Schlaf im Stroh, "sleeping in straw," is a hands-on way to experience Swiss farm life. For a family of five visiting a country where hotel rooms routinely allow only two people, perhaps with a toddler added in, it was a fun and less expensive way to visit rural Switzerland. As luck would have it, this particular farm was only a five minute walk from Heidihof and the Heidi museum.

The program started as a way for farmers to supplement their income while their cows were in the high pastures during the summer. "Beds" – literally space in the hay areas – could be reserved for a low cost and in the morning, guests receive breakfast.

At Herr and Frau Just’s farm, we were shown to a little hut between the barn and main house which was probably much like the Alm Uncle’s hut from Heidi: there was one main room, with a Kleiderschrank (closet) filled with extra bedding, available for a fee, a table with a corner bench and some chairs, and two sets of bunk beds. Up some narrow stairs, there was a bit of a hayloft: to the left and to the right were sleeping areas piled deep with hay and a very large sheet spread out over each area – enough space for our entire family to comfortably fit on just the right side. Additionally, over the main room was a loft accessible by ladder with large blue mattresses, with space for 8 more people.

This space was not wasted our first night! A university student travelling about on her own showed up and took one bunk; then later, two families with a total of four adults and seven additional children came, taking up the extra bunk space and the other sleeping loft. In the U.S., this would be extremely awkward, but in Europe, it was very matter of fact – think about elevator etiquette and boundaries, and extend it to a small hut.

Breakfast was not a giant spread, as we have had in German hostels, but was delicious and plentiful. There was coffee, hot water and teabags, and – to my children’s delight! – fresh milk from the cow, heated up to mix with Ovaltine or Nestle Quik to make tasty hot chocolate. Plenty of fresh bread, butter, homemade blackberry jam and jelly, thin-sliced local cured bacon, and fresh local cheese – well, really wonderful.

Overall, a lovely experience as a novelty, but probably not something we will repeat – it was definitely more comfortable than camping and would be perfect for the wandering hiker, but for a family, it is better for us to have a private space to which we can retreat at the end of the day.

Vinzenzifest

In a theme to be repeated often, we had a plan! for Sunday, only to find that one of our key assumptions was in error -- but happily, this often works out just as well.

We thought we were going to a wine festival, since it was listed as such in our local English paper. Also, Vin translates to "wine," and this was named Vinzenzifest. So off we went to Wendlingen am Neckar, found a parking place of dubious legality, and strode off in the same direction as everyone else towards the town center.

It was lovely! Fest tables all about, oompah bands playing, tons of people in tracht, traditional German dresses and lederhosen, and plenty of.... beer? Where was all the wine?

Well, not to let a good time go by, we walked about, found a table, procured pommes (French fries) and bier, and chatted with the Germans next to us. Fest tables can seat about sixteen people in all, which either means your entire club can share a table or two, or you will inevitably sit next to people you don't know and end up being friendly. It's quite a good theory!

We found out that it was not Vin-zenzifest, but rather Vinzenzi-fest -- that is, in honor of St. Vincent. As to why it is called Birnsonntag, literally Pear Sunday, our tablemates had no idea. I've googled it only to find references to Vincenzifest.

At 1330 the opening shots to the parade were fired. We ambled towards the end of the parade route, in a residential neighborhood near where our car was parked, hoping to find a spot in the shade that wasn't too crowded. Happily, this worked out nicely, and we began to watch the Umzug, which was the reason for so many people wearing tracht : it was, in fact, a parade of traditional costumes & life in Germany.

How delightful! Four or five farmers' groups handed out fresh fruit to the children -- grapes, plums, little apple-plums. There were, of course, many bands, and several large carts pulled by draft horses, advertising beer. There were even groups from the Netherlands and Wales, and to our surprise, a group marching with an American Confederate flag dressed for "Gone With the Wind." My favorite was to watch a group of men & women carrying arches of greenery dance and to see how the arches intertwined in the dance; I had thought they were merely ornamental.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures and vicariously coming along with us on our Sunday afternoon!