Down the mountain....

The next morning we woke up early for our dash back to Zurich. We quickly packed out bags and headed to the outdoor tables for breakfast. Coffee, bread and cheese - so simple, yet so delicious!

 After that we made our way up to the cable car station. This required walking again through the cave and passing by the rock church. The views from the top were spectacular. Though it was a good day to leave as the clouds were beginning to roll in again.

The ride down was only a few minutes but I find it terrifying to come down from such a height while only suspended by cables. Still, it was cool to see from the air the full view of where we'd hiked up only days before. 

We were not alone on the ride. There was an older couple who apparently found it amusing that two of the three of us were nervous during those minutes. Also, we rode down with, what I'm assuming was, fresh cows milk. I know it was milk and I assume it was from one or more of the cows brought up to graze in the mountain pastures during the summer. As a side note, I'm convinced that the cows in Switzerland are the luckiest and perhaps happiest in the world. I know, if I were a cow, it's where I'd want to live!  Beautiful views from the alpine hillsides, entertainment from  interaction with crazy hikers...really, what more could a cow want?!

When we returned again to the valley floor, we headed straight for the train station at Wasserauen for the journey back home. We only had hours to repack for Spain and clean up after 2+ days of hiking and no showers. Another adventure awaits....

Until then,

LuLu

Ebenalp

Hello, Friends, 

Yesterday we made our way to Ebenalp and the historic Gasthaus Aescher. As we arrived at the train station and looked up, all we could see was a wall of rock going straight up. There is a cable car taking people to the top but we were determine to find another way. We walked/hiked for two hours through the forest, up some rocky areas and through fields where enormous cows were grazing.

 

When we finally made it to the gasthaus our legs were aching. What a special place!  This gasthaus is over 150 years old (though it has been modified over the years) and is built right to the side of the cliff.

The back wall of the house is the face of the rock. After dropping our bags and looking around for an few moments, we headed to the gasthaus restaurant for some kind of refreshing beverage - a local quollfrisch bier for Amanda and I and mohl for Sara. 

After arrival we explored the area a little. We walked to the cave church they call wildkirchli, went through the cave to the other side and read about the cave bear and other large animal skeletons that had been found in this and other prehistoric caves in the area.

We walked all the way to the top and got to see some para gliders make their running leaps off the mountain. After that, we walked back down to the gasthaus and relaxed in our room for a while before dinner. I had fleishkase and rosti and my heart was so happy from the days events. 

I woke up very early in the morning to see the area with the new day's sun. It's no secret the weather has been less than agreeable on this trip, so far. But, today is August 1st, the reason I'm actually here this time, Swiss indendence/national day, and I would be quite happy if the weather would stay as lovely as it is right this moment.

Breakfast was taken outside and we enjoyed the view. After some minutes of discussion, the decision was made that the day would be spent hiking down to Seealpsee (a nearby lake). We grabbed our hiking boots and started down the mountain. For me, it was not very enjoyable on the way down. It was steep and was slick from the rain in the area in previous days. In the end, though, the effort way very much worth it. We came upon a lake of the most magnificent blue/green color. The water was freezing (and for that matter, so was the air) but the views from there were magnificent!  

We did a lap around the lake on foot and then decided to take what we thought would be a light hike up to the gasthaus by another route.  Fast forward about 30 minutes and we were clinging to the side of the rock face with steps only about a foot and a half wide and cables to use as hand holds. It was scary and overwhelming and completely exhilarating!  To date, I don't think I've ever done a hike I am more proud of than that one!  That part seemed to last forever but was really over after about 20 minutes. Soon we were at a mountain pasture walking again past grazing cows and taking in amazing views!

We arrived back at Ebenalp around 5ish and went immediately for our well deserved beer and plate of appenzeller cheese. I'm not sure it has ever tasted better!  Then we decided we'd not had enough and decided to go on another walk up to the cave and rock church and all the way up to the cable car station at the top to check times for our descent down the next morning.  Soon it was time for dinner in the gasthaus restaurant. Again I had the fleishkase (it's one of my favorites) and rosti. We made an early night of it, since the next morning we would be rushing back to Zurich to catch our flight to Spain :). 

Friends, I cannot overestimate the beauty of Ebenalp. If you ever get the chance to visit there, do not hesitate!

Until my next post, sending you all my love,

LuLu

Exploring Zurich with old friends....

Hello, friends,

I've been back in Zurich for two days now. Yesterday, I returned from the mountains to meet Amanda in the city. We walked around, shopped for a bit and then settled in by the lake with sausages from the Sterner Grill (the famous sausage stand in Zurich) and some snacks purchased from the local market.  We had a few hours to burn until the time Sara landed on her flight from Berlin. We used that time to catch up on the time since we last were together - 4 years. 

