Meeting Marianne

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Highlight of our stay in Langnau


I hope you are not tired of our ramblings - this process is mainly for our trip report/records but we are happy to share them with whom ever may be interested.

Dave:
Today  was a highlight of our days here in Langnau, Switzerland.  We began by going directly to the COOP store to get e-mails and send the blog.  That process usually takes about 45 minutes.  The internet connection is good once connected but the process of getting connected often takes some time. 

How cows are watered when in remote pastures.

The farmstead at Emmenmatt CH

Half way up to Emmenmatt

Close up sheep pens

From a distance

Cheese "factory" - locals process milk into cheese for other farmers then either share the results or pay the farmer.

After leaving the COOP store we decided since it was a good sunny day, to walk in the countryside and found a narrow Wanderweg  just outside the town of Schupbach about 5 km west of Langnau.  Well for a narrow Wanderweg it sure had a lot of traffic.  We figured there must have been a school back up in there but never did walk far enough to see it.  It was a slow steep climb so after an hour climb we turned around and headed back .  Along the way we passed a cheese factory - the guy was washing up the equipment outside from the mornings work.  Further up the road  we heard a chainsaw running.  The man had a sawmill and was using a rasper attached to the chainsaw to de-bark some logs by the side of the road .   When he saw us coming he turned off the saw and we walked over to talk.  He did not understand English and we didn’t understand his German but we gestured about it being a lot of work…  I gestured about letting him get back to work but before we left I asked him if I could take his photo and he posed for a shot. 

On the way back down at the cheese factory we found a bench at a Y in the wanderweg so decided to eat lunch there.  At that point was a sign of a Wanderweg heading down through the pasture across a bridge and up into the woods.  The sign on the Wanderweg read Emmenmatt with an arrow so after lunch we headed in that direction.  After a 10 minute climb it opened out into a farm yard but the yellow Wanderweg arrow pointed up higher into the woods on a gravel path behind the farm.  Wanderwegs are considered open “roads” for hikers - just open the wire fence but be sure to close it behind you.  Jean decided to stay and I went on up higher.  In another 10 minutes the trail opened onto a large flat plateau with visibility for miles around.  Closeby was a farm with cornfields surrounding the farm.  Considering the time we decided to head back to the car and into town to McDonalds to send some e-mails.

The highlight though was our visit to Marianne Roethlisberger’s family farm.  Turns out it was just around the corner from where we had walked this morning but we did not realize then where she lived having set the GPS on Sunday while there to say hello. 

Jean:
Back to the apartment for a short rest and then off for coffee to Marianne Rothlesbergers.  We met her in 2010 and we were hoping to connect with her again this time.  She was not at church on Sunday but Hans and Heide (we did not get their last names) offered to phone Marianne to see if we could drop by just to say hello. 

L-R  Sarah, Marianne, Jean, Marianne's father, neighbour man and wife

We were quite disappointed on Sunday when she was not at the Mennonite Church, but Hans and Heidi helped us out some. As it turns out, Heide's father was a brother to Marianne's father (I think :-), so she phoned Marianne to tell her we were looking for her. As it turns out, Marianne was having her cousins, uncles and aunts at their farm on Sunday for a reunion--the first ever, so that is why she was not at church.  Funny thing, we were meeting her family as they arrived and someone mentioned that the fellow getting out of the car was 100--turns out he is 101--and right behind him was a lady that we learned spoke English. In chatting with her we learned that she is originally from Switzerland,  is a cousin of Marianne's, was visiting her sister in the Langnau area and this reunion was a surprise for her --it had been 40 years since she had seen some of these relatives. Amazing to learn that this sister now lives in Etobicoke, Ontario,  Canada, served with Sudan Interior Missions where she met her Canadian husband. Small world, eh? Dumb us, we did not get her name--we seem to be doing lots of that this trip.
On Sunday we had arranged for coffee for today at 3:00 and another visit with Marianne. We had a wonderful visit with Marianne by herself and then she told us she had invited her neighbours and her father for what we thought was going to be coffee. As it turned out, it was coffee/tea/fruit punch/tomatoes/4 or 5 kinds of cheeses/breads/4 or 5 kinds of sweets/apple pudding/brown pudding/berries in syrup/grapes and whipped cream!!!! We remember well in  2010 the "spread" she put on for us :-) She is an amazing person. Sunday they had 40 and by afternoon 48 relatives for lunch, had us and that spread today, has Bible Study tonight for 8 people, tomorrow she has kids club with 19, and serving them lunch--chicken nuggets!!!! She seems to thrive on this activity in her life. Her husband, Kurt, came home from work just about 5 minutes before we were leaving, so we got to meet him. Her daughter Sarah was there but the youngest one, that we met in 2010, was not there.

