Candlelight at the Castle Ruin. This was our Christmas with Masha, bundling up at 5:30pm after the sun had gone down, and heading into town to the top of the hill where the ruined castle awaits. We took Masha here on Christmas Eve in the dark as well and Heather on New Year's Eve,
but it was best on Christmas because they had placed covered candles on the narrow steps all the way up. And the way up is really delightful. You find a narrow entrance to an alley stairway tucked off the main shopping street and head up. There are apartments in the medieval buildings with doorways, landings, even little patches of grass, tucked in here and there. In one window, you can see into a teeny kitchen with granite countertops (where aren't they?), 
somewhere else there's a wrought iron gate entering a tiny yard with a strange monkey embedded in the ironworks, somewhere else there's an elaborate colorful sculpture built around a little mailbox, reminding one of Aladdin's lamp. And as you look behind you down the alley, you see a colorful lamp hanging over the stairs. Once you make it above the buildings, you can see the town clocktower and then all the town and valley begins to spread out below you. In the distance in one
direction is a purplish glow which we imagine must be Zurich. The castle itself has two parts intact which are always lit so you can see it from all around. On Christmas, it was lit with changing colors, green, purple, red. And there were people just everywhere, holding candles, pulling out bottles and food to share, talking with friends and relatives, basking in front of the small bonfire. There 
was supposed to be music but we didn't hear anything. It was apparently in part of the castle which was still standing where people were in line, and the walls were so thick, no noise escaped.Here we were, Christmas Eve 2008. Happy Holidays!
