Haetzingen, Glarus: The cows come down to the town

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As titled, the Cows Come Down to the Town. It has a poetic symmetry to it, doesn't it? It started with a distant rumbling, clanging noise. Cows! We dashed outside just as they arrived and I missed the start. Darn! I photographed what I could then went inside. Then we heard bells again. This time we made it to be there for the front runners. What a sight. The families in their white smock tops led the cows who had their heads decorated in flowers and greenery. Around their necks they had huge bells so you can imagine the noise of a hundred or so cows clomping their way through the streets. Throughout the herd were families separating their own herds from the others. It was such a wonderful sight that you would not see anywhere else except in these Germanic countries. During the day another two herds came past the house so we were able to go out again for another experience. One group were led by a little flock of goats. At the end of the first procession was a decorated tractor. (See the video link https://vimeo.com/292498634/7d2afc3781). Others had dogs with their owners. That excitement took up most of the morning.

For the next period of time we got on Irvy and Marc's bikes and cycled through to Linthal further up the valley. It is a gradual rise up through the valley to the foot of the Klausen Pass. We passed the last of the cow herds, a yarn spinning mill, a textile factory and canals for hydro power. We wanted to visit a little museum in Linthal displaying the history of the Russian General mentioned yesterday but it was shut so we meandered our way back to Haetzingen for lunch.

The rest of the day we spent down towards the bottom of the valley at a large shopping centre at Naefels to get the necessary goods and groceries. It is a pretty valley with excellent shopping facilities at one or the other of the little towns spaced out along it.

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Photos

The front of the Alpabzug
Alpabzug is bringing the Alp (cows) down like a train (zug). So, a train of cows.