Down on the Farm

This past weekend was a four-day weekend and we drove to Rettenberg, Germany for a stay on a farm. "Farm holidays" are readily available here in Switzerland and Germany; farms offer space to stay for families with the opportunity to help and observe the farm. Some farms even have offers to sleep in the barn on straw for a full experience. We opted for a more comfortable furnished apartment with beds in the farmhouse. We did wake up to cowbells and roosters at 6 am though!

We stayed on a working dairy farm in the heart of Bavarian cheese country. The cows on the farm provide milk for Allgäu region Bergkäse ("mountain cheese"). The most popular Bergkäse is Emmentaler -- a variation of Swiss cheese. Our fridge in our apartment was stocked with samples upon our arrival. We also discovered quark, which is heavenly: creamier than yogurt and more like ice cream from the fridge.

The dairy farm has about 30 milk-producing cows, which was quite an operation. The cows enjoyed many courses of hay, oats and even spent grain from local breweries. They are milked twice a day and at the 6 pm milking, everyone is invited. (There are 3 holiday apartments on the farm.) So, if you're staying at a bed and breakfast, you might be used to tea and cookies in the afternoon. But here at the farm, everyone goes to the barn for a good beer and some cheese while the farmer works! The kids watched the cows and helped feed the bunnies for a while, but they were too enticed by the large yard where they could play on the swings, dig in the sandbox, or jump on the trampoline (a "jumpoline" according to Willem).

Cows heading to the fields

This weekend was a special weekend for some of the cows. Any young (7 months to 3 years), non-milk producing cows were brought up to the Alpine meadows for their summer vacation. For 3 months, they're on their own, and then return to the farms in September. We went on a beautiful hike on Saturday and enjoyed watching each local farm bring their cows to the mountain in a trailer pulled by a tractor. We watched the cows from our farm chase after the farmer when he left -- I've never seen cows run that fast! Just a little separation anxiety, perhaps. A total of about 175 cows from 10 farms were brought to the fields, and the bells were ringing loud through the fields. We could also hear a persistent cuckoo bird while hiking. A real cuckoo bird! The clocks sound just like the real thing.

And aside from cows and cheese, the Bavarian area is known for its good beer. Rettenberg alone has two major breweries. We were vacationing with another family and enjoyed many opportunities for beer, whether we were hiking, picnicking or "helping" on the farm! Over the weekend, we also enjoyed a day on a mountain with an "alpine coaster" for a fast ride down and found a forest playground to hike to. The farm was a good base for the weekend and the kids really seemed to feel at home. Great fun with great friends!