Our kitchen

Our kitchen - bedroom on right - balcony door straight ahead

It was a very pleasant day - lots of sunshine for a change.  Just before dark, we walked down the driveway about 1 km to the main road - an easy walk down but a slower climb back up.  In the car we have to shift down into 1st gear to get up here so that reminds us how steep it is.

Walking In The Rain

Monday, September 24, 2012

Headed today first thing to the Tourist Information Office to find some maps and walking/biking trails.  We did know that there is usually a trail along a river but we were looking for some cross-country ones as well.

We are on the second floor - 4 windows just below the eaves

The cows coming home for milking - can hear their bells coming up over the hill. They have a "dedicated" walkway, with sidewalk slabs all the way along the driveway

Wouldn’t you know that the office here in Langnau only opens from 1:30 pm until 5pm.  Parked then in the TI lot we decided to walk about town for a while.  Stopping in at the Migros which in most towns is a grocery store, we discovered once inside that it was a garden centre.  The lady at cash asked us if she could help in German so we asked her if she sold raincoats.  Since it was raining she chuckled a bit and walked over to a shelf and pulled out one so we bought 2.  It seems it most always rains here in the morning but clears somewhat in the afternoon - must be the altitude.  Walking further we found a CO-OP store that appeared more like a town centre from the outside but once inside it was a mall type complex.  On the lower level  there was a large Home Depot type store and on the upper level was a grocery store with other shops scattered around the escalator.  After the rain had slowed we walked around town some more before heading back to the car.  South of town we had noticed people walking and biking yesterday so decided to  check it out.  Access was made to the trails via a covered bridge built in 1579 which crossed the Emme River. 

The covered bridge for access to the walking/biking paths. Sign said built in 1579.

The Emme River Through Langnau is stepped down in increments to prevent erosion presumably.

A flood control dam diverts water to a spillway.

The river flows rapidly all the way through town where they had cement dams with coarse stone covered river bed stepped down in 1 to 2 foot layers as the water flowed down from the mountains through town on the way to join the Rhine River eventually neat Basel.  The water is crystal clear.  Everywhere here the road follows the river as do the train tracks with fine gravel walking/biking paths on both sides of the river from here to …………  Hans told us yesterday the path follows the river and one could walk or bike to Thun or to Basel each several hours by car.   Even during the daytime we met or passed joggers and walkers and bikers.  Along the path, we ate lunch on one of the many red or green benches as the cow bells clanged in the nearby pasture fields.  After walking and biking for several hours, we headed back to McDonalds to post the blog for yesterday and check on e-mails. 

Grandma and Grandpa's garden beside the old smoke house.

Back home here I took a few pictures of the Blaser-Schurch farm.  He is Daniel Blaser and she is Margit Schurch-Blaser.  The German spelling  of her maiden name Schurch is what we may know as the Sherk family in North America.  We told her she has many cousins in Canada and even a town named after them.  She was impressed and said her grandfather told her she has some cousins in Canada.  

The date above the door says built in 1741.

The pictures cannot in any way portray the height and distance of  things up here.  It is so far up that there is not even a lock on the door/s.  I asked her about that the first night and all she said was “no need for keys”.  I guess no fool would walk way up here and there is only one way down.

The old smoke house is now the family museum.

As we walked along in the rain the cow bells clanged beside us.

Lunch on the trail.

The Blaser-Schurch Homestead - the main house/barn pon the left, the smoke house in the middle and the our Stubli behind the tree on the right.

