Nov 12-14: last bits in Switzerland

 I had a final two epic Swiss experiences with my friends and their kids. 

All the houses and walkways were lined with turnips that had been hollowed, decorated, and lit.

This float was a clock whose pendulum swung.

Whale …why not? 

I mean… Tupac???

This was a narrow road absolutely mobbed with people moving both directions. 
Very weird in the covid-adjacent times, but it WAS outdoors. 

Very elaborate float. His nose grew and shrunk, and the puppeteer’s hand tilted, raising and lowering his arms. 

Saturday night we went to a nearby town’s annual event called a räbechilbi which translates to turnip light or lantern festival. It seems kind of harvest/Halloween adjacent - the whole town of 10,000 people carves literally tons of turnips and puts candles in them. They turn off all the streetlights, make floats, have a parade (marching bands and all) and then everyone wanders the streets buying snacks, mulled wine, and admiring the decorations- all to the scent of burning turnips. 



On Sunday Toni & one daughter and I did a road trip to Grindelwald, a beautiful town in a stunning region. Pics don’t do justice but I tried!



This sits in the cafe’s fireplace spot, and is on rails to be moved outside to serve as an outdoor bbq. 
It was originally one of the cars used to excavate a mountain tunnel nearby. Super cool repurposing!

The tracks used to run the BBQ/fire pit outdoors.

We had a terrific lunch at a mostly-sunny spot; at one point the sun passed behind an Alp, casting shade for about a half-hour, so we were glad to be seated inside. I tried aspic and lived! It was the house special and the waiter clearly didn’t expect me to try it but I figured it was the real Swiss deal. It came in a little jar (and indeed used to be a way to preserve meat) and tasted mostly like a nice soup - the aspic tasted brothy and the herb note was dill. I wouldn’t make it the first thing I’d order but it was very tasty. Also note the popcorn on the salad. And the desserts were superb. 


It was truly stunning scenery. I was so glad to visit as a day trip, to get a feel for a smaller town in the Alps. 

The next day I headed north for the final leg of my pretty epic trip. 

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