This is a continuation of Ryder-Walker guest Lisa Allen’s account of the Appenzell region of eastern Switzerland. Please also read “Hiking in Appenzell” days 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
I visited Appenzell, Switzerland for the first time, for a day, last year, with a group with whom I was touring Switzerland and I knew, long before we arrived, that I would fall deeply and fully in love with the area and the town. In fact, I adore it and feel as though perhaps, in another life, I was or shall be there. The neatly trimmed hills, with cattle quietly grazing, the superb chalets with barns attached, the colorful customs and traditions, tried and true, practiced and upheld through time, the buildings painted with ancient and spiritual trims combine to fill me with awe and as deep a sense of joy as one can experience without bursting at the seams.
When I am in Appenzell, I feel as though I have arrived home, finally and in totality. In Appenzellerland and the town, too, all that is Swiss and especially beautiful is epitomized and held dear.
Nothing pleases me more than to share my fun there, the childlike joy I experienced during my journey. I intend to make at least an annual “pilgrimage” to this place of miracles, where my soul becomes interwoven with countryside and custom until it is indistinguishable from them.
Lisa Allen, Â SE Mass.
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