Enchanting Swiss Journal: Part 6: All in the Family

 

Esther and her siblings 

“How long has it been since you last visited us?” was invariably the first question that we were asked when visiting Esther’s siblings and their spouses. That’s a lot of times to be asked since Esther has nine siblings and all are married. It had been five years. It was a longer period than usual, in their minds. “Why are you staying for such a short time?” was the question that followed. We had too little time to cram in all the family visits we wanted to make; let alone time to visit friends and do other things we like to do while in Switzerland. 

Sister Hanni and brother Fritz

Our “short” trip to Switzerland centered mostly on visiting family and friends. It was short because it was centered between important events on this side of the ocean. Because it was so short, and because Esther has so many siblings, we had to make the most of our time there. We ate 24 special meals (including 6 in restaurants) with family and friends. We met numerous times with others for coffee. Our schedule was so jam packed and intense, that it seemed like we were there more than our “short” visit. After our first week, I remarked to Esther that it seemed as if we were there a month already.

We got to see all of Esther’s siblings and spouses, and 21 of our 31 nieces and nephews, many of whom now have children. “Be fruitful and multiply” has been taken literally by the Reichenbach family! 

Yes, I confess that we were often exhausted, not only from jet lag, but also from constant travel and conversation. Yet, we are privileged to have so many resources to rely on during our visits. Few people who visit other countries have the same opportunities. We certainly didn’t go hungry! I particularly am privileged to delve deeply into the heart of another culture, learning valuable life lessons along the way.

Our stay in Switzerland was short but sweet. It was mostly all in the family. 

Informal Sunday afternoon family gathering

Brother Walter and wife Regina

Brother Fritz and wife Angela

Niece Solome, husband Reto and son

Sister Rosmarie and husband Rolf

Sister Elsbeth and husband Hans

Sister Lydia and husband Peter

Nephew Marco, wife Christa and son Vivian

Niece Tabea and daughters

Nieces Doris, Rahel and children

Niece Betina and children

Nephew Sandro and wife Fabia

Niece Manuela and her Godmother

Niece Jasmina

Nephew Patrick, wife Anja and children

Niece Doris, husband Timo and child

Niece Sabrina and husband Gabriel

Sister Ruth
and husband Andy

Niece Celine

Enchanting Swiss Journal: Part 5: Up the Rigi!

The day dawned bright and full of hope. Esther and I were to go on our first and only “touristy” trip of our stay in Switzerland! While our Swiss rail passes included all public transportation and ship travel on the beautiful lakes, it only included one mountain top experience: Mount Rigi! 

We have been to the top of many iconic mountains in Switzerland and viewed many others up close, but hadn’t yet experienced Mt. Rigi, near Lucerne. Esther sent out a call to her siblings and asked if any wanted to join us for the adventure. Four of her siblings and one spouse responded positively. 

Making our way by ship from Lucerne to Rigi

Coming from four different directions, we met at the train station in Bern where we travelled together to Lucerne. From there we boarded a ship that took us on an hour-long jaunt on the ice-blue alpine lake to the foot of Mt. Rigi. Every means of transportation we were on was crowded, but none so much as the ship. It was a huge ship, but all the seats on three levels were taken and the whole main deck was standing room only! Most of the passengers were tourists from around the world. Only a few Swiss natives, like my in-laws, were on board.

View of Lake Lucerne from the cog-rail train

It was only a short walk from the ship to the cog railway that took us on what seemed like a 90º slope up the side of the mountain. This is the oldest cog-wheeled train in Switzerland, built in 1871. The incline was so steep, that I couldn't imagine that there was enough space for cows, goats, and pasture land to feed them; not to speak of barns and sheds to house them. But there was.  

The top of Mount Rigi afforded breathtaking views on all sides. It seems to be a huge mountain island in the middle of several lakes: Lake Luzerne to the south and west, Lake Zug to the north and east. Naturally, as at all Swiss tourist spots, a restaurant sat in the middle of the peak luring hungry and weary travelers to its delicacies. 

One of the hiking trails at the top.

We wandered around several hiking trails at the top of the mountain taking in all the views and trying to capture their glory on film, a feat that proved to be nearly impossible. The grandeur visible from the mountaintop can only be properly experienced in person. 

By the time we reached the top, clouds had formed on the distant white-capped peaks. I could only vaguely distinguish the Eiger peak of the Bernese Oberland. 

