Descent of Cows Offers Taste of Alpine Life
Swiss Festival Takes Place in St-Cergue, Lake Geneva Region
Sep 4, 2009
Switzerland's Lake Geneva, the largest lake in Western Europe, lies like a giant croissant within view of the pinnacle of Mont Blanc. The region as a whole is one of the country's loveliest places to visit, especially in autumn when cheese, chestnuts, wine, and other Alpine festivals celebrate the bounty and traditions of the season.
The fact that the Swiss themselves describe the lake as "croissant-shaped," the calorie-laden pastry that's often filled with chocolate or laced with butter and jam, is a good indication that as much as Switzerland is defined by yodelers, Heidi, gingerbread chalets, Alpine meadows, and banking, it's also the land of chocolate, cheese, wine, and, yes, croissants.
Swiss International Airlines Offers "Taste of Switzerland"
Lake Geneva is actually named Lac Léman, meaning "large water." Swiss International Airlines treats passengers flying there to an on board "Taste of Switzerland," a program of special menus created by guest chefs from various regions of the country. Beef tenderloin, veal sausage, rosti potatoes, and pumpkin gnocchi in Roquefort sauce might be some of the dinner offerings on a flight, followed with a selection of Swiss cheese, Toblerone mousse, or Lindt chocolates. Yum!
The city of Geneva, the country's most cosmopolitan, is a delightful combination of French savoir faire and Swiss efficiently, so it's strongly suggested that visitors spend a few days here before heading to the mountains for a genuine taste of Swiss country life.
Alpine Descent of the Cows is Traditional Autumn Event
In delightful contrast to suave Geneva, St-Cergue is about an hour northwest and is reached via the bright red mountain railway Nyon-St-Cergue-La Cure. A village that flourishes year-round, it's where "La Desalpe de la Cote" takes place, the annual ritual that brings the cows down from their summer grazing in high Alpine meadows to their valley pastures for winter. It takes place this year on October 3.
This carnival-like event is part-pageant, part-parade and begins in early morning, when the first herd from the commune of St-Cergue arrives and makes it ceremonial parade around Place Sy-Vieuxville, to just after noon, when the last of the numbered herds is down. At just about noon, villagers and visitors alike start to head our for lunch to food stands selling sausages, fondue, and traditional vegetable soup, or to restaurants where traditional Swiss foods are offered. The local wine, made just for "Desalpe," is the drink of choice.
According to traditional agricultural practice, herds of cows from communities around St-Cergue like L'Archette, La Givrine, and Combe Grasse are taken up to mountainside meadows to graze for the summer. Herdsmen, often accompanied by their Bouviers Bernois (Bernese mountain dogs), live in huts near their cows, and when not tending the livestock, they carve wood or gather wild flowers for drying. Many of these crafts are sold during the fair.
During "Desalpe," the herdsmen decide which of three or more cows, usually the best looking ones, will be decorated with floral headdresses to lead the herds back to the valleys. This ritual, which has been part of Swiss culture for generations, is just one of the hundreds of fairs and festivals that celebrate harvest traditions in one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. Switzerland Tourism has many more seasonal tips to make a visit there memorable and delicious.
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