Gruetzi Damen und Herren (How ya goin' Ladies & Gents)
Hope your all happy, healthy and that life is treating you well where ever this may find you.
1st of all - a big thanks to all of you who replied to the previous Blog. It was great to hear from you. It's always nice to receive your emails that keep us in touch with what is happening.
Our second week in Switzerland was spent meeting the locals and exploring more of the country side in and around Wald, all with a very European flavour.
First up was an invite to LUNCH with the parents of the house swap. They are a lovely couple in their early 70's - she, from what was the East Berlin until the Wall came down and he from Bern - the capital of Switzerland. They set out the most divine version of a traditional fondue. A pot full of melted cheese flavoured with garlic, wine and pepper. Stab a piece of crusty bread with a long fork, dip it in and get into it. The traditions is, if your bread drops off your fork into the pot you have to give everyone a kiss. Guess who was first to drop their bread? Kisses all round made for a bit of fun.
The dribble inducing flavours kept us coming back for more, more and more. Add fresh salad, local wine, tea and Kirsch (Cherry Schnapps) in no particular order and it was just divine. Top it off with a custard, fruit and chocolate sweet dish, then a secret recipe carrot cake with lemon icing and fresh coffee and it was "take us home to bed please" time. This gastronomic feast went on for about 4.5 hours. Needless to say, dinner was not even thought about.
Next day we woke up to the most beautiful sight of fresh snow falling from a leaden sky that gave the whitest of white coat of powder to everything. This was just an incredible sight for a South Australian who has had very limited exposure to this sort of scenery. To those from Scotland and who have lived in Switzerland in a previous life, the comment was " very nice - but I'm going back to bed". To Phil's defence, it was a very disturbed night, due to a call from Oz at a very dark and scary hour letting her know that her wee dog had done a runner and was missing overnight, so I forgave her lack of reciprocating enthusiasm. Good news is that Zoe, after much stress has been found and all is good.
I got all excited and into my walking gear then took off for a two hour walk (and to give Phil a chance to catch up on some lost sleep) into the hills and revelled in falling snow, white forests, Sunday church bells chiming across the valley letting parishioners know where the church was, the odd clang of a goat / cow bell and a big dose of Europe on a stick. Just loved it! Each new bend along the wanderweg (walking trail) brought a new dimension. It was like being immersed into of one of those beautiful tourist posters of Switzerland.
More new things to do. Such as creating Picasso like images with yellow ink in the snow. WOW! How much fun is that? Well - until someone comes around the corner just while adding eyes etc to newly created work of art. Oh well!
This falling snow lasted all day getting deeper, whiter and more beautiful as each hour passed. Not that it deterred anyone from getting out and about. Everyone seemed to revel in it. People out riding horses, walking dogs, jogging etc etc. I wanted to tear the lid off a couple of larger wheelie bins and go out to play, but got an emphatic NO on that clever idea. The whole thing just seemed so incredible. 2 days ago it was shorts, T shirt and thongs. Then into long johns, beenie and gloves, and out making a snowman.
As the walking trails on higher peaks would have been covered right up, I went for a 2.5 hour walk over to Rapperswill on the Zurichsee to meet up with Phil who was catching the bus. The higher hills were still covered with snow and it was a bit chilly walking over them in shorts. I got quite a few "Du bist einen Dumkopft" looks from the well rugged up walkers and cyclists and when walking through the forest where there was no sunlight I had to agree with them. Very brisk walking / jogging was required to stay warm.
Lower down below the snow line I came across a park that had a fitness course set up to promote health and fitness. There were a number of stops along the course with equipment to use and large signs displaying exercises that could be undertaken. Add to that, BBQ's - the like of which I had never seen were strategically placed about the park. These beauties were awesome. So much so I just had to take a pic. Solid steel with movable / adjustable fire plate and cooking plate / grill complete with stainless steel handles to get the barby just right. The whole park, complete with barbies must have cost a fortune, but it was very, very well done. Big tick there from an ex Park Ranger!!
Not to be outdone, in Rapperswill at a point where a number of walking trails converge, a playground is set out for kids, while adjacent, overlooking lake, mountains and etc is another fitness park complete with heaps of gear to encourage parents to have a go while the kids are running amok. There was a muscle massager for walkers to relieve themselves - so to speak - which I fully utilised as my calves were pretty stiff from the cold and walking along the hard packed gravel or sealed tracks. Very welcome. This park must also have cost the equivalent of a 3rd world country's annual budget. Stainless steel everywhere. Phil was like a woman possessed (or one that has had too much red cordial) as she tried out each and every piece of equipment at a blinding pace.
We walked across the longest wooden bridge in Europe (so the promo guff said). Phil being a bridge aficionado (ask her about the one in Hanoi one day for a laugh) just had to do it, so off we go. This whole bridge is made of wooden slats for it's entire length of the crossing of Lake Zurich. Must have taken an entire forest to build, but it does offer some great views of the lake, mountains and looking back onto the old medieval castle at Rapperswill. Plenty of birdlife on the lake kept us amused and the beautiful white swans drifting about on the lake, backdropped by the snow covered peaks set off this perfect scenic walk.
Another day out led us to a nearby town which we walked to, then a bus trip up to the snow again to a place called Schutt, where we had intended to commence a walk up to the highest peak in the area. The recent snow fall put a stop to that as it was so thick that walking the trail had disappeared and trying it without schnee laufen schuhe (snow walking shoes) may have been a tad detrimental. They look nothing like tennis racquets tied to your boots, as they are wide, lightweight plastic pads complete with spikes for traction. The hire shop was closed which was probably a good thing as we may have been tempted to try skiing. Now that may be OK for Phil as she has had experience in these things, but I would probably have been writing this from a hospital if I had tried it! Mind you - crossing country skiing (langlaufskiing) sounds very tempting, so who knows!
While out wandering, we were discussing Swiss mannerisms and how incredibly polite, respectful and formal the people are. I mean - even the teenagers pout respectfully! This somehow led our over fertile imaginations onto the subject of getting mugged in Switzerland. We did a scenario in German, which went something like this: " Entschuldigen bitte Herr, (Excuse me please Sir). Es tut mir Leid, dessen Funktion darin besteht, aber ich werde mich an Ihre Brieftasche (Sorry to inconvenience you, but I'm going to take your wallet)" As it is such a polite statement you duly hand it over without question or malice. But - him being a Swiss mugger, he hands you back a 10 franc note and the wallet just in case you need to catch the bus home. Then he and offers you a cheery "Vielen Dank und noch einen schönen Abend (Thankyou and have a good evening)". In fact the whole experience is so polite and respectful you feel obligated to go give him a tip. Apart from fanciful scenarios, this is proving a good way of improving our German speaking skills.
Well - that completes our second week in Switzerland which further confirmed that travel with an open mind can lead to new horizons, fun, adventures and a world full of wonderful things to experience.
On the Blog, we have now included a page for short video clips. Check them out!
Have a great weekend!
Best wishes, cheers and lots love.
Philomena & Volker xx
