We saddled up for a drive to New Glarus today, one of our favorite things to do. The rolling hills dotted with small farms and woodland pastures probably look much like the alpine farmlands of Glarus, Switzerland. First stop was Gray's Tied House in Verona for lunch. Had the Wisco Wheat [not pictured], a decent but forgettable orange pale wheat ale, to go along with an excellent cheese pizza and salad combo. The waiter said I "could pay for this however I like", to which I said "I'd like to pay later". The waiter was a good sport, we left him a nice tip.
We stopped at a sidewalk garage sale, home of a family with extremely large feet. You know what they say about women with big feet.
A few photos from New Glarus:
We swung through Paoli for ice cream, a quirky little town that has an unusual mix of rural small town sensibilities, art galleries, and an old feed mill from 1865 converted into a speciality shop. All an
d all a great Sunday Drive.
And just because:
KHHAAAAAAANNNNN!
I was born in Monroe, about 10 miles south of New Glarus.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Switzerland, some coworkers gave me a little book about New Glarus written from the perspective of a Swiss family who homestead there and they write home to "Old Glarus". It's in German. I'll have to translate it sometime. I guess it was a hit with the Swiss kinder.
Would be interested in hearing more of that book. Last time I was in Monroe they were doing major renovation on the square. There is something about the old world charm in places like New Glarus and Monroe.
ReplyDeleteMy family wasn't from there (they were both from Richland Center). My dad got a job at the Monroe Evening Times as a printer in the late 50s. My older brother and I were both born there. Around 1961 or so he got a better job in Madison and then we moved to Middleton so I don't really remember Monroe much.
ReplyDeleteI love that all those little towns have their distinct little summer holidays: Monroe has Cheese Days, Middleton has the Good Neighbor Festival, Stoughton has Syttende Mai (that Norsk for May 17th). Many of them are ethnically related to settlers.
Madison just has Karleton Armstrongfest in August and LGBT Daze in July. NTTAWWT
What a wonderful group of photos!
ReplyDeleteYou have lovely children!
Thanks Troop.
ReplyDeleteGarage: I found the book: "New Glarus" by Kaspar Freuler (c)1968 by a Swiss publishing house. I'm pretty sure it's never been translated though. I've never read it through completely. It's too much for a single blogpost. It seems to be about the establishment of the Swiss colony in New Glarus with discussion of what they gained and what they lost by moving here. Seems timely in a way.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Pollo. When did this family move to New Glarus?
ReplyDeleteThe story is set in 1845.
ReplyDelete