So it finally rained for the first time in the two weeks I’ve been here (OK, that was probably not nice to say given what my friends in the Carolinas are dealing with!). But I think Ms Fussen was trying to be simpatico with her Carolina sister cities. In the morning I checked out a few churches. The St Magnus Basilica is very beautiful inside (pic) and actually has a Pittsburgh connection. A local priest, Franz Seelos, went to America (both Pittsburgh and New Orleans) and lived such a righteous life that in 2000 he was beautified (declared a saint) by Pope John Paul II.
I then went over to St Nikolaus Church (Krippkirche) to listen to a classical music concert (pic). See, this Italian Wanderer from Pittsburgh has a little bit of culture in him! Lol
By then the rain had let up but it was still very cloudy and misty. Even the Alps were covered in low lying clouds which made them look pretty cool. So since I had the Fussen App on my phone (gotta love technology) I learned about another interesting cultural activity called an Almabtrieb that was happening today.
The Almabtrieb (which means literally to drive from the mountain pasture) is an annual event in the alpine regions of Europe referring to a cattle drive that takes place in September.
During summer, herds feed on alpine pastures high up in the mountains, a practice known as transhumance.
There is usually one concerted cattle drive in autumn to bring the cattle to their barns down in the valley. If there were no accidents while the cattle were grazing during the summer, in many areas the cattle are decorated elaborately (pic). Upon arrival in the valley, joint herds from multiple farmers are sorted in the Viehscheid (field) and each animal is returned to its owner.
What a cool thing to watch. One of the cows almost pushed me off the road! The men are herding them along with sticks but they all want to go to the side of the road to eat the grass. It’s very loud too since most of the cows are wearing large bells around their necks. It was a hoot! I have a video as well so if you want to see it let me know.
Since the Almabtrieb was near the two Mad King Ludwig’s castles, you got a sneak peek at them today. I hope to have better ones with a nice blue sky and sunshine backdrop on Monday when I visit them.
The rest of the day I walked around the city and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
I again hope all in the Carolinas are safe. Try to stay dry!
Jeff
The Wandering Italian 