Schwingen in Langenthal (8/21/1983)

Sunday, August 21, 1983

Marsha C called at 9:30 and picked me up at 10:30 where we left the fog in Biel to drive to Langenthal. When we reached the town before Langenthal, we were directed to parking lots in cornfields. After parking we hiked through the woods to the Eidgenössisches/Confederation’s Schwingfest. Schwingen is Swiss wrestling, one of its national sports. The event is held every three years in a different location.

A huge temporary 6-sided stadium of bleachers was set up with seven pits of sawdust. We bought standee tickets for 15 CHF/$7 each and entered.

Schwingfest ticket

In each of the “pits” was a pair of guys wearing what looked like burlap bag shorts held up by a leather belt, over their regular clothes. They were holding each other by these shorts, and seemed to be wrestling around. We gathered that you had to swing the man off the ground (hands and feet off the ground), then lay him on his back for a short count to win. The bout was also timed, so that if no one completed a Schwing within a certain amount of time, it was considered a draw.

Schwingen pits

Ach, didn't get him down!

Soon after we arrived, they broke for lunch. We bought a couple drinks for only 2 CHF/$1 each and sat to enjoy Marsha’s picnic lunch of bread with meats and cheese, and potato chips along with Ruth D’s plum tart. A little kid came to sit with us and wanted potato chips! We walked around past all the booths selling food, drinks, t-shirts, baked goods, cow bells, etc. The WCs were in three ancient blue buses with segregated toilet stalls. While we waited in line, Marsha asked if these were Pissmobiles!

We peeked in one Festhalle to see a band, and in another as a yodeling group finished. We returned to the stadium at 13:00. Apparently the Number One fellow was competing in pit #4 right in front of us. Photographers and TV crews crowded around. His opponent wrestled him to a draw and some of the opponent's friends were ecstatic. There was a break at 14:30 for the stone throwing event. That took place at the other side of the arena, but you could tell the stone these guys were heaving was actually a boulder! They would press it straight up in the air, run a few steps, and heave it forward. One of the participants was Frank Bieler from California. He looked like a football player and had his knees taped/ace-wrapped. Typisch/typical!

They had a parade of what seemed to be the prizes: a bull, a cow with a bonnet of flowers, and a horse.

The prizes

A few people were in traditional dress. There were five times as many men as women in attendance, and it was hot. Later the price of drinks went up to 2.50 CHF/$1.25. Sudden inflation!

We left at 16:00, catching a group of Alpine horn blowers.

Alpine horns

Wednesday, August 24, 1983

After aerobics, Marsha C came up to the Personalhaus/staff residence to shower, since the bathtub in her apartment is being repaired. At 19:45 we went down to meet Fr Dr Jo D and the Canadian x-ray technician Diane. We drove off in three cars (I was with Marsha), and met in front of Chez Manuel in the old town by 20:00. We had reservations since they only had 6-7 tables in the tiny restaurant specializing in Italian food. Fr Dr Jo made several recommendations. I had the spaghetti carbonara, and the others ahs spaghetti pesto Genovese. Fr Dr Jo and Marsha had salads, and I ate the cucumbers from Fr Dr Jo’s salad, and Diane had the white beans from Marsha’s! The other three had boccalinos/little ceramic jugs of wine and I had mineral water. The conversation was about Fr Dr Jo’s voice concert, one of the patients, one of the doctors, but mostly about the Swiss. Diane is married to an atypical Swiss man who hates it here. She had a lot of complaints and was funny to hear. It was hard to believe that there is a law against hanging out your laundry on a Sunday! Diane also told us about her Yugoslavia vacation and her kidney stone.

A table of four guys sitting behind us made comments about speaking English, but we ignored them for the most part. The bill came and Manuel sang to us (he usually stands on his head to sing arias, but tonight we just got goodnight songs). The guys also made goodbye comments. We got in our cars to leave (this time I was with Fr Dr Jo D), when a guy came running out to make the proposition that the four of us go dancing with the four guys. Fr Dr Jo D had to see a possible appendicitis case at the hospital, so we drove off.

Manuel’s closes at 21"30 sharp! A popular little stube!