Rapperswil Beer Festival

Early in September, while we were still living in our tiny temporary apartment, we actively sought out day trips to stretch our legs outside of Zurich.  Knowing my love of microbreweries and tastings, the Swiss Ms. suggested a local beer festival in Rapperswil (near the southeast tip of Lake Zurich).  After a short train ride, we arrived at the "Town of Roses" (we will have to revisit when the town's namesakes are in bloom!)

Rapperswil Train station.  I became a little directionally mixed up...

A wrong turn took us on a walk in the opposite direction of the beer festival for a good half hour (my fault).  At least our walk took us by a zoo!

Back in Rapperswil's beautiful Altstadt (the old town).

A view of lake Zurich and the old town from Schloss Rapperswil.

The beer festival was held at Schloss Rapperswil (Castle Rapperswil).  For 10 CHF/person, we received a commemorative Rapperswil Craft Bier Festival tasting mug and three drink tickets to try out the delicious local brews!

It was PACKED in the castle.  A clear tent covered the open courtyard.

An example of some of the unique beers showcased by local breweries.  The Black Noir was a rich porter, with hints of mint.  Other favorites included a crisp White IPA and a Whiskey Brown Ale.

Prost! (Cheers in German)

It may not seem like much, but this was one of the best pretzels I have ever had.  (Sorry Philly...)  We had to go back for seconds!

No German beer festival is complete without bratwurst!

A map of Switzerland, with each of the pins representing the breweries at the festival.  

We also took some time to explore the town and relax by the Lake, enjoying the summer weather.

Beyond this beautiful old building you can catch a glimpse of a passenger boat.  You can travel all the way back to Zurich by water.

This slide started up near the castle and wound all the way down the hill!  Wish they made it adult-sized...

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Herr Cervelat

Fall Harvest at Jucker Farms

Nothing says autumn to me like pumpkins and spice.  I remember when we were in the US, starting late September, EVERYTHING had pumpkin flavor.  Pumpkin muffin, pumpkin soup, pumpkin latte, pumpkin pie, pumpkin beer, etc.  However, the Swiss do not infuse pumpkin flavor into every possible comestible like we do in America.  

Sorely missing in Switzerland.

Thankfully, many local farms and stores do sell pumpkin (or Kurbis in German), so we decided to make a trip out to Jucker Farms near Seegräben, a quick forty minute trip from Zurich.

A view of Pfäffikersee (Lake Pfäffik) down the hill from Jucker Farms.

While our photos make Switzerland seem sunny and clear, in reality, most days are cloudy and overcast.  We have lucked out with good travel weather.

Not surprisingly, the farm was packed with families enjoying the fall harvest bounty and crisp autumn air.  

Families grilling bratwurst over the grill.

A selection of apples!

And gourds!  We bought some to decorate our new apartment.

There were also many creative pumpkin sculptures.

What have we here?  A chicken and..

...her egg!

Lion King

Pumpkin knight and his steed

Pumpkin honey bees

Will a kiss turn him into a Pumpkin Prince?

Winners of the largest pumpkins!  The first place winner weighed 588 kg!  (~1300 pounds!)

Frolicking through the fields!

Yes, that is Kurbis Secco (Pumpkin Prosecco).

Savoring the delicate aroma and bouquet of Kurbis.

Of course, what post would be complete without food pictures?

A cart of dessert!

Admiring the view.

To top it off, Bratwurst with bits of Kurbis inside!

Finally, we bought a Kurbis or two to roast ourselves!  Canned pumpkin is stupendously expensive at 7CHF for one small can!

Roasting some Kurbis for...

...Chocolate Chip Kurbis Bread!

Happy pumpkin season!

-Herr Cervelat

Welcoming the Cows back Home!

As you can see, the Swiss Ms and I are back to blogging and we have a TON of trips we need to share with our readers!  

Early last month, we took a trip to Elm, a small, quaint town surrounded by the Glarus Mountains.  Since it's not a major city, it took us approximately two hours, with a combination of trains and buses to get there.  Why make such a long journey to a small town?

