Hats By Katrinka

Just a Reminder

2007-06-15T09:45:00.001+02:00

... that I've moved to Typepad. Visit http://hatsbykatrinka.typepad.com/
Thanks.
K Q:-)

I'm Moving!

2006-12-28T13:12:00.000+01:00

I'm moving over to Typepad where I can again post pictures for your viewing pleasure. Who has time for all the workarounds? For the time being I will leave this blog up since I don't yet know how to move everything. Still learning the new format so please bear with me. My new address is the same except you type in typepad instead of blogspot. So come visit me at www.hatsbykatrinka.typepad.com.

Thanks for visiting!
Kate Q:-)

Still no Pix

2006-12-26T16:42:00.000+01:00

Took another awesome walk this afternoon and many, many more photos. Unfortunately cannot share the Winter Wonderland as this whizbang *new* Blogger won't let me upload pictures. Have downloaded their new photo Bot Hello program from Picasa which is supposed to make it quick and easy and - Guess what? It doesn't recognize me with the new Google account name and password and won't let me use the old one since I've been migrated to the new. Thanks a LOT, Google. Now what? Does anyone answer my queries for help? Of course not. But it's got all these wonderfully useless features. What happened to the ability to add photos in Edit mode? No answers. Guess we get what we pay for.

I'm shopping again for a new host. Frustrating!
Kate Q:-0

No Pix

2006-12-25T11:15:00.000+01:00

Well, I was forced to move to the New Blogger and now my editing features and the uploading of pictures has failed. Have already spent too many hours fiddling with it! Will not let it ruin my day. Maybe they've all taken Christmas off and for that I can't blame them. If it's not up and running again next week will let you know where I've moved. Stay tuned for the tale of the Christmas Party that began after Midnight Mass (standing room only at the Kathedral) at 12:30 a.m.

Merry Christmas!
Kate Q:-0

P.S. Did you know that if you Google *Blogger sucks* you get more than 700,000 hits? Guess I've been warned.

In Search of a White Christmas

2006-12-24T18:39:00.000+01:00

It’s almost Christmas and we’ve been hoping for snow. After the warmest winter in centuries our temperature has finally dipped to 0 C. so it could happen. If not, however, it looks as if we may still have a white Christmas. I awoke this morning to see a freezing fog enveloping the Kathedral towers. The roofs of Old Town were gradually getting a white dusting of hoarfrost which is what happens to fog in freezing weather. On Gallusplatz someone had brought in a truckload of snow and constructed a nativity scene.

This afternoon I hiked up the hill to Sankt Georgen and Dreilindenweg to see how the trees were turning white. Isn’t it gorgeous? I was not alone. Many families were out walking and enjoying the misty, cold afternoon. There was a stand at the top of the Wanderweg selling Glühwein and roasted chestnuts. So long as I kept moving I was not cold.

It’s Sunday and Christmas Eve. The Weinachtsmarkt is closed, the groceries are bought and the presents wrapped. It’s time to enjoy our blessings ... and it still could snow.

Merry Christmas to you all! K Q:-)

P.S. Sorry but Blogger isn't cooperating on the pictures tonight. Maybe later ...

Last Minute Gifts

2006-12-22T18:42:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the last late-shopping night (open until 9) before Christmas so we went out after supper to buy a few more gifts. What a party was going on! It seemed as if the whole town was out shopping - not frantic or stressed but in quite a festive mood. Tagblatt, our local newspaper, had a stand in the Bärenplatz handing out free punch. We didn’t indulge since we had a lot to do but perhaps the punch and all the Glühwein* stands were contributing to the merry mood.

Ist das Geschenk? One of my favorite local customs is the free gift wrapping. They do it year round but go into high gear at Weinachten and with great style. In fact, a friend pointed out Alpstein Drogerie and Parfumerie (the smaller package) as being the best in town. We made a small purchase there yesterday and they spent a careful several minutes dressing it up such that it will be difficult to open this little item.

The Body Shop occupies the ground floor of our building and has been a beehive of activity for the past month. These ladies work all day at this table and they spend most of their time wrapping gift packages. (The shop is thru the door at left.) When you make a purchase to be wrapped you are given a number and it is handed over to the wrap table. You continue your shopping and come back later to collect your perfectly wrapped Geschenk. No wonder shoppers are in a merry mood!
Happy Holidays to you all!
K Q:-)

* Drinking age for beer and wine is 16 here which is not so shocking when you realize that the Swiss are very polite and most teens do not drive. Public transportation is excellent and to get a driver’s license they have to take an expensive year-long course.

Advent Calendar

2006-12-17T19:00:00.000+01:00

When we were kids we had Advent Calendars to countdown the days to Christmas. I hadn't seen them in years in Texas (not that I was looking for them) but here they are quite popular and we see them in store windows all the time. I thought you would enjoy this one put together each year by a grammar school. I believe each class takes charge of a day and they are uncovered one day at a time.

Clearly one class has a great sense of humor! K Q:-)

Christmas Trees

2006-12-16T09:33:00.000+01:00

We haven't bought our Christmas tree yet but will probably do so today. Meanwhile, I've been enjoying the variations on Christmas trees in the shops. This wee tree is made of polyester fiberfill. The display is actually in the doorway of a closed jewelry store. Shops here arrange nice displays in the doorways as they lock up for the night. Smart use of their limited display space.
More fiberfill trees and a package tree outside a clothing boutique.
Another florist. K Q:-)

Mein Engel

2006-12-15T15:48:00.000+01:00

The building we live in is called Engelburg which means something like Angel Fortress. This garden angel was our Christmas gift last year from John and Novella. He keeps a sharp eye on our staircase so I don't fall down the 15 curved wooden steps to our frontdoor. One broken tailbone in my lifetime is enough! We are just under the roof of the building. The beams far left in our dining area are 14 cm (5.5 in.) square and have met my head on more than one occasion. So you see, I need my Guardian Angel.
This little doll is no angel but my latest Christmas Ornament. She also keeps an eye on the stairs and has Swiss Mistletoe for her backdrop.

Merry, Merry!
K Q:-)

A Digital Camo Digression

2006-12-14T17:28:00.000+01:00

Erin over at Dress a Day www.dressaday.com/dressaday.html posted some digital camo fabric she's making skirts out of today. We must be in synch! I have been working all day on a camo hat for a friend who is heading to South Africa for the holidays. I couldn't find the digital camo fabric I wanted here but did find ordinary camo in Zurich.

Thought I would post this golf cap I made last year for my nephew David. The cap is my own pattern inspired by my Dad's walking cap which I kept after he died. I call it Kenan after him and have made myself quite a few variations including one in ten different black and white prints. This style of cap is all over the magazines (and Europe) these days.
K Q:-)

Dear Santa ...

2006-12-13T21:31:00.000+01:00

Well let's get serious about window shopping in Switzerland for a moment. After all, this is the land of the Goldschmid and Uhrmacher (watchmaker) ... well now it's more bankers and investment consultants but bear with me a moment.

In 1970, when I first came to Europe, I'd planned on buying a movie camera but got sidetracked by a gold watch at Bucherer. I bought it. It seemed expensive but not nearly so pricey as they are these days! Within months of moving to NYC after grad school my apartment was burglarized and the watch was gone.

For my birthday last year my Sweetie bought me a Swiss watch that (unknown to him) is very much like that original Bucherer from the '70s.
I wear it every day now.

Lately I prefer to eye the pearls. They go so well with hats! Don't you think? K Q:-)
P.S. Did you know that the German word for jewelry or ornament is Schmuck?!

Fashionable Windows

2006-12-13T09:54:00.000+01:00

I think when you’re wearing clothes that are this expensive (fur, leather and cashmere) you have to look BORED to pull it off. Or is that haughty?

Sutter-Michel is one of my favorite ogles. Their fashions are quite avant garde (and expensive) and my Sweetie hates them. I am fascinated by the interesting textures, whimsical knits (hence my passion to learn how) and offbeat cutting lines. Love this jacket!
The little hat is pretty simple but the extension of the couched yarn off the corners reminds me of pigtails. Pure fun!
K Q:-)

Still More Christmas Windows

2006-12-12T22:17:00.000+01:00

Roggwiller's windows are always delicious looking. They have a tearoom in the back of the shop serving goodies with tea, coffee and other beverages. The last time I was there I spotted two other ladies in hats.
Lebkuchen are shaped in molds depicting traditional scenes and locales in Switzerland. My German dictionary describes Lebkuchen as gingerbread but it doesn't taste like the gingerbread I grew up with. For one thing they don't use molasses or our type of brown sugar. Personally, I'd rather have the wooden mold than the rather dry cookie. Is that like people who collect hat blocks to put on display instead of blocking hats? I'm told Lebkuchen is better spread with butter. And what isn't?

I love the wooden Santas in this florist's window.
Shaka's windows are amusing this Christmas. They juxtapose traditional Christmas themes and Swiss crafts with snowboards, helmets and riggings. I wouldn't mind owning that pretty brown table cloth but don't want a snowboard in my stocking.
K Q:-)

More Christmas Windows

2006-12-12T10:55:00.000+01:00

No snow pictures to post yet as what little we got on Saturday has melted away. I can still see a light dusting on the hills through my window tho' so have hopes for a White Christmas. They are now saying here that we're having the warmest winter in 1300 years. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the shop windows. This one is Schwyter Backerei with a display of Grittibänz breads. These are traditional Sankt Nikolaus (Samichlaus) Day gifts.

Here is Interio's display of Christmas ornaments. I love to wander this store to buy kitchen things as most of mine are in storage in Texas.
Isn't this contemplative Engel just adorable? He is gracing a hair salon's window. We have lots and LOTS of hair salons here. I stay way from them being salonphobic.
This is our local Tabakhändler where the gents can purchase their Cuban cigars. For all their concern about clean air, the Swiss are notorious smokers (No. 1 in Europe, I think).

I really like the gold wire ornaments ... not unlike the method I use for making lace hats. Hmmmm!

Enjoy! K Q:-)

Christmas Shopping in St. Gallen

2006-12-10T18:28:00.000+01:00

This is the first time St. Gallen shops have been open on Sunday. They're doing it just two Sundays this month. It looks as if everyone thought it a great idea!

This antique shop is on our street, Marktgasse. I love the idea of bare branches hung with tiny ornaments.
Spotted this interesting shaped fabric hat with felted trim in the window of a clothing store. I have a sack of felting supplies just begging me to get busy. So what am I waiting for? I especially love the line of the hat at the back.