Three of Esther's (in pink blouse) sisters who travelled with us

We succumbed to the lure of the restaurant and had lunch at the mountain-peak restaurant. They offered a cafeteria-style buffet line where you could choose from various offerings, mostly typical Swiss dishes. The restaurant was short on staff, similar to many service industry establishments we went to. The labor shortages are directly related to the years of COVID; much like in the USA. 

The trip back down the mountain and sailing across the lake weren't as crowded as going the other way. We had space to sit in the restaurant of the ship and drink a leisurely cup of coffee on the hour-long ship ride.

When we arrived back in Luzerne, my knees, still sore from the Sunday hike, had had enough. I was ready to sit on a train and go home. My co-travelers, however, wanted to see the iconic wooden bridge that criss-crosses a canal that runs through Luzerne from the lake to a river; just a few blocks from the train station. So I plodded on. By now it was quite hot, and the sun beat down on us as we made our way to the bridge.

The iconic Kapellebrücke in Lucerne

In order to have a totally extravagant day, it was agreed to have dessert along the canal with a view of the bridge (Kapellbrücke). It took quite a while until we found an open table, and again quite a while till we got and paid for our sundaes (ask me what a coup Bailey's is). We had to hoof it to make it to our train on time. 

We rode together on the train until we got back to Bern, then we said our goodbyes and went our different ways. Esther and I took the tram back to Worb, our home base, and faced another half-mile walk to get back to our host's home. I was exhausted but thrilled about the beauty of the day, the scenery and conversation. My pedometer had logged 11.5 miles for the day. 

Enchanting Swiss Journal: Part 4: Friends and Colleagues. A Return to Aarberg

Old City Wall of Aarberg

Immediately upon my retirement, Esther and I spent a year in Switzerland. We lived in Aarberg, a unique town with beautifully preserved downtown. Esther worked with a home health care agency while I worked on various speaking assignments. Needless to say, we made numerous friends during this year whom we wanted to visit. So we took a trip to our old Swiss stomping ground.

Since we left Aarberg around five years ago, a lot of changes have taken place. Between the apartment building and the next one behind us, a brand-new apartment building had been erected. The same was true of the apartment building next to us. Land in Switzerland is precious as are living spaces. I'm glad, however, that these new buildings hadn't yet been built while we were there. From our balcony, we could probably see right into the neighbor's living room.

Another change was a brand-new building housing the Prisag home health care offices and apartments for elderly. Peter Stucki, the man who owned the Prisag agency and who hired Esther to work as a home health care aid, built it.  

First up on our visit was breakfast with our former landlady, Christina, and the elderly woman (Heidi) she lived with and cared for. They were living in the new Prisag building, so we got to see it for the first time. Christina also invited several of our friends to meet with us. Some were from the Methodist Church in Aarberg, some were from the home health care agency. 

It was sad to see how much Heidi had deteriorated mentally since we had lived there five years ago. She really couldn't remember us, except that she kept staring at me as if she had seen a ghost. Perhaps she had a dim memory of me, because once when we had visited her she commented to Esther that if I weren't married, she'd make a pitch for me. 

Esther in her Prisag uniform

Sonia, from the Methodist church was also there. She remembered seeing me frequently at the café attached to the COOP supermarket chain. I recalled a time when she sat down to chat for a little bit. When she asked what I was doing, I told her I was preparing for a presentation on spiritual formation. Suddenly, unexpectedly, I became her confessor as she poured out all her many hurts in relationships. Tears flowed copiously. All I did was listen. I hope I was able to be a non anxious presence to her.

Inevitably, the conversation turned to politics. One of the women wanted to know how it was possible that someone like Donald Trump could be elected as president of the USA. It seemed incomprehensible to them, and to almost everyone I met in Switzerland. I had no answer. 

More fun than the political discussion was catching up on other friends who weren't at the breakfast and reminiscing about times we spent together: Bible studies at Peter Stucki's headquarters, Tazié services at the Reformed Church and walks along the Aare River.

The view from Meikirch

We had to finish our conversation quickly, because we were soon to meet more of Esther's co-workers in the nearby town of Bremgarten. The trip took us up over the Frienisberg hill to our favorite lookout near Meikirch (see picture above). The white-capped, iconic Alps, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau were visible here.

Four of Esther's co-workers met us in a restaurant for lunch. Esther and I were stuffed from our recent breakfast, so we both ordered salads. Her colleagues ordered pizza, the daily menu (usually the most economical meal featuring a typical Swiss meat and potatoes meal), and pasta with various sauces. I am a pasta lover, and was deeply tempted to order some, but stuck with the salad. 

