Farewell Stocken

Our last full day on the farm has come to a close and the rain and thunder have set in -- apparently this means Autumn has arrived in Switzerland. Helmut and Martina took us out to a nice Italian restaurant in Arbon -- one of the oldest cities in Switzerland -- and also took us on a tour of the region (Thurgau) over the weekend. We had a great time at Christian and Claudia's (neighbors) BBQ and had some familiar dishes that we didn't expect until our return -- sweet potatoes, grilled corn-on-the-cob, and ribs among them. The weather has been nicely warm and - who would've thought - we even went swimming!

It has been a good time here, and we realized that we knew very little about fruit and how it is grown. Now, we are on to Germany to visit Alyssa's relatives as the trip nears the half-way point!

Cider-making and a variety of photos have been uploaded!

Thanks for the colorful and varied stories Helmut -- let us know when you finish the book...Tchus for now...