This is Zollibolli, the toy store across the street from us. The Zollibolli boy has moveable arms like a dancing Jack. A long attachment at the bottom tempts people - especially little ones - to pull it to make the arms go up and down. He's only around for the Christmas season so die Kinder make the most of it giving him a regular workout. K Q:-)

Christmas Shopping in Zürich

2006-12-10T18:20:00.000+01:00

Finally got my Sweetie back from his business trip to Brussels - only a day late. So we set out for the Zürich Hauptbahnhof where we knew the Christkindlimarkt had more of a selection of what we were looking for. It seemed as if everyone had the same idea. The place was too crowded but it was all very festive.

This is a grand old train station and it was full of these booths selling a range of things from Swiss Raclette to Hopi Indian dream catchers and other paraphenalia. After an hour or so we headed home to St. Gallen to shop our local vendors. It's a beautiful one hour train ride with (today) snowy peaks in the background. K Q:-)

Anniversary

2006-12-08T22:46:00.000+01:00

This week I have been living in St. Gallen for a year. It doesn’t seem that long and yet I have been thinking these last few days about how much easier it has become. I am nowhere near fluent in German but I can communicate in most simple situations - even ordered our Thanksgiving turkey entirely in German. It really helps that we have made some wonderful friends here.

Last night was another gathering of our SAGA group - that is, the Swiss Anglo German American group who cook and share a meal from time to time. Sherman was in Brussels on business so I rode with Starr and Holger up the mountain to newlyweds Karin and Bryan’s house for a Thai feast. We share the work and each contribute a dish to the meal. Karin and Bryan made a delicious green chicken curry along with an eggplant dish. Holger made his fabulous chicken in coconut milk soup and I tried out a new recipe for a cucumber peanut salad with Thai peppers and mint. New parents Anne and Stefan brought dessert and their little son Thomas to the party. We were all so focused on the food and the camaraderie that I completely forgot to get my camera out to take pictures. What a loss! Stefan and Anne will soon be moving to Wales.

Today is Friday and my chance to get back to cooking class at Simi’s in Richterswil. Instead of our usual Indian delicacies Simi taught us some of the Persian dishes she’d learned when she was living in Iran for a few years. What a treat! We made Toss Kebab, a lamb stew with onions, carrots and potatoes and (my favorite) Mirza Ghasemi, eggplant cooked in olive oil with garlic, eggs and tomatoes. Maast-o-Khiar was made of yoghurt with grated onion, cucumber and mint and the grand finale was Tah-Cheen, a layered rice, chicken, onions, saffron and egg dish that was baked in the oven to form a delicious crust on the bottom. We couldn’t wait the usual 1-1/2 hours of baking time and tied into it as soon as any crust had formed. Our day with Simi is always a delicious treat not only because of her generosity and excellent taste in food but also because of the fun we ladies have working together, learning and sharing a wonderful meal at the end.

When we have friends we are rich, indeed! K Q:-)

St. Nicholas Day

2006-12-06T00:07:00.000+01:00

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Here is our Kathedral with this year's Christmas tree in early evening. We hear the bells every fifteen minutes day and night.

This is a view of our street, Marktgasse. Each of the main streets in Old Town have different shaped Christmas lights. Now, all we need is some snow.
I spent time today assembling burlap St. Nicholas goodie bags for neighbors and the office ladies. If you are good, you get candies, peanuts, chocolate santas, chocolate Swiss coins, clementines etc. If you are bad you get twigs.

If he can't decide Samichlaus gives you chocolates packaged with twigs, I guess. Those are the long boxes on right and left in this Confiserie window. After all, nobody's perfect.
K Q;-)

Weinachtsmarkt

2006-12-04T10:52:00.000+01:00

The Christmas Markets opened this weekend and shoppers are out in force. Not much snow yet, unfortunately, as it was the warmest November here in 500 years. (If you haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth yet go see why.) Anyway, I have my hopes up tho' it's raining here today.

This huge crystal bedecked tree is by Swarovski and graces the market in the main train station in Zurich. We were there for book club Friday and I snapped.

These last two pictures are from the Christkindli Markt on Saturday in St. Gallen. It's fun to get out with the locals and buy mistletoe. The lovely lady with the hat was playing a crank musical instrument that I'll have to look up.

Happy Holidays All!
K Q:-)

What Else I Was Doing in Cortona

2006-11-28T13:50:00.000+01:00

My first week in Cortona was for Nina's class. I made this little 4 x 5 foldout collage book in the class while learning a bit about working with metal. We drilled, stamped letters onto our copper covers, set eyelets, split mica, made wire hooks and loops, did some photo transfers and metal tarnishing and really had a lot of fun putting together our memory books.

Some of the items in my book I found at the Arezzo Fleamarket. Other pictures were torn from an old school book, the Prosciutto sack our lunch came in, old discarded maps, bits and pieces of fabrics and old papers that Stacey made available to us. Nilene found, bought and shared watch crystals that we turned into tiny lockets for our books.

Olga shared her double pocket copper mesh page technique with me and I added holy cards I purchased at Santa Margherita along with my clamshell from Siena (a later addition).
The handwritten scrap on this page is a list of poetry I found tucked into a children's book I purchased in Arezzo. The tiny metal box and glass vial contain seeds I found on my Cortona walks. Also there's a fig twig and a dry leaf I couldn't resist. The olive twig will probably lose its leaves over time but I had to include it in memory of our olive picking day.

Of course, we'd also brought little favorite bits and pieces from home to include. It was a good and challenging break for me from my usual routine and it did the trick in shaking up my creativity. I'm home in Switzerland now and back to work on some new projects. Stay tuned.

Thanks Nina!
K Q:-)

Our Hosts

2006-11-24T13:09:00.000+01:00

We found Palazzina Cesira in one of Rick Steves' books and felt so lucky to have discovered it. Lucilla and Roberto are warm, lovely people who have a beautifully restored and comfortable 13th century home they share with their guests. You can peek inside by looking at their website at www.montalcinoitaly.com .

Roberto (who looks so much like Sherman's oldest brother it is amazing) gave us so many tips on what to see and where to go that we have no choice but to come back to Montalcino again. We sealed the deal by leaving our beautiful bottle of Brunello with them to age another year. We hope to share it with them when we come back.

This was dessert at my last dinner in Montalcino.
For our last lunch in Montalcino we went back to Taverna al Grappolo Blu for one last delicious pasta and a half bottle of this luscious Brunello ... a real splurge but a great way to say Arrivederci to Tuscany - for now.
K Q:-)

San Antimo

2006-11-24T12:55:00.000+01:00

Here is an inside view of San Antimo lit only with light from the windows. There is a lot of alabaster used in the structure which I am told glows if the light is right. The order of monks who live and worship here are found in only one other place in the world at Mont St. Michel in France.

The place smelled of incense and the Sacristan was practicing his flute while we looked around. The acoustics are wonderful.

This lion forms the base of the holy water font at the door of the church.

Just outside the church are these ancient olive trees. Can you imagine counting the rings on this one? It must be 1,000 years old! I should have had Missy stand next to it for a perspective on how wide the trunk is.
K Q:-)

New Friends in Tuscany

2006-11-24T12:16:00.000+01:00

Our first evening in Montalcino we met Bob and Missy Huggins from Atlanta who were also staying at the same B&B. They travel often to Tuscany and were great fun to talk with. Bob and Missy generously offered to include me on their second day of driving around the countryside to explore the wineries. Sherman didn't feel up to the ride on windy, unpaved country roads and it was certainly the right decision for him.

It was a beautiful drive with the countryside a riot of Fall colors. Many of the wineries were closed for the season. If we'd been a month earlier we'd have had more luck. Still it was a great day. We stopped off at this monastery, San Antimo, reputed to have been founded by Charlemagne around 800. The structure itself dates from the 1100s and was as simple as Siena's Duomo was ornate.

One winery we found open was Banfi owned by Italian Americans from New York. This was a large and beautifully appointed site which included a large tasting room, friendly staff and a glass museum as well as a restaurant where we could enjoy the goods along with a great meal.
This map gives you an idea of the number of wineries in the Montalcino Consortium. Don't know if you can see all the tiny red dots signifying wineries but they are also listed on the left side of the map. Another good reason to come back - perhaps in October.

K Q:-)

On to Montalcino

2006-11-24T11:45:00.000+01:00

Our plan was to have a relaxed journey and not try to see all the sights this trip so we moved on to Montalcino. This is Brunello country and this ancient little town is full of Enotecas, many with lush views of the Tuscan countryside. We drank the most expensive and delicious wines of our life together here ... but then we've waited 14 years for this trip. I think we've earned it.

My heavy suitcase proved too much for my husband's back on the stairs at our B&B. His injury curtailed our plans for the rest of our trip. Instead we decided to linger here. This turned out to be a good decision as we couldn't get enough of Montalcino. Florence will just have to be another trip.

Walking the hilly streets we happened on the Museo Civico and wandered through the rooms of the former convent gazing at Gothic art from the 13th to 16th centuries. These beautiful pieces were close enough to touch but of course we didn't. It was lovely to have the place entirely to ourselves. No photos were allowed tho' I suppose I could have sneaked some. On the other hand we were being watched by cameras.

The Fortezza is 14th century and has an Enoteca inside. Since it involved a steep ramp up we opted for another one with a view and internet access.
K Q:-)

The Duomo in Siena

2006-11-24T11:23:00.000+01:00

Awesome seems such a tired word by now but it truly describes this 13th century gothic cathedral in the heart of Siena. Two-thirds of the facade was covered by scaffolding since restoration work was in progress. Still we could appreciate the amazing decorative work.

No flash photography was allowed inside and my photography skills are still pretty basic so many of the inside pictures are dim.
The 15th century frescoes in this room are lit by natural light from the windows and tell the tale of Aeneas Piccolomini whom Rick Steves describes as "Siena's philanderer-turned-pope."
I love the wonderful headress on this lady inlaid in marble on the floor.

Shopping in Siena

2006-11-22T09:46:00.000+01:00

The next day we did some sightseeing and shopping. This old building was an interesting sight. Parked under all the Roman statues were college students tapping away on their laptops. Apparently it is a hot spot.

I found myself drawn to all the boots and shoes in the store windows and began regretting that big can of olive oil in my tote bag. I did find a nice pair of suede gloves with tassels and discovered that I'm a half size. Think I'll be coming back here again. Look at the beauties this gal is wearing!

We found a little trattoria and had a delicious lunch of pasta with mussels and clams...the tiniest clams I've had yet...and so delicious. The shells were so pretty that I stashed one in my purse to take home as a souvenir. Perhaps I'll get to that necklace someday.