The conversation centered around clients that Esther had taken care of, and how disappointed they were when she left. In fact, her co-workers were really convinced that she would return because of this. It was also evident to me that she was beloved by her co-workers. Neither was surprising since I knew of how appreciated she was with her similar job in the USA. 

We broke up our party and returned to our home base in Worb. We had completed the first week in Switzerland, but because of the intensity and frequency of our visits, it seemed like a month. 

Enchanting Swiss Journal: Part 3: The Pit

Esther’s sister Lydia and husband Peter Moser live in what is literally called the pit. That is really the address for where they live (Grube, in German). There farm house is located between two majestic hills that rise out of the lower, flatter lands below. They are covered with spruce trees. 

In spite of the auspicious name, their old farm house has been completely redone in modern appliances and decor, making a unique mix of old and new. We arrived on a Saturday night, and although we had seen their house before, they wanted to give us a choice of where we wanted to lay our heads for the night. They were empty nesters, no children and Moser's parents had long moved away. We had five bedrooms from which to choose. 

At the back of the house was a fully furnished, modern apartment that their son had lived in before moving closer to his work. It is beautiful and modern. They would like to rent it out as an AirBnB, but it is too far away from the beaten path to attract many lodgers. It’s in the pits! 

Cow bells hanging over the entrance to the 
milking stalls. Living quarters to the left top.

We chose a bedroom on the third floor where one of their daughters had lived before getting married. Our windows looked out onto flower boxes with beautifully cascading red, lavender and white geraniums and brought in fresh mountain air. Across the farm lane was a storage shed that looked more like a miniature farm house than a shed. The balcony ledges were adorned with flower boxes filled with the same theme of geraniums. 

"Speicher" or storage shed.

We could have imagined being in paradise until we were awakened at 6:30 am by twenty cows coming in from the pasture to the barn (under the house) with humongous bells strapped to their necks ringing away. Most farmers are proud of the sound of their bells. Although Peter is retired from farming, he rents out his building to a neighbor to feed and milk his cows. Not wanting to be confined to a rocking chair, Peter goes down everyday to wash the equipment used in milking. 

After a typical bread, jam and cheese breakfast, we headed off to Peter and Lydia’s church for the Sunday morning service. It was a very small congregation, with maybe 20 in attendance, six of which were from the Moser family. Esther’s mother and an uncle attended this church before they died. Esther’s sister Rosemarie and husband Rolf are also attenders and were present on this Sunday morning.

At one time the church was considered to be very conservative, with women wearing prayer veilings and skirts. Jeans were unacceptable attire for both men and women. That is no longer the case, as nearly half of the congregation had jeans on this Sunday.

The service was simple. A short opening, a song, several prayers. Another song and then the sermon. A brand new hymnal was in place which seems very similar to the new Mennonite “Voices Together” hymnal. Many traditional hymns as well as more modern praise songs with a few African songs mixed in. 

The sermon was definitely the main focus of the service. It lasted nearly an hour. Interestingly, the preacher was Mosers’ young son-in-law Reto, married to their daughter Salome. Apparently the men pass the preaching duties around between them depending who is available. Son Andreas Moser was in attendance as well, and accompanied us on our afternoon activities.

After the service several people came up to me to practice their English. One couple had lived in Canada for a decade and managed their English quite well. Their son had married a Russian woman, so Dora, the mother, learned to speak Russian as well. Two Ukrainian refugee women attended the service and Dora translated for them.

Boardwalk leading to overlook

After lunch, we headed to a mountainous region near where Esther grew up. We were treated to a trail that was new to us called Gäggersteg. We hiked up a long incline until we reached the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful Gantrisch chain of Forealps. The trail is part of the Gantrisch Nature Park. At the top of the hill there were a series of boardwalks leading both upward and onward to a lookout point. Both the natural and wooden parts of the trail provided some spectacular views. (See pictures belos)

We decided to take a shortcut on our way home, and although beautiful, the incline was so steep that at the end of the walk my knees hurt. 

That evening the Mosers treated us to a scrumptious meal of salads, grilled meats and dessert. I am glad we spent so much time walking, considering all the food we've been consuming! 

The day full of events ended with a train ride back to our home base in Worb. 

