Fräuleins and Frolics in Andermatt

“Andermatt is a village in the Ursern Valley in the Swiss Alps. A cable car offers access to Gemsstock ski area and a chairlift links the village with Nätschen's gentler slopes....”

My niece Jessica is reading aloud from a travel guide.

“...To Andermatt’s north, the path leading to Devil’s Bridge, which spans the sheer gorge of Schöllenenschlucht, is one of many trails. The village’s narrow streets are lined with traditional chalets, one housing the folk museum, Talmuseum Ursern.”, she concludes and shows me a map from the guide.

It shows the area of our holiday destination.

“ It wasn't a random choice”, I tell Jessica and proceed to relate why I had selected that particular place.

“I was in Italy on an exchange visit with my pen pal Alphonse, who was a madcap, always suggesting wild escapades. He had loads of money but very little sense.

It was New Year's Eve and, on impulse, he came up with the crazy idea of spending it in Andermatt. After all, he said, it took only 4 hours by train from Milan.

And there we were, the new year approaching and no accommodation as all hotels and chalets were fully booked.

Luckily for us the nightclubs were open until the early hours of the morning and, better still, the admission was free. All we had to pay for were the drinks.”

I pause but I know that my nosey relative will want to hear the whole rigmarole and to pre-empt any speculation I carry on.

“We took refuge in the first nightclub that we came across and at the stroke of midnight I found myself next to a young pretty female who, obligingly let me kiss her.”

“Tell me more, uncle Jeremy” Jessica” urges, “tell me more.”

“There's nothing more to tell, young lady, it was just the traditional way of welcoming the New Year. Her name was Helga, a Fräulein from Berlin.

“Did you keep in touch?”

“No, I forgot to ask her address. All I had was a snap of the two of us which was on sale in the morning together with all the others that the local paparazzi had taken inside the club during the night.”

“Have you still got it?”

“It must be in a photo album, somewhere.”

“You are a dark horse, mon oncle”, she declares.
Her curiosity satisfied she turns her attention to more practical things like what kind of clothing and skiing accessories are fashionable.

Little consideration is given to sun-cream even though it is a product that should be given priority. Choosing salopettes, gloves and ski goggles is much more appealing.

Finding the right brands proves difficult; while she knows by heart the names of famous couturiers, like Dior, Givenchy, Versace and Armani, she's completely ignorant of good manufacturers of ski wear.

Bewildered, she asks me, as if I am the ultimate connoisseur : “Should the goggles have lighter or darker tints?”

© Luigi Pagano 2020

Previous episodes

1) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/tense-situation
2) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/treading-boards
3) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/swiss-finishing-school
4) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/secrets-and-half-lies
5) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/cowbells-and-wedding-bells