K Q:-)

Buon Giorno Siena

2006-11-22T09:26:00.000+01:00

We arrived in Siena late in the afternoon Monday and headed for Il Campo to watch the world go by Sienese style. At first I found Siena a little bit claustrophobic after Cortona but Il Campo is a wide open space that relieves the tunnels between tall buildings. I knew almost immediately that we hadn't scheduled enough time for shopping in this little Paradise. I'll be back!

We settled into a sidewalk cafe for our first glass of Brunello di Montalcino and it was chilly so I warmed myself with a bowl of Ribollita, a Tuscan bean and vegetable soup. We heard more English spoken here than Italian. All the tour groups (even off season) seem to make this a rendezvous point. Here my Sherman is checking in with his office.

The brick buildings in Siena are made from the soil of this area and the color Burnt Siena in your paint or crayon box took its name from this place. K Q:-)

Arrivederci Cortona

2006-11-21T18:33:00.000+01:00

My Sherman arrived a week after me and we spent a lovely last weekend in Cortona. I hiked my IP attorney all the way to the top of the mountain to see the Chiesa Santa Margherita where Cortona's embalmed patron saint is on display above the altar. Unfortunately, the church was closed that Sunday afternoon for several hours after our arrival. No matter. Tho' the church is really lovely (no pictures allowed inside) the hike up is also spectacular. The Stations of the Cross are positioned along the roadside done in beautiful mosaic. Unfortunately, they are covered with plexiglass to protect them (I assume) from tourists so pictures are not so good as they might be.

Above Chiesa Santa Margherita is the Fortezza del Girifalco built by Cosimi I de Medici 1556-1561. This too was closed (we were travelling off season) but it was still quite interesting to hike around it and inspect the ancient walls.

Tomorrow Siena.

K Q:-)

At Work and Play

2006-11-21T16:20:00.000+01:00

My first week in Italy was for a class with Nina Bagley in Cortona. These wonderful ladies were so inspiring, each with her own take on the art projects - a copper bound book of mini collages and a necklace. I never got around to making my necklace since I had my hands full completing my book. When I finish my binding I'll snap it - but mine paled in comparison to the others. It was new media for me but lots of fun.

Phyllis in the second picture is wearing a Nina necklace.

We had lots of time for relaxing meals and getting to know each other but we were also greedy for more art time. Nina generously volunteered another day to our projects before we settled in to enjoy this meal in Stacey's kitchen.

K Q:-)

Another Dish

2006-11-20T23:47:00.000+01:00

Another day after a full day of class Stacey treated Nina and me to a relaxed dinner at home including a dish I'd always been curious about but had yet to try. These are fried zucchini blossoms and what a treat they are! If you've ever grown zucchini you know that you can't give away enough zucchini once they start coming in so nipping the blossoms is a great way to control the harvest. You don't want to waste these beauties tho'.

Stacey made a light batter of flour and egg with sparkling water and dipped the blossoms in it. The trick is to have the fat hot enough to crisp the blossoms almost immediately so that they don't soak up excessive oil.

They were even better than I had hoped! K Q:-)

Cooking Lesson

2006-11-20T19:20:00.000+01:00

Benedetta traded in her olive picking togs for her stylish chef's coat and created a wonderful traditional meal for us with just a little help from our eager hands. We had delicious Crostini with chicken livers for appetizers.

Then we made tagliatelle with an autumnal sauce made of vegetables, sausages and porcini mushrooms. This was followed by pork sirloin with a country sauce and a rich dessert of Caffe ristretto made with ricotta cheese, cream and Sambuca. We drank wine made at home on the Agritourismo and had a jolly time of it.

Here is Nilene trying her hand at kneading the pasta.

A souvenir of our day was a booklet of all the recipes.
K Q:-)

Tuscan Olives

2006-11-20T18:53:00.000+01:00

One afternoon Stacey arranged for our group to go olive picking at Agritourismo Poggio al Sole followed by a cooking lesson and dinner of traditional Tuscan dishes. Benedetta Cano, her mother and uncle run this place and pick olives from their 700 trees with only a little help from tourists like us. Oh yes, 12 year old Peggy helps too. Imagine an Italian dog named Peggy!

We spread nets under the trees then pulled all the olives off the branches with bare hands or little rakes. Tourists were not allowed to climb the ladders which was probably just as well.

In two hours time we managed to strip just two trees of their olives. They do not hire expensive workers but harvest all these olives themselves. Clearly they work faster and take fewer pictures than we tourists.
The olives are gorgeous and we picked them in all shades. The variety in ripeness adds depth to the flavor of the oil. I lugged 3 liters of it back with me to Switzerland. Yummy!
K Q:-)

Textures of Cortona

2006-11-20T18:25:00.000+01:00

I spent a lot of time walking around Cortona my first week. One day Nina and I climbed the street to hear the nuns sing at 8 am Mass in the Cloister which was truly angelic. We snapped so many pictures that I had to download my memory card to a CD and start over. Everything seemed to be a picture. Here the last of the grapes on this vine hang over the doorway.

This wall was begun by the Etruscans before Christ. It was continually improved through the ages and still surrounds the town. Those grey green trees in front are olive trees. More about those later.

Persimmons were ripe all over Tuscany but I never saw them on menus. When I asked how they were eaten I was told, "...with a spoon - delicious!" Yes, indeed.
I just love the roof tiles. So many shades of terracotta and they wear lichens with such glamour.

K Q:-)

Arezzo

2006-11-19T21:07:00.000+01:00

On Sunday we headed for Arezzo and its monthly fleamarket to shop for bits and pieces to include in our artwork. It was our only really cold day but we hardly felt it for the thrill of the hunt. If only I’d had more room in my luggage to tote all these goodies home.

I nearly fell down a steep flight of stairs so busy was I gawking and snapping pictures. Found a few treasures for my book project and a vintage fur collar to jazz up a sweater or jacket. I resisted the expensive hat blocks this time but Nina scored a really good one and she is my size. Perhaps we can work a deal.

Scenes from Life is Beautiful were shot here in Arezzo.

K Q:-)

La Bella Toscana

2006-11-19T20:56:00.000+01:00

I am just back from two wonderful weeks in Italy and hardly know where to begin! So perhaps it’s best to start at the beginning. I took a sleeper train from Switzerland and arrived in Cortona Saturday morning November 4 to take a class with Nina Bagley, a dear friend from my Montgomery, Alabama days. Nina was teaching an art book and some of her necklace techniques, new media and an artistic stretch for millinery me. Mostly, I wanted to visit with Nina whom I hadn’t seen in a dozen years and to soak up beautiful Tuscany. I was not disappointed. Here is Nina inspecting the wine cellar at one of the restaurants we frequented during our stay. More on what we ate later. See Nina’s inspiring artwork on her blog at http://www.ornamental.typepad.com/ .

Here is a view from new friend Stacey’s home where I was fortunate to stay along with Nina and a another shot from up the hill.
K Q:-)

Fabrikverkauf

2006-10-29T20:44:00.000+01:00

Two Saturdays a year Forster Rohner, A.G., one of the Big Three St. Gallen embroidery companies, has a sale. Before getting ready for our friends’ wedding this Saturday Starr and I rushed over to spend an hour picking through the goods for samples of fabrics and embroidered laces. The first pieces we spotted were selling for 80 CHF per meter but as we roamed the room we found many more affordable bargains. I selected a denim colored finely woven Swiss cotton fabric for only 6 CHF/meter. It’s perfect for a summer dress next year. At the cutting table I was mentally calculating how much of this exquisite lace I could afford at 10 CHF when the saleslady told me the price was not per meter but for the whole bolt! Quickly rethinking our selections we were less stingy with ourselves. Each of us left with a shopping bag stuffed to the top with enough lace to keep us going until the next sale on April 28. In the meantime, I’d better get busy on that book I’ve promised with so much gorgeous inspiration. See www.forsterrohner.com .
K Q:-)

More Wedding Pictures

2006-10-29T19:03:00.000+01:00

Don't our husbands look handsome? Starr is wearing Sudtirol Trachten from the German speaking area of Italy. Marsha (in red) is an artist and once lived in Friendswood, Texas.
K Q:-)

Hochzeit in Mogelsberg

2006-10-29T18:43:00.000+01:00

Saturday we had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of new friends here in Switzerland. Bryan, an American, married Karin, who is Swiss. Both belong to a group we meet with for occasional culinary sprees in each other’s homes. They very generously included us in their celebration despite the fact that we are newcomers in their lives. What a great day!

We drove out into the countryside with Starr and Holger to Mogelsburg for the ceremony which was performed in both Swiss German and English. Friends and family had arrived from many countries and, believe it or not, we met an uncle and aunt from America who had once lived in Friendswood Texas. Small world!

Karin is a nurse so when we exited der Kirche after the wedding her colleagues attired in scrubs had formed an archway of medical devices like the raised swords in a military wedding. Hilarious! Apero followed the ceremony in front of the church with Swiss folk music and wine and delicacies passed by ladies in traditional dress. Later that evening we drove to a mountaintop chalet in Appenzell for a lamb dinner reception with more music, wine and dancing.
Aside from the babies, I was the only one wearing a hat just finished Saturday morning (replacing the one I'd lost on the plane coming over here).
K Q:-)

More Appenzeller Hats

2006-10-18T11:29:00.000+02:00

Returned to the Olma yesterday and captured these Appenzeller Hüte which are used in the traditional Silvesterklause or New Year’s celebration. The huge hats are worn by men (even the female costumes) and the large cowbells are the same as those really used on cows. Oooof! The Kinder are dressed in another type of Silvester costumes and are made completely of natural woodland materials.
For an interesting description of the Silvesterklause tradition see http://www.appenzell.ch/d/kultur/silvesterklausen.php and to hear a smidgen of the Appenzeller yodeling visit http://www.appenzellermusik.ch/ . Kate Q:-)

Handwerk at the Olma

2006-10-15T00:16:00.000+02:00

Here are the ladies demonstrating their skills and the beautiful results. The first is using a fragile silver ribbon to embroider the motif for a cap like the one below. The lacemaker is using a shuttle and a double pointed knitting needle to make the collar. She showed me her moves but she was quick and it looked more complicated than I could pick up in a demonstration. We had fun visiting with them as I practiced my Deutsch with ein Bisschen English thrown in.
Kate Q:-)

Men Too!

