The Neutral Zone

Zurich, Switzerland - Several weeks ago I regaled you with our trip to the Netherlands. Here, I will share some details from the second half of that trip, in which we visited Belgium. Ghent Our first stop in Belgium was Ghent, a major European city in the middle ages and during the early renaissance. It was for a time the second largest European city North of the alps (after Paris), as we were reminded countless times by various informational plaques and various audio guides at historical sites.  Owing to its prosperity, Ghent built some wonderful gothic and Medieval architecture. The city's well preserved Graslei and Korenlei are fine examples. This was the quay and the heart of the Medieval city, home to merchants, guild halls, and storage depots. Today it's a popular tourist destination and home to many cafes with terrace's along the water. Speaking of cafes, during its Medieval heyday, the city seems to have built gothic cathedrals in much the same way that we build Sta...

Urnasch, Switzerland - Hannah and I attended an Alpabzug a week or two ago. This was one of several alpine festivals celebrating the cattle drive from the alpine pastures to the barns in the valley below.  The Cow Parade We arrived in Urnasch around 9AM and waded through a small outdoor market outside the train station before positioning ourselves along the main street. Over the course of the morning, we saw four cattle drives come through town. The herdsmen (and approximately 75% were men) were all outfitted in traditional garb. For men, this meant yellow or brown trousers, white shirts, red vests, black hats, and a single golden earring in the left ear. Women's outfits were somewhat more variable in style but were invariably traditional - many women involved in the processions wore what Hannah tells me is called a " dirndl ."  The processionals were typically led by a small herd of goats that were shepherded by a young boy. Then came the cows. Typically, a few cows, ado...