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---

We Love Company

We spent this weekend with Paul Dirkmaat--our second guest to visit us in Geneva. Paul is in Rome for the summer doing a legal internship. He was able to hop on Easy Jet and be here in just over an hour. Easy Jet may be "no frills" but many flights are only $30 each way. That is cheaper than train, car or anything else. It certainly makes Europe accessible once you have made the "big trip" from the U.S. Either our guests are becoming less discriminating or we are raising our "value", but Paul gave us a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

After a mostly rainy day, the sky became beautiful over the lake.
We walked to dinner in part of the "old town" Friday night. For the first time in days we had a somewhat clear sky.
Paul on Tourbillon. The evidence that Steve made the hike despite a very sore foot is the picture itself. The day was cloudy, but fortunately it didn't pour on us.
The walk to the top of Tourbillon is steep and a little difficult. But as with most things that test us in life, the climb is worth it. Paul and Steve climbed it this time--I am waiting to make the climb with my grandchildren. I hold fond memories of hiking with some of them in the hills of Tennessee last summer and I'm hoping to make this hike with them. Though I love many things about living here I am really looking forward to seeing family and friends again. It's close enough now to start thinking about it.

Love to all of you

More of the Jungfrau

I hope it's not getting tiresome viewing pictures of our experiences here in Switzerland. Life between our little trips is pretty much just normal life for us both. Once we got used to what "normal" is here it isn't all that exciting. I am still amazed by the diversity of nationalities and cultures that is in Geneva and that will never seem mundane.



The above picture is taken from a bench outside a church in Wengen were Steve and I sat and just took in the beauty for a long time. We are looking down on the Lauterbrunnen valley and falls.

This tme I got to use the camera. Pictures of Steve are few and far between.

The above pictures are all of a waterfall called Trummelbach. This is an interesting fall because it is inside the mountain rather than outside. You take an elevator up inside the mountain so you are in a cave, and then you walk down the trail viewing the falls from different vantage points as you descend.

Steve has take this picture of the church steeple with the falls in the background before when we were here, but that was either the visit 25 years ago, or the one 13 years ago.

The Lauterbrunnen Valley and Falls are one of the memorable places from when I was in the Jungfrau region before. From Lauterbrunnen you can get to the top of either side of the valley by cog rail or gondola. The two most notable towns at the top are Wengen and Muren.

I love the cows just peacefully grazing amidst such grandeur. They are totally unaware of the beauty which surrounds them--not that cows have the ability to appreciate beautiful surroundings. We, on the other hand, do have the ability to appreciate the beauty of the world around us and hope to make the most of our experience here.

We hope you all have a great week. We think of all our family and friends all the time and are looking forward to our trip home in July.

SPECTACULAR

This is a picture of the mountains called Eiger and Monch. They are in what is called the Jungfrau region. We stayed in the village of Grindelwald which had spectacular mountain views. Needless to say, Steve had lots of camera time and I have pictures to make up several blogs.
This is a scene just outside Grindelwald as you approach the town. You wouldn't need a label to tell you that it's Switzerland.
A view of the Eiger and the valley below dotted with chalets. Along with the chalets there are grazing cows with very loud bells and also sheep and goats--also with the requisite bells. It's surprising how the sounds from the bells travel up from the valley and through the hotel room windows.
There was a picturesque little railway that ran from the valley floor at Interlaken up to Grindelwald. We know we have some grandchildren (and their parents) who would enjoy a ride on this train.
This is the terrace of the hotel where we stayed in Grindelwald. It's a nice place to sit and take in the views.
This church is in the town of Grindelwald where we stayed. It is actually across the street from my wall of flowers. The mountain in the background is the Eiger.
I think these walls that they grow flowers out of are so beautiful. The chalet behind me and the mountain rising up in the back ground complete the scene. This trip to the Jungfrau region has been my favorite so far. I love the Alps and the feel of the air when you are there. There is so much beauty in every direction that it is almost a sensory overload. When we are experiencing this type of beauty my thoughts are that I want to share it with my family and loved ones. We sincerely hope that we will be able to do just that.

A Beautiful Thursday

Thursday, May 1, was a holiday and Steve and I took advantage of the day off to explore. The above picture is one which we saw as we were driving to Fribourg. It is looking across the lake to the Vallee with the Alps in the background. I decided that during our car rides we could review some of our French phrases and thus get a little extra study in. It was while I was going over a verb conjugation with Steve that I realized where the term "mayday" in reference to a call for help originated. If I were to ask someone for help in French it would be M' aider, or the phonetic equivalent of "mayday". I'm sure most people already knew this but it was a "discovery" for Steve and I. We also discovered this weekend why so many people take to the streets to stroll and eat when the weather gets warm. None of the buildings are air-conditioned and it gets really H O T inside. Especially when you live on the fifth floor. It only has to be 74 degrees outside to generate temperatures that feel like 90 inside one's apartment. Opening the windows seems like the answer until the rooms begin to fill with mosquitoes and tobacco smoke from everyone who is eating outside right under your window. We've noticed that everyone just opens their windows wide and doesn't worry about bugs. There are no screens here anywhere--even in new construction. This is just one of our challenges to figure out. "The price of living in Europe" as Steve puts it.