2006-10-15T00:00:00.000+02:00

Certainly outdone by the ladies, the men still have some interesting hats too. I really like the knitted farmer's cap with the tassel. I wonder how they keep these on their heads since I always see them perched precariously at the back.
K Q:-)

Olma and Appenzeller Hats

2006-10-14T23:53:00.000+02:00

Today I met my friends Starr and Holger for the Olma. This grand exhibition for all of East Switzerland is held here each Fall. Like the Spring Offa, Olma is a kind of combination livestock show, wine and food tasting, home show, carnival, and crafts market all rolled into one huge party with lots of beer and music too. It goes on for 10 days. Things really got rolling this morning about 10 with a parade that passed by our front door and proceeded through the Old Town to the exhibition halls. This year Appenzell is featured so the costumes are particularly colorful and the cheeses delicious.

I’ve been wanting to get some pictures of the Trachtenhüte (folk costume hats) and today I went trigger happy. Hand embroidery, hand made lace and, I am told, these are sold only to Appenzellers. They are expensive too. I was able to get close to observe the Handwerk. What a treat for this milliner! More later, on men’s Hüte.

Kate Q:-)

Flohmarkt

2006-10-01T21:01:00.000+02:00

We also wandered through a flea market on Katharinengasse and ran into our friend Kostas der Grieche, Restauranteur. What a gorgeous Fall day!
Kate Q:-)

Market Day

2006-10-01T18:47:00.000+02:00

Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days in our neighborhood. Merchants and farmers set up booths with flowers, cheeses, vegetables, etc. and no matter what the weather people are out shopping.

Last December, my first week in St. Gallen, I was entirely intimidated by this process. Sherman had shown me around for a couple of days then went back to work leaving me on my own so I set out to buy a piece of cheese from a vendor we had visited over the weekend. When I asked ‘Sprechen Sie English?’ this young man said ‘English OK.’ Then I asked how to say 100 grams in German. He told me, ‘Hunnert Gramme,’ whereupon I started to weep (feeling SO stupid in an alien place). Silly! After all, the guy was really nice to me and I did get my cheese.

Yesterday we were out shopping and I saw him again. When he stepped over to help us he nailed us as Americans right off and greeted us with a Hello instead of a Grüezi. I reminded him that he’d been so nice to me when I first arrived that it had made me cry. Then I proceeded to order two pieces of cheese and some freshly made spinach ravioli in German. My reward was a surprised laugh and a compliment on my German. It made me feel like a million bucks (oops) Swissfrancs. My guess is this guy speaks Italian too!
K Q:-)

Akris

2006-09-28T18:56:00.000+02:00

Oh la la la la!!! I am just back from a couple of hours at the Textile Museum here to see their part of the four museum-wide SCHNITTPUNKT, Kunst und Kleid (CutStitch, Art and Dress) St. Gallen show. The Textile Museum’s display is Akris, a designer name that I had not known before.

Akris is a St. Gallen family company in its third generation with Albert Kriemler, grandson of founder Alice Kriemler Schoch, as the creative designer. To say the least, I am stunned by the beauty and timelessness of these clothes. Garments displayed range from the 1980s collections through to Fall 2006 designs. The pieces make use of luxurious fabrics such as cashmere, alpaca, softest wool tweeds, perforated nappa leather, silk organza, chiffon, georgette, crepe and a fur- new to me - called chekiang. (This is described as a double faced fur but seems to be lambskin with its curly wool on the other side.) Albert Kriemler works closely with St. Gallen embroidery companies Jakob Schlaepfer, Bischoff Textil and Forster Rohner who create gorgeous embroideries, laser cut fabrics and hologram paillettes interpreting old techniques in new and modern ways. Everywhere in the Museum you get to see how Kriemler utilizes these embroideries. This dress, for example, is made of tiny strips of leather sewn into medallions on to nude organza.

Akris has done an exquisite job of presenting these stunning clothes at the Textile Museum. Not only are the garments displayed close enough to touch throughout the Museum but there are videos (in German) about the fabric companies, the designer’s production process, fashion shows and a video of the 2006 New Year’s Eve concert by the Vienna Philharmonic featuring the Viennese Opera’s ballet ensemble wearing dresses by Albert Kreimler. Above the video presentation the dresses float in the air above the staircase.

There are displays of couture fabrics with signs encouraging one to touch and racks of couture jackets to be tried on by visitors. These were in various sizes and made of perforated nappa leather and double faced cashmere in nearly weightless construction. Gorgeous! I’ve never seen a textile or clothing exhibit that so encouraged its sensual appreciation by visitors. An amusing touch was the display of fashion show shoes that seemed to walk down the wall to the fashion show film.

The Akris exhibit takes over all of the display space in the Textile Museum. It is well worth the 10 CHF entry fee which includes a program booklet available in English. You can also purchase a combination ticket for all four museums at a discount. I have not yet seen the other three exhibits associated with this one so will report later on those. I DO know that I will be going back to this one several times before it closes on January 7, 2007. More details to come.

Kate Q:-)

Home Again

2006-09-24T00:00:00.000+02:00

I’ve been away visiting family and friends in the USA. Almost as soon as I landed I was struck by how spontaneous and friendly Americans are. My sister Gina picked me up at the airport and we dropped in on a jazz festival in Roslyn, Virginia. We knew no one there but it didn’t seem to hamper conversation with kids, grownups and even dogs. Didn’t realize how much I’d missed this easy manner. How much we take for granted!

After visiting with my sisters, nephews and my mother I flew to Texas to take care of a little business and see some good friends. Ray and Beryl spirited me off to Baton Rouge for a few days to see their new house and Garden District neighborhood. They have three of these huge live oaks. What a lovely place with good friends nearby! I know they will enjoy it.

Claremarie hosted a gathering of hat loving pals at her Houston home where we tried on some souvenirs from her world travels.

I believe she said this headdress is a wedding hat from Usbekistan. It's surprisingly comfortable and well balanced.

Marit wowed us all with her fabulous interpretation of the Burberry plaid in silk and Panama straw. I am always pleased and amazed to see my students’ work go far beyond what I have done. It inspires me all over again.

More party pictures can be seen on Houston Hat Net's site at http://www.orgsites.com/tx/houstonhatnet/ and on Jill's blog at http://jillthinksdifferent.blogspot.com/ .

I even fit in a little Fall shopping too. At last, I'm over my jet lag and altitude adjustment. It’s good to be back home with "my old man" in die Schweiz.

Shhhhh! Lawyer at work.

2006-09-08T16:10:00.000+02:00

My husband’s colleagues’ son, John Travis Moetteli, is just about 6 weeks old now. Mature enough to go to work with Papa and Mama. Sherman couldn’t resist standing in while they took time off for lunch last Saturday.

Far From Home

2006-09-04T15:18:00.000+02:00

The weather was really nice Saturday so I persuaded Sherman to take the afternoon off for a boat trip to Lindau. This was my third trip to the little island in Germany but my Sweetie hadn’t had the opportunity yet. On arrival we were hungry for some lake fish so we made our way to Maximilianstrasse for fresh caught Sonderfilet and half liters of beer. Prices for dining are much lower here than in Switzerland. Jazz discovered she really liked the salmon and indulged in gelato both before and after lunch.

Here’s an interesting oddity. There is a Sequoia Giganta from California planted right here in this little island town - far, far from home! My husband, a biologist before he was a lawyer, says that Redwoods rarely survive being transplanted as they have an intricate shallow root system and are dependent on a particular soil bacteria. He wanted to see it with his own eyes and here it is. This tree appears to be missing it’s top half. Perhaps it had a struggle surviving the move. Clearly, it has been here a long time and it seems to be thriving now. I’m still trying to find out how it got here.
Q:-)

Rainy Day Project Redux

2006-08-31T11:06:00.000+02:00

Our first day back after the Helsinki trip it was raining all day again. I helped Jazz finish her skirt in time to wear to her new school next week. Hemming those ruffles was no easy task for her but she persevered, braving the zig zag on my Bernette, and she did a fine job. Jazz picked the hardest skirt on the pattern but that was the one she wanted. So any other skirt will be easy for her now. Doesn’t she look terrific?
K Q:-)

A Trip to Helsinki

2006-08-31T10:07:00.000+02:00

This past week Sherman had a little business to do in Finland so we flew to Helsinki for a few days to explore. On arrival, I was surprised to find that the weather was warmer than here in St. Gallen (due, I suppose, to the lower altitude). Much of this country is still wild and the population is only about 5 million total (less than NYC!). They have a well developed high tech industry here and we were told it is the most productive of European countries. Education and medical care are completely paid for with high taxes and they have no poverty. We found it clean and friendly and everyone we encountered in Helsinki spoke English. Most also speak Finnish and Swedish.

The architecture was not so old or interesting as in Switzerland tho’ they do have some wonderful churches including a Russian Orthodox cathedral that I hope to explore next time. We did get into this church which is one of the tourist highlights of the city.

Our host Kostas made sure we tasted both traditional and modern Finnish foods and I must say that we ate well. We began with a selection of pastries at the popular Café Strindberg. Sherman and I were sipping our coffee while our host selected pastries inside and we spotted a tall pretty girl walking about the Esplanade searching for someone (we thought). Suddenly she spotted us and pirouetted into a spontaneous little dance. She finished as quickly as she began, bowed gracefully saying, ‘Just for you!’ in English. Then she disappeared around the corner. No solicitation for money and too quick for me to even grab my camera! Just serendipity. I guess we really look like American tourists!

After a little strolling and sightseeing we dined at Lapin Kulta, a traditional restaurant in the style of a Laplander hut. Sherman ordered Char, a delicious kind of salmon which arrived on a bed of barley. I ate reindeer steak with liggonberries, pickled onions and potatoes. Very tasty! We were staying at a very nice Holiday Inn near the train station which also had a fabulous breakfast buffet including fruit and berries, pickled herring (yum!) and a rich mildly smoked salmon. Did I say we ate well?

Our second day Sherman had a meeting so I shopped in Stockmann’s, a very large and tempting department store owned by an old Swedish family in Finland. I had a hard time making choices as they had so many beautiful things at reasonable prices. The textiles were particularly tempting and I bought both a scarf and a handwoven shawl. The hosiery department displayed a mind boggling selection of socks, tights and leggings in various sizes, differing also in how tightly they hug the leg, not to mention the colors, argyles, prints etc. I stocked up. The millinery department was also fun to explore with various sizes (no one-size-fits-all here) and prices ranging from fleece lined military style cotton caps to knitted hoods rimmed with fox fur and lots of creative and fun felt hats. I SO wanted to take some photos but have learned that stores generally don’t appreciate that. I did get a picture of this booth down by the harbor later that day where we shopped for souvenirs and ate more salmon at a fast food stand for lunch.

