Hi from Rick: Smelling that Dairy Air
Dear Traveler,
This time of year is guaranteed to make me do one thing...daydream of springtime in Switzerland. Walking high above Gimmelwald with Olle, the Swiss village school teacher, I've always felt like aide-eyed student. 
One day we met a massive cow, loitering atop a fairytale ridge (I couldn't help but wonder where she kept her camera). Olle tells me that even cows become victims of the mountains, occasionally wandering off cliffs. He says, "Alpine farmers expect to lose some of their cows in 'hiking accidents.' These days cows are double the weight of cows a hundred years ago and no less stupid. If one wanders off a cliff in search of greener grass, the others follow. One time at the high Alp above our village, forty cows performed this stunt.like jumbo lemmings. The meat must be drained of blood immediately or it's wasted. Helicopters fly them out, but it's only meat for the dogs." (I imagined the unexpected practicality of the airborne cows' clanging bells, warning hikers beneath their flight path.)
With a local friend leading the way, the Alps become a lively world of tumbling cows, joyriding helicopters, and fragrant meadows trimmed by a pastel carpet of flowers: gold clover, milk kraut, bell flowers, daisies.
"This is a good mix for the cow's milk," notes the school-teacher of the farm kids, suddenly all but abandoning me for the flowers. "For me, when the flowers come out again in the spring, it's like meeting old friends."
Every corner of Europe hides similar wonders. And, when we meet the right locals, all of us become wide-eyed students enjoying the recess of our lives.and learning at the same time.
In this month's Travel News we'll help you get ready for recess with itinerary planning tips, some satisfying sidetrips, and close-up looks at Eastern Europe and Western Ireland. You'll also find great money-saving deals on railpasses, travel bags and accessories.
Thanks for traveling (and daydreaming) with us,
Rick Steves