Decided to go to Grindelwald today. Why? First of all, we went for the scenery which is breathtaking. Then, Michael likes the fondue at the Memory Restaurant and we haven't had fondue yet. They serve it with bread and potatoes, while most places just serve it with bread.
Grindelwald is located at the foot of the mighty Eiger at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. The Eiger village is in a stunningly beautiful location, surrounded by lovely mountain scenery. In addition to the 4,020 inhabitants, about 835 dairy cows, 1,126 cattle, 620 goats and 740 sheep live in Grindelwald.
It was goat day at the Baerplatz. We watched the goat owners/herders bring their goats to the Baerplatz for judging and a little festival. I was absolutely fascinated!!! I probably have spent more time with cows than with goats so I was amused by their actions and personalities. The goats were noisy, smelly and fun to watch! Realized the more anxious they became, the more they peed and pooped.
The goats were grouped together according to their breed. Male goats are called bucks and female goats are called does.
Oberhasli goat. Oberhasli produce a sweet tasting milk with a butterfat content of around 3.5 to 4 percent. Their docile, quiet temperament make them a wonderful breed for the farm dairy and for showing.
These goats were very well behaved!! The goats listened when she spoke. She must walk with them quite often. I think these are a Saanen goat. The Saanen is a Swiss breed of domestic goat. It takes its name from the Saanental in the Bernese Oberland, in the southern part of the Canton of Bern, in western Switzerland. It is a highly productive dairy goat and is distributed in more than eighty countries worldwide.
This one did not want to move! It was a tug of war to get the goat to finally move.
When the door was opened, some goats decided to come out of the truck while others wanted to stay in.
The girl took time to brush them.
How many can you easily handle?
This guy got loose and he decided to fight for dominance. Felt bad for the two others that were tied up. They took a beating.
The owner finally came over and tied him up again.
This one decided to chew on the bell strap.
Guess it tasted good.
Judging taking place.
The judge is about to reward the man whom won his category with a bell for the goat.
The crowd anxiously awaiting the results.
The street from the train station
The ladies in the village love their flowers and trees.
Hi there!
Every time Michael and I are in Grindelwald, we have taken a picture from this spot. There is a bench we sit on and look out at the mountain. When I am home, I compare the amount of snow from year to year.
Another favorite place to visit and take pictures from is the cemetery. The scenery is breathtaking!
Except for a a few, every grave is decorated with flowers.
We sat on a bench and prayed. The only sound was the wind in the trees. Every so often we cold hear the faint tinkling of a bell.
There are benches where people come and sit. For people whom have lost a spouse, it is a place to come and talk to others.
Some famous residents of Grindelwald
Richard Wagner, nineteenth century German composer
Martina Schild, alpine skier, runner-up in the 2006 Winter Olympics women's downhill race
Hedy Schlunegger, Olympic champion 1948 in downhill skiing
Oleg Protopopov and Ludmila Belousova, 1964 and 1968 Olympic figure skating champions whom represented the Soviet Union. In 1979, the pair defected to Switzerland and became Swiss citizens in 1995. They continued to skate at ice shows and exhibitions through their seventies. Belousova and Protopopov contributed to the development of pairs skating, including introducing three death spirals – the backward inside (BIDS), forward inside (FIDS), and forward outside (FODS), which they dubbed the Cosmic spiral, Life spiral, and Love spiral, respectively. I love watching pair skating.