We both decided that our trip was too short and we’d like to go again. They have a glass museum to explore, I want to search out more of the lovely textiles and I understand the overnight cruise to Stockholm from the harbor is a reasonable luxury in the summer months. The harbor is frozen in winter and one can walk across to one of the hundreds of small islands. With my hats, my new sock collection and my L. L. Bean down coat I’d even brave the winter weather (they get only 4 hours of daylight mid-winter). But they also have tango dancing under the midnight sun in July!
K Q:-)

A Project for a Rainy Day

2006-08-24T20:33:00.000+02:00

Well, we certainly seem to be making up for our hot dry July with a chilly and rainy August. No complaints...just an observation. Here’s what we are seeing lots of lately. By the way, summer is over here and the kids are back in school. All except Jasmine who will be starting first week of September at a beautiful private school.

Thinking about school clothes, we went shopping yesterday and Jazz picked out some cotton to make a skirt. She’d admired my tripled tiered skirt and decided to try her hand at making one. She tried on mine, we took her measurements, and I figured out how much we had to reduce my pattern to fit her lithe figure. We made a muslin for fitting and pre-shrunk her fabric yesterday. Then today we set out to make it into a skirt. Jazz is doing almost all of the work with some supervision by me. She took to it immediately and has already completed the base skirt and the first of three ruffles. We’ll post a picture of the finished product when it is complete.

I’m back to teaching. Yay Hurray! K Q:-)

P.S. That's Squeegee pinch hitting as pattern weight and stitching supervisor.

A Busy Day

2006-08-20T14:49:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was a day of contrasts. Early in the day John picked us up to drive us out to the castle to meet John Travis, his new baby boy, whom he is very proud of. Can you tell? After a champagne toast and visit with the happy family, John drove us back to town. We bought some sandwiches and stopped off for a picnic at the Botanical Garden. Lots of Pflanzen were pretty burned up by our July heat but I love this garden and will definitely go back often - especially in the Spring when the wisteria and narcissus are blooming. There’s a beautiful church nearby that warrants exploration too. Doesn’t my hubby look handsome in his Italian fedora (a Guerra)?

After lunch we headed back to town where the St. Galler Fest was in full swing. This is a two day party with food booths, live music and serious partying in the streets. It went on all afternoon Friday late into the night and then all day Saturday until 2:30 a.m. this morning. We enjoyed sampling the various ethnic foods and the music which varied from Munich beer garden music to Dixieland jazz and cool blues - really good! Our gal, Jazz had a lot of fun with her green glow-in-the-dark glasses and had some Swiss girls begging for tastes of her strawberry cotton candy. We cruised by Pipi Strello's Bar to visit our Sicilian pals Pipi and Mario of Timebridge (rock band) who were pleased to pose for us.

As you see, it’s not all yodeling and ooompah music over here (tho’ there IS some of that too!).
K Q:-)

Jazz

2006-08-17T21:56:00.000+02:00

We have houseguests again. They are an American attorney, Carrie, who is joining hubby in law firm here and her adorable 11 year old daughter Jazz. Since the lawyers are so busy I’ve been spending time with Jazz comparing notes on our theatre exploits and teaching her to knit (which I too am learning). She’s a real joy to have around - lots of FUN!

Today we took the Mühleggbahn up to St. Georgen and hiked all the way around Drei Weieren (three swimming ponds) then up into the woods at Freudenbergwald. It was one of two lovely days we’ve had in the past rainy 2 weeks so we took full advantage enjoying the Wanderwegs in the forest and the garden and pond views. By the time we made full circle we headed for Vogel where I had a Klosterbrau and Jazz had a Coupe Danemark. Jasmine’s response to the hot fudge was priceless! K Q:-)

P.S. Check out Jazz's new blog at http://Swissjazz.blogspot.com/

Working and Reworking

2006-08-12T10:22:00.000+02:00

My first week in St. Gallen I went to explore the Textile Museum on Vadianstrasse. The museum houses a gorgeous collection of St. Galler lace, books of lace samples, and an extensive library which I have yet to fully explore. In addition, they host exhibits of textile art and display examples of St. Gallen couture fabrics from the Paris Vision shows. These lush (and expensive!) fabrics combine traditional with high tech manufacturing techniques and are like none I had seen before. After my initial tour I asked a docent where the fabric stores are in St. Gallen. She shook her head, smiling sadly, and told me that there are only a few fabric stores left here. What a disappointment for this fabric-aholic! I have since found these few stores with limited selections and high prices and, as I have written before, have also found a factory outlet or three with a limited range of fabrics at more reasonable prices. It is clear, however, that Stoff is no longer at the center of St. Gallen business.

Faced with a limited supply of my usual working materials I jumped into something that was more readily available. I’d told my friends in Houston that I was going to learn to knit in Switzerland (I LOVE sweaters). There are more knitting shops here than fabric stores and I have accumulated a few knitting books and magazines for inspiration. My friend Starr and I have embarked on teaching ourselves to knit, with the occasional help and advice of Maya, who owns our favorite knitting shop Wolligx on Englegasse (Angel Street).

When one of my husband’s colleagues announced that she was pregnant I decided to try this beautiful baby sweater pattern given to me by lovely Diane in Houston. I figured it looked a bit complicated but is so small (using only 2 balls of yarn) I stood to lose very little if I couldn’t figure it out. It began simply with a garter stitch yoke. Then I became entangled in knitting instructions. With the help of http://www.knittinghelp.com/, Maya and my pal Starr I worked my way through this project, making mistakes, ripping out and starting over a total of 10 times! Did I say this was a learning venture? I did learn a lot in the process. I learned to keep notes on where I was in my knitting pattern, to rewrite the pattern in shorthand on a cribsheet so I could have it at a glance. I learned that with a complex pattern it is easier to start over than to try to recover a half row of stitches that have slipped off a knitting needle that has separated itself from the cable (very small size circular needle), to test and retest knitting gauge for size, and finally to practice what I preach which is not to be discouraged by mistakes (learning opportunities). Persistence pays!

Here it is and I am so pleased with the results that I may have to knit one for myself in this pattern someday. Next, however, I will try some of those spiral socks and a sweater sampler from Jackie Fee’s The Sweater Workshop. She has already been nice enough to answer an email query about knitting instructions. K Q:-)

P.S. I now have an 11 year old houseguest and student (more to come on Jazz later). How delightful it is to see a new generation taking an interest in Handwerk!

Book Club

2006-08-04T21:52:00.000+02:00

The first Friday of each month I hop a train to Zurich, along with my friend Starr, to the American Women’s Club where our Book Club meets. These ladies are the best! In July and August the AWC is closed so we meet in a member’s home rather than skip the summer months. It’s just too much fun to miss. This month our club read The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt, a delightful tale about Venice and her characters. In a reversal of the usual trip, Starr hosted the meeting at her home here in St. Gallen and her charming husband Holger took the day off work to fix us a delicious Venetian cold lunch. Feast your eyes! After lunch, we had a guided tour (in English) of historic highlights of St. Gallen. Before today, I didn't know that we have the oldest church bell on the continent of Europe, brought from Ireland by Gallus in the year 612!

Tho’ it was chilly and rainy (What a difference a week makes - 14 C. here today!) it didn’t dampen our spirits one bit. Bravissimo, Starr & Holger, for a great day!
K Q:-)

Genève

2006-07-29T09:26:00.000+02:00

We are just back from a quick business trip to Geneva (hubby’s biz). I love Geneva tho’ it is a big city with lots of noise and traffic. The reason I love it is the French influence, I think. The beautiful language is music to my ears and, though out of practice, I understand more of it than I yet understand German. The other aspect that I love is the way Geneva women dress - more French influence, I suspect. Look at this pair enjoying glacé at our favorite Bourg de Four plaza in the Old Town. I’m guessing this is a Grandmama with her grandchild. The heat wave was still in full force but these ladies look cool and happy!
Kate Q:-)

35 C. and the Hottest Day of the Year (so far)

2006-07-26T17:39:00.000+02:00

So yesterday we headed for the Bodensee (a/k/a Lake Constance). We purchased day passes at the Bahnhof and took a Postbus to Rorschach, had a light lunch (I had crisply fried fish - Sonderfilet) with local beer by the lake then hopped on the boat for Lindau on the German side of the lake. What a cool and delightful trip! How do you like Brittany's new Fendi Sonnenbrille? The water is an amazing shade of clear green and no wonder there were lots of sailboats out and about. We sipped another beer on board after we convinced the waiter to take Swissfrancs. (We’d remembered to bring passports and a German/English dictionary but every one of us forgot to bring Euros!)

When we arrived we headed for Maximillianstrasse for an atm machine then Italian gelato. Here’s what I had - 2 kugels, one apricot and the other Campari orange. Perfection. It was so hot that it was challenging to eat the gelato fast enough. When John told me my Campari orange was dripping onto my blouse I looked down and my hat brim hit the cone spreading orange gelato on the brim as well. What a klutz!! Good thing raffia straw cloth can be wiped clean with water. We strolled around for a couple of hours getting hot and sunburned. Brittany found the souvenir gifts she’d been hunting and I spotted several hat shops.

We also found the Stadtmuseum and looked in on the small Louis Tiffany exhibit.

When we headed for das Boot at 16:00 it seemed that everyone on the island had decided to do the same. It was crowded but still delightfully cool and breezy on the water.
K Q:-)

Hüte

2006-07-20T18:23:00.000+02:00

Good news arrived in our mailbox this week! This little newspaper Anzeiger has a cover article about Countess Diana Bernadotte. Countess Diana is 24 years old and a Milliner out of passion, so says the headline. She lives and works in a Schloss on the island of Mainau near Konstanz on Lake Bodensee. I have not yet been to Mainau but it is nearby and so I have added it to my To Do List. I haven’t figured out yet whether she has a shop or whether she works at home (she’s married and has a 2 year old). So, I will keep plugging away with my German dictionary.

Meanwhile, it is 33 C. here today (91.4 F.) and I’m seeing more hats on the street. Mine still get a few suspicious and/or disapproving glances from the frowners but that’s ok. I’m cooler than they are. Who looks the coolest on Multergasse today? These charming young ladies and the street musicians in their Hüte! So, keep cool and don’t forget your hat!
Kate Q:-)

Switzerland Swelters Under Heat Wave!