Just as those last four years have, time flew by and soon it was time to go to the flughafen (airport) and reunite with Sara. Her plane arrived late that evening so we only had about an hour to catch up before going our separate ways - Amanda and Sara to Amanda's host family house and me to mine. 

Today we met up in the city before noon. It was quite rainy, again, so we sat for a while and had coffee at the main train station (Hauptbahnhof). After that, our first task of the day was to handle something that has been 6 years in the making for me...it was time to close my Swiss bank account. When I moved home, I left about 100 ChF (Swiss francs) in the account to use and replenish when I came back on future trips. Fast forward, I had lost my information to get in to the account online, hadn't used it on any past trips, etc. - it seemed time to close it. I had been dreading this. But with Sara and Amanda by my side, I walked in and talked to a very nice lady behind the glass. Within a few moments, the account was closed and I took away about 50 ChF - the only bit that was left after years of fees. It was such a cool thing to have - a Swiss account - and I'm sad that I don't anymore. :(

After that, we walked around a little bit and then had lunch by the lake. The weather was just not great. The highlight of the day was a  1 1/2 hour boatride we took on the lake. We enjoyed coffee, nice views and good conversation. When we returned to shore, the three of us shopped at some favorite spots, got cake at one of my favorite places, Cake Friends, and then headed back to the main train station. 

We decided to do a quick run by the grocery store for snacks and then went our separate ways to pack and prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow we are headed to Ebenalp!  Something I've been dreaming about for the better part of a year now. 

I will post again soon when I have more to share. 

For now, goodnight dear friends.

LuLu

Wanderweg nach Lenzerheide....

I am now to my fourth and final evening here in Lain. The day started out lazy for me and I slept in a little bit. Today the girls left with their dad just after lunch for a trip to the Tessin (the Italian speaking canton of Switzerland). So before lunch we played numerous games of UNO and I'm happy to report that I'm finally getting a little faster again :). Several of us walked to the shop for cheese and bread and I was able to snap a photo of the amazing cheese case but it's on my camera so I'll have to wait to upload that until later.

After lunch, we all went our separate ways - my former host mum on a long bike ride, the girls and their dad to Ticino and I finally went on my walk from here to Lenzerheide. I would lying if I said it was all easy. After the first 15 minutes I was ready to turn back for home but I made myself continue and the wanderweg soon turned to mostly flat ground, spectacular views and the trail went a good bit through the forest which was great both for the breeze and the shade. 

I have a few photos to share and some more I will upload later.  In particular, there are photos of drinking fountains along the way. I find them quite interesting. In Switzerland, unless posted, it is ok to fill your water bottle or drink out of any fountain. My walk took me all the way to Lenzerheide, looked in a few shops, walked by the lake and then turned back for home. It had rained a little bit on the way there but it was as I was on the way home that the cloud began to get that ominous look to them. I sped up my pace and started what I thought would be a race against time to get home and outrun the rain. I made it! But, in the end, the rain didn't start until several hours later, after dark. 

I came in, put my feet up and felt an all around feeling of accomplishment at the day's activities. When my former host mum arrived home we had a lovely dinner and nice conversation. Now, as I lay in bed listening to the rain, I'm excited for tomorrow's adventure. I'm set to meet up with Amanda Mango tomorrow afternoon in Zurich and I'm just hoping the weather will be half of how good it was today. 

Signing off for now, dear readers.....

Until next time,  

LuLu

UNO tournament and the market in Parpan...

Hello, Friends!

It is evening now on my third day in Lain.  For most of the day, the weather was even worse than yesterday. As a result, we spent much of the day inside. I did to with the Swiss family to a market in Parpan. I'm told it is only held a few times a year. For me, it seemed mostly like a flea market. I've never been a fan of those or yard sales since it's usually just looking at stuff other people don't want anymore. But this was very interesting. There were some handmade items and several stalls selling local food specialities; I was especially interested in the old cow bells for sale - some were quite ornate.  My favorite part was getting to see three ladies playing alpenhorn (picture to be attached later when I can upload from my camera). Such a unique and special instrument...I've only ever seen one other played - on the top of a mountain once after I hiked to the top!

Afterward, we came back to the house, had lunch and proceeded to play numerous games of UNO and a new game I'd never played before - Hanabi. When I lived with the family, UNO was the game of choice. I have never in my life played more UNO with anyone than I have with these two girls. For me, it's such a treat to play with them when I come back for a visit each time. I wonder how long it will take for it to not be cool anymore to play games with their former au pair?! I will take all I can get. I would never want time to go backward or stand still but it is so special to me to be able to almost re-live those special times we used to share. 

