Home » Switzerland » European Tales: Switzerland 2001, a lengthy tale

I was longing to get on the road again, and so within a month I had left my job, my girlfriend, my house, my friends and family, and exchanged it for an organic Wwoof farm in the valleys of central Switzerland.

European Tales: Switzerland 2001, a lengthy tale

Joseph Tame
2006-06-30 17:46:43

Displayed times (last time: )

and gathered it was time to spread cow shit over the fields. Unfortunately as I took the wheel of the tractor the wind picked up. That day was not the most pleasant as every time I turned with the wind I had a healthy dose of slurry sprayed into my face. Two months down the line I felt re-born. I'd spent eight weeks shovelling cow-poo and making hay; in return I'd regained a happy heart and a determination to make the most of my life.

Voluntary work is all very well - until you run out of money for stamps for all those letters - and that's exactly what happened to me. I had no intention of returning to the UK (after all, I'd just gained my freedom!) and so in my desperation for paid employment I sent a fax to the Scheidegg Hotel where I'd worked 3 years previously. To my relief, following a short telephone interview I was given the job. The way it goes is, if you've worked here before and haven't been sacked then you're pretty much guaranteed a job - it's tough at the top (of the mountain!).

I remember the day I returned. sitting on the train feeling sick with fear as the hotel came into view. What on Earth had I been thinking to go back to a place that had treated me so roughly in the past? However, I was soon to discover that there had been changes afoot. The previous owner, Heidi von Almen who'd been in control for the past fifty years had finally sold it to her nephew, Andreas von Almen and his wife Silvia. This young couple were much more welcoming and I have found that they care for their staff a great deal more. One of the first changes that I noticed upon arrival was to the dungeon where we used to eat our meals. Windowless, smoky and half taken up with a noisy old freezer, this room had now been converted into a drinks cellar. These days the personnel room has a large window overlooking the beautiful Grindelwald valley, tasteful lighting and table surfaces that aren't full of holes filled ...