A quiet day in Horgenzell

Monday April 11th
We slept until 8 as we were so tired! Oh dear! It was yet another lovely fine day. We didn’t really feel like doing too much, so we walked with Ingrid to Uncle Otto’s to get some potatoes. He runs a small organic farm, which doesn’t earn very much money but provides an interesting lifestyle. His paid employment gives him as much in two to three months as he gets from the farm in a whole year.

We went into the barn to see the livestock - a pen of zebu-cross steers, and two pens of Simmental bulls (two different age-groups). Another part housed German large white pigs. The boar was huge! The piglets are weaned at six weeks, then sold on for fatterning another six weeks later. The cattle were due to be turned out shortly having spent many months indoors. They are fed a lot of silage when housed, which is quite time-consuming. Someone had had fun carving a log to look like a pig!
Outside again, we started chatting with Otto's wife. It was interesting to hear that their eldest daughter had actually spent eleven months in NZ and Australia, so they were very happy to meet some real Kiwis.
During the afternoon we just read books before going out for a walk around and about Horgenzell before tea. Photos: Kapell church; Typical countryside; "be careful" bear in Horgenzell; memorial near Festewegen.








In this part of Germany there are many small villages (3-400 inhabitants). Many of the houses are surrounded by a small block of land of just a few hectares in size.
Between the villages is farmland, much of it planted our with apple trees, closely spaced and hard-pruned. You can see some in the photograph of Horgenzell below. Each village has one or two businesses, but many people have a job in town to supplement the meagre income from the land. Everyone knows which village to go to if they want a blacksmith, and which one you go to if you want your tractor repairing!
Photos: Horgenzell in the distance; an old timbered house near Uncle Otto's, the Meschenmosers' house.






The houses are quite distinctive, often having three to four floors with a huge roof with eaves that almost touch the ground. The size can be a little illusory as part of the lower floor is often a stable or barn for cattle or other livestock.
Many people are closely related – Bernhard’s relatives mostly live in Horgenzell or in the nearby villages, but Ingrid’s family lives a little further afield.








As it was such a lovely warm day, reaching 22 deg after a cool 4 deg start, we decided to have a barbecue. Bernhard had the job of getting the fire ready, and Ingrid and I had fun making damper - hers from a yeast dough and mine from a scone-type mix, which they really liked. The tripod frame used to be used for stooking hay! The neighbour's Norwegian Fiord ponies were quite interested in the proceedings at times.

An amazing day

Sunday 10th April
As there was no church service today, the Meschenmosers’ gave us a choice of either visiting Säntis in Switzerland or going on a boat trip on Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Europe. We decided that visiting the Alps would be more exciting, especially as it meant travelling into Switzerland AND a boat trip!

First we drove to Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance and briefly visited the Zeppelin Museum as the ferry wasn’t due to leave for some time. We looked at the displays in the foyer. Zeppelins are still made in various sizes, some are used for tourist flights. If you look closely at the LH photo, you may be able to see a model being played on by children outside the museum.
Walking by the side of the lake, we saw a nesting swan so close to the pathway. What a brave bird to nest so close to humans in such an exposed spot!
It was a lovely calm day on the lake and we could see the Säntis in the distance. It is the highest of the Appenzell Alps at 2502 m above sea level. We had even been able to see it (just) from the Meschenmosers’ house as the sky was so clear that morning. It was fun looking back to the German side – there was a castle on the outskirts of Friedrichshafen (pic top R) - and ahead to misty Switzerland. You can see the other ferry boat heading away from the Swiss side in the photo below left. Eventually we reached Switzerland at Romanshorn, a very attractive-looking place (centre pic).
We were soon driving off the boat, and then proceeded on our way. At first we passed many orchards. The grass was full of dandelions and other flowers. We had noticed the rather (to our eyes) unkempt-looking lawns in Germany and were told that while some people have ‘English' lawns (that’s to say they keep them short!) many prefer a more natural look and enjoy the wildflowers that come up. There were certainly plenty of them! We also passed many cyclists - what hard work to climb those hills!
We passed through many towns and villages on the way to the Alps - Rorschach seemed quite large, and the houses were timbered and had shuttered windows. We saw a Zeppelin in the sky! I didn’t like St Gallen very much, it seemed quite ugly – there were lots of ultra-modern multi-storeyed buildings. Even in the older part of town, the buildings towered up 6 or 7 storeys, but at least they were more attractive to look at. It's the largest city in Eastern Switzerland.

