Prepacking, brockis and the temple

May 29

Today the weather for our planned outing didn't cooperate. So we decided to make sure we all, including the missionary couple, had enough luggage to return the possessions back home. We figured we'd need another suitcase or two. They are cheapest at a brocki, think thrift store. So we ventured out to several without the missionary couple. We actually went to four of them in the same day.

The reasoning of the group (Catherine and I) was to see what all needed to be packed. Of course we still needed to finish shopping. Number one on the list was a 2.5 kilo bag of Cailler miniatures at 29 CHF, a real deal. But that deal requires a trip to Otto's which is out by the temple. We had no way of knowing whether or not they would be in stock and we really didn't want to drag a suitcase or two all over if we weren't going to need them. Good plan, right? Of course. 

Well Otto's happens to be a quick walk from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Bern temple, so we stopped by first. Walked past the temple apartments, and saw the stake center and then understood why they rented a hall for stake conference. It's a lovely building, but a bit on the smallish side. Anyway, before I get more sidetracked here are pictures of the kids and some with their cousins at the temple. 

At the entryway. 

With that done we headed to Otto's and found the chocolate and some other goodies. Made our purchases and got on a train back to downtown Bern to hit some Brocki shops. We'd already been to 2 in the morning with little success. The Brockis had what we wanted but wanted more for them than we were willing to pay. So after a train and a tram ride lugging our loot around in a large shoulder bag we arrived and found what we wanted within the range of what we were willing to part with.

Then we threw everything we'd purchased at Otto's and nested the newly acquired luggage in the largest one purchased at the brocki. Thankfully it had wheels! We made our way back on the tram to get to the train station so we could walk to what has been deemed, " the knife store". It's real name is Messer Klötzli Bern AG at Rathausgasse 84 in Bern. It is a fantastic place with sharp instruments galore, from scissors in the shape of the Eiffel Tower to panoramic bread knives of the Swiss Alps. So we went in and did our shopping and then caught a train and bus back home. 

On our way back Catherine had told the kids that they could have a pastry if they found a shop. Not much a problem in old downtown. So they were overwhelmingly successful in their task. Pastries were purchased and brought home as train seating for the return was limited. 

J chose a chocolate pastry/cake. He devoured it and these were the only pictures I got. 

Now the finger licking begins. 

Granted it was about an hour after he'd already devoured two full size swiss bratwursts along with a healthy helping of Rosti. D also enjoyed the Brats and ate the Rosti, but not as voraciously.  

Ballenberg open air museum in Brienz

May 28

Here are D and J at the bus stop waiting this morning.

Today we did the usual bus, train and bus to get ourselves to Brienz so that we could visit the Ballenberg open air museum. Really it's just outdoors. They have many houses from Switzerland's earlier times. They have a blacksmith, saddlery and rope shop to name a few. They have restored most of the houses and then set them up according to a profession that it would have fit, or one that it served. For example they have set up an apothecary's house with herb gardens outside. Inside there is the machinery and devices that would have been used to manipulate the herbs and plants to make remedies. They also have a menagerie of live animals throughout the museum.

You're going to see pictures, maybe some will have explanations.

This is the view we had to endure while waiting for the bus to take us from the train station in Brienz to Ballenberg. Rough life, I know... There are mountains mixed in with the clouds, if you look hard enough you might make them out.

This is a land owner's house that has been fully restored and it was beautiful in and out.

 Here's some information on it

In one of the rooms you could put yourself behind a dressed headless mannequin. There was one for grown man and women and this one for little girls, but none for little boys. So here's D sporting the look.

Here's a shot of J with some wonderful alpine scenery behind him.

We decided to break for lunch in a spot where there were chickens free ranging and cow bells, with cows attached in a pasture within viewing range. Later on horses and a foal came out to run and play with a baby calf. For lunch they enjoyed bread, a smoked meat and cheese all made at Ballenberg the original, old school, way. Yes it was tasty. Thank you Grandma!


While lunching the kids discovered the cows (there are more out of camera sight). J is wearing the red baseball cap with his back to the camera as he watches the animals.

