Lenggries

Despite the below zero temperatures, Sunday gave us one of those immaculate, crisp winter days when you just have to get outside and enjoy the winter spectacle.

We drove up to Lenggries in the alps, about an hour and a half from here. It was so cold and the snow is so dry that it actually squeaked as we walked over it.

We walked for a couple of hours and then stopped by a local pub for a hearty lunch. Mind you, I don’t think it is possible to find anything but a hearty lunch in Bavaria and the further in to the countryside you venture, the heartier the meals become.

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The Cooper's Dance

Munich’s “Coopers’ Dance” dates back to 1517 and is related to the Plague. In order to contain the spread of infection the city’s gates were closed and travel from the country was limited. When the crisis passed, people were so traumatised that they did not want to come out of their houses. In order to show the townsfolk that there was no danger and to encourage them back into the city, the Coopers Guild put on an amusing spectacle of music and dancing. This is now repeated once every seven years and this was the year. The spectacle took place in our local Unterschleissheim town square. It is a bit of a worry, but Ingrid gets awfully excited when she sees grown men dancing and slapping themselves, even more so if they are wearing leather shorts. One thing was very strange, this being Bavaria, there were no beer stalls.

New Year in Switzerland

For something different, we decided to watch the New Years Eve fireworks in Zurich. On the way, we stayed the first night in Bregenz in Austria just this side of the border, as hotels cost a half of those in Switzerland. Wandering down from the old town to the shores of Lake Contance, we came across an amazing stage set for the opera Andre Chenier installed in and over the lake.

We were warned that the only reason to go to Lichtenstein was to be able to say that you had been there. I am afraid that this is probably true. Just for good measure, we had to drive through a sudden, very heavy snowfall. I love the special snow tyres we are obliged to fit in the winter.

Zurich was hopping on New Years Eve with street fairs, live bands and best of all, Prosecco bars. Hearing all of the city and church bells at midnight was pretty impressive, but there were no fireworks. This was a little disappointing, as it was the excuse for us being there. As no one seemed to be moving on after midnight, we stayed around too. For some unknown reason, the fireworks started at a quarter past midnight. They were worth it.

 Our favourite part of Switzerland was Lucerne, a very pretty small city sitting beside an idyllic lake. All of this surrounded by grandiose alps, which are as breathtaking now as they were 35 years ago when I first saw them. We had a pleasant wander along the Reuss River and then through the old town.

Ingrid’s favourite part was the dying lion carved in the face of an old sandstone quarry near the middle of town. It is to commemorate the Swiss Guards massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. Mark Twain described it as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world”. At 10 m by 6 m, it is certainly imposing.

Our last day was spent in Schaffhausen with its waterfalls on the Rhine, the Munot, a circular fortress on the hill and its Renaissance architectural patrimony of delightful oriole windows and frescoed facades in the old town.

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