2006-07-19T23:21:00.000+02:00

So says the headline on http://www.swissinfo.com/. It was 34 C. (93.2 F.) yesterday. So, it’s not so hot as Houston nor, for that matter, many places in the USA. We don’t have air conditioning tho’.

Nevertheless, stores here are getting ready for Fall. Here is a lovely Max Mara Jacke I spotted in Globus’ window this morning at 319 CHF. The good news is that McCall’s has a pattern #5007 (see Threads latest issue) that is practically the same jacket with just a change of pocket and buttons. Replace the patch pockets with in seam (princess seam) pockets and find some wonderful buttons and I’m good to go! Well, I do have to find some fabulous textured wool but I love that challenge. Thanks, Jill, for doing some pattern shopping for me. We hope to see you soon!
Kate Q:-)

P.S. The Sonnenbrille (sunglasses) are Calvin Klein and over 200 CHF each.

P.P.S. We beat the heat with an evening glass of Gewurtztraminer (Vin d'Alsace) in lawn chairs on our roof where there’s a cool breeze mixed with the faint aroma of cows and a spectacular view!

Grüzi

2006-07-18T21:13:00.000+02:00

We have more company this week. Sherman’s colleague Kim arrived on Sunday with her 19 year old daughter, Brittany. This is their first trip to Europe. In fact, the ride from the airport was their first train ride! They’ve adapted well. Brittany has mastered the Swiss German greeting (above) and they have both decided they like Proseco and my favorite St. Galler fast food, Olma mit Burli. After a couple of days here they took off this morning on their own to Venice, then Florence, Rome, Milan and back here to St. Gallen for another week. They’ve gotten the hang of it and already are talking about Spain next year!
Kate Q:-)

More Swiss Lace

2006-07-11T13:59:00.000+02:00

Here are a couple more window views from Geneva. I continue to be in awe of the beautiful lace curtains here - seemingly an endless variety.
Kate Q:-)

Geneva Shopping and Dinner

2006-07-10T12:55:00.000+02:00

Window shopping has been one of my favorite pastimes ever since I lived in New York. Sherman enjoys it too where watches are concerned even tho’ he already has a nice Swiss watch. It is truly amazing what some go for these days - in the five figures! I do not understand the appeal of the status watch or of wearing someone else’s logo on your chest. Perhaps it’s because I sew and value unique rather than status. Oh well, I know I’m in the minority. Here are some of the windows we peered into in Geneva. The carved wooden clock is an old Swiss wind-up. No price in the window which means it’s really expensive but aren’t the carved wooden birds wonderful? The purse was in Gucci’s window - rather shrine-like don’t you think? Yikes! Again, no price and if you have to ask....well, you know the rest. Of course, another status item. There is lots of money in Geneva so there are many window goodies. I also saw more dresses, cute little skirts, heels and hats in Geneva too. Don't you just love the cut of this little jacket? It was raining when we set out or I would have worn one of my dressier straw hats. Perhaps I need a 'do over'?

Saturday night we had dinner with the parents of one of Sherman’s colleagues who live in Geneva. Hannalor and Gustav are lovely, gracious people and served us a fine European style meal Hannalor made in their home. We began with champagne then sat down at table. Sherman warned me to count the silver at our place settings as it was an indication of how many courses were in store. First, we were served a cold and creamy cucumber soup with toast points. Next came Saucisson en croute, a tangy Geneva sausage wrapped in feuillete pastry and served with an arugula (Roquette) salad and a local Rosé wine. I thought the Saucisson was the main course but was mistaken. Out came a platter with perfectly cooked roast beef in a delicious herb sauce, accompanied by carrots, green beans and Rösti, a Swiss potato dish which is one of our favorites. Oh dear! I still had silver to go. Next came the cheese course, a creamy Boursaullt and a hard Spanish Manchego served with French bread and another glass of the Rosé, then a sundae glass full of strawberries and raspberries in berry sauce topped with whipped cream. No! That was not dessert but the fruit course. At last came a Spanish San Marco torte served with coffee. I thought I would burst! The men had a postprandial ‘digestive’ of an anise flavored liqueur served over ice but since licorice is not a favorite of mine I did not indulge. We were at table a full four hours. Back at our hotel later, we each drank a liter of sparkling water at the Café to give ourselves time to digest. Delicieux!
Kate Q:-)

Geneva Weekend

2006-07-09T18:54:00.000+02:00

We are just back from a weekend in Geneva. Sherman had a meeting there on Friday so we took off by train in the morning arriving in the French Swiss city 4 hours later. This is about as far as one can travel in Switzerland and still remain in the country. It is amazing how "at home" I felt hearing French again. Tho’ I have never been fluent, French is so much more familiar (than German) to my ear that it was positively relaxing to function in French for a weekend!

Once checked into our hotel we strolled through the Old Town, ate ice cream at a sidewalk café and called our friend Marie to wish her Happy Birthday! I ordered a Coupe Framboise and they had to go out to the market to fetch fresh raspberries for me so it took a few minutes. We were in no hurry and it was well worth the wait! Much later we found ourselves hungry again so stepped into a tiny neighborhood bistro, Les Agapes, for a lovely dinner of Lotte on a perfect salad with potatoes and a regional white wine.

Saturday we had perfect weather for window shopping and indulged in a boat ride on the lake. Here are some views of Geneva and Lac Le Man. More later about our 4 hour dinner with friends on Saturday night.
Kate Q:-)

OK Here are the Shoes Too

2006-07-06T13:17:00.000+02:00

Can you blame me? They're COMFORTABLE too!
K Q;-)

Forever Plaid

2006-07-06T12:09:00.000+02:00

Here are a couple of my recent sewing projects. For the bolero I reworked a very old Vogue pattern ($2.00 so that tells you how old!). I made it in that 20 CHF/meter denim and appliqued it with some of my red plaid scraps, old lace and pieces of a vintage Swiss batiste hankie. The embroidery was inspired by Appenzeller men's vests and the lining is indigo dyed cotton I found in the US (and wish I could find here). I DO miss my stash! The cap is my own Katrinka Kenan pattern made with the same fabrics.

I won't wear the bolero and cap together - a bit too costumey - but I do have other pieces they will work with - a straight skirt I made out of the same red plaid fabric, a denim dress and, of course, jeans. I also have a red plaid Jill cap and - just so you know how truly obsessed I am with this plaid - I found a pair of Tommy Girl round toed pumps last year made from the same plaid!

And I wonder why they stare at me???
Kate Q;-)

St. Galler Stickerei

2006-07-05T19:01:00.000+02:00

I just finished a little article on finding St. Gallen fabrics and laces. Thought that I would share with you a few of the small pieces I bought at the Bischof outlet. There was a bin of lace scraps selling at 10 CHF per kilo and I had a time accumulating a full kilo of these airy beauties. Here are just a few since I can’t get them all into one photo frame...but you get the idea. Some of these are cotton, others are polyester and many are netting embroidered with rayon threads. I’ll use these for collage or crazy quilting or for trimming hats. Of course, you can buy yardage (meterage?) of most of these as well. Prices depend on the intricacy and width of the embroidery motifs.
Kate Q:-)

Independence Day

2006-07-04T11:00:00.000+02:00

It’s Independence Day! I’m feeling just a little bit homesick today since there will be no fireworks or friends gathered for our backyard BBQ. Sherman is off at work - business as usual today. My 4th of July cap is in storage in Texas or perhaps it sold in my liquidation sale. I can’t complain tho’. Stores are open until 6 so perhaps I will fry up some chicken, make a potato salad and plan a rooftop picnic. (Peach cobbler is already made.) We’ll toast our friends and blow bubbles from on high to celebrate. My (big little boy) Sherman has laid in a huge supply of bubble stuff from Zolli Bolli across the Platz. Fireworks will have to wait for Swiss Confederation Day August 1 and we’ll have a grand view from our roof.

Happy Birthday USA!
K Q:-)

Wanderweg

2006-06-30T22:41:00.000+02:00

Lest you think I’d forgotten that hiking trail I can see from my rooftop, here it is. Claremarie and I tried it out last week on our trip up to St. Georgen. A short walk along the path and we discovered the first of the three ponds I’d heard were in the area. This one is situated just behind a community garden on the hillside between trail and pond. It was a chilly afternoon but at least a dozen souls were swimming all wearing bright yellow swim caps. A club perhaps? I don’t want to speculate on how cold the mountain spring water was. Don’t you just love the herons and frogs carved into the bathhouse? As I write this now the final choruses of Carmina Burana up at the Kathedrale are wafting through my window. What a country!
Kate Q:-)

Last Rösti

2006-06-27T22:46:00.000+02:00

Claremarie took us out for one last Swiss meal at Marktplatz Café this evening. It was threatening rain and did sprinkle a bit but we opted to eat out on the plaza anyway as they have large café umbrellas. We’ve had such a good time with Claremarie. We will miss her when she heads back to London tomorrow morning...then Prague...then Budapest. Bon Voyage, Claremarie! K Q:-)

More fun with Claremarie

2006-06-27T16:12:00.000+02:00

Sunday Claremarie motivated us out for Mass in the Kathedrale. We were rewarded with more stunning music. Some of the musicians and singers from Carmina were in the loft with our local choir to perform the Mozart Mass. Rococo music by the ultimate Rococo composer in a Rococo cathedral. Wow! Then we were off to Arbon for Straussensteak and to walk by the Bodensee.

Monday Claremarie and I took the train to Luzern and had lunch at Restaurant Fritschi established in 1602. After lunch we scouted out a second hand clothing boutique where Claremarie found some authentic vintage frock coats for a very reasonable price. After our bargain purchase we wandered up a hill and found the old city wall. The towers were open so we climbed up the cool stone stairwell to the top and walked the length of the wall. Would you believe we met another Houstonian at the bottom of the last tower? Small world. We then took the Funicolare up a mountain to see Chateau Gutsch which we found empty and under renovation. Still it was a great view of Luzern. We tired of waiting for the ride down so braved the steps which turned out to be a cool walk through the woods. Oops! Forgot about German class on Monday nights. We got home too late so had dinner at a sidewalk cafe while the Swiss sweated out their last game of the World Cup inside in the stifling restaurants with big screen tvs.

