The band plays second fiddle to a load of cows at the Bauernherbstfest procession. Signifying the end of summer, and, oh yes, another excuse for a lot of beer and thigh slapping, the livestock who have frolicked at altitude for the last few months are led down the mountain through the village and into a cosy barn, where they will stay until the snow has been and gone. Usually, on this occasion, bedecked with flowers, the cows were adorned simply with bells, out of respect for two of their number killed by lightning. The sheep missed their entrance because the farmers couldn't find them that morning in all the cloud at 2700m. Let's hope it lifts before it gets too chilly up there.
