Anyone want an onion?
Guten Tag! Our internet connection has been sketchy at best here, which makes communication through e-mail and my blog a little frustrating. But it seems okay for the moment, so with my fingers crossed, here is the latest from Switzerland!
Last weekend Gary and I ventured to the German side of the country to the capital city of Bern. It's a wonderful city with the charm of a small town. It has a rich history with lots of medieval sights and museums to explore. We were there on a Sunday, when most of the stores are closed (this is true across Switzerland). The great thing about Sunday sightseeing in the winter is there are no crowds, so we could get into all of the sights without any wait. We stopped into the local brewery, hiked along the river on a snow covered trail and visited the local bears, which the town was named after when it was founded in 1191. One of the highlights of the day was climbing the 354 steps to the top of the 15th-century Bern Cathedral bell tower (the highest in Switzerland), which has breathtaking views of the Alps. It also has amazing views of all of Bern and the winding Aare River which surrounds the old town on three sides.
On the fourth Monday of every November, the old city of Bern celebrates the annual Onion Festival (or Zibele-Märit). So, I took the train back the next day to share in the revelry! It was amazing. The entire town had been transformed overnight to a bustling, colorful, lively market with over 700 stands and thousands of people. You could barely walk down the streets, it was so packed! There were people in costume, musicians, and street performers. It was lightly snowing too, which added to the charm of the festivities.
Legend claims that the original Zibele-Märit was created as a reward to country farmers who helped the Bernese clean up after the big city fire in 1405. Most of the vendors were selling plaited strings of onions, onion sculptures, winter produce, and crafts. But the biggest sellers were huge bags of confetti and these long necklaces of brightly colored candy (in addition to onion necklaces) that everyone, including me, was wearing.
What was the confetti for? Ammunition for the Konfettischlacht, which begins at 4 p.m. and is open to warriors of all ages. (I guess you can buy confetti from local stores months in advance to stock up for the big day). People definitely were not waiting around until 4 to begin. When I arrived in town at around 10 a.m., you couldn't even see the gray color of the street, there was so much confetti on the ground! And everyone was fair game, as soon as you start walking down the street, kids would bombard you with handfuls of brightly colored paper.
Scott, I thought of you as the 12-year-olds took aim with their confetti... I really don't think you would have stood a chance against them ;)
I had so much fun! I was afraid that the winter would be a bit dreary, but it seems that there are plenty of festivals and celebrations throughout the winter months to keep everyone in good cheer! Oh, and Fiona, I realized that my German needs some improving, so I will be coming by for a little tutoring when I return in January!
Auf Wiedersehen for now!
Last weekend Gary and I ventured to the German side of the country to the capital city of Bern. It's a wonderful city with the charm of a small town. It has a rich history with lots of medieval sights and museums to explore. We were there on a Sunday, when most of the stores are closed (this is true across Switzerland). The great thing about Sunday sightseeing in the winter is there are no crowds, so we could get into all of the sights without any wait. We stopped into the local brewery, hiked along the river on a snow covered trail and visited the local bears, which the town was named after when it was founded in 1191. One of the highlights of the day was climbing the 354 steps to the top of the 15th-century Bern Cathedral bell tower (the highest in Switzerland), which has breathtaking views of the Alps. It also has amazing views of all of Bern and the winding Aare River which surrounds the old town on three sides.
On the fourth Monday of every November, the old city of Bern celebrates the annual Onion Festival (or Zibele-Märit). So, I took the train back the next day to share in the revelry! It was amazing. The entire town had been transformed overnight to a bustling, colorful, lively market with over 700 stands and thousands of people. You could barely walk down the streets, it was so packed! There were people in costume, musicians, and street performers. It was lightly snowing too, which added to the charm of the festivities.
Legend claims that the original Zibele-Märit was created as a reward to country farmers who helped the Bernese clean up after the big city fire in 1405. Most of the vendors were selling plaited strings of onions, onion sculptures, winter produce, and crafts. But the biggest sellers were huge bags of confetti and these long necklaces of brightly colored candy (in addition to onion necklaces) that everyone, including me, was wearing.
What was the confetti for? Ammunition for the Konfettischlacht, which begins at 4 p.m. and is open to warriors of all ages. (I guess you can buy confetti from local stores months in advance to stock up for the big day). People definitely were not waiting around until 4 to begin. When I arrived in town at around 10 a.m., you couldn't even see the gray color of the street, there was so much confetti on the ground! And everyone was fair game, as soon as you start walking down the street, kids would bombard you with handfuls of brightly colored paper.
Scott, I thought of you as the 12-year-olds took aim with their confetti... I really don't think you would have stood a chance against them ;)
I had so much fun! I was afraid that the winter would be a bit dreary, but it seems that there are plenty of festivals and celebrations throughout the winter months to keep everyone in good cheer! Oh, and Fiona, I realized that my German needs some improving, so I will be coming by for a little tutoring when I return in January!
Auf Wiedersehen for now!
posted by Swiss Miss | 11:34
5 Comments:
My shoulder is feeling pretty good these days. I could probably hold my own for a while, but these old bones would grow weary to their constant onslaught. You going to post pictures?
Onion necklaces? Let me ask a stupid question, "Do they smell?"
Hey Scott... yes, the pictures are currently trapped in our camera, but they will be posted soon!
I'm glad to hear you still have it in you! :)
The local bears? Are these caged creatures, or am is my complete lack of French showing?
Sounds like an excellent time. I love fighting with people in streets. My favorite part of weddings used to be throwing rice at the newly wedded couple. Now its giving toasts.
Hey Chica, The bears are in this big, open pit (they do have places to go inside). It's actually a little depressing, because they don't look so happy, especially when people toss snow at them. You can buy "bear food" (apples and other fruit) and feed them, so I don't think they're that bad off, but the animal activist in me wants them to be free! :)
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