16 October 2012 - The hills are alive.....

Or in the veritable words of the Mama's & Papa's...."All the leaves are brown [leaves are brown], and the sky is grey......".  Yes the seasons are changing here dear reader and it is now truly autumnal.

As I look out the window I see the smoke from the copper chimneys set against the pines in hues of burnt orange offset by the stark white of first snow.  The air has that wintry bite to it which you feel most on the tip of your nose and the tops of your ears.  It will soon be time for the cows to head into their barns to escape the winter chill.  All of the dark winter clothes are coming out but a flash of colour is shown from a jaunty hat or scarf.

The weather can only get colder and there will be more snow.  I am sure it will seem like a winter wonderland to me full of magic and promise until I slip over on some ice and curse the snow!  The days will get shorter and the ability to do things outdoors will become more challenging.  Skiing is of course an option.  It will be me and the kiddies on the learner slopes I think.

So, I am trying to make the most of the beautiful clear days which we are still getting and heading out into the wilds of Einsiedeln.  I have had a strong urge to climb a hill (which I like to pretend is a mountain) since I have been here.  My fear has always been wandering on to someone's property (and then being yelled at in Swiss Deutsch) or being chased by a bull across a field!  In my wandering around town I have come across a couple of walking trails so it was time to explore.  I am hoping these will remain marked in winter as well and I can still get out and about.  Not that I think I will be snowed in or anything, well, hang on, now I think of it best make sure the food supplies are well stocked!

I was pleased to find this hill trail which also has the Stations of the Cross on it, although I could only find four or five, clearly I am on the wrong path.......

The hillside is beautiful and with the changing leaves it makes it pretty special.  It is not too hard a climb although my calf muscles certainly noticed the next day.  It is a lovely loop across the hill with some great views across Einsiedeln.

No walk is complete (or one of my blogs for that matter) without a cow reference.  I could here the gentle bells as I was walking through the hills (there was no skipping and I did not think of myself as Heidi, not once, promise).  I went over to the fence to observe and chat to them.  After a few minutes of so one curious cow came over to say hello (Moo!).  This was then followed up by another two cows and then the whole herd!  They were very friendly and liked a nice scratch on their head and enjoyed licking my hands.  They were very cool.....

We chatted and laughed for ages.  Talked about barn prices and the decreasing hay quality.  We got close to religion and politics but it seemed to be a moo-t point with them!




Yesterday was a big day for me as it was the first snow of the season.  I am sure, as I said before, there will be days when I will not think it so pretty but I am allowing myself to relish it for now.  Most of it has melted away now you can still see it on the distant mountains.