and also did a good job exploring the lower range of the Alphorn tones. Later she shared that the experience reassured her that she would be able to pick up trombone fairly easily again upon our return. Ben, our trumpeter, followed and showed the audience how some high tones sounded. Abby, although eager, stumbled a bit. She is used to a bigger mouthpiece, but even so was able to make some music. The next few tourists sounded like sick cows. Then it was my turn. I started out with some basic tones, clear and bold and heard someone from the West Virginia tour group say, Taps. So I just went with the flow and finished playing Taps. When I exited the stage (to thunderous applause), one of the band members approached me and asked, “So you play the Alphorn?” I was able to share the story of my experience from thirty years ago and he kindly complimented me on my playing and I returned to join my family.

            As the show progressed, Jim and Lindsey barely had any time to eat. There was so much to photograph and videotape. A wide variety of Swiss Folk Music was on the program. The woman played the spoons and then a sort of ratchet instrument. Then she yodeled while spinning a 5 SF coin in a bowl, which sounds like cow bells. Next a gentleman played a broomstick with another stick, making a series of different sounds depending on where he hit the broom. This was followed by a performance using different sizes of cow bells and a performance on a “büchel”. The büchel looks like an Alphorn that has been folded into thirds. Like the Alphorn, it is made of wood and has no valves. It has a higher range than the Alphorn, but is just as beautiful. After the show, Jim ventured back stage to satisfy his curiosity about this instrument and was offered the opportunity to try it out, which he did. Next was a fun arm-linking song where we were to link arms, sway back and forth and stand up as directed in the music. After a bizarre visit from a spotted cow with an out-of-control tongue, the art of flag-throwing was on display. A brief lesson in yodeling followed and another opportunity for audience participation occurred. Jim, our singer, was elected as our family representative and joined the group on stage. He participated fully, to the amusement of the kids, and earned a beer for his efforts. The pictures and videos are priceless and we’ll try to get these posted as soon as possible. After a few more songs, the entertainment portion was over and we returned to our meal.

            Our dessert was to be Erdbeereis mit Meringue und Apfelsauce, a meringue with applesauce

and strawberry ice-cream. However, what was placed before us was true food art. It was a slice of ice cream cake, vanilla, with a strawberry Swiss cross in the middle on top of some sort of thin meringue applesauce sweet crust. Under was a wave of whipped cream, colored with yellow and red streaks, with a yellow cherry, a slice of star fruit, a strawberry and a blueberry; all topped with a miniature Swiss flag. My description does not do it justice, so you’ll just have to check out the pictures. It was a perfect ending to a perfect meal and an incredible trip down memory lane for me. Jim and the kids enjoyed themselves immensely. There have been many highlights on this trip, but the opportunity to share this experience with my family was definitely a highpoint for me.

            Being the first to arrive, it was fitting that we were the last to leave the Stadtkeller. It was time to resume our walking tour. We began with a small detour to see Luzern’s famous Lion Monument. This huge sculpture, carved right into the cliff face, commemorates the hundreds of Swiss mercenaries who lost their lives defending the king of France during the French revolution. Abby was astonished at its size, exclaiming, “It looked so small in the picture.” Caitlin was distracted by a little duckling frantically swimming around the pond in front of the monument looking for its mother. Finally, it was reunited with its family. And we returned to the end of the walking tour. From there I proceeded to try to lead the walking tour in reverse which was no easy task. Rick Steves’ walking tour maps are often difficult to follow headed in the right direction. It becomes even more complicated trying to follow these directions backwards. We passed colorful fountains and facades and crossed numerous little cobblestone squares before making our way to the Mill Bridge.

            The Mill Bridge, Luzern’s second quaint covered wooden bridge, was once the industrial center of town. In medieval times, up to ten mills churned here. Today, this area continues in its industrial nature and harnesses water power to light 1,000 households. Next we passed and learned about the Reuss River Weir System. It is designed to control the water flow out of Lake Luzern and prevent the flooding of lakeside village. Looking up, we found ourselves in front of the Jesuit Church we had visited earlier. This meant our tour was completed and we could head home. However, Caitlin and Lindsey wanted to visit the church one more time and Abby wanted to check out the many swans swimming by. When these excursions were finished, we returned to the parking garage and headed for home.

            There were two minor errands that needed to be completed on the way home – refueling and shopping for groceries. We found the gas easily and reasonable priced for Switzerland, which isn’t saying much. Nearby we found groceries, and Jim and I ventured inside. Our first European grocery stop in Italy was a family affair with all six of us trying to figure out what was what, how much stuff cost and if the milk was non-fat. That first excursion took us almost two hours. Since then the arrangement has been that the family tour guide for the country accompanies Jim, assisted by a list, to make the necessary food purchases. Since our accommodations in the Netherlands included breakfast, but no kitchen facilities, I missed out on my opportunity to go grocery shopping there. So this was my maiden journey and it was a decidedly rocky one. Although the exchange rate is fairly good right now and overall Jim has become accustomed to spending more on groceries in Europe than we did in the U.S., he could not get over the prices he was seeing. I’d find something on the list and Jim would shake his head, muttering that it was 2 or 3 times more expensive than what we’ve been paying. However, despite the expense, we still needed to feed our family. In desperation, we turned to pasta and basic tomato sauce. At lunch, I had jokingly told the kids to enjoy this Swiss meal, because we were going to be living on pasta for the remainder of our time in Switzerland. I was joking at the time, but sadly, the joke became a reality. Yet, our kids continue to do us proud. When informed of the pasta reality, they took it in stride, without one word of complaint.  Heading home after shopping, we made dinner, ran a load through the wash and went to bed with Swiss yodeling echoing in our heads.