When we returned from our 35 day long travels in Europe in 2009, we were asked over and over again what we considered the favorite part of our trip. It was easy to pinpoint. It was the time we spent with Gallus, in Switzerland. During our extended weekend with him we became totally immersed in the lives and culture of his family and country. He invited us to his brother's farm on the slopes of a Swiss mountain to join a birthday party for his then 7 year old niece Tanya and we spent the afternoon on the farm with his family. It was the highlight of our trip.
This morning we woke up in a real bed on the third floor of Gallus's new home in Niederburen, near St. Gallen. We came downstairs to find a huge breakfast prepared and waiting on the table. Fruit, meats, breads and cheeses and Claudia's home made Swiss-German knotted bread. There goes the diet plan . . . again.
During and after breakfast Stephan tried very hard to converse with us in English. We were super impressed, not only at his English, but at his tenacity to continue trying. By the end of the day, I was jokingly asking Gallus where he picked up this sweet English boy to live in his house.
We loaded in the car and headed for the town of Appenzell and the surrounding region. This is where Claudia grew up. Our plan was to see where Claudia grew up, visit this touristy town and stop at her father's grave. He died in 2003 and was buried next to the beautiful church on the hillside.
Driving through the Swiss countryside is a treat, especially when you have three native Swiss in the car pointing out the details and giving background. Again, we are so impressed with the picture postcard perfection of the landscape. Neatly trimmed fields and farm in luxuriant green, tidy barns, traditional Swiss houses and towering peaks, all without a blade of grass out of place. Stunning.
First, we stopped at a hillside restaurant for coffee. Plans were to start walking, but Sally wanted to save her strength for the biking to come in the days ahead and said she would read in the car or restaurant while we walked. Gallus would not hear of Sally waiting in the car while we went for a walk, so we settled for coffe and cokes, then returned to the car and headed for the church.
We arrived at the church, a huge structure in comparison to the very small community that built it. We skirted the church for the time being and walked down some steps to Claudia's father's grave. There, we found her mother and her brother, Marko.
Claudia left an unhappy marriage of twenty years to start a life with Gallus three years ago, and her mother has not spoken to her since, a fact Sally and I were not aware of. In fact, this very traditional mom had only been near her daughter twice in the three years since Gallus and her have been together. This was the third. Sally, Gallus and I chatted with her mother and took a group picture before her mother and brother left. After they were gone, Gallus pointed out that the mother never talked to Claudia, and never acknowledged her existence. Thinking back to what had just transpired, we found he was correct. It had rattled Claudia a bit to encounter her mom, and hurt her again that her mother was shutting her out, but she hid it well. Family dynamics can be hard at times.
Stephan and I played on the playground toys in the church/school playground for a few minutes while Gallus, Claudia and Sally talked. We then entered the church. As with all Swiss churches, this one has ornate sculptures, woodwork and paintings adorning its interior.
After the church we headed to the valley below that holds the town of Appenzell. Here Gallus and Claudia bought a gift for 11 year old Michelle, one of the birthday celebrants the party was for tonight while Stephan and I played outside with soap bubbles. Walking through town, we stopped at a bakery to have a pastries and coffee in a bakery.
During our conversations on the drive and over pastries, we are learning about the culture and dialects of Switzerland. Swiss-German, spoken by Gallus, is quite different from German. He says if he traveled to Germany and spoke his language they could not understand him. But, Appenzell, where Claudia grew up, only 15 miles from St. Gallen, Gallus's hometown, have equally different dialects and are inhabitants of the two towns find it hard to understand each other. Switzerland continues the tradition of different dialects in neighboring regions, even with the advent of radio and TV. It was interesting to have Gallus help us to speak words, occasionally giving the German, Swiss-German and Appenzeller-German versions to ponder. No matter the dialect or region it comes from, both Sally and I are abyssal at speaking the language. We were a constant source of amusement to Gallus, Stephan and Claudia as we tried to roll our Rs and make the guttural sounds required to speak German.
We returned to Gallus' house about 4:30 pm, in time to prepare for the coming birthday party. Sally slipped upstairs to take a nap before the expected late night. I succumbed to Claudia's Chocolate Mousse and ate three helping, much to her delight and amusement. Claudia speaks no English, but her bright eyes, infectious smile and body language communicates her thoughts without verbal language. After my mousse feast, I joined Sally for a nap.
The guests began arriving a little after 5:00 pm. Sally and I woke and came down stairs about 5:45 pm. Gallus had told everyone that two "Americans" we're coming to the party. Everyone was anxious to see what an American looked like and how we acted.
We were introduced to Doris and Bernadette first. Both ladies were very friendly. Doris had lost her husband a year and a half ago to a long battle with cancer. She had prepared a wash tub full of exquisite potato salad and three deserts. Bernadette and Doris are good friends of each other, and Claudia.
Gallus and his business partner, Bruno have started a dry ice blasting business. They use dry ice pellets in place of sand to clean parts, machinery and wood. The dry ice has the big advantage that after it has impacted the surface to be cleaned, it turns to carbon dioxide gas and floats away, unlike sand which can become imbedded in machinery or ends up lying on the floor. It is Bruno's birthday tonight, so the party is in his honor, although at midnight, the next day begins and then it is Michelle's birthday. Bruno is a quiet man who says little but always wears a happy smile and is quick to laugh. He is a great problem solver, one of those "jacks of all trades", and a master of each one.
About an hour into the party, Gallus pulls me aside to tell me that everyone is disappointed in us as Americans. "Why?", I inquire, a little hurt. "They expected you to look different, to be more fat," he says, his eyes smiling at me in amusement. I felt better. I told Gallus I felt like a celebrity. He did not understand the word, so I explained I felt like Arnold Swartzinegger or Keanu Reeves. He laughed and agreed with me, we were the talk of the party, although we didn't know what was being said as it was all in Swiss-German. Only Bruno and Gallus can speak and understand English.
Gallus's brother, Fritz, and his 16 year old daughter, Maria, also came. We had met both at Tanya's birthday in 2009. It was good to see them both again. Fritz loves to laugh and is really fun. He speaks no English, but I could tell he was glad to see us again. I started to hear comments about "Chocolate Mousse" (it sounds the same in English and German) and soon learned my conspicuous consumption of large quantities of chocolate mousse early in the day was a source of amusement.
Gallus grilled beef and pork on his open fire grill, and we all ate dinner inside their covered sun room on the back of the house, adjacent to the kitchen.
When it came time to sing happy birthday to Bruno, both Sally and I were surprised to hear it sung in English, followed by a repeat in German. We thought perhaps they had done it for the "visiting Americans", but Gallus said no, both languages is the tradition.
At midnight the singing was repeated, this time for shy 11 year old Michelle. Her mother, Susan, knew of the surprise midnight celebration of her daughter's birthday and had to work hard to keep Michelle there until that late hour.
About 12:30 am, Sally and I said good night to each guest individually, as is the custom we observed with some who had left earlier, and retired to our third floor bedroom. The party continued until 1:00am. Gallus and Claudia got to bed about 2:00 am after cleaning up.
What a wonderful day! We felt totally immersed in Swiss culture and Swiss lives. Gallus and Claudia are absolutely wonderful people, kind, caring and thoughtful. They treated us like royalty and friends throughout the day and evening. And Stephan is a polite, happy, adorable 13 year old boy that Sally and I instantly fell in love with. Total Immersion is delightful.
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