When I was little, we had five restaurants, two bakeries, one butcher shop, and one cheese maker in our little Swiss village. The cheese maker is now gone, but the village’s character remains seemingly undisturbed. I moved to the United States 12 years ago and was not able to visit my home country much until a couple of years ago. Now, every time I return, I see Henau – my home town – with different eyes. I appreciate the simple beauty and orderliness of Swiss life with a visitor’s eyes, even though the familiarity with my country shows me every time that strong bonds don’t break.

Armed with my camera, I generally hike through the area around Henau. Even in this rural village, each road is pedestrian friendly. The well-maintained greenways are a natural phenomena to me. The earliest picture I have of myself on a greenway features me in a stroller. Ever since I was little our family took a walk down at the river after Sunday mass. The name Henau consists of two words, as so many expressions in German are actually compounds melting together different meanings. “Hen-au” thus stands for “the settlement of Henno.” I imagine Henno as an ancient patriarch in charge of the meadows and fields surrounding the area along the river Thur. The Thur itself always held a certain mystery for me as a child. It was there, that I encountered my first adventure with a wild snake - a little Ringelnatter. Similar in temperament to a garden snake, the reptile would certainly not have harmed me. But as I stood there, knee deep in the river water, that was steadily tugging at my spindly legs, that snake could as well have been a fire-spitting dragon. My sister had to pull me out of the Thur while I was still screaming, unable to move, frozen to the spot in my terror.

I’ve never been back to swim in the Thur. Yet every time I go to Henau I stroll along the banks of the river for miles on end. Next time, I plan to borrow a bicycle and explore this well-manicured area a little further. Maybe I pedal all the way to Wil, a medival town ruled centuries ago by monasteries. Or I may turn eastward towards Bischofszell, “Bischof” means bishop. The Catholic history is vast in this northeastern region of Switzerland. The Abtei St. Gallen (Abbey of Saint Gall) still houses one of the most treasured libraries in the world.

The Abbey Library of Saint Gall consists of more than 160,000 volumes. Researchers from across the globe, including a significant number of American historians, travel to Saint Gall to study its 2,000 handwritten documents (in addition to the 160,000 books). The library collection reaches back to the beginnings of the city, which was named after its founder, a monk called Gallus. He was a hermit who started living in a cell near Lake Constance around the year 612. That original cell turned into an abbey in 719 and soon became a destination for monks who traveled there to collect, create and copy volumes of books and handwritten documents that to this day are available to scholars and researchers.

The library is open to the public who may still check out books on loan. Of course the most valuable, historic volumes and handwritten texts can only be viewed with special permission. The current baroque library room was built and furnished between 1758 and 1767. On my last visit, I sat down with Librarian Ernst Tremp who told me that the library room is likely the most “profane baroque room in Switzerland.” The library always shows texts that are up to 1,000 years old. Interestingly enough, Mr. Tremp revealed that the library administration does not promote tourism. The city of Saint Gall, however, is free to mention this treasure in its visitors’ materials.

Since tourists usually travel quickly through Saint Gall to visit more famous destinations such as Zurich and Munich, the Abbey Library is still a somewhat obscure destination. However, Swiss politicians showcase this cultural gem and invite foreign dignitaries such as Hillary Clinton and the King and Queen of Norway to visit the Abbey Library in Saint Gall.

One may not visit the library without peeking into the impressive cathedral, which with its two towers is the landmark of the city. Today’s cathedral was built in the 18th century from 1755 to 1766. Only a few decades later the Benedictine order of the Saint Gall abbey was abolished. The Benedictine abbey had reigned throughout the region (including Henau, my home village, which is about 15 miles southwest of Saint Gall).

Every time I’m in Saint Gall I take a stroll through the former abbey. When it’s sunny, people sit and stroll through the well-manicured lawn between the church and the courthouse. Especially at lunch time, workers enjoy a small picnic in courtyard or on the lawn. On my last visit, I discovered that my favorite chocolatier had established a small storefront across from the cathedral. At the Munz store, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and bought several presents for my American friends who mostly are unfamiliar with this soft, sweet chocolate, which is usually laced with hazelnuts. On the lower floor of the Munz store, visitors can watch at certain times how chocolate is prepared. Munz’ main factory, which features a public gallery for chocolate-fanatics like me, is in nearby Flawil, a small town that I pass on my way home to Henau.