June 30, 2009

Switzerland has incredible hiking. In the alps, I was staying in Gimmelwald, from which there is a multitude of hikes to lookouts, mountain passes, snowy peaks, waterfalls, other little cliff-bound towns, and the villages of the grassy valley below. Before the fog cleared and the 4000m peaks came out to play, I walked in the cloud and rain, mostly to breathe the mountain air and in the hope that a window in the weather might reveal a shining summit above the clouds.

During these few hikes in the dreary fog I came across a lot of cows. Cows in the Swiss alps look to be a happy bunch – they are dexterous (if still lumbering) on steep, damp, grassy slopes, and enjoy a ready supply of fresh grass, and incredible views when the weather cooperates. Although Australia has its fair share of cows, at home I almost never come face to face with one – and certainly not a few times a day as I did in the alps. They are massive creatures, and I must admit that once in their muddy territory I felt it best not to do anything that might annoy them, and, not really knowing how not to annoy a cow, I picked my way quickly and quietly through the herds.

As for being quiet, the cows can’t manage it. They all have bells! In fact, just about every farm animal I saw in Switzerland had a bell. It meant that when I walked in the fog I would often hear, emerging from the mist, the cacophony of a grazing herd – each cow with an enormous bell that produced a good ring at each tug at a tuft of grass. I was originally concerned that the constant noise might drive the cows crazy. It seemed to me that if I made a ringing noise every time I made the slightest movement I might think twice about moving at all. But the Swiss cows seem unbothered by anything much, and somebody told me that they are so used to the ringing of the bells that they get distressed if the bell is taken off. Switzerland obviously knows that the solution to many problems is simply “more cowbell”. In any case, the ringing certainly makes a pleasant accompaniment to any of the incredible hikes that are on offer in this part of the world.