August, the height of the northern summer, with 17 – 18 hours daylight, and the Swiss public and institutions take advantage of this with a range of outdoor celebrations. This blog is just to give you an idea of how we spend our leisure time at the height of summer.
VAULTING
On Swiss National day, 1st of August, there is traditionally a Pole vault Competition held in our village, Frauenkappelen. And equally traditionally, it rains. This year was no exception and it rained quite heavily during the junior vaulters. Fortunately, it cleared up in time for the “elite” vaulters, at least the elite that had not made it to the Olympics.
And so we all settled down to a sunny afternoon, eating bratwurst, drinking beer and …
1.….watching athletes hurl themselves upward
2. Some manage it
3. And some fail
With the lovely backdrop of the Alps it all made for an entertaining afternoon. Finely toned athletes exerting themselves for the benefit of the beer-swilling audience.
4. And look at the view.
5. I think this was the winner
KAYAKING
We have an inflatable kayak and a neighbour, Catherine, has one as well. We sometimes borrow hers so that Ursula and I can kayak on the Wohlensee together. And she borrows ours whenever she needs a second kayak for a friend. Our kayak is red in colour and Catherine’s is blue.
6. Sometimes we kayak with swans
There seems to be far fewer swans on the lake this year compared to previous years. I believe it is the absence of food. The wet and rainy spring meant that the water levels were high and the strong current in the Aare meant that the water weed didn’t grow much, so no food for the water birds. Last year I regularly counted 150 swans, this year less than 50. Often we see the unusual sight of swans eating grass, foraging between sun-bathers on the banks of the lake, something I have never seen before.
7. And sometimes we swim with the kayak, Ursula swimming, towing the kayak behind her.
8. And sometimes we just paddle about.
And at the end of a day on or in the lake, what better way to relax than at the pop-up bar, with a beer and a bowl of wedges. This bar is only there in the summer and is packed most evenings. Many evenings Ursula goes for a swim in the lake after work and we end the day with a beer and they make excellent wedges with curry mayonnaise (or, horror, tomato sauce!)
9. Beer and wedges at the lake
MUSIC
There is a lot of music in Bern, particularly in the summer months when there are buskers on so many corners in the city.
We were introduced by a colleague of Ursula’s to an outdoor bar at the hotel Casino where they have a laid back jazz trio on Thursday early evenings. Sit in the shade, have a beer or wine and snacks, watch the traffic passing by and enjoy the music. So civilised…
10. Cool jazz in the cool of the evening
Our home village of Frauenkappelen has its own brass band, and they play whenever they get the chance. All ages, they love their music
11.
12. Heavy Metal
When it isn’t raining we try to improve on our gardening skills. Unfortunately, although the soil is quite fertile, it is very heavy, clay like in its consistency. In the rains - we have been having - the soil is quickly saturated and the water just pools on the surface. And when it dries it becomes rock hard.
13. Our little patch
In spite of this we have several tomato plants, paprikas, salads and herbs. We have plans to improve the soil for next year and, providing the rains return to normal, we can get the planting done a bit earlier. This may improve our yield.
BIRDS
And then there is the birding. Sometimes I just watch birds, other times I watch and photograph them.
14.
and sometimes I watch cattle watching them.
15. Greylag Geese and Highland bull
TRAVEL
A friend of ours went on holiday and offered us the use of her car. We took the opportunity to visit the mountains of Valais. Unfortunately, the driving rain and cloud made the views less than impressive for much of the trip.
16. High in the mountains, a church in the village of Lens, visible through the summer mist.
Here we found of all things, the Opale Foundation showing a collection of Australian Aboriginal art. It was displaying part of the collection of the artist Bernard Lüthi who bills himself, Artist, Activist, Archivist. According to its brochure, the foundation “is the only contemporary art centre dedicated to promotion of Aboriginal art in Europe.”
17.
Anybody interested can visit the website, www.fondationopale.ch
18. First meeting
Lüthi has worked for many years with First Nation communities and artists in Australia.
19.
After lunch at an hotel, duck for me and a good beef tartar for Ursula, we descended to the valley below, just as the sun started to come out but, unfortunately, we were heading home.
20. Looking down on the Rhone, here in a canal
IN AND AROUND BERN
For a more relaxing hour or two you could always watch outdoor amateur chess games on the Bundestag in the centre of Bern. Shaded by the trees and a few little kiosks selling basic food and beer, chess games go on all day, weather permitting.
21. Chess on a summer’s afternoon.
Classical music has its place in outdoor Bern. There was an evening concert on the Bundesplatz by the Bern orchestra playing pieces by Gershwin, Shostokovich, and others. The Bundesplatz was packed and the parliament building was lit up providing a beautiful backdrop to the concert.
22. Summer concert on the Bundesplatz
And that was our August summer in Bern, and too soon autumn was setting in. Although we live in rural Switzerland, we are not without culture and entertainment opportunities.