The 2 faces of Switzerland

APPENZELL

THIS sleepy Swiss hamlet, set amidst the impossibly lush landscape of the Alpstein region, is steeped in both tradition and anachronism. "Hilbillies", is what the Swiss jokingly call the residents of Appenzell, who still live like their ancestors, right down to the costumes they wear.

On the one hand, the locals wear their heritage proudly, eschewing the faster-paced life of Switzerland's urban cantons. They still make Alpine cheese and handicraft the old way; follow the traditional descent of cattle every autumn; and let their hair down at festivals where yodelling and dressing in embroidered costumes are the main attractions.

On the other hand, progress is already chipping away at the rural way of life and nowhere is this more evident than in the town centre, where brightly-painted, cookie-cutter cottages display machine-made crafts in their windows - thanks to the advent of sewing machines in the …