Here, we enjoyed one of our favorite uniquely Swiss experiences so far, "Alpabfahrt" (literally meaning Alp descent).  During the summer, dairy cattle graze on the lush green pastures high up in the Alps.  When autumn comes, before the weather turns snowy and cold, the cows are brought down from the Alps to much fanfare and celebration.

Happy cows munching away!

Rolling green pastures dotted with quintessentially Swiss Chalets.

Surrounded by the Glarus Alps.

When we arrived, we witnessed a parade of locals dressed in traditional Swiss clothing signifying the beginning of the event.

Women wearing traditional Swiss clothing (which differs from Canton to Canton).

Men carrying large Treicheln (cow bells!), which made a TON of noise.

Tired from our long journey, we sat down to a hearty traditional Swiss meal.

We weren't the only ones to make the journey to Elm!  A packed tent full of hungry visitors!

Suure Moscht (Sour Apple cider), Zigerhorali (Macaroni with local Swiss cheese), Adler Brau Lager Hell (light beer) and Alper Rosti (potato hash with bacon and onions).

What meal would be complete without dessert?  Plum marzipan strudel.

Many local farmers and families had booths selling a variety of beautiful handmade leather crafts, cheeses and delicious baked goods.  There were baby cows and goats, as well as sheep shearing demonstrations.

Little ones!

And finally, the cows!  Right on schedule, the cows entered town parading down the main road.  With their large bells, you could hear them coming a mile away.

Each cow is decorated with elaborate headdresses to celebrate the occasion   The Swiss Ms. wonders if the cows get to eat their party hats when they are finished.

These cows are hoofing it.

Some decorations looked like little Christmas trees.

The cows looked healthy and happy.  They were good sports about the whole thing.

Welcome home!

Definitely worth the long journey!

Thanks for reading!

-Herr Cervelat

The Miracle on Forchstrasse

The apartment we ended up with is truly the apartment we were meant to have.  

When I arrived at the open house I was late.  When I say I was late, I mean that I arrived at 11:20 when the open house was scheduled from 11-11:30am.  When an open house is scheduled in Switzerland, it is assumed that about half of the visitors will visit 15 minutes before the scheduled time and the other half will visit within the first 15 minutes of the actual open house.  I arrived just as the last few visitors were leaving.  It was my second apartment visit of the day on a Saturday morning.  The Herr was attending to another open house, so I was on my own.  When I walked in I greeted the tenant with my favorite German phrases: "Gruezi!  Sprechen Sie English?" and prepared for the worst, "Nein".  Instead, I was greeted with a big smile and a "Yes, I do."

Living/ Dining

Typically at open houses, the apartment is packed with visitors and the current tenant is kept busy fielding questions.  If the apartment amenities are obvious enough, I don't try to tackle a conversation.  On this occasion, as the only visitor with a willing and able English speaker, I felt at ease.  It was only through this conversation that we realized what a good fit the apartment was for us.  Had I arrived 15 minutes earlier with the rest of the visitors, we probably wouldn't be living here now!

Living/ Dining

On the visit, I described our frustration with the lengthy apartment hunt and how eager we were to find a real home and settle in Switzerland.  Our week to week lease at our temporary apartment and limited belongings allowed to to be flexible with our move-out date and willing buyers of unwanted furniture.  I soon learned that the current tenant was moving out to live with her boyfriend and was interested in leaving as soon as possible to save money on rent.  She also wanted to sell nearly everything in her apartment to avoid duplicate items with her boyfriend after the move.  It was a match made in Himmel.

Kitchen

We applied that afternoon and crossed our fingers.  I continued to fill our calendar with open house visits for the coming week knowing that a "sure thing" doesn't exist in the Zurich housing market.

Bedroom

The following Monday afternoon, the Herr received a call from the real estate company offering us the apartment.  We didn't believe it and remained nothing more than cautiously optimistic until the contract arrived in the mail a few days later.

Bathroom

After working out the details of purchasing the contents of the apartment, we were all moved in a little over two weeks after our initial visit.  Home sweet home!

Balcony

-Merry Swiss Ms