It is a massive understatement to say that the Appenzell region of Switzerland has character. Appenzell is exactly how you hope the German part of Switzerland will be. Well-known among the Swiss as the most traditional area in the country, its inhabitants remain astoundingly true to their roots.
The residents are devoted to time-honored rituals, and the entire community supports local products from handmade leather belts to artisanal cheeses. The pride that the people take in their traditions, foods, and goods is beyond anything I have seen anywhere in Europe. In fact, Appenzell has a festival of some sort every month, as well as an annual cow market, sheep market, and goat market – all held on different days. The farmers periodically have "cow parades" in which the men and boys put on their traditional red embroidered vests and walk along the roads with the cows wearing enormous cowbells. Each family has their own parade on the day they decide – without announcing it to anyone else. So, it isn't for show.
Appenzellerland is a region of several villages in the northeastern part of Switzerland, and Appenzell itself is a village with a population of about 6,000 people. It is filled with gingerbread-style houses and flower boxes, and the nearby countryside consists of rolling hills draped in what looks like an impossible shade of green. All of this is enveloped in the distance by the Alps.
The village also has a museum which contains traditional costumes, the likes of which are still worn by the residents during their festivals. There is an old bed in the museum as well that is very short, attesting to the fact that modern Appenzellers are taller than their ancestors.
You can partake of many of the local traditions by contacting the Appenzellerland Tourism office. All of these activities would be great fun for kids. For example, we had a yodeling lesson with cheese salesman and veteran singer, Tomas Sutter, who also taught us how to spin a coin in three ceramic bowls to make three continuous notes as we sung. He even thought we were good enough to sing in the Appenzell village square, which was one of the comical highlights of our visit.
We visited a leather and metal workshop owned by 7th generation craftsman Hampi Fässler on the street called Kaustrasse, where he helped us make a leather key ring with a metal cow shape on top from a design created by his ancestors. Fässler makes belts and suspenders for the local farmers in the traditional style and custom makes designs for many tourists. We also visited a butcher shop with some of the most delicious cured meats I have ever tasted and partook of the famous herbed Appenzeller cheese made from a secret recipe that is protected in a bank vault.
Another highlight was making our very own biberli, a dessert from the region which consists of two layers of gingerbread with marzipan in between. This marzipan isn't as sweet as the marzipan in the U.S., so I liked it much better. We weren't given the recipe, but we saw the original recipe written in German in the owner's grandfather's diary from the late 1800s. Instead, we were allowed to spread the marzipan in between the gingerbread and use a cookie cutter to create a shape on the top. At Christmas, the Appenzellers "paint" the biberlis with icing and decorate their
trees with them.
I had never heard of this region prior to my visit, and I wasn't sure what to expect, particularly where the food was concerned. I was surprised to discover that the food was exceptionally fine, whether we ate at an upscale restaurant or a simple café. I don't recall eating anything that I didn't like, and I tend to be a picky eater.
We stayed at the Hotel Hof Weissbad, a large 4-star property in Weissbad, the train stop immediately after Appenzell (unless someone presses the button on the train to stop in Steinig – be sure to pay attention.) The ride from Zurich was about two hours.
Hof Weissbad is a first class hotel with an outstanding chef and a garden on the grounds where they grow many of their own vegetables and micro-greens. Everything we ate at the hotel was not only excellent, but creatively plated – even the homemade raspberry and mango sorbets. The breakfast buffet was extensive with a variety of international cheeses, as well as meats, pastries, breads, and mueslis. The view from my lovely room was the garden and the rolling green hills dotted with sweet orange-brown-roofed buildings.
The biggest draw of Hof Weissbad is its spa with thermal baths. It actually functions as a rehabilitation site, so you will see many people with canes and crutches during your stay. There is even a medicinal herb soup available in the spa that is made from herbs grown in the hotel's garden. But don't be fooled. This hotel offers amenities and service on par with any top European hotel. WiFi is available, as well as computer stations, and while the rooms do not have minibars, each floor is equipped with a snack and drink station. My favorite drink was Flauder, a locally made mineral water flavored with elderflower. (I wish I could have brought a case of it back home.) There is also a hut on the hotel grounds, where you can watch a man make cheese on certain days of the week.
My only complaints were that there was no iron available at the hotel. I had to use the hotel's laundry service for pressing my clothes (something I soon learned is common in Switzerland), and there were no movies available to order in the room. The region is just beginning to cater more to international visitors, so most of the instructions in the room are only in German. The hotel staff speaks English very well, however, and is very accommodating.
We had a wonderful lunch one day at Café Conditorei within Hotel Appenzell, a small property in the village of Appenzell with only 16 rooms. I especially loved the red cabbage sauerkraut with the taste of apple, while someone else had a fruit salad in a yellow coconut-based curry sauce. Another evening, we went to nearby Schlatt for a simple but tasty dinner at the restaurant of the hotel, Gasthaus Bären, which has beautiful views of the countryside.
One day, we took a train to Urnäsch, a very cute village with pastel buildings, abundant flower boxes, and goats that lounged leisurely by the train station. From there, we took an "Oldtimer Bus," a yellow vintage bus service in Switzerland that has a unique and comical horn, to Schwägalp, where we caught the 8-minute cable car to the top of Mount Säntis for a panoramic view of the Alps. While it was temperate down below, Mount Säntis is the highest mountain in the region (8,200+ feet), so it was quite cold and icy at the top. Still, spectacular is the only word to describe the views. In fact, you can see Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy from up there. Just make sure you try to go when the weather is clear. If it's cloudy, you won't see anything, but you'll spend 41 Swiss Francs for the round-trip on the cable car.
We had lunch at the restaurant on the mountain, which is a 7th generation business that has photographs of the current owner's ancestors on the wall. Even though it was a simple establishment, the food was excellent. I had a pasta dish with beef and a ratatouille-type sauce.
Another excursion is a hike through the caves after riding on the cableway of Ebenalp, where you can also go paragliding. Hiking is immensely popular in the region, and Swiss Rail is exceedingly easy to use to get around to the best starting points. More than 200 different companies run in the Swiss Rail system, which still miraculously maintains synchronized lines and has no carbon blueprint. That's because it runs on 75% hydro and 25% nuclear electricity.
Most of the local cattle are grass-fed, and one farmer even feeds his cows the by-products from a local brewery, as well as gives his calves two massages a day to create some of the most tender beef available. Appenzell-made wines and beers, including a beer that is only brewed during the full moon, round out the very sophisticated culinary experience in the region. Coupled with the cultural richness and natural beauty, Appenzellerland is a unique and fun place for all ages to visit. You could easily spend a week there and not run out of interesting things to do.
[Story and photos copyrighted by Melanie Votaw, 2010. Please do not copy or publish elsewhere. Thanks!]
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