Hosts Peter and Lydia Moser

Gantrisch Nature Park 

Hosts daughter Salome with husband
and the morning's preacher, Reto

Me with my grandnephew Noe

Enchanting Swiss Journal: Part 2: Pizza under the Alps

Church of Rüschegg up the hill from our pizza get-together

Esther grew up in a small farming village in Switzerland called Rüti bei Riggisberg. The village was spread out over many miles. She went to a two-room, two-story school house that served nine grades; four grades in the lower floor, and five grades on the upper floor. There were six student in Esther’s class; that being the average number in each of the nine classes. Esther was lucky, she lived only a few blocks from the school, while most had to walk or bike several miles in order to attend. 

When one of Esther’s classmates, Brigitte, heard that Esther would be in her village visiting her brother Walli who still lives on the family farm, she planned a surprise get together for Esther at her farm. They hadn’t seen each other for over 20 years. We arrived at her place about 11 am, not knowing exactly what to expect. 

Hans with his paddle waiting
 for the next pizza to bake

After initial greetings, we were led to a rustic shed that was decorated with flowers and walls lined with old timey tools, pots and pans. A table dominated the open space. Several of Esther’s other classmates were there, as well as a few from her brother Walli’s class. They brought toppings for pizza, salads and desserts to share in the festivities. Esther was quite surprised.

In Switzerland, a party can’t begin without an “Apero.” Usually salty snacks are
available to go along with white or rose wine or soft drinks. Usually no one can begin drinking until the host offers a toast. However, Brigitte was so distracted that Walli had too propose a toast so that we could begin the festivities. 

People continued to come, and by now it was nearly 12:30 pm, but the main meal was still not in sight. We really did not know what to expect, but we saw Brigitte’s husband Hans, building a wood fire under a chimney structure with two iron doors on the front. We kept on chatting and no one made a move to make dinner until about 1 o’clock.

At this point, Brigitte and several other women brought out 8-inch pans with dough on the bottom. Bowls were lined up on the table filled with numerous toppings for pizza: sauce, olives, pepperoni, peppers, sardines, ham, mushrooms, cheese, and so on. We were to take our pan with dough in it to the table with the toppings and make our own pizza.

The final product

In the meantime, Hans produced a wooden paddle with a long handle. We placed our newly constructed pizza on the paddle and he shoved it into the oven to bake for 15 minutes. The final result was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten. With all the snacks and salads that I had eaten, I was quite full after the first pizza. Walli and his wife Regina and several other guests went back for a second round. 

Then came desert! My favorite was a chocolate mousse but there was a great
variety of other desserts available as well. Esther had a piece of Black Forest cake. By 4 o’clock we had to leave because we were expecting to meet Walli’s children at his house for supper. 

Esther with several of her schoolmates 

I wouldn’t say we were exactly hungry when we arrived at Walli’s house. We spent time talking to our nephews Matthias and Lukas. Matthias was taking over the old farm house where Esther had grown up. The properties were first passed on to Walli, and now he is passing them on to his two sons. 

Like many structures in Switzerland, a farm shed on the property has multiple uses. The main floor was an open area that was used to store farm machinery and is now used mostly as a garage for various vehicles. On one end of the building, Walli built a two-storey apartment for his family. The upper floor as had multiple uses over the years. First, it stored hay, and then as a place to house egg-laying chickens. Lukas is currently turning the loft into a modern apartment for himself. 

Our niece Eliane, who recently returned with her husband from missionary work in Central America, was also invited to supper. I enjoyed talking to her in Spanish! In a huge coincidence, her husband, also named Lukas, grew up in Affoltern am Albis, the same city where my ancient ancestor, Valentin Klemmer was born. 

Not only were we stuffed, but we were also exhausted by the end of the day. And our adventure in Switzerland had only begun.

Below is Esther's home place. On the right is the original house-barn, on the left is the multi-puropse "shed."

Enchanting Swiss Journal: Part 1: Anabaptist Paths to Freedom

 

Over the next several days I will be posting stories from my recent trip to Switzerland to highlight some of the cultural uniqueness of this enchanting land. 

*    *    *

The castle Trachselwald near Summiswald, in the Emmental Valley of Switzerland, was the site of much persecution during the 1600s. The Emmental was (and still is) the seat of the largest group of Anabaptists at the time. Many ancestors of the Mennonites in the USA have had distant relatives tortured in the castle tower. Hundreds if not thousands left Switzerland because of the harsh hand of the Bernese authorities. A wonderful historical novel by Katherina Zimmerman has been written about a Hirschi (Hershey in the USA) family and their experiences in this are at the time.

My own ancestors left the Emmental around 1680, spent several generations in Germany before emigrating to the USA in 1738. It is rather humbling to visit the torture chambers in the castle tower, knowing full well that many of one's forebearers may have spent time in the prison tower. 