By our lunch spot there was a old water hand pump. The kids learned that pumping it faster did not always yield satisfactory results. Here D is demonstrating the proper way to use the pump handle.

Any guesses on what this is? It's the front of a beehive, well actually 9 of them. Each ledge is the entry to a hive, however there is only one hive working in this one.

This is the view from inside the back where the beekeeper has all of his gear and would access the hives. Behind each door is access to 2 hives, the 9th one would be accessed via the top middle panel door.

Here's the view from the side. The open door is where the beekeeper would enter to tend to the hive in the picture above. Grandpa is there to provide information as well as perspective should I choose to tackle a project like this at some future time.

We got to a farm house that was meant to be hands on for kids. It has a pump organ, a room full of clothes for dress-up as well as a pump drill that the kids could use to drill holes in pottery. The following are dress-up pictures. D just loved this top and refused to try anything else on including dresses.

J had to much fun with a cane and different hats.

Cousins Rhed and Brett got in on the dress up.

And here's the hat change.

Here's one of the many meadows that we walked by.

This is a vintner's house in case you couldn't tell by the grapes planted in front. I loved the style and architecture so you get to look at it too.

 Right side view with a nice trellised vine climbing it.

This is a video, if it works, of the single blade sawmill that is powered by a water wheel. J couldn't get enough of it.

Then it was on to the wood worker's shop. Once again it was hands on and the kids got to use a hand planer as well as hand drills. There was already wood set up and securely mounted for both the planing and drilling activities. There was even a young man providing community service to fulfill his military requirements who helped J use a saw to cut a section of the log off to be used for other to practice hand drilling on. Here's D learning how to use a hand drill and trying to watch cousin Brett.

Here's J learning how to use a nice sharp hand planer.

Here he is learning how to use the hand drill.

Here he is cutting a log with the saw. Once again thank you to the young man who patiently held the log and taught him how to use this saw.

Then back to hand drilling.

Cousin Alex is perfecting his craftsmanship with the hand drill.

This was a model inside one of the homes that shows how the structure was built before the walls were filled in. This is the front of the building.

This is the right side.

Now for the left side.

This is one panoramic shot that was to pretty to pass up.

This is the pin setup for Kegelen, think Swiss version of bowling. This is the placement of the wooden pins.

This is the lane approach to the pins. Yes it is wooden and has rails so as to keep the stone "ball" on track. The ball is actually a stone with a full handle carved out as well as a thumb hole, D is holding one. The slanted track behind grandpa is the ball return.

 Here's a shot of D, J and cousins Brett and Alex on the swings with a very picturesque backdrop. Anyone know of a park with a better backdrop?

Here's the old and new wanderers, happy together.

A mobile chicken coop, or I suppose it could be used for rabbits.

 It has a handle...must be meant to be moved.

This is the ship we caught back to Interlaken Ost from Brienz. It was a nice ride aboard the Jungfrau on the Brienzersee. The water was a bit rough as the wind whipped past us, but still a pleasant experience and the kids had a blast.

Some pictures from our voyage...

One of the many waterfalls seen. This happened to be as we came into a stop and docked at a location that has a cog train that services a hotel up on the mountain on the side of lake Brienz.

Here's a picture of the dock a few 100 feet from the waterfall with the cog train nestled in the station house.

 Then there was this water fall that was on the opposite side of the lake

This shot has two waterfalls in it, the one on the right side is the same one that is in the picture above.

Here's a picture of J, Alex and Brett outside on the bow of the ship with the 2 waterfalls as their backdrop. It's also worthy to note that J finished reading all of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (his own choice) about 20 minutes before this picture was taken. I have both pictures here because I believe in one picture one of them has their eyes closed but not in the other.

J could not get enough of the outside. It was cold out there and he walked/skipped around the boat most of the time. His ears were cold when he got back in, even with his hood on!

This was a building that was viewable as we came in to a port/stop. Not sure what it's called but got a picture because I liked it.

Today just reaffirmed that J likes to wander, look and touch things. When something peaks his interest he comes and says, "Come see this." D on the other hand is content to read anything and everything. If she's comfortable she'll try something new.