  The house where we are on the second floor is over 200 years old.  The foundation of the  main house/barn is over 500 years old but she said there have been many changes.  The overhang on each side of this house is about 8 feet - wide enough for a set of stairs and 4 under the eave clothes lines full length to be sheltered from the elements. 

Sunday Morning at Langnau Mennonite Church

We had been to the Langnau Mennonite Church  in Switzerland before but not knowing the time of the service nor exactly where it was located,  we had arrived just in time for the benediction.   It is the oldest still operating Mennonite Church in Europe.  Members of the church  200-300 years ago  who fled to America left behind family and friends in search of religious freedom in Pennsylvania.   A number of familiar family surnames are still visible on the church bulletin board list.  On of particular interest was the Lehmann (Jean's maiden name) farm/house combo. 

The farmland directly east of the church where we tried to bike until it got too steep.

Today we arrived half an hour early for the 9:30  service.  A very kind gentleman offered to give us a tour through the church.  In 1980 a new sanctuary was built and the older part was remodeled for children and youth and adults.  They have many young families which was a good sign that the church is still alive.  The original part has 4 floors and the lower 3 were remodeled.  The top floor was left untouched.  It appeared they had or still use it for sleeping quarters perhaps for youth activities.  There were old church pews up there as well as piles of mattresses, old wide boards and the original plank floor.  The old original rafters and beams are still showing - if those rafters could talk I’m sure we would learn some things of what happened years ago.  He showed us a trap door in the floor where whoever was up there could make a fast escape.  It was all very interesting.

The Mennonite church is in the background left with a Lehmann farm/house on the right

The Back of the Church with the Lehmann farm/home in the background

The Lehmann Farm/house across the street from the church.

The service was in German so we did not catch any of that.  There was a community brass orchestra who played 5 or 6 times - very professional and very easy music to listen to.  We recognized one tune.



After the service a couple,  Hans and Heidi,  who both spoke English fairly well came to us and began to talk.  We had wanted to re-connect with Marianne a lady who had invited us to their farm last time we were there.  The couple asked around church and not finding Marianne,  offered to phone her and arrange a time to meet.  Turns out she had a family reunion at their farm today but wanted us to come and at least say hello.  So Hans drove his car and we followed to Marianne and Kurt’s farm.  She was very busy of coarse.  Many family members had not seen each other for 20 - 30 years for various reasons.  One of Marianne’s cousins we learned was from Etobicoke - yes in Toronto, Ontario.  We did say a brief hello but agreed to come for coffee on Tuesday in the afternoon.   We will look forward to that.

Jean with Marianne admiring her gardens.

After a quick lunch back “home” here we headed back into town to bike - parked at the church and rode through town to the Emme River and followed it north out of town before turning into the countryside for a leisurely ride.  Very healthy crops and flowers along the way as we rode for an hour and a half or more.  Then we loaded the bikes on the car and decided to drive east from the church up into them there alps and hills. We marvel at how they can make a living on these steep hills.  Most of the steep slopes are pasture land for cows or sheep or horses or for hand made hay.  If there are flat lower slopes, they may plant some corn.  One row corn forage harvesters about the size of my lawnmower allow them to fill small glass silos for the few cows they milk.  A very pleasant drive - we went until the road turned into two single gravel tracks up into the woods then decided to turn around - actually Jean was ready to jump ship if I didn’t turn around.   
 
We ended up at McDonalds where we were able to connect to the internet and send some e-mails and blog.  That will be our life-line for the next few days while here………..Later

The Mennonites have been found

Saturday, September, 22, 2012

Above - Sometime Gertie took us the scenic route

 Above - Mostly she took us today through the zentrum.

 Above - Sometimes the scenery was unbelievable

 Above - The gardens as seen from our balcony of this 200+ year       old Swiss farm house.

 Above - The stove in the living room

Above - The stove on the kitchen side.


Saturday, September 22, 2012

OK enough rain

Realizing we would be in Switzerland for the next 15 days or so, we decided to stock up on groceries in Germany - everything is more expensive in Switzerland so before leaving our farm stay at Dorerhof in the Black Forest, we went into town once more to the REWE store.

The temperature was 7 degrees C  when we left but warmed up to a woppin’ 14 C  by the time we arrived here in Langnau, Switzerland.  We had rain ALL the way  - heavier at times but mostly a drizzle. 