As we drew closer to the mountains, the scenery became more and more interesting. Smaller towns and villages such as Urnäsch, Herisau and Appenzell led us closer and closer to our destination. It was so lovely to see the little mountain chalets, Brown Swiss cattle, small farms dotted all over the plentiful green grass, with dark pine forests and the snowy peaks providing a pleasing contrast.

When we arrived at the foot of the Säntis it was so awe-inspiring to stand in the road near the cable car depot and to look up the mountain (LH pic). What would it be like to go all the way up there? We were soon to find out.







It was simply amazing! From time to time we’d cross over a sheer rockface, and on all sides you could see mountains. The snow soon covered everything and we had the most incredible views in the clear air. The car park soon looked really tiny and the people like little ants. The cable car was really large and can hold up to 60 people, but it wasn’t too full that day. It was a great way to travel and not at all scary. LH picture is the view back down to the car park near the top. Centre - view from top, RH sheer face at terminal.
The terminal building has several stories and includes conference rooms, restaurants, viewing platforms and a rock and mineral collection from around the world. Unfortunately there were no examples from New Zealand.

Once we went outside, the views were absolutely stunning. In one spot a large panoramic view engraved into a metal plaque showed the peaks that are visible in six countries: Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Lichtenstein and of course Switzerland. The land slopes down towards France and Germany but we could see some of the high alps in the others. Way over in the distance we could just make out Lake Constance (LH pic). One interesting mountain with a distinctive shape was the Altmann (centre), 2,435 m above sea level, and further north is the Churfirsten group (RH pic), a range of mountains whose beautifully scalloped peaks rise up into the sky.
As the day went on, it started to cloud up a little but we had a great time. It had been a lovely warm temperature of about 20-21 deg down by the lake but was only 5 degrees up on the mountain, 2007 m above sea level. Once the clouds started to thicken, a cold wind sprung up and we soon started wanting to seek shelter.
From one side of the complex you can descend through a partial tunnel in the rock - part of the outer wall is of glass so you can see outside – or into the snow that was covering it. It was really cold in there. On the inside wall were placed various pieces of equipment used over 50 years ago by alpine guides. The tunnel leads to the mountain guide quarters. Guides have been active on the mountain for well over a century. There is are tables set out on a small terrace where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or light meal. We did just that and it was most welcome.
You could just sit back and relax, gazing at the tremendous views. Leading down from the buildings were paths leading to various places, with signposts telling you how many hours it’d take you to get to the other mountains and villages. If you want to walk/climb up or down the Säntis, it is supposed to take you 4 hours. It takes about 1/2 hour by cable car!

The complex also has an important weather station with a huge tower that was too difficult to photograph adequately (LH pic). it was interesting to look at however.
We also enjoyed watching the Alpine Jackdaws (centre) that liked visiting the outdoor restaurants and were having an amazing time soaring on the thermals up the side of the main building (RH pic).
We decided to leave around 4pm as we were starting to feel quite cold. We returned by a different route, driving around the side of the lake passing through a small section of Austria before reaching Germany again.







