Belgian cows

These animals look like a cow-pig combo. I believe they're Belgian Blues.

May 2012

In May, we went for a hike near Solothurn with friends from Minnesota who are now working at Cambridge University, but were in Switzerland doing research that week. Zak ran four of the six Tour de Canton races, and I nearly photographed him once. We celebrated our second wedding anniversary. And we took a long weekend trip up to southern Germany to visit a friend from our Portland days. Paul took us punting on the Neckar River in Tübingen, to Bebenhausen Abbey, and to Hohenzollern Castle, and shared his encyclopedic knowledge of European church history with us.

French dogs

Dogs seem to be a special class of citizen around our part of Europe. They go everywhere with their owners...on trains, in restaurants, to festivals. This terrier and his owner were watching a folk dance performance in Beblenheim.

Storks

There is a large stork population in Alsace. I think most had already flown south for the winter, but there was still a nesting pair on the roof of the church in Bergheim.

Cow art

Kinetic cow sculpture in the Migros grocery store in the city center of Bern.

Bern donkeys

We visited Bern yesterday to tour the Parliament Building and see the old-town sights. At one end of the market, there was a fundraiser for people with genetic diseases featuring a small pen with donkeys for petting and riding.

Christmas chocolates

Both grocery chains stocked their Christmas chocolate aisles a few weeks ago. 

Here's the holiday classic: milk chocolate cat tongues.

Swiss agriculture

"Farmer, but also a specialist in well-being. Swiss farmers ensure the well-being of animals."

This is part of an advertising campaign for Swiss agriculture.

Goats

This is a photo of the goats at the Abbey back in April. The audio file is of them grazing last weekend.
Only one goat in the herd of 50 wears a bell.

Curly-haired pigs

These guys are a new addition to the menagerie at the Abbey. I think they may be Mangalitsas.

Sheepdog cat

Freddie and Zak recently watched the World Sheepdog Trials on TV. When the camera showed only the sheep, Fred's attention would wander. As soon as the dog was back, he was totally engaged. It was highly entertaining. He's watched the TV here only once before, for these commercials which aired back to back: Royal Wedding corgis and toilet paper koala.

Snail

Possibly a Helicella itala we saw at the botanical garden on Sunday.

European peacock butterfly

I wrote to a local butterfly expert for help with identification of this European peacock (Inachis io) who visited our celosia plant.

Another cow

Alpine cow.

Man, bird, bicycle

This man biked up just next to us at the festival, and I watched him bend down and place something bright yellow at his feet. In no time, he had attracted a small crowd of women and children who were interested in his companion. The bird spent most of the time pecking at a wedge of grass between his feet. Here he demonstrated how his bird climbed up onto the cage on the handlebars. I found them to be highly entertaining, and didn't mind the long wait for the balloon to go up. I also kept wondering whether our Minneapolis friends, Daniel and Gaelyn, have ever taken their birds out for bike rides.

Banana plant

I cleaned the dust from the banana plant's leaves in the shower, and Freddy dried them.

Aida

Our landlady's dog, Aida, on the porch of her dog hut.

Swiss milk

"With milk, naturally in shape."

Heron on Lake Geneva

A view of Lake Geneva. On the other side of the lake is France.

Holsteins

A day in the Swiss countryside is a day spent near cows. The lady on the right was having a tough time with flies.