A Birthday at Rossalp

 This is Rossalp, one of those quintessential Alpine huts where someone stays in summer and cares for cows grazed on sides of mountains.  This is too high for "meadows".  The land is rocky.  The feed is minimal.  But it's free and, more significantly, it's tradition.  Farming like this doesn't necessarily make sense, but in typical $wiss $tyle, the government promotes it and keeps it going.  Governments can do that when they have money.  We wouldn't know about things like that.


Our dear friend Leo celebrated his 50th birthday at Rossalp.  His brother-in-law lives here in the summers ~ although he's a social worker the rest of the year.  Remember Tina, managing the badi by summer and working at a ski resort hospital by winter?  Here we have another example of the flexibility of the system in Switzerland, as compared to the United States.  People in the U.S. don't up and leave their real job every summer in order to stay in an Alpine hut and care for cows.  Well, they could, but their job wouldn't be waiting for them when fall rolled around.  But things like this just happen in Switzerland and you either don't ask questions or, if you do, you don't get answers.  


Reaching Leo's fest required a long, winding drive followed by a steep, sturdy hike.  This is not for the faint of the heart, and not what any American I know would consider standard birthday party procedure.  My mental and physical state of being upon arrival at Rossalp was rather, shall we say, taxed.  But in the end, it was worth it.  Because, after all, where else do you gather late into the night on a mountain, singing and merry-making before wending your way in the dark back down the hill, by foot and car?  

We gifted Leo (who is Jan's "Götti" (godfather)) a U.S. Soccer team jersey, although it may well double as a "Where's Waldo?" costume.

 Classic Swiss folk music as produced by some of the many talented amateur musicians in Leo's extended family.  I get really into this music and like to impress people by belting out, "I be de Schacher Seppeli" with the best of them.  I so love this atmosphere.  

Leo and his wife Beni love it, too.