It was amazing how the countryside suddenly opened out into a broad, flat valley, bordered by snow-capped mountains – the Rhine. In one place we saw a cog railway that went up a steep hillside in a little gorge. I was quite surprised to see a vineyard or two in Switzerland, I'd always imagined it to be too cold! Pics: Urnäsch, Rhine valley scene, Altstadt.
It was interesting to find out that the Swiss still prefer to use their francs rather than the Euro. There is a hefty annual fee of E100 if you want to use the motorways there! It you don’t buy the ticket, it might cost you 2-300 Euros just to make one trip.
It’s often quite difficult to tell just when you cross the borders in Europe - unless your cellphone decides to tell you you've just joined a new exchange. Ours did this when we crossed from Belgium to Germany. We did notice that there were a lot of curved tops on the chimneys in Austria which was different from the Swiss architecture. Of course, place names change too, so if you know your languages, it does help. At some borders there is a police check-point but they usually only stop trucks. There was one between Austria and Germany.
We stopped to fill the car with petrol once we'd crossed into Austria. It was quite interesting to see the different prices between the diffent countries. It's cheaper to buy in Austria so many people make a special trip across the border just to fill up the car! The differences in price are caused by the way petrol is taxed in each country.hough sometimes you see a police-stop at the border (there was one at St Margrethen between Switzerland and Austria). They don’t usually check the cars, just the trucks.

We decided to stop for a break in Bregenz, an Austrian town at the side of the lake. It has an ancient history dating back to Celtic settlements over 3,000 years ago. We had a good walk around the waterfront, visiting a rather unusual-looking unfinished lakeside open-air theatre. Performances will cost €100 a seat! Ouch! Nearby was a marina where the Stadt Bregenz was moored (centre), and just past there, the town hall (RH).
We were feeling a bit hungry as we hadn't had much to eat since breakfast, so we bought some butter Bretzels – huge, butter-filled pretzels. Really nice but a bit too much butter! It gets injected into the roll in long strips about 5 mm thick! It was very welcome though as I was starting to feel quite weak and tired after all the walking an fresh air!
As it was getting on a bit and we were all rather tired, we went back to Friedrichshafen via a more inland route, and from there back to Horgenzell. We crossed into Bavaria in Germany over a river at Lindau. We had Spätzle for tea, a Swabian speciality.

