Tag: Alps Mountains

Austria’s Schnapps Distilleries Tempt Winter Tourists and Skiers

When winter arrives in western Austria and the sun disappears all too quickly behind the snow-capped Alps, you can stand in bare orchards and still taste the sun-ripened fruit that the trees once bore — just sip a glass of schnapps. For centuries, farmers in the Tyrol region have mashed, fermented and distilled apples, plums, […]

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As Switzerland’s Glaciers Shrink, a Way of Life May Melt Away

For centuries, Swiss farmers have sent their cattle, goats and sheep up the mountains to graze in warmer months before bringing them back down at the start of autumn. Devised in the Middle Ages to save precious grass in the valleys for winter stock, the tradition of “summering” has so transformed the countryside into a […]

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