WE ARE STUCK ON GRAY

We have been experiencing a real "June Gloom". We haven't seen much in the way of sun, nor had a day or night without some amount of rain. People who have lived here for a while say it's the coldest, cloudiest end of May and first of June they've experienced. That really isn't much consolation for someone whose moods are rather dependent upon a good amount of sunshine. But as Steve always says, "It is what it is." We have experienced our first real introduction to the craziness of Soccer fanaticism. Geneva is one of the host cities of the Euro Cup--the national qualifying teams from Europe play for the championship. The good side of being in a "host" city is that the grayness has been brightened by a profusion of bright flags representative of the competing teams displayed everywhere. There is not an apartment building nor business in town that does not have flags hanging from windows, doorways or sides of the structure. On Saturday everywhere in town we could hear the soccer "singing", horns and chants to accompany the flag and scarf waving. There will be another match here on Wednesday and another on the Wednesday following. At least now we know what to expect. Whenever a goal is scored fans open their windows and yell and cheer and some run out into the street and jump around and blow horns. I must admit, I can't really relate to the avid fan. On the negative side, we have found that having drivers from other countries on the streets of Geneva can be dangerous to pedestrians. In Geneva if a pedestrian is in a crosswalk a driver will stop and wait. Even if the pedestrian waves them on, they will wait and let you cross. Now, however, if you are the pedestrian, you better check the color of the license plate before venturing into the crosswalk. Residents of other nations don't have the same driving habits. I see Switzerland as a country of laws and rules and one does not want to find oneself on the wrong side of the law. Traffic fines can be horrendously expensive.

Have you ever seen a Pelican pedaling a unicycle on a carousel? I have to give it to the artist for originality.
This is one of the most unique carousels I have ever seen. On our Saturday trip to the botanical gardens we were able to see it in action for the first time.
For my little grandchildren. This is the "middle-sized" Billy Goat Gruff. The great Big Billy Goat Gruff would come close enough for us to take a picture of him. Many of the plants and animals in the garden are species native to Switzerland which the country wants to preserve. We have in the store purple carrots and potatoes. They grow here in Switzerland.
There is a species of duck in this pond that has bright red eyes, although we were unable to get a photo of this strange duck. Most of the fowl were in the resting mode.

I had walked to the botanical garden often and told Steve that ducks there had unbelievable color and looked like they had been painted. When he saw them for himself, he said he would be bringing his camera back when the sun was shining.
Talk about color! This peacock was just asking to be photographed.
It is apparent in this photo how they blend flowers with grasses and trees for a great scene.
This water spot makes for a peaceful scene.
We don't know what this bush is. The "berries" almost look like grape clusters but the leaves are quite different. Any ideas?
After experiencing gray and rainy skies for over ten days Steve and I decided to go to a place where we could see some color. Geneva has a wonderful Jardin Botanique. Although it wasn't raining, the gray skies made for rather muted pictures, but we did our best. The gardens here are unlike ones I have seen in the U.K. or the United States or Japan. Here, they leave things in the most natural state possible. They don't necessarily pluck up all the weeds and they leave the native grasses uncut where they can. The garden is not overly manicured, but is filled with a large variety of beautiful specimens of trees, flowering shrubs and seasonal flowers. It was exactly what we needed to lift our spirits. The other thing that is lifting my spirits is the thought that I will be coming to visit family and friends in a month. We miss you all---