Village of Fraxern in Vorarlberg, Austria

Photo by Böhringer Friedrich

A village can sit out in the great wide open and remain secluded. Fraxern enjoys sweeping views of the Rhine Valley and snow-capped mountains of Switzerland in the background. Again, the prominent church steeple rises like an old friend above the rooftops. As a child, I would hold still knowing the moment was near for the bells to ring. You develop an unconscious rhythm around the bells as you go about the day. Cuckoo clocks are abundant in the Nordic and Germanic villages of Europe, especially villages in the fabled Black Forest. I remember the hourly bells of the church synchronized with a cuckoo clock in the house. If there were no clocks, you would still know the hours in the passing day by the bells chiming along with the passing of the sun through the sky.