Tuesday we bombed out at the Tourist Bureau and the St. Gallen Theater. No English walking tours today and we couldn’t find a soul at the theater who was willing to even give us a peek of their costume shop. In fact, I was told they didn’t have a shop (probably a language confusion since I know they build costumes for the theater). Oh well, on the way home I found the canvas chairs I’ve had my eye on for half price so now we have roof seating for the rest of the summer.
K Q:-)

Fun with Claremarie

2006-06-27T15:40:00.000+02:00

Haven’t posted in awhile as we have had a visitor. Our dear Claremarie Verheyen is stopping here on her world travels and we are having a great time! Of course, we began our adventures at the Textile Museum then off to Bischoff and Jakob Schlaepfer on Wednesday for fabric shopping. I bought some lace (of course) but mostly we drove the Swiss a little crazy touching everything but buying very little. At these prices.....!

Friday we went to the Historic and Folk Art Museum in St. Gallen to see vintage clothing, ceramic stoves, stained glass windows (depicting more fabulous costumes) and amazing carved wooden furniture. When they booted us out at noon (museums close from noon to 2 for lunch) we took the scenic train ride up to Appenzell for lunch in a beer garden. Then we explored the Appenzeller Museum for Frauentragt (folk costumes). We met Frau Schiegg there who teaches Appenzeller embroidery skills at the museum and she gave us an impromptu lesson. One thread at a time, Ladies, and the threads come in different gauges 30 to 150 depending on the stitch. Our Lehrerin said it takes her about 500 hours to embroider one collar!

That evening Claremarie treated us to the St. Galler Festspiele production of Carmina Burana performed outdoors on the grounds of the Klosterhof. It was amazing music and a stunning performance. I had never seen it but some of you know the music from The Omen. What a treat and only 2 blocks from our home!

Saturday was a beautiful day so we wandered around St. Gallen and had an Olma Bratwurst mit Burli for lunch. Looking for an open air table and a beer we wandered over to a local olive oil shop (that also has beer). My Sweetie asked the shop owner if he happened to have any port. You should have seen his eyes light up when the proprietor led us into a port filled cellar. Who knew? They also had vintage balsamic vinegars and gave us a tasting. We purchased a bottle of port and the most expensive bottle of vinegar I have ever owned - sweet and tangy - to be poured sparingly over strawberries, cheese or salad.
K Q:-)

New Orleans Night

2006-06-21T10:57:00.000+02:00

We had New Orleans Night last night! This is an annual celebration in St. Gallen and is a crowded festive event. The weather was hot and so was the music! Five bands were set up in various areas of the Old Town playing jazz and blues in English. They had all the words but some of the rhythms were different enough to suggest that this is not the native music here. Jazz singer, Sydney Ellis, had it right tho'. Most of the bands haled from Germany and the best band, the Blues Boys, were set up right in front our building. We wandered around the various bands and food stalls, ate some tasty shish kebab and Indian curry then repaired to our roof where we could drink wine and enjoy the music above the fray.
K Q:-)

Kunsthalle in Arbon

2006-06-18T18:49:00.000+02:00

Here is Starr with her London artist friend Rachel and one of Rachel’s paintings. While I don’t profess to understand modern art, I thought Max Mosscrop's sculptures were interesting from a millinery perspective. They are based on pieces of furniture but made of painted paper held together with paper clamps. Hmmmmmmm!
K Q:-)

Straussensteak

2006-06-18T18:31:00.000+02:00

We had two social events on our plate today. Starr had invited us to an art opening of her friend Rachel Lumsden in Arbon. We’d also been planning to go to Arbon for ostrich with our friend Rean. So we combined both events for a unique summer afternoon. Starr drove us to Arbon, a small picturesque town on the Bodensee. It has a tower and portions of city wall that date back to Roman times. Here you can see the tower.

After the Opening we met Rean at Frohsinn Restaurant & Brauerei on a patio shaded by chestnut trees. The beer, brewed on site, is very good. As for the ostrich, I was nervous about trying it but was pleasantly surprised. The meal comes on a wooden platter with a very hot stone on it. The ostrich steak is placed on the stone nearly raw but cooks to your preference at table. You slice and leave the meat on the stone until it is cooked to your liking. Delicious! We’d ordered small portions and couldn’t begin to finish the vegetables and french fries that came with it. We did eat all the steak tho’.
K Q:-)

Vielfältig Stadt

2006-06-17T17:34:00.000+02:00

We were headed to Kostas der Griesche for lunch today when we were sidelined by a little international festival at the end of our street at Marktplatz. Since we were hungry we walked around to see what sorts of goodies were offered. My eye went first to a Turkish booth where ladies were rolling yeast dough into large flat rounds about the size of flour tortillas. They spooned a mixture of spinach, onions and cheese into the rounds, folded them over and baked them on a griddle. For 5 CHF we had ein portion and it was delicious. Next we found an Indonesian booth where they were frying shredded vegetables mixed with a little dough so, of course, I had to have some of those served with tomato sauce (it turned out to be ketchup). Yummy! Sherman had two sate with peanut sauce which he liked but since he didn’t order it mit Reis und Salat it was more of a snack than lunch. So he tried an African chicken kebab with the works next.

This interkultureller Begegnungstag has a day-long schedule of entertainment including an Alphorn Trio (which, unfortunately, we’d already missed), Sudanesische music, Siamese poetry, sitar music, samba and something called Bollywood dance! These young ladies are performing "Oriental Gypsy Dances" which appear to be a combination of Spanish and belly dancing with a little hula thrown in. Fun for a beautiful Saturday!
K Q:-)

St. Georgen

2006-06-12T13:40:00.000+02:00

Another gorgeous day yesterday! I lured my hubby into taking the Mühleggbahn up to St. Georgen to tramp around in the fine weather. I have been searching for the ridge top hiking trail that I can see from my roof in St. Gallen. Sherman wanted to see the town tho’ so we took a less steep path and looked at houses and gardens. Isn’t this one a beauty? Perhaps it was a carriage house in another century. We walked a large circle and ended up at the Vögel Bäckerie Conditerie. Sitting on the sunny terrace next to the duck pond we split a hamburger with Schnittkartoffeln (fried potato wedges) and then indulged in dessert. Sherman ordered Kirschtorte (yummy and not too sweet!) and I had a Coupe Mühlegg which was a scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and coffee ice creams topped with rum, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a big fat grape. Good thing I ordered klein instead of gross! We decided to walk it off down the mountain side.

Just before starting down I climbed some wooden stairs looking for the series of lakes we’d heard about. I didn’t find the lakes but did see the beginning of the Wanderweg (hiking trail) I’d been searching for. Next time! K Q:-)

European Fashion

2006-06-11T23:27:00.000+02:00

For you fashion obsessed. Here are a couple of items we spotted in a window in Luzern. LOVE the embroidery and those round toes! Haven’t seen much of this on the street tho’. Jeans seem to be the rule here.
K Q:-)

Spring at Last!

2006-06-10T14:15:00.000+02:00

The sun has come out again and our weather is glorious! Last weekend people were still in winter jackets here but now it’s sandals and tank tops with oozing midriffs everywhere you look. I guess the middle remains the current erogenous zone (sigh) - in many cases not a pretty sight! Whatever happened to sun dresses and straw hats? Cool but not ‘cool’ I guess. Too bad! We saw a man in a very short red miniskirt yesterday. (I have to practice that quickdraw with my camera!!!) Guess my hats are not the only unusual fashion in town.

My nephew David and his pal Parker are on a post-graduation tour of Europe. Two brand new U.Va. engineers, they stopped off to visit us en route from Venice to Munich. While we are probably the smallest town on their itinerary they were charmed by our little St. Gallen. We showed them the Kathedral and Stiftsbibliothek for world culture, did a little status watch window shopping then hopped the Mühleggbahn (our 100 meter subway) up the mountain to St. Georgen for a little afternoon hiking among wildflowers, cowbells and birdsong. They found the bars and the World Cup hoopla on their own last night. That’s my handsome nephew with the darker hair and his Patentanwalt uncle in the suit.
K Q:-)

Last Gasp?

2006-05-31T09:26:00.000+02:00

When I woke up this morning I noticed the heat was on so peeked out the window at our temperature gauge. It is the 31st of May and 1 C. It has been raining for a couple of weeks here and quite chilly the last couple of days but I was not prepared for what I saw next. SNOW! Mixed with rain but, yes, there were flakes melting on the furnace chimney! Yesterday we had hail and thunder but today snow. I’m told it gets hot here in July and August but that is hard to believe today.
K Q:-0

Die Blicke

2006-05-30T10:53:00.000+02:00

More views of Luzern.

Luzern

2006-05-30T10:12:00.000+02:00

My Sweetie was away this past holiday weekend so Starr and Holger invited me to travel with them to Luzern on Sunday. They had visitors from Germany and we felt like exploring. Luzern is beautifully located on the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) below Mt. Pilatus and the showpiece of the city is this Kapelbrücke or chapel bridge built in 1333. Unfortunately, much of the bridge burned in 1993 so only the ends of it are the original structure. The Swiss rebuilt/restored it in just 9 months after the fire so it is still a fascinating walk into the old town section of Luzern.

Holger has a talent for picking good restaurants so we enjoyed a gourmet lunch at Brasserie Bodu, a Französische bistro in the Altstadt. We sipped Swiss Chardonnay from the Vaud and I ordered Gazpacho, Quatre Delices (seafood) with spinach and noodles and then Crème Brûlée for dessert. By the time we emerged from our leisurely meal it was raining again. We decided to save the boat tour for a sunnier day when we can return by train from St. Gallen in about 2 hours. K Q:-)

Mehr Lindau

2006-05-26T08:05:00.000+02:00

A few more pictures of Lindau. Here are the Rathaus and the lighthouse in the harbor. K Q:-)

On the Bodensee

2006-05-26T00:23:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was the Ascension Day holiday here. It was grey and chilly and my Sweetie is away on business so I took a scenic drive with Starr and Holgar to Lindau on the German side of Lake Bodensee. Lindau is another charming medieval town on an island with fountains, a lighthouse, chestnut trees and a spectacular Rathaus. It also has a gelateria where we indulged and it did not disappoint! I had a scoop of apricot and a scoop of chocolate with chilis which was terrific but Starr’s orange/mango was even better! We spotted a hat store with a Borsalino fino fino fedora priced at 898 Euros (that’s over $1,000!). I should have snapped a picture but had a momentary lapse - perhaps shock! I loved this marionette advertising the Marionettenoper season. For more pix see http://www.lindauer-mt.de/ . Think I should take my hubby back in June for Die Fledermaus or Die Zauberflöte. K Q:-)

Erdbeeren

2006-05-24T16:12:00.000+02:00

Swiss strawberries - our reward for winter? I wonder what the German for YUM! is?
KQ:-)

Weather

2006-05-23T12:51:00.000+02:00

Today the temperature gauge in my window says 12 C. (that’s about 54 F) and it’s raining off and on. In fact, it rains a lot here. It is said that the rain is one of the reasons the Irish monk Gallus settled here as a hermit about 612. Regardless of that, no matter what the weather it never lasts long. We are close to both the Alps and the Bodensee so it changes a lot. To date my most extraordinary weather moment was walking home after midnight last winter in a snowstorm with lightning and thunder bouncing off the mountains.

