where others come for vacation ...
- Details
Falling leaves, cozy scarves, the warm smell of nutmeg and cinnamon. But Fall just wouldn't be complete without Fresh Apple Cider or Apfelmost or Süssmost as it's called in this part of the world.
Of course, apples don’t just press themselves. Real cider making is time consuming and makes for a pretty good exercise! I had been wanting to do it the old fashioned way, so when Thomas called us on Friday night to ask if we would have a couple of hours next morning to help him make Apple Cider, since he has hurt his back, I was thrilled!
It's a cool foggy morning as we make our way to Thomas's hobby farm. Thomas hands us baskets as he greets us. We walk to his apple trees and start collecting apples and sorting into 3 baskets: for Juicing; Animal-feed and the real rotten ones for compost. As we bring filled baskets back, Thomas empties them into big bins and gives them a good wash with a pressure hose. While Theres (Thomas's wife) and I go back into his farm to collect walnuts, Lukas assembles the heavy slicing machine and gets it roaring. Soon we have huge bins of finely sliced apple. It's smelling divine already... Lukas and Thomas transfer these a batch at a time into the press.
Thomas has an old-fashioned wooden barrel press, lined with a burlap sack. Once the press is loaded, it's my turn to do some hard work. I walk around in circles, pushing - applying pressure slowly, building it up over a few minutes. It's quite easy initially to extract the juice. It just flows out.. but after a while i have to really put in all my effort to turn the press. Nevertheless, it's always a good time to Smile especially if someone is taking your picture..
Read more: Hard Pressed – making fresh Apple Cider, the old fashioned way - Oct 8
- Details
Calm waters of the lake, a gentle breeze and warm Sunshine... we decide to drop anchor in a serene oasis alongside Ennetbürgen coastline. We take-down the Sails to lay low for a while.. But before we can bliss out, gives something to do -- Drop anchor. Luckily not my task 
. After the third attempt, the anchor holds! Whew!!! Now we can chill-out on Dolfin.
Music (Boccelli), Tea, Cookies, Dried Apples, Snoozing, Watching a canoer pull alongside the coast and collect some hazelnuts, waving to boats sailing by, gentle breeze, lazing = more sleep, being rudely awakened by a motor boat roaring by.. Perhaps a good time for a couple of pics.. I even manage a smiling Selfie 
As the hours slowly flow by, the warm day rolls into a cool Herbst (Autumn) evening. It's time to bid adieu to our tranquil haven and head home, but first gotta pull the Anchor, unfurl the Sails.... Really????? Luckily, we catch wind in the sails and sail away home with the Indian flag fluttering by.
- Details
As i make my way up to Turnhalle Allmend carrying my Yoga-mat, I'm a li'l apprehensive. It's the first time I'm teaching Yoga in German. What if words suddenly fail me? Most women know nothing about Yoga, so i may have to do a lot of talking. Lukas had generously offered to be my student at home, so i already had a couple of practice sessions.. Yet.. I'm nervous. Perhaps i feel I'm representing India and i don't want to let my country down in front of the women of this village. I try to shrug the weight off my shoulders with deep stomach breathing. Good, i must practice what i preach!
Heidi (the President of SU) meets me at the door and shows me around. The different keys for the main door, the Hall, the cupboards, the files etc. I lay out the mats for the women.. and then roll out my own & sit down. The women start to trickle in. Since today is with the 55+ age group, I'm expecting ~5 or so. And they keep coming.. soon there's 19 of them. Oh my... need to speak louder. Not a problem in English, but in German, I'll find out soon...
- Details
The 72nd Annual General Meeting of Sport Union Beckenried (SUB) is being held today at Restaurant Seerausch. 100+women fill in all the available seats and slowly the Hall gets really warm, despite it being a really cold day. We start off with dinner (we sure have our priorities right!) before looking back on a successful year and looking to the future. I'm happy to find that a veggie option had already been ordered for me. It's Pumpkin ravioli.. mmmmm...
We're all given a piece of paper and asked to write our name; date of birth; address and phone number, if we wish to participate in a game. We fold the paper and put it in a bowl. Each member randomly picks a slip & is supposed to wish the person on the Slip on their Birthday. I pick up the slip of a girl who is soon going to be 24 years. Gosh.. so Young!! I try to remember where i was when i was 24.. in Hyderabad. I tell Vreni (the lady next to me) that i will invite her home for Indian dinner. "Dang! Had i known, I'd have just given my slip to you", she exclaims!
Numerous members are honored for their various efforts, for their long-term membership or for special sports services. Some of the honored, unaware of their long-term loyalty, are pleasantly surprised.
The announcements continue and since i don't understand it all, I'm happy to look around the room.. observing the range of expressions on the faces.. serious, happy, excited, attentive and a couple lost in their own world. Suddenly the women at my table are cheering for me & urging me to get up. I realise that my name has been called. Vreni mentions that the new members are being welcomed: 14 in all, but today there's only 10 of us. We're each given the golden book of rules and off we trot to the end of the room to get our pictures taken. When i return to my seat, Vreni shows me the year book. The President had already introduced me in her annual report. I sneak out my cell for a quick picture..