Each year at the Churer Fest, the Alpine Beard competition is held. It's a bit of an odd one as festivals go - and certainly one I've not heard of elsewhere!
Strict regulations apply to the beards, which have to be entirely natural, which are marked in a variety of categories by several judges.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of the Alpine Beard Festival - I've never seen one before. But some of the beards are as impressive as the costumes.
My personal advise on what to do and see in Rome
Mt Egmont seen from the King Edward Park playing fields in Stratford
The Stratford Glockenspeil in Taranaki
The Antelope - your local, dog friendly, beer friendly pub
Must see ancient monuments around Rome
Historical information about the gothic Antwerp Cathedral
What to see, where to stay and eat in historic Antwerp
Recommended hotels in Vienna, Salzburg and Bregenz
European tourism and rail organisations - a quick reference (D) - A reference guide to European tourism and rail organisations (D)
Why chase solar eclipses? - Why I chase total solar eclipse all over the world
Europe - Travel information from around Europe
Italy - 10 places not to miss - 10 places you shouldn't miss in Italy
London - 15 things not to miss - Fifteen things no visitor to London should miss
Lucerne - 7 things not to miss - What not to miss in Lucerne
Switzerland - places not to miss - Sixteen places not to miss around Switzerland
Dachau - a visit to the concentration camp - Travelogue from a weekend trip to Dachau, Bavaria
New Zealand - A personal guide to things to do, see, eat and drink in New Zealand
Munich - Frauenkirche - The Frauenkirche in Munich seen from the tower of the Rathaus
Mark Sukhija is a travel and wine blogger, photographer, tourism researcher, hat-touting, white-shirt-wearing, New Zealand fantatic and eclipse chaser. Aside from at least annual visits to New Zealand, Mark has seen eclipses in South Australia (2002), Libya (2006), China (2009) and Queensland (2012). After twelve years in Switzerland, Mark moved back to London in 2012. You can follow Mark on Twitter or Facebook