NENDAZ, Switzerland (Reuters) - The soft sounds of hundreds of wooden Swiss alpine horns filled the valley below Switzerland’s Mount Tracouet on Sunday, as the world’s largest festival of its kind concluded after three days.The traditional instruments, alphorn in German or cor des Alpes in French, look like supersized smoking pipes.
Over three meters long and built in several connecting pieces to make transport manageable, they are beloved by many Swiss for whom the somber tones conjure images of snow-topped mountain peaks swirling in the clouds.
