A cow parade in Söll

We spent way too long on a bus today, turns out Austria wins at beer prices and mountains but falls far behind in traffic control. We spent an hour on a bus and traversed a total of, um, a quarter kilometer. Turns out a lane had been closed for, as far as Ben and I could tell, a few pebbles had fallen into the road.

It was all worth it as we arrived to the sound of bells, the smell of cow poo and an impressive brass band. It was a strolling of the cows, I guess you'd say. The parade is based around the cows coming down from their high alpine meadows for the winter. The good and bountiful milkers are given these elaborate head dresses to wear and when they walk the tassles and bells shake -- it was really amazing. The farmers each proudly marching their herd through the town streets, the cows pissin' and shittin' all over the place, all the people downing schnapps and beers like it's their job. Ben and I much enjoyed noting what a stark contrast that exsists between farming in the US and Austria. Everything is so integrated and normalized. It seems unfathomable to even imagine something like pooping cows in downtown Northampton and drunken folks in colonial clothing loving it. I guess there is the strolling if the heffers in Brattlboro, but that seems less attached to a farming cycle. This was a homecoming, really, for cows and farmers. Furthermore, I am coming to realize more and more that Vermont might just be an Americann imitation of the Alps.

And I took a video here