The (die) Post horn weathervane

In the old days of the horse-drawn post coach, it was a horn that announced the arrival of the post/mail. While those horns are no longer used (nor are the horse-drawn coaches, though after some of the photos I've been posting, maybe it wouldn't be so surprising if they were) the symbol remains. This is the weathervane/roof ornament on the building that houses our post office (see the airplane I caught in the frame?) A view of part of the front yard with the Post post can be seen in this photo from the first of the month.

Tü-ta-to goes the three-tone horn on some of the newer (since 1924) Swiss Post busses, though you're unlikely to hear it except on the rare occasion. The motif was inspired by the Overture in Rossini's 1829 opera Guglielmo (Wilhelm) Tell (that's another important Swiss topic), and you can sample it here (it's a link to an MP3 clip via the post.ch website). There's more to the Overture than just the Lone Ranger theme song!

I've heard the horn twice so far, both times on narrow and winding mountain roads in Kanton Wallis (Valais). It's used to notify other drivers on the road of the presence of the bus when it enters a blind turn.

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