To my Houston friends: note that I am still wearing a jacket in late May! K Q:-)

P.S. It turns out that our delightful Amsel sings in the rain too.

Amsel

2006-05-22T19:27:00.000+02:00

I was doing my Deutsch homework this evening when our doorbell rang. It was two Swiss Frauen graduate students doing a survey of people’s usage of rooftops in St. Gallen. They spoke German at first but when I told them, "Ich spreche nicht so gut Deutsch" they immediately switched to English. Maybe I’m crazy but I invited them up to our roof. After all, this is safe Switzerland and without the liability lawsuits we worry about in the US. I told them we use our roof occasionally to enjoy our warbling blackbird who sings whenever the sun shines. After a brief friendly chat they went on their way. To hear the sound we enjoy go to http://www.vogelwarte.ch/home.php?&cap=voegel&ArtId=4240&lang=d
and click on the stimme button. K Q:-)

Indian Cuisine in Switzerland?

2006-05-18T11:30:00.000+02:00

Yes! And it’s truly delicious! I have always enjoyed Indian food so was delighted when Starr introduced me to Simi Rehani. Simi is a lovely generous teacher from India who is teaching us how to make delicious regional specialties from her native country. Last week we prepared a delicious Bengali meal including Alu Posto (Potatoes with Poppy Seeds), Chana Daal, Aamer Chaatni (mango chutney) and Korma, a curry usually made with mutton (we substituted chicken). Can’t wait to see what we have in store for tomorrow. K Q:-)

Starr in Appenzell

2006-05-11T10:48:00.000+02:00

Here is my pal Starr with her wee Molly. Starr has been my saving grace in recent months helping me find my way around Switzerland while mein Mann works long hours. She is a retired USAF officer, a whirlwind of energy and fluent in German. Starr has involved me in Book Club in Zurich, Carnevale in Venice, Simi’s Indian cooking classes and, as of tomorrow, a dinner cooking club which includes husbands. Of course, one of our favorite pastimes is shopping the fabric outlets.

Since yesterday was a glorious spring day we decided to ditch our plans for sewing and go to Appenzell - just a 15 minute drive up the mountain - for lunch. We were hungry so passed by the shops and headed for a restaurant graced with lace doilies and carved wooden chairs. After a veal and rösti lunch and a dl of wine we strolled to the shops only to find them closed for lunch. Ooops, we forgot! Next time we will stroll until the shops close and then go for lunch. K Q:-)

Madonna del Sasso

2006-05-09T01:41:00.000+02:00

This Sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso (Madonna of the Rock) is built on the site overlooking Locarno where Capuchin Monk Bartolomeo d’Ivrea reputedly saw a vision of Mary. It was during the plague year 1480 but after the apparition the people here were spared. K Q:-)

Locarno

2006-05-08T13:59:00.000+02:00

We took off Saturday for a weekend in Locarno in the Ticino (the Italian canton of Switzerland). The spectacular 4 hour train trip was quite different from the snowy scenes of my trip in February. We were treated instead to gorgeous green hillsides and fields of wildflowers punctuated by blooming apple trees, newly shorn sheep and grazing cows. (How DO they stay upright on those steep hills?) The higher peaks of the Alps were still covered in snow but the slopes leading upward were dotted with the paler greens of deciduous trees among the conifers.

When we arrived in Locarno we found mild but hazy weather around Lago Maggiore so our views were not quite postcard perfect. The haze didn’t interfere with our enjoyment, however. We’d just missed the Camellia Festival but the roses were blooming along with a variety of other flowers. On Sunday we took the Funicolare (100+ years old) up the mountain to the Franciscan Santuario della Madonna del Sasso consecrated in 1487. From there we boarded a cable car and then a chair lift up to the summit of Cimetta to enjoy the cool breeze, birdsong (cuckoos!) and watch the parasailors. Here I am 1670 meters above sea level but these fellows are much higher! As for the haze ... we hear Eric Clapton will be on the Piazza Grande for a concert on July 11 so we may give Locarno another try! K Q:-)

Wisteria

2006-05-06T07:27:00.000+02:00

I’ve been working on my patio garden in recent weeks so have had Blumen on my mind. Yesterday on the way to Book Club in Zurich we spotted this spectacular wisteria. Inspiring! I am off for a weekend in Locarno with my camera. More on that later. K Q:-)

Künstbär (Art Bear)

2006-05-05T21:13:00.000+02:00

My Houston friends will remember art cows scattered about the city a few summers ago. Sponsoring organizations hired artists to decorate cows in various themes. St. Gallen’s legend about the hermit St. Gallen encountering a bear has this Swiss town adopting the bear as its mascot. Decorated bears are popping up all over town with the spring flowers. Here is one of my favorites, a punk bear. I laughed at the tail codpiece and then my husband pointed out whose picture graced this bear’s behind - W - not popular here! K Q:-)

Up on the Roof

2006-05-03T10:19:00.000+02:00

We live in the heart of the Alt Stadt (Old Town) of St. Gallen in a penthouse (attic) apartment in a 500 year old building. We are fortunate, we are told, in being in one of the few buildings with an elevator (added much later). Large wooden beams (some 8" across) supporting the roof are exposed around the edges of our flat. I have to pay attention not to stand up too fast lest I knock myself out when rummaging in storage areas. Our windows to the outside of the building are small portholes 41 cm across (about 16 inches) but it’s a large sunny apartment due to the six skylights and our central open air atrium. From our living room we see the atrium through a glass wall with doors. Best of all, our atrium has a ladder to the roof which has a grand view for parades, fireworks and whatever happens to be going on in Alt Stadt. Here is our northeast roof view. The fleur de lis fence is our guardrail and that’s not laundry hanging in the street but banners celebrating ecology, I think. They are always celebrating something here. K Q:-)

OFFA

2006-04-30T10:58:00.000+02:00

Last weekend we had glorious weather on Saturday so decided to walk over to the OFFA. This annual event is a kind of combination Spring Home & Garden Show plus Rodeo plus Carnival with lots of wurst and beer and kids screaming on scary looking rides. We spent time browsing at outdoor furniture for our terrace and bought a Kugelspirale to mesmerize our houseguests. Check out this hat booth we found! I also located a Bernina booth where I managed to speak enough German to order an English manual for my new Bernette 90e Nähmaschine. ( The book that came with mine was in French, German, Italian and Spanish. Only the book cover and machine box were in English.) One rainy week later I have the book already! The sun is shining again today so I’m heading out to enjoy Spring! K Q:-)

Appenzell

2006-04-28T10:27:00.000+02:00

We live 20km from the charming Swiss village of Appenzell whose buildings are painted with folk motifs. Appenzeller cheese is my absolute favorite and I understand their folk costumes are the best in Switzerland. I have been surfing today planning an excursion up the mountain by train to see the spring display of wildflowers. What I am really hoping to see is the drive of cattle to the Alpine summer pastures which I understand is quite the ceremony with folk costumes, singing, Sennenhunde (cattle dogs) etc. Treat yourself to the Alpine sound at http://www.appenzeller-produkte.ch/ by clicking on the Musik button. Don't know why but it brings tears to my eyes everytime. Enjoy! K Q:-)

Sechseläuten

2006-04-25T22:07:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I took the train to Zurich for the half-day holiday celebration of Sechseläuten symbolizing the end of winter and the beginning of Spring. My friends had scored front row seats for the Sechseläuten Parade which is comprised of guilds, some dating as far back as the 14th century. Once powerful political forces, the guilds are now mostly social groups but their costumes are colorful and the mood is certainly festive. These pictures represent the Zunft zur Wagg including hatters and Zunft Riesbach including winemakers. The horses are drawing a huge ancient wine press. All parade vehicles are horse drawn and decorated with spring flowers.

It seems to be the custom for ladies to award their favorites in the parade with flowers and some of these gents were toting huge bouquets. Children in the parade toss candy for the children on the street and others hand out cookies or glasses of wine. At the end of the parade the Böög, a straw man symbolizing winter, is burned putting an end to winter. Our Swiss friends tell us that this year the Böög was stolen by a leftist political group so it had to be hastily replaced by a new one for the day of the parade. It took 10 minutes and 8 seconds for the fellow’s head (loaded with fireworks) to blow off. This supposedly indicates that it will be awhile before the really hot weather begins here. Somehow I doubt they know what really hot weather is here but I’ll keep you posted.

Maikäfer

2006-04-18T21:26:00.000+02:00

Now this one stopped me in my tracks! No sooner had the Easter bunnies disappeared from Roggwiller’s windows when this foot long critter appeared. This time I had my camera with me...or you wouldn’t believe it! I had to do some asking around to discover that this is yet another sign of Spring in Switzerland. It’s a chocolate cake in the form of a Maikäfer (cockchafer) and along with the Lily of the Valley (Glöckchen) is a sign of Spring and part of the celebration of May. Sorry, but I lived too long in both Texas and New York to find this one appetizing.

Easter Bunnies

2006-04-15T13:26:00.000+02:00

Here's a bit more of that Swiss chocolate. And how about these Easter bunnies?
K Q:-)

Schokolade!

2006-04-15T12:41:00.000+02:00

Easter is quite a big holiday here and the stores have been full of wonderful Easter goodies. I particularly loved this display of chocolates with Easter hats.
Froh Ostern!
Kate Q:-)

Contrasts of a Swiss Frühling

2006-04-14T19:13:00.000+02:00

Last Saturday my husband and I had lunch at the Colony Cafe’s outdoor patio. The snow was gone, the breeze was mild and Spring was in the air. It seemed that everyone in St. Gallen was out strolling enjoying the fine weather. Sporting young men were strutting in T-shirts glad that the snow was behind them. I spotted tiny flowers at the Parkli (little park) just across the street and wished that I had my camera to catch their glory.

Then on Monday we had 10 inches of snow! We had to dig out our down coats and winter boots again (sigh). Spring snow doesn’t last long tho'. Rain on Thursday melted most of it away. I checked back on the Blumen today fearing the worst but here they are as glorious as ever. This time I had camera in hand to share the moment.

Happy Spring!
Kate Q:-)