We left Zürich this morning on a train bound for Chur. Chur is pronounced like Coors beer only leave off the S so you get Coor. Sergio, our group leader, can roll the R at the end but I certainly can’t.

We stopped first at Appenzell which is a dear little alpine village that fits our Swiss stereotype perfectly.

Sergio described for us some interesting political and cultural events in Appenzell. When it is time to vote for a new town council, for example, the voters all gather in the square where we were standing for our group picture and vote in person. Fortunately, there are only a couple of thousand eligible voters in Appenzell. Once a year they hold a dance that is supposed to reflect the state of marriage. The dancers start out quite happy with each other, then they have an argument, then they fight, then they make up and kiss – a guaranteed happy ending. He even showed us a picture. A little weird … but OK.

From Appenzell we headed by train to St. Gallen which is a city of about 60,000 people known for its textile industry. The fabric in Michelle Obama’s and in Amal Clooney’s dresses was made in St. Gallen. They don’t make dresses here, just fabric, a lot of which is used for interior design.

St. Gallen is also known for the Stiftsbibliothek Library in the Catholic Cathedral. It brings to mind the Strahov Library in Prague with its overwhelming beauty. One of the most treasured books is the medieval Cantotatoroum of St. Galle which I was able to photograph – without flash, of course. From time to time the librarians turn the page of this book so that the ink fades consistently throughout.

Here are some more images of St. Gallen.

Our lunch today was a little phallic, but relatively tasty. I wasn’t hungry and didn’t eat much but I did enjoy the dessert. The strawberry had a slightly tart flavour that offset the sweetness of the ice cream.

Dinner was a cheese fondue which came with detailed instructions on etiquette from Sergio. We were given bread cubes to dip in the cheese. I couldn’t help but think that some broccoli and cauliflower could go a treat as well. Tomorrow we move on to Brig, crossing through the Alps to get there. Exciting!

Ich hoffe, Sie morgen zu sehen.