mountains"; herds of cows and their shepherds single-filed the narrow mountain passes to reach the freshest grasses at the mountain peaks, where they feasted until August. At that time, they returned, single-file again, down the narrow passes to the villages below. The return to the villages ("descent from the mountains", known as "Almabtrieb" in Austria and "Alpabfahrten" in Switzerland) was celebrated by merry festivals, the shepherds dressed in colorful traditional folklore costumes, and the greatest milk-producing cow was bedecked with flowers and a crown. Historical accounts have poetically described the event as "cow bells across the meadows". $1500/2500
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