Note to self -  “do not set GPS to anything less than Fastest Route” - especially when needing to go around a large city like Basel.  Gertie did it again and took us right through the centre of Basel.  As if that was not enough, there was much construction  and that just throws her right off kilter.  That added to the fact there was a Folk festival downtown only added to the frustration.  Altogether we were on hour and a half getting through there.  Plus a few miss turns - especially hard to get into the proper turn when you are in a underground tunnel.  All in all our nerves are shot for today.  There were a few scenery shots today though.
                                                                                                                               
There is no internet here but there is a McDonalds within driving distance where we hope to connect tomorrow.  By the time you read this it may already be tomorrow or the next day even.

Everything is within driving distance I mentioned and mean that literally.  We are way up there and the winding hill is way to steep even for walking up - (it was first gear up all the way) - even after much walking the past few days in the Black Forest.  And  where we are is only half way up there.  We are at the end of the road here but other roads must go up there because there are farms way up there.  It would be great for skiing and Margit our host said they do rent the “stubli” here out during ski season.  It would be one run a day unless you had a shuttle buddy willing to take you back up top.  It is difficult to get proper height perspective but if you look closely, a house is visible in the valley below beside the woods.

The “stubli” is a typical Swiss style house.  In this one the grandparents live on the first floor and we have the entire 2nd floor.  Everything is here - it is fully stocked except for the food.  The heat is wood heat and she showed us how to stoke the large ceramic/cement stove once a day to keep warm.  It was very warm in here when we first arrived so we opened some windows.  The stove is a large structure in the centre of the house with parts of the stove protruding into each room so that the heat is felt in every room. Smart eh?  The pieces of wood are all 2 feet long and the fire box could take pieces nearly 4 feet long.  There are little clean out doors in each room - supposedly there are chambers in there where the heat spreads out to each room.  We think the grandparents must have the heat on downstairs because it is still warm up here.  It looks like there are at least 2 flus rising up the centre of the large chimney up through the entire house.

After supper  we drove back down into town to check out the time for the service at the Langnau Mennonite Church.  It is the oldest still operating Mennonite church in Europe and therefore probably, the world.  In some recent records we read of  a Peter Lehman on Jean’s side of her family tree having originated from this area so after Sunday we may try to dig up some roots.  There are some “Lehmann” tombstones in the cemetery across the street but the oldest markers are only about 30 years old.  After that the stone is moved to the outside as a fence and room is made for new arrivals.  Since land is scarce,  most families only buy a 25 or 30 year lease.  Bones are discretely moved to one side making room for new arrivals.  Guess there is no need to keep things sorted out  anyway.    

Went to sleep with the cows - their bells were clanging in the field right outside our stubli. 

Deja Vu

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2012
Today we did the “touristy thing”. Enough of that steep climbing and biking that has happened most days since we arrived in Europe. We went sightseeing!!! We started out about 9:30am to Triberg, a 24 minute ride by car. Only we did not arrive in 24 minutes, and like we thought before, whoever marks these distances here must be quicker than we are. We had been through this part of the Black Forest in 1998 with Jean's sister and our brother-in-law, Lois and Fran. Anyway, we got there and in line to see Germany’s Highest Waterfalls. It was a very neat waterfalls, but after living so close to Niagara Falls, well what more can we say!! The waters of the Gutach River plunge over 160m in seven cascades into the valley below. It offers 3 trails, Cascade 3/4 hr, Culture 1 hr. and Nature 1 ½ hr. I am not sure which was the most difficult but we chose the Cascade Trail , ended up on the Culture Trail and eventually ended up on the Nature trail. The information brochure is in English, but somewhere we misread the brochure I guess. It was a wonderful day for that adventure, 7 degrees C when we headed out and the further we got on the trail, the warmer we got. It was up to 23 degrees C at the bottom of the trail.

Next stop was to be Gutach as Irmgard, our apartment owner, suggested we see it. However, guess we did not ask what all to see. We realized it was the setting for an Open-air museum of Black Forest farm houses, in the mills, the saw mills and rooms and barns how people during the last 400 years lived and worked. We realized we had been through that in 1998, so decided not to go through it again.

