Monday in the Juras

Once again we took the Fiat van with Stephan driving us, the only sad part was that Andy couldn't accompany us. But between Manuela (Jonathan) and Stephan we were well taken care of. We headed out for the Jura region to visit the area where I lived and worked for 6 months as an MCC trainee 25 years ago.

After getting off the main 4 lane highway we wound our way up twisting roads into the mountains finally stopping in a quiet place of cows and a bed and breakfast to walk up to a former Anabaptist meeting place.

Known as the 'Geisskirchlein', it was an open shallow cave, a rock formation in the form of a music shell really, where our spiritual ancestors gathered in secret, far away from prying eyes and ears. It was a long trek up hill most of the way and at times we wondered if we were on the right trail (no signage below) but as we got to the path that diverted from the main path a wooden sign quietly pointed the way. So we sat and then we sang a few songs including 'What is this place' (that would be HWB 1) which seemed to have the appropriate words:

What is this place, where we are meeting,

only a house, the earth its floor.

Walls and a roof, sheltering people,

windows for light, an open door.

Yet it becomes a body that lives when we are gathered here,

and know our God is near.

I kept humming it the rest of the day (including verses 2 and 3, although I'm not sure I had all the words down right).

We then headed for Les Reussilles, the farm of Daniel and Teresa Gerber. On the way we saw a Tete de Moine cheese shop open in Bellelay and stopped and bought one cheese. It was expensive (about $28 USD) so we'll have to take it home with care and eat it sparingly.

Our meeting with the Gerbers finally arrived. I had to admit I couldn't show Stephan and Manuela the way, I was turned around. Where was the farmhouse? We drove into Les Reussille, still couldn't get a reading. We followed the GPS in the van and went past tennis courts (well, those weren't there 25 years ago). The GPS led us up the hill and finally the farmhouse came

into view. And there was Teresa coming out to meet us. Time changes all of us yet we remain recognizable to each other. I introduced my family and we went immediately to a table outdoors to have lunch. The weather was absolutely perfect, warm and sunny, low humidity, gentle breeze, if at all. The cowbells tinkling on the nearby field, goats next to us. The vista was out of the Sound of Music. We were joined by Daniel and then later Olivier who is running the farm now with his wife. Daniel and Teresa are retired and living downstairs in the farmhouse. But as anyone who has lived on a farm with generations, one is never completely retired from farm work if you live on a farm. So Daniel was off with Olivier after lunch to go another farm to pick up farming equipment. It's the middle of hay season and they needed to bale hay while the sun shines.

After a short tour of the house and barn we bid a fond farewell to the Gerber family and headed out to one other site of Anabaptist historical significance, a 'Taufer brucke'. A bridge under which the believers met in secret for years until the time of persecution had passed. A brand new bridge was up with historical markers on site. It was good to see the Swiss acknowledge this as part of their history.

One last stop, to see the house and kaserai I worked in with the Amstutz'. They were no longer there, they had move the operation to another place. The town of Moron was quiet except for some farmers working up the road. Outside of a few changes, the town remained the same from 25 years ago. But it did bring back a lot of memories, walking around the house.

We got back into Basel at 6:30, another long day but good one. Tuesday would be a 'day of rest'.