Did you know we're still touring Europe?
Last Saturday we visited Switzerland thanks to New Glarus. The little town of New Glarus is affectionately known as "America's Little Switzerland." Mary has taken her grandmas there (here and here), and it's also where we got our piano. But we had never before visited the Swiss Historical Village, so that was first on the agenda.
It was the perfect day to visit "Switzerland." My aunt Marie was with us. She's my mother's sister, and their grandmother, Lina Marie, was born in Switzerland. So I've got some serious Swiss roots. (Though my ancestors were not from the same area as those who settled here in Wisconsin.)
The people who settled New Glarus were from...drum roll...Glarus. They made textiles, but then the advent of new technology (power looms) put a lot of families out of work. So the Emigration Society of Canton Glarus was formed with the aim of finding a place where unemployed families could begin anew. They originally thought they would settle in Illinois to work in factories. Instead they ended up in Wisconsin to farm.
Here you can see David investigating the relief map of Glarus, Switzerland. Compare that to the relief map next to Greg. That's our neck of the woods in Wisconsin.
What a shock the Midwest must have been to those folks. (In fact, rumor has it that the flatness of Illinois was one reason the settlers came up north. I guess when you're used to majestic inspiring peaks, rolling hills are better than...Illinois.)
After we learned about the first Swiss immigrants, we explored the village, which consisted of real and reconstructed buildings from the local area.
Life wasn't easy for the immigrants. They lived in humble homes.
This is a Swiss beehive. They kept their bees and did their processing all in the same buildings. The colorful wooden ledges are "landing pads" for the bees that can be lowered or raised as necessary.
Cheese factory! (And Mary striking a pose.)
Like I mentioned earlier, the immigrants originally intended to work in factories. But then they settled up here and tried their hand at wheat farming. It didn't go so well. These were not farmers--they were learning something new. And wheat doesn't grow all that well here. It was a hard life, but the settlers were determined to make a go of it. After a few years, a man came over from their native Switzerland to teach them how to make cheese. The rest is history. Over a hundred and fifty years later, this area is still the Swiss cheese capital of the country!
There was a real one room school house on the site. It's not the one that was in New Glarus. But it's from a nearby community...
...and it was in use until 1961!
Sausage. Of course.
I loved this kitchen from the turn-of-the-century. You can see the beginning of modern life and modern conveniences.
The fire house was a big hit.
The general store was not. My kids were definitely freaked out by the lack of shiny plastic toys. But if they were interested in gingham...
David and Mary both said their favorite part was the cemetery. (Weird, I guess.) They enjoyed counting the headstones. (Apparently the headstones are real, but there are no graves. It's just for show. I didn't quite understand where the actual graves are.)
Oh! I have to show you this. It's how they make such lovely cookies. (Like the anise flavored one I tried last time I was in New Glarus.)
After our tour around the Swiss Village--which we all really enjoyed--we headed into town for some treats from the bakery. (Yummy Swiss nut horns.) There were booths selling traditional food on the street, so we had ourselves some yummy lunch.
Aunt Marie had some tasty Swiss vegetable soup topped with plenty of cheese. And I tried the "Alpine mac and cheese." So delicious!! (Seriously, it was so good.)
And David got his first real brat! (That's Mary in the background carrying her "hot dog with no pickle"--i.e. a plain hot dog bun.)
Switzerland was a big hit! It was a marvelous morning.
David suggested we visit the real Switzerland next. Someday....