Fribourg is an ancient walled city with a lot of architectural character and natural beauty. This shows some of the old city wall.
The clock tower of the Fribourg city hall. There is a statue of a "bell ringer" in the bell tower. You'll want to click on the photo to enlarge it.
Fribourg is built on several levels with a canyon which the river has carved separating some of the areas of the city.
The river which runs through Fribourg.
After we went to Fribourg, we drove to Sion. There are two castles in Sion--an old one and an older one. The above picture is of the Chateau Tourbillon the older one from the path which ascends to it. Steve and I didn't go all the way to the top, which you can see in the right hand corner of the picture. We are waiting for some of our energetic grandchildren to help us get to the top.
A view of the Chateau Valere from the ancient ruins. This was a fairly steep climb.
In the late afternoon Steve and I just sat on some of the rocks of the ruins and enjoyed the wonderful air and beautiful views. There really is no picture that can do justice to the beauty of the area. We are using every opportunity to check out the various sites--architectural, historical and natural beauty so we will be able to serve as your tour guides when you come to see us.

Finally--Up Close. . .

Ever since moving to Geneva I have looked across the lake at Mont Blanc in the far distance whenever it decided to show itself. Now I have been able to see it's majesty and grandeur from a much closer perspective. This is the tallest mountain in western Europe and is taller than Mt. Whitney in the United States. Maybe sometime this summer we will take the tram up as far as it goes on the Mountain. Even in the summer it can be really cold especially if the wind is strong.

This is a view of Mont Blanc from a distance as we were driving to Chamonix.
View of old town with the Annecy castle in the background.
Tulips are in bloom everywhere. The towns here are big into planting flowers. All winter I looked at the signs in the empty flower beds of Geneva which asked people not to step in them because the tulips had been planted.
When we drove into the town of Annecy early Saturday morning the market was set up . It was an extensive market, going on for blocks and blocks with everything from clothing to food. Choosing the right cheese was difficult with so much from which to choose.
Cheese shop at the Saturday Market in town.
Steve and Karen on bridge in Annecy. The building behind and to the left of Steve is the old prison.
View from Annecy across the lake
Old town in Annecy, France. This town is about 45 minutes from Geneva. It is a very picturesque town with views in all directions. We visited here the same weekend that we went to Castle Chillon which was on last week's blog. There were enough pictures from last week to create several blogs.

Fascinating Chillon

It's been a while since I last posted a blog. I spent two weeks in Pinehurst and two days after coming back to Geneva we had a visitor, cousin Karen from California. What a treat to be able to take someone to the wonderful sights and share the experience we are having here. We went to Chillon on Friday. Chillon is a few kilometers past the town of Montreaux (home of a great summer jazz festival). The castle dates from the 1100's and has been beautifully repaired and restored. Some of the inside wall painting is original. The House of Savoy occupied the castle and used its ideal location to be able to see anyone coming into the area. They were big on levying taxes and didn't want any traders to get by without paying. The Savoyards occupied the castle until the 1500's when the Bernese took over. Detailed records had been kept of every aspect of life in the castle and the Savoyards took all the records back to Italy with them. The Savoyards are the same which attacked Geveva unsuccessfully in 1603. Having these few facts now when I see the word Savoise as it refers to a type of cuisine, it means something. We really hope a few more of you will jump on the visitor bandwagon. Our first guest said that she would call the Michelin travel guide and recommend us for a four star out of five rating. I think having to share a bathroom had something to do with the deduction of a star.

Love to all
Mary
Interesting chimney vent. This shot illustrates how the castle sits right on the water.
This is the fireplace in the large dining hall of the castle. They would roast whole animals such as wild boar or deer on the spit. The chevron design on the walls is painted on and is the ancient equivalent of wall paper. That red and white chevron design is found all over Switzerland.
If you click on the picture you will see me and Karen in the tower window. Steve's cousin Karen has been our first house guest and we had a great time going to see wonderful places.
The castle sits on a small rock island at the edge of Lac Leman. This is the same lake that Geneva sits next to only at the far end of the lake which is 45 miles long.
A view from one of the castle towers. The mountains are on the right and the lake on the left.