After exiting Aarau the River Aare continues its southeasterly course (look at the old coach getting his directions down)!
Next large city along the river is Brugg – the seat of the canton of Aargau. Three rivers come together at the city – the Reuss, Limmat all meet here. The Aare flows through the old part of the city.
Apparently, the word Brugg means bridge. The powerful Habsburgs (House of Austria) controlled this area and established the bridge across the narrowest part of the Aare. Napoleon actually invaded this area with his armies in the late 1700’s.
The powerful and influential Swiss Farmers Union is located in Brugg. Farmland in Switzerland comprises more than half of the country. Everywhere you travel you can see farms and they produce more than half of the food the Swiss consume.
Now you may think that raising cattle is important in Texas … and it certainly is. But, in Switzerland cattle are its primary agricultural emphasis. Cattle and dairy farming make up more than two thirds of the countries agricultural value.
Speaking of farmland … when living in Luzern I saw fields and fields of bright yellow and eventually learned that this was rapeseed. Rapeseed is cultivated for its seeds which are converted into cooking oil. Obviously, rapeseed oil is an extremely popular cooking oil here in the Alps.
Actually, rapeseed oil is considered more healthy than sunflower seed oil.
Vineyards can be found in Valais and Vaud (German speaking areas), Geneva (French side), Ticino (Italian part) and the Three-Lakes (Biel, Neuchâtel, Murten) region. There are more than 2,500 wine growers in Switzerland.
Well anyway … you can see why the Swiss Farmers Union is a big deal in this country.