{"id":750,"date":"2025-06-15T09:55:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T09:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/?p=750"},"modified":"2025-07-16T06:46:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T06:46:36","slug":"fliri-und-flora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/?p=750","title":{"rendered":"Fliri und Flora"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve reflected before on the benefits of long-stay travel. Without a fixed schedule and the pressure to cram everything into a tight window, you get the freedom to be spontaneous\u2014to go with the flow. Honestly, I feel like I\u2019m built for this kind of travel. Sure, we\u2019ve had to plan around workdays and visitors, but for the most part, when opportunities come up, we\u2019ve been able to jump on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our second trip back to Saas Fee in two weeks was exactly that\u2014one of those opportunities we couldn\u2019t pass up. We\u2019d missed seeing the Barbieros (and missed out on the best Italian food in the Alps\u2014Don Ciccio\u2019s), so when Ina and Andrea invited us back up for a visit, we were in. They\u2019d just returned from vacation, and with the restaurant closed during our last visit, it made perfect sense to hop back on the train after saying goodbye to Dave and Biba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this wasn\u2019t just any trip to Saas Fee\u2014this was our chance to take part in an annual tradition: the seasonal return of the goats to their summer alpine homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know very little about goats. They\u2019re not, as it turns out, animals I spend a lot of time thinking about\u2014which means I know even less about how to herd them. Like most events here\u2014explained in a mix of French, Swiss German, and hand signals \u2014we pieced together the basics: every summer, the goats get herded up to the alpine meadows, a big deal in Valaisian folk tradition (on par with cow fighting and yodeling contests). We were, of course, honoured to take part\u2014and it definitely felt like another step toward our unofficial Swiss citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best part? Once we got the goats where they needed to be, there\u2019d be food, drinks, and merriment\u2014Andrea\u2019s famous risotto, cooked right there in the alpine meadow, shared with our new goat friends and some of the most spectacular views imaginable. Perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ina and Andrea generously offered us a stay at their beautiful chalet. The Thursday we arrived, we met for dinner at their place\u2014enjoying a great meal, a bottle of wine (or two\u2026 or three\u2026), and an opportunity to catch-up. We spent Friday wandering the village and made a half-hearted attempt to visit a local marmot family\u2014but it was too hot, or they were too well-fed to pay much attention to fawning tourists. That evening, we celebrated re-opening night at Don Ciccio\u2019s with a fantastic dinner, and maybe a few more drinks. I\u2019ve already mentioned how serious goat-herding day is, and we didn\u2019t want to disappoint\u2014our plan was to get a good night\u2019s sleep and be up early, ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out we were up very early. Cedar, disoriented in the new digs (can\u2019t blame him), woke up around 3:30 a.m. in the pitch-black chalet\u2014thanks to the blackout blinds\u2014and, in his panic, ran straight into the wall. Startled by the crash, I jumped out of bed, whacked my ankle on the side table, and went headfirst into the wardrobe. (The wine from dinner probably didn\u2019t help.) Both of us ended up on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not exactly an auspicious start to our herding careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trying to salvage the moment, I explained to Cedar that real goat herders don\u2019t get up until at least 6 a.m.\u2014so we could all go back to bed. When Sheila\u2019s alarm finally went off, I was relieved that my headache was now distracting me from my sore ankle\u2026 though less thrilled to discover I\u2019d forgotten to buy coffee for the machine. Excellent start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, when we opened the blinds, we were greeted by a stunning sunrise over the mountains. After a few strong cups of tea, Team Lum was on its way to the car park to meet the other participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wasn\u2019t totally sure what to expect\u2014but, like most things on this trip, we went in with good humour, blind enthusiasm, and faith that everything would work itself out. So far, it always has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could hear the bells before we saw the goats. That pleasant jingle, paired with the sunrise and my fading hangover, had me feeling optimistic about a leisurely stroll in the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking around, we didn\u2019t seem too out of place\u2014aside from the “real” goat herders, the ones with cool hats and wooden crooks. A few instructions were given (by the president of the goat-herding society, as we later learned) entirely in Swiss German. We just smiled, nodded, and tried to look like we understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the gates opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goats\u2014previously docile, happily munching grass\u2014took off like they\u2019d been shot from a cannon. Straight through town. And us, the three bewildered Canadians were caught right in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did not anticipate this pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheila, Cedar, and I were suddenly swept into the center of the stampede\u2014it felt like we<\/em> were the ones now