Next stop was Wolfach and Oberwolfach. Again in 1998 we stayed in that area and we wanted to do a bit of reminiscing. We found the lovely bridges with flower boxes on them, the 3 Konige Hotel where we stayed and the endless roadway that got narrower and narrower the further up the mountain we went. It seemed to take us to the other side of the Alps and when the road would go no further, there was a beautiful farm setting there. Most things looked familiar after 14 years but lots more homes and businesses are there.
Maybe the best part of this touristy day was sitting outside at the Wolfach Backerei Konditorei Café having coffee and Black Forest Cake for Jean and Raspberry Cheese Cake for Dave.

On our arrival home to the apartment, the neighbors below us were having a drink outside their apartment. Dave met Mr. last night and he spoke good English!! That always gets our attention here in Germany. They are from Israel and very nice. They did the Touristy Thing today as well and went to Germany’s Highest Waterfalls too!! I wondered if we would have recognized them if we had seen them there today.

After supper here I walked up around behind the Dorerhof farm and took some final pictures of their farm. We leave tomorrow a.m. for Langnau, Switzerland.

Picture 2, 3 and 4 above are of the farm here at Dorerhof.de
1, 5 and 6 are on the narrow road up into and almost over the Alps.

above - Walking a trail north of Oberwolfach saw this working mill.

 above - A farm on the narrow road - Fran FYI - it adds new meaning to  "hilling your potatoes"

above - Jean on the bridge in Wolfach. We walked along the side in '98 and had coffee here both in '98 and '12

above - Dave at the entrance to the Town of Oberwolfach

 

 above - View of Oberwolfach from the bridge

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2012
Today we did the “touristy thing”. Enough of that steep climbing and biking that has happened most days since we arrived in Europe. We went sightseeing!!! We started out about 9:30am to Triberg, a 24 minute ride by car. Only we did not arrive in 24 minutes, and like we thought before, whoever marks these distances here must be quicker than we are. We had been through this part of the Black Forest in 1998 with Jean's sister and our brother-in-law, Lois and Fran. Anyway, we got there and in line to see Germany’s Highest Waterfalls. It was a very neat waterfalls, but after living so close to Niagara Falls, well what more can we say!! The waters of the Gutach River plunge over 160m in seven cascades into the valley below. It offers 3 trails, Cascade 3/4 hr, Culture 1 hr. and Nature 1 ½ hr. I am not sure which was the most difficult but we chose the Cascade Trail , ended up on the Culture Trail and eventually ended up on the Nature trail. The information brochure is in English, but somewhere we misread the brochure I guess. It was a wonderful day for that adventure, 7 degrees C when we headed out and the further we got on the trail, the warmer we got. It was up to 23 degrees C at the bottom of the trail.

Next stop was to be Gutach as Irmgard, our apartment owner, suggested we see it. However, guess we did not ask what all to see. We realized it was the setting for an Open-air museum of Black Forest farm houses, in the mills, the saw mills and rooms and barns how people during the last 400 years lived and worked. We realized we had been through that in 1998, so decided not to go through it again.

Next stop was Wolfach and Oberwolfach. Again in 1998 we stayed in that area and we wanted to do a bit of reminiscing. We found the lovely bridges with flower boxes on them, the 3 Konige Hotel where we stayed and the endless roadway that got narrower and narrower the further up the mountain we went. It seemed to take us to the other side of the Alps and when the road would go no further, there was a beautiful farm setting there. Most things looked familiar after 14 years but lots more homes and businesses are there.
Maybe the best part of this touristy day was sitting outside at the Wolfach Backerei Konditorei Café having coffee and Black Forest Cake for Jean and Raspberry Cheese Cake for Dave.

On our arrival home to the apartment, the neighbors below us were having a drink outside their apartment. Dave met Mr. last night and he spoke good English!! That always gets our attention here in Germany. They are from Israel and very nice. They did the Touristy Thing today as well and went to Germany’s Highest Waterfalls too!! I wondered if we would have recognized them if we had seen them there today.

After supper here I walked up around behind the Dorerhof farm and took some final pictures of their farm. We leave tomorrow a.m. for Langnau, Switzerland.