It was a rainy morning when 13 persons from different English groups met at 9:30 A.M. at the entrance, Brienz.West.  Rose introduced us to each other.  

At 10:00 AM Mrs. Amacher, our English guide, came and led us first to the Jura house from La Chaux-de-Fonds.  She gave us a lot of interesting information about life and the people who lived in this house before it was moved to Ballenberg.  It was a house from a rich family whose owner was an influential man in politics. 

Then she led us to the Basler house in which there was the manufacturing of  silk ribbons.  In a separate room there was a big and a little loom.  Several rooms where furnished with nice furniture with interesting details of the family who lived in it.  Then we saw the farmhouse of Ostermundigen  with a smoke chimney.  On the ceiling a lot of sausages were hanging for smoke.  The house inside was simple with less furniture and objects to use for the household. 

There was a little house from a poor family that helped us feel the hard life of the people who had to live there.  Women had to work very hard from morning to evening and had to serve the members of the family.  An interesting detail was the man that made water pipes from wood.

After two interesting hours through the past life of rural people we started looking for a picnic area.  In a pretty forest – clearing we found a fireplace with sitting accomodations.  We put out our food.  Rose offered sausages and bread from the wood oven from Ballenberg.  Calivine, Roland Kinzl, offered red and white wines from California .  My husband Willi was the grill boss and soon we had a delicious picnic with sausages, salads, etc. and several cakes for dessert.  We chatted mostly in English and had fun. 

Then Willi showed us a game with 3 wooden sticks that he threw into the ground as near as possible.  Everybody tried to do it and we tried to be the best.

After the picnic we went together to the houses of Tessin.  A group of buildings from the Mendrisiotto showed us the life of our southern people.

At 5 o’clock we returned in groups to the Brienz-West exit to our cars.  A nice day with lots of impressions, new acquaintances and an enjoyable get-together ended.

Thank you Rose for this nice day.