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Published: April 15th 2009
Outdoor cafe in Visp
Clearly, there is a widespread need for good hats. This apparently sane and sober man wore a bakery bag on his head for the entire time I lunched. Shall we conclude that the Swiss have a jolly sense of humor, and are unworried about public opinion: "neutral, and independent?" and proudly so!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 they are allowing me to work late to take care of my self-assigned internet "homework."
Kurszentrum Ballenberg is affiliated with, and adjacent to the Freilicht Museum. The school has many handwerk krafts which are very popular with the Swiss. The course I'm taking, knotted hatmaking, (Strohhut Knüpfen) is taught by a delightful man, Frederick Helfer, who has even made straw hats for the film industry. (I've already forgotten which titles he has credits for, as there was too much overload yesterday — addendum: see comment below, from his daughter, Monique, detailing the credits.) But the course selection is truly
First encounters
I met this Swiss couple upon arrival. Dori is taking a blacksmithing course. Her first assignment was to make a wrought iron bottle opener a "church key" amongst us Yanks. broad and deep. The courses are short, but richly supported by a marvelous staff and facility, which will soon expand. (The director today showed us an architectural rendering of a new building which has already broken ground. It will house a kraft library and media center, and some modular space on three floors. Nice design.)
I'm so impressed with this country and its people. I was very amused to read about the Swiss in Eric Whiner's (sp? — a reporter for National Public Radio in the US) Geography of Bliss, which describes people in 9 of the happiest nations on Earth (including Switzerland), and one group he cites as being most miserable. It's nonfiction, and wryly written. I have no idea if his account is accurate, comparatively speaking; but it is evident to me that this is a very fine country with many compelling features. The civility is as pleasant as I've ever encountered anywhere. And the geography is eye-popping.
And yes, the trains do run on time. Very impressive how the conductors can tell you, from a portable digital device, precisely what platform, and when, the next train is departing for ______. And this was most helpful,
Visp
A view of the mountains and a lake, from beneath the rail platform. as I got lost enroute to the school. But the unexpected rail tour was delightful, and breathtaking. And I had a short, layover in a moutain town called Visp where I enjoyed a latte and a mini prosciutto sandwich in an outdoor cafe while waiting for the next train — 50 minutes.
It's now nearly 7:30 pm Wednesday, and I haven't eated much, having worked through lunch on my straw hat, munching on nuts and berries while knotting. So I must keep it short if I am yet to add some photos. (Sorry the page layout will be bland, as I haven't time to fool with design issues. The first day of class went by so fast!
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Monique Helfer
non-member comment
Frédéric Helfer's hats in films
Dear Eric thanks for your wonderful Blog! I can help out with the infos concerning the films in which Frédy's hats are in: The first one is called "Vidocq", a French film starring Gérard Dépardieu. Vidocq is sort of a French Sherlock Holmes. The second film is called "Bandidas" starring Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. It's a Wild West film. Find out more on Frédy's website: www.stroh.ch.tf Kind regards Monique