In which I experience the Appenzell sense of humor

It was so nice this weekend, and it had been ages since I'd seen my friend E., that we decided to go on a little hike, on the Witzwanderweg (Joke Hike) hidden in the hills of Appenzell.

Getting there was an adventure in itself--we met up in St. Gallen, and then took a train to Rheineck, after which we climbed aboard a strange one-car cog railway that took us up the hill (nearly entirely underground) to Walzenhausen, where we were greeted with the first joke (fortunately translated into high German).  I wouldn't dare to translate--let's just say they're not too different from the types of jokes you might find in the hollers of my home state.

The trail was gorgeous--for the first half, there was an amazing view of Lake Constance, and the rest was either through the woods, farms, or villages. Unfortunately, none of the promised cafes and bars along the way were open (after all, it's normally covered in snow this time of year). We made it 2/3 of the way, to Wolfhalden, but alas, it was already 2:15 pm and all the restaurants had closed, bad news for me and my mother-to-be companion. By the time we reached the end, we searched in vain for some real Appenzeller food, but settled on a  Greek/Appenzell restaurant (with great meatballs, by the way).