I lived in Germany for four years my first time around. Four years! And in all that time, I had never heard of this tradition. Then I move back to Germany, and within weeks, I hear about it repeatedly. So what is this tradition you ask? Here it is in a nutshell:
Cows from around the Alps spend their summers grazing in the mountains. When grazing season ends, the cow herders, dressed in traditional lederhosen, bring the cows down to the valley and back to the protection of their farms.
This event has become a huge celebration in many towns. The locals adorn their beloved cows with elaborate headdresses and march them down the mountain in parade fashion. This parade is called an Almabtrieb. The locals then celebrate with food, music, and dancing.
My friend Sarah was coming to Germany for work and encouraged Erick and I to join her on a trip to Austria, where we could witness the cows coming home for ourselves. Of course, we jumped at the chance.
We arrived in Russbach a bit early wearing our traditional German attire, and we enjoyed the little market. There were woodcarvers, rake makers, egg basket makers, knitters, bakers, and more. Take a look:
I think we got one of every dessert to share. Some of these I had never seen nor tasted before.
There was music and dancing.
When we saw people lining up along the road, we got pretty excited and joined them. The wait was still a little while yet, so the kids ran around in an open field (I kept wanting to sing songs from the Sound of Music) and took lots of pictures of us in our cute outfits.
Finally the cows started coming down the hill. We had a difficult time seeing at first. Just as the cows came into view, a cameraman (I assume he was from a local news channel or something) placed his tripod and camera right in front of us. Then the people next to us didn't understand the intent of the barricade tape. I guess if it doesn't break, one can stretch it as far as one needs in order to stand in the middle of the road. ha ha ha
Eventually, there were enough cows to satisfy everyone. Most of the people next to us backed up onto the grass, and we saw cows, cows, and more cows. I loved their headdresses. I loved their bells. I loved the cowherders' hats and sticks and socks. I loved the entire event.
At the bottom of the hill, all the cows were placed in a small pasture where visitors could watch them and take pictures of them. Unlike most of the visitors, we found ourselves inside the pasture fence because we had come across a footbridge instead of along the main road.
The cowherders didn't seem to mind, so we took advantage of the situation and took a few hundred photos. Several strangers asked if they could take pictures of us as well. It was pretty hilarious.
Sarah does a yoga pose at every travel location. Here it is in Russbach watching the cows come home.
As a surprise, Erick gave me a special gift. He gave me a cowbell charm to go on my charm bracelet. I was so surprised. I was also impressed that he did something so sweet to help me remember this perfect day.
Good bye cows. Thanks for a fantastic experience!