On a rainy Friday, several Swiss friends of ours picked us up to go to the castle of Trachselwald. Esther and I had been there several times before, but we were now going to see the new exhibition titled: “Paths to Freedom” that was recently completed. The exhibition’s website introduction states: “In this exhibition you will be introduced to the history and presence of Swiss Anabaptism. You will gain insight into the lives and beliefs of women and men from the Emmental who came into conflict with "church and state" because of their non-conformist convictions. You will get to know their hopes and fears. And you may be amazed here and there at how topical some themes have remained to this day.” 

The exhibit was well worth the visit, but even more fun was the time spent with our friends, Erwin and Elizabeth Rötlisbacher and Elsbeth Zürcher. Unfortunately Elsbeth’s husband, Ricco, couldn’t join us. I was especially disappointed not to see him—we hit it off very well. These two couples were the first to be curious about us, and befriended us when we attended the Mennonite church in Bern while spending a year in Switzerland after my retirement. 

After our visit to the castle, Erwin, who is very connected to the exhibit’s founding and promoting, took us to the adjacent church and explained how it was built from funds garnered from the Anabaptists collected by Bernese authorities for various issues in which he Anabaptists couldn’t comply with the rules of the government. If they couldn’t pay the fines, their properties were confiscated and sold.

We ended up at Elsbeth’s home for our evening meal. What a spread! Elsbeth followed Swiss protocol. First an “aperitif” with white wine and snacks. Then the meal which consisted of a salad and lasagna. This was followed by dessert provided by Elizabeth: Tiramisu! We caught up on each other’s lives, told stories, and laughed uproariously. After several glasses of wine, my Swiss German rolled off my tongue effortlessly, and Esther was reminded why I was dubbed “the entertainer” in previous encounters with people. 

My Cousin Burnell

Several weeks ago, out of the blue, I received a friendship invitation from Sue Clemmer. She only had one mutual friend with me, but out of curiosity because of the Clemmer surname, I accepted her request.

Sue and Burnie Clemmer

A few days after accepting her invitation, I received an email from her husband, Burnell Clemmer. He and his wife have done a lot of work on their genealogy, and he claimed that we were related. We had a 6th great-grandfather in common, Valentine Klemmer (Klimmer, Clemmer, Clymer) dating back to 1665. I descend from one of his sons (Heinrich) and he descends from another one (Christian). 

We also discovered that we both live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia: I in Harrisonburg, and he near Mt. Jackson. We decided that we should get together and compare notes. 

Before we got together, we exchanged numerous emails giving each other information about our common ancestors we were researching.

Today I went to visit cousin Burnell. I set my GPS to his address and proceeded north on Rt. 42 toward Mt. Jackson. Despite the cold, it was a lovely drive. There was little traffic and I enjoyed the scenery as I meandered through the Shenandoah Valley. 

I soon turned off the main roads and found myself driving on unpaved lanes. After numerous turns on different rural lanes, in the distance I saw a beautiful log cabin home on the top of a hill. I thought it was where Burnell lived, and so did my GPS. There were no vehicles in the driveway, and as I approached the door, there was a pistol hanging by the door with a sign: "We don't call 911." This cousin of mine may prove to be more interesting then I had imagined, I thought as I knocked on the door. No one answered. I realized that this is not where my cousin lived, and since that was the case, I was glad no one answered door.

I called Burnell, and he gave me the correct directions, and soon I was approaching another lovely home with my cousin waving from his balcony. "Hello, cousin," he said as he beamed and hugged me. "Welcome to our home. This is my wife Sue."

Turns out that his wife is the one who works so diligently on genealogy. She has an extensive family tree on Ancestry.com, and was trying to track down how Burnell and I were related. 23andMe said that we were third cousins, but the Clemmer line was too distant for any such close relationship. What she found was a huge surprise. We were related through the Sensenigs as well, and much more closely. My maternal grandmother was a Sensenig, and Burnell and I share a common 3rd great-grandparent. 

I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in Goodville, PA. Burnell's relatives are scattered all over the Blue Ball, Navron, Weaverland area, all within a boyhood bicycle ride from Goodville. We discovered many other similar surnames we were related to.

We got to meet each other because of our common 6th great-grandfather, Valentine Klimmer (Klemmer, Clemmer, Clymer). Little did we know that we were much more closely related to people on the maternal side of my family.

Nice to meet you, Cousin!