Kemondo and a trip to Bumbire

Saturday March 26th 2011
The electricity went off at 7.30, then it started raining. We received a text from Pastor Mugarura to say that he was on his way from Bumbire Island to meet us at Kemondo. Our boat wouldn’t leave till the afternoon and his boat wouldn’t arrive till nearly lunchtime. There is only one round trip a day. So after breakfast, we went on a tour of the German mission's orphanage and school once the rain had stopped.
There are eight orphans' houses; each one has a coloured strip of paint on the outside wall that gives the house its name. Pictured is the "White House" and a staff house in the background. They are built of rather nice-looking brickwork and roofed with corrugated iron. Each house has 2 mamas and up to 15 children: 2 rooms for boys and 2 for girls. The children help in normal household chores such as fetching water and helping cultivate the gardens. Some of the children aren't true orphans but have parents who are too poor to be able to care for them – this isn’t surprising given that fact that quite a few families have 6-8 children.
We were able to go inside one of the new houses being built. The lefthand photo show the inside of the house, upper right shows the outside kitchen (jiko) and storeroom, and the lower right shows Gayle outside the house.
The primary school takes boarders, and there are 3 dorms for boys and 2 for girls, a total of about 160 children. The plan is to start a secondary school on the site so that the children can continue to receive Christian education, which is a feature of the primary school, as well as all studies being done in English. As is usual in Tanzanian schools, you start with just a Form One intake, then as each new school year starts, you add on a new Form One and the older students progress through the system until they complete the 7 Primary classes. The school itself is built as a quadrangle of classrooms with a central covered walkway. Gayle has her own office which is quite a good size (lower RH picture).
The entrance to the block of classrooms is quite impressive (LH). There are sheds housing dairy cows (photo lower right) and goats. As usual, lots of chickens are running around!
Gayle is trying to grow her own veges but is finding it hard in the sandy soil, and unfortunately, burying her food scraps to enrich the soil attracts dogs who dig everything up, and her small fence keeps getting wrecked!
Pastor arrived at Kemondo at 11.30 so we walked to meet him, which took about half an hour. Unfortunately there was still no electricity, so we couldn't buy any cooked food, and had to contcnt ourselves with some sodas that we were given by a brother of one of pastor's church members.
Our boat, called the Pajero (RH pic), started loading at 1.15pm but didn't depart until 2.30. I managed to climb the ladder OK, Bruce was steadying it for me. Some women get carried to the boat and boosted up over the side in a rather undignified fashion!
It was quite a fast trip, we arrived at Rushongo (RH pic) in just under 3 hours after stopping off briefly at two other landing places, one on another island. The lake was very calm and it was hot and sunny, so we were glad of the awning over the boat. Our previous trips to Bumbire were on open boats - perhaps they put the awnings up when it's the rainy season. They are not the most comfortable of craft to travel in, the seats, if you get one, are rather hard and uncomfortable - just a rough plank - and the crew have a stereo system - on this boat even a TV showing videos - that is turned up extremely loudly, and it really beats on one's eardrums. Perhaps it's supposed to distract people from feeling sea-sick!
Once we arrived onshore, pastor took us on a bit of a tiki tour through the village, trying to find the chairman, until we were left outside a rickety shack, which turned out to be the chairman's office! On our two previous visits, we'd met the chairman up the hill in a much better type of building.
Shortly after our arrival, we were invited inside, and a youngish man greeted us in English, and told us his name. Pastor reappeared shortly afterwards, and we found out that the young man was, in fact, the chairman that we'd been seeking! It's always important in Tanzania to introduce visitors to the local official, who usually notes down your details. On one occasion we were taken to a neighbour who we were told was the 'balozi kumi kumi' - a representative for ten households. During Nyerere's time, these men were very important in maintaining order and keeping records of who went where and when, and for what purpose. These days, they are almost non-existent.
After our brief sit down in the office, we continued on our way to Pastor's house. That entails a half-hour climb up a steepish hill, and we really were not quite fit enough, and it was hot and we were carrying our packs - Bruce had the large one and I had one of the two small ones plus a new cooking stove and some tomatoes for mama! We needed a few stops on the way up, much to pastor's surprise, and were quite relieved to reach the high ground. One of the church elders, Daniel, joined us on the way and then we were relieved of some of our burdens. However, I continued carrying the tomatoes and cooker - a small clay one that you can place charcoal in or even twigs. Pastor had bought them in Rushonga.
Much of the hillside is in quite short grass, but at the top there is a rocky, treed section, then scattered smallholdings growing maize, bananas etc, as well as open grassland. The Mugaruras live part-way down another steep hillside in a narrow valley above a stream. It's hard work fetching water each day as the hillside is steep and the path slippery, especially after the frequent rains. The children do much of this work, carrying 10 litres at a time - quite a burden for the youngest, who's only about 7. I felt rather sorry for him.
We found out that the eldest, Julietta, has left home, so Rosemary, her sister, seemed rather subdued, probably due to missing her sister so much. She's now about 12 and in Standard 4, so still has 3 more years to go before she can go to secondary school! She's got rather behind because the family has been struggling financially.
The youngest, Meshaki, is actually one of their nephews. One of mama's sisters died four years ago, leaving 3 small children, one was only a baby, and I'm not sure whether that one survived. It was put onto cow's milk and was only about three months old. Each child had to be placed with a different member of the family, as no-one could afford to look after all of them as well as their own It is a real struggle for the average Tanzanian to be able to feed and clothe his/her children, let alone find even a small amount of money to pay for schooling. Meshaki now goes to chekechea (pre-school) and is due to start school some time this year..
The house is built of mud bricks and thatched with hillside grasses. The thatch had started to break down, and Pastor had tried to fix it, but as there were still some leaks, he placed heavy black polythene over some poles that he'd positioned on the bedroom walls. As there are no ceilings in these houses, you can do things like this. Unfortunately the plastic didn't quite extend all the way to the outside wall, and when it rained heavily, we had to move our bags that were placed up on a board near this wall to escape the drips. Sometimes the end of the bed got a bit wet, and you could even feel the odd drop or two on one's face!
Mama first served us chai with some of the bread that pastor had bought. Later on, before bed, we had a cooked meal of chicken, a very salty mchuzi (the soup-like juices from the meat) and rice. It was nice to get to bed, but I didn't sleep at all well: we were visited by mice and I had a migraine.