Post Script: A classmate from Ballenberg has emailed a few photos from our hatmaking course. I will now try to upload them. At home, I've made a hat block and planted some special wheat seeds to grow my own straw. Next I will build a vice to hold the work. And I may order some straw so I can make another hat before the straw ripens. The photos are by Eugen Gutjahr. Two close-ups are hats he made. I especially like the fancy hat bands! [View Full Entry]

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DATELINE: Saturday, April 18, AARGAU, and points west. Before resuming the account of my Swiss adventure, I should mention that TravelBlog experienced a global server problem which includes lost photos of numerous bloggers during my journey. Two of my earlier entries presently have black boxes instead of photos. TB is working hard to restore the images from backup files, where possible. Some photos may have to be re-entered by authors. (I really love this site, and wish the owners well in their efforts at recovery of missing info. Life happens, and we will all move forward. Could such loss [View Full Entry]

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Four days of straw-hat knotting in Ballenberg was followed by an extra day to explore the grounds of the museum, which is truly amazing. I imagine the grounds to be about 100 acres, laid out over a series of footpaths. It makes for a very pleasant stroll. And there are numerous active demonstrations along the way of folk crafts, such as cheese making, iron working, meat smoking, etc. And there are several fitting cafes interspersed, (but no MacDonalds, of course). Last night I was offered a ride to Aargau, where I want to visit a straw museum, by a couple I [View Full Entry]

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Rather than attempting to edit and amend my earlier posts, I will simply slog onward through the rush of events. The class is now complete, and my hat is done. (But I don't have a picture of me wearing it!) I had hoped to visit the Freiamter Strohmuseum (straw museum) Wohlen in Aargau, near Zurich. But the Saturday hours are brief, and the transport details are too slim, allowing only an hour — IF I find my way in a timely fashion. So I will visit there Sunday, when all the factors are more inviting. And then, homeward, Monday morning. Today, [View Full Entry]

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This will have to be a short entry. I had borrowed a Swiss adapter powerplug from the school. (Switzerland is in Europe, but doesn't use the European adapter I bought at Radio Shack.) And the borrowed adapter was returned at the end of class. So I'm on battery. I will update this entry, as I do want to sing the praises of this school. It's a major tourist destination, as it is affiliated with a large cultural attraction similar to Sturbridge Village, or Williamstown in the US. And to go along with the colony of buildings and antiques, Kurszentrum Ballenberg offers [View Full Entry]

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It's all happening so fast! I'm sorry I haven't been able to document my arrival here in Switzerland to the degree I had hoped. My computer apparently doesn't speak German, as I wasn't able to get onto the school's wireless network yesterday, the first day of classes, even with their password. (The school is not "near" Berne, as I thought; it's in the Interlaken district.) Apparently everything is near Berne in this tiny country; but it would be closer to say it's near Brienz. (The nearest village is called Hofstetten.) Well, the staff very kindly gave me a hardwire connection; and [View Full Entry]

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Spinning Gold from Straw It's great to have a purpose for traveling, rather than merely wandering the lonely planet. My wife and I once went on a driving excursion around New England, searching for the best hot dog. We researched the topic first, and then set off to taste the results of our query. This shaped our itinerary, and added some sense of direction. Having a theme for that vacation made it all the more enjoyable. As my first post explains, I have this terrible need to replace a favorite hat by making one with my own hands. Where does [View Full Entry]

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My wife and I live in Alden NY, near Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Rochester, and not too far from Toronto, Ontario. Our region is known for big snows. But now that winter is about over, I'm getting ready to venture off to Switzerland on a great hat quest. My very favorite hat in the world has finally crumbled (see photo of straw hat with split brim). I've located a man who knows how to make these hats, and I'm going to study with him. [View Full Entry]

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