being herded. The peaceful morning erupted with shouting, HUP HUP, ALLEZ ALLEZ, whistles, barking dogs, and the thunder of hooves. No one was strolling\u2014we were all running. Full speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t expect goat herding to feel like the Running of the Bulls\u2014but there we were, funneled through downtown Saas Fee, me hoisting Cedar above my head to keep him clear of horn height, dodging goat shits cascading down the cobblestones in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrenaline kicked in, but we were still getting passed left and right\u2014mostly by spry Swiss septuagenarians clearly seasoned at this. One sweet-looking Swiss grandmother, who\u2019d kindly smiled at me earlier, zipped past aggressively\u2014though not before casually handing me a goat leash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, I was getting concerned. We hadn\u2019t even reached the trail yet, and here I was\u2014already in the back of the pack, holding a goat leash, my kid on my shoulders, panic stricken, and sweating buckets before the hiking had even started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when we spotted them\u2014two beautiful shaggy white goats, lingering behind. One, the bigger one, kept a decent pace. The smaller one seemed more interested in munching on villagers\u2019 flowerpots than following the herd. These were chill goats. Like us chill humans. Not in a rush. We\u2019d get to the alpine eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was how we met Fliri and Flora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although, at first, I was calling one of them \u201cJud.\u201d In my defense, that\u2019s what was on her collar tag. I also assumed, given her size and attitude, she was a male (wrong again).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The larger goat, Flora, took a shine to Cedar and Sheila, and soon we\u2019d settled into a much more relaxed pace. \u201cJud\u201d (actually Fliri) was more adventurous\u2014but thanks to my now-elite goat-herding skills, we kept her mostly on track and out of the village gardens. I was yelling \u201cJUD! ALLEZ JUD! HUP HUP!\u201d with full conviction. Throw me in some lederhosen, give me a hat and a crook\u2014I could\u2019ve easily passed for a local (I couldn’t).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, I didn\u2019t realize that \u201cJud\u201d wasn\u2019t her name\u2014it was her owner\u2019s last name. They\u2019d been walking just ahead of us, too polite to correct the clueless foreigner loudly yelling at them instead of their goats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, we learned that Fliri and Flora were mother and daughter. Poor Flora\u2014like me\u2014wasn\u2019t exactly thrilled about the heat or the climb, but we weren\u2019t in a rush. Fliri, loyal as ever, never strayed far from her mom, and Cedar and Sheila took turns coaxing Flora along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After plenty of breaks (for the goats and me) and a necessary beer stop at Alpenblick, we finally reached the alpine hut where lunch awaited. We said farewell to our new friends\u2014and their lovely owners, Sylvia and Roman, who we exchanged numbers with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had no idea what to expect from goat herding\u2014but I can confidently say I did not expect to leave thinking the goat might just be my spirit animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After an incredible alpine lunch of risotto and chicken skewers, we made our way back down\u2014satisfied, happy, and feeling like we\u2019d officially unlocked \u201cgoat herding\u201d as a new Swiss skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still riding the high from our animal-husbandry skills, we decided to try our luck with the marmots. Cedar, armed with fresh Don Ciccio\u2019s carrots, lured them out this time\u2014and even got to hand-feed a few. We spent a fun afternoon making more furry friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That evening, we enjoyed another wonderful dinner at Don Ciccio\u2019s\u2014our second of the trip\u2014and caught up with Gabriele, who had just finished exams in Zurich and was back for the summer to help at the restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later that night, sitting on the chalet deck, reflecting on the day, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder: what other unexpected adventures might still be waiting for us around the corner? Cedar and I have decided to start practicing our yodeling skills – you know, just in case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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cooking of the risotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Fliri & Flora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A speech from the president of the goat association<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Showing off a little of that ‘Goat Herding’ attitude<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019ve reflected before on the benefits of long-stay travel. Without a fixed schedule and the pressure to cram everything into a tight window, you get the freedom to be spontaneous\u2014to go with the flow. Honestly, I feel like I\u2019m built for this kind of travel. Sure, we\u2019ve had to plan around workdays and visitors, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,15,14,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","category-friends-and-family","category-outdoors","category-saas-fee"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_5679-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=750"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1056,"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions\/1056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}