where others come for vacation ...
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It's my first Fasnacht in Switzerland and I have volunteered to help at the Buffet counter later in the afternoon. I find out that since it's carnival, all the women need to either wear a carnival costume or a Sport-Union Beckenried (SU) T-Shirt. My problem is that I have none, but that doesn't seem to deter my volunteer spirit.
The president of SU calls me at 10:30AM and says i could borrow either a T-shirt or outfit from her. As I'm walking upto her house, my mind is all made up -- But of-course I'm just getting the SU T-shirt. It's my first time behind a service counter & i don't yet speak the language fully.. so i better look serious in a SU T-shirt. No need for any fancy dress.. Nah.. nah.. Na.. Na.. Na.. Na The President speaks a li'l english. She shows me the T-Shirt & the outfits. We communicate in a mix of Deutsch-English. A red skirt catches my eye.... Ummm.. Perhaps.. WHY NOT??
So what is Fasnacht???
Well, it's a day when the typically serious Swiss let off their armor & indulge in merrymaking & revelry. But Ofcourse, they can't let outsiders like me see it, so they take on a different identity by hiding behind masks.... of all possible fictitious figures and real-life characters. Over 200 carnivals take place throughout Switzerland, and traditionally most last from Dirty Thursday to Ash Wednesday, to indulge in all possible excesses one last time before Lent. In some cantons, the celebrations are predominantly based on the custom of liberating the sun from the oppressive clutches of winter demons, making an almighty noise to hasten the release and wearing masks to drive out evil spirits and the winter with them.
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We've just finished our lunch when Armand calls to invite us for a walk @ Klewenalp with their dogs. Lukas has to go back to his atelier, but i jump at the opportunity! It's bright & sunny atop Klewenalp as we get off the Gondola. The place is swarming with skiers, sledgers, skateboarders and hikers... It's like everyone from Beckenried & beyond is up here.
Claudia & Armand tell me that we're just doing the Klewenalp loop trail.. "An easy walk starting directly from the mountain station of Klewenalp, over the high plateau, around Klewenstock and back to the cable car"
Cara is as usual happy to be in the snow and Russell toes the line, wishing he were on a sunny beach instead. It's a clear day and one can see even the lakes at a distance.. Armand points out to the peaks surrounding us. They've pretty much climbed all of them. We stop at Bergrestaurant Tannibüel to enjoy Coffee, Snacks and SUN. The Sun shines directly on us and we soak it in. It's ONE Glorious day!!
I take a sip of my Kaffee "Kräuter" (Herbal Schnapps) and watch Claudia's shadow play on the wall. My eye-lids start to droop...Ummm.. a Siesta, right here, right now sounds more attractive by the minute!!! Do we really need to walk?? I look at Russell.. I think he shares my opinion. Well.. whether Russell & I like it or not, soon we'e back on our feet.. 
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There's this Cross atop a little hill in the western part of Beckenried that I'd been wanting to hike upto. It's called OberSassi and is ~760M high. As i start my walk this cold morning, the cross beckons. It's uphill all the way.. soon I find myself huffing & puffing. It's hard to keep the motivation up, when it's cold.
At a distance, I see a barn & an animal peeking from within.. I get closer.. it's an Alpaca!!!! He looks at me inquisitively, wondering.. "What's wrong with this creature, why does it walk outside in this cold weather?" It brings back memories of my trip to Machu-Picchu and with it a big smile.. "Shall i stop to take a picture??? Naah.. Live in the moment!! The Alpaca looks lonesome, so i blow it a couple of kisses. With renewed spirit i move on inching my way to the Cross.
Finally I'm here... and the view makes the sweating worthwhile.
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I join the ladies of Sport Union-Beckenried for their annual Winter-Evening-FunTrip at Klewenalp. We're ~35 women: from young teenage girls to silver-haired graceful women - the wrinkles on their faces reflecting the seasons gone by. Mamut, Jack Wolfskin, NorthFace, MountainHardwear and Marmot Jackets, Caps, Scarves and Gloves of all colors can be seen. The camaraderie that the women share reflects in the good humoured banter and laughter. It doesn't matter to me that i don't understand the Swiss-German chatter around me and that there are just a couple of familiar faces around. The team spirit is infectious. Such a wonderful idea to get women of all age groups under one roof.
As the Gondola starts it's upward journey at 7:15PM (the Swiss are extremely punctual), one of the two organisers of the evening) distributes a small card to each one of us. I have a picture of a "Snowball in Gloves" and now need to find my five other team-mates. We will be playing 3 different games. I hold up my card & soon find my mates.. One of them is C - who's operating the Gondola today (since it's a ladies only trip). I introduce myself in Deutsch & tell them that i can only speak Hoch-Deutsch and very little (ein bisschen) Swiss-Deutsch. Soon I'm trying to remember all the names.. there's a couple of Anna-Maries, two Lucias, Edith, a couple of Marlenes, Martina, Wendy, Heidi, Irm.. I'm hoping there won't be a test later on.
Read more: WinterPlausch atop Klewenalp: An evening with Ladies of Beckenried: Jan 25