Deep in the Engadine valley of Switzerland where Romansch is widely spoken, there is a village called Scuol, where a pagan tradition survives to this day: the burning of a straw man (Hom Strom) dating from ancient fertility festivals and possibly human sacrifices. Click on an image to enlarge.
Tarasp: The Castle That a Mouthwash Built
Schloss Tarasp in Scuol is one fairy-tale of a castle like they don’t make them anymore. Although 1000 years old and one of many in the Engadine, it is the only one that is not a ruin. The reason for this, is that it was bought in 1900 by one of Germany’s richest men, Karl […]
Swiss Romansch
As if Switzerland isn’t peculiar enough, it has a corner – or rather several scattered ones – where Romansch, its fourth official language is spoken. These corners tend to be where Italian meets German meets Frenchand that’s what the language looks like: a mixture between the three with a Latin-based vocabulary but with a German […]