In late afternoon, the clouds and fog lifted a little bit and we got a small hint of the sun. By that time, my former host dad had driven up to join us. We decided to take advantage of the break in poor weather and grabbed our stuff to head to the tennis court. Now, I am terrible at tennis and very much out of shape but I gave it a try and hit the ball around a bit. I was so out of breath after the exercise and then the walk up the steep hill back to the house. My face was beet red, I was overheating and sweating profusely. 

Tomorrow, I am hoping for a day with weather being at least a small amount better. If so, I plan to walk from here to Lenzerheide and back. There is also a chance I am going back to Zurich tomorrow but that is still up in the air, at the moment. I have had such a wonderful time visiting with the Swiss family but I'm super excited to meet up with Amanda, who is haven't seen since 2010, and explore some with her. Sara is flying in on Tuesday and then we are all headed to Appenzell on Thursday for our 3 day/2 night mountain gasthaus/August 1st (Swiss Independence Day) excursion. 

I will check in again soon. 

Until then...

LuLu

A case FULL of cheese!

Another day has begun, my friends, and I find myself again in the beautiful village of Lain. But more on that in a moment. First, a recap of yesterday...

When I arrived in Zurich yesterday, I had only a few hours free until I needed to head south, up to the mountains of Graubunden. I spent that time getting a few things together and wandering around the city of Zurich. Usually I would spend my time shopping but yesterday I resisted the urge since I don't have room in my pack for much more. Instead, I wandered the streets to see what had changed since my visit last March. I found myself at a high point overlooking the Limmat river and the "old city" across the way...a place I'd been before but can't remember the name of at this current moment. I took a few photos and sat to enjoy the calmness and the view for a while. The weather has even very agreeable and it was lovely to be outside in the fresh air. When I'm at home, I don't do enough of this...getting out, exploring, just being out in nature....but I digress.  Here's my favorite picture from yesterday in the city....

In the afternoon, I hopped on a train to the city of Thusis in the south. It was there that I met up with my friend (and former host mum) and went to see the girls at their horse riding camp which was finishing up. It is amazing to see how much they've grown...they look so much more mature and are both now taller than me! After the camp finished, we made our way to Lain. The drive was beautiful - overlooking ravines and rivers of the most beautiful minty blue/green color (I believe an indication that the water is super cold, probably glacier/snow runoff) with the mountains in the background. The last road we went up was hard on the nerves....very narrow and winding...up, up, up from what I'm guessing is the valley floor. I'm told in winter it's mostly impassable...I know for sure that I wouldn't want to try it!  

The views from Lain are fantastic - you can see right down the valley and so many mountains. Last time I was here in very early spring but it may as well have been winter because it snowed a good bit. Last time I went skiing, I'll spare you the details and just say it did not go that well!  This trip, assuming the weather holds up, I plan to go for some beautiful walks/hikes and enjoy the fresh mountain air. To my mind, there is no more beautiful place on earth than Switzerland. Being here and enjoying life, I'm not sure it gets any better than this!

In the evening we had a raclette. It is my favorite Swiss meal and of course it involves eating massive amounts of cheese....so, girl aged 11 and I were tasked with going to the shops for a few needed items.  This was just the local village shop but walking in the door I was already in heaven!  A case filled full of different types of cheeses. We're talking probably 40 or more different kinds...all unpackaged. You walk up and try something or a few things and then tell the shop worker which you'd like and how much and they cut you a block, however big, and wrap it up for you to take home. Sensational!  I tell you I love cheese, good cheese...I was in heaven!

So on to today...I am trying hard to get used to the time difference. I made myself get up at 7:15ish and sat down to enjoy some quiet time and write to you all (started this post in the morning and am finishing it now after dinner....). The weather started out only just ok but not great and deteriorated from there....as a result, we decided on a day of shopping in Chur and then we went to the pool. The day was full and fun but nothing too exciting to report. 

I've managed to stay up an hour or so later tonight than last night so I'm proud of that. I think now  I will head to bed with the wish of better weather for tomorrow. If it's not, my new rain jacket and I might just go for a walk anyway. 

I will check in later....tschuss for now....

LuLu

10 years of travel....

Good morning, Dear Readers,

This morning I arrived in Zurich and went through the normal routine to exit the airport. It hit me when I came through immigration how fitting it is that Switzerland is my first stamp in my new passport...

10 years of travel...it's gone by in a flash!  It seems only yesterday that I received my very first passport for my very first international, "once in a lifetime", dream trip to Italy with BP.  There's no way either of us could have known how that experience would affect me. I was hooked from moment one. From my very first passport stamp in Florence to the one I received earlier today - each one holds such excitement for me, such endless possibilities...  

But it was living in Switzerland that forever changed my life. Each time I come back I see new and exciting things that I didn't experience in my 2+ years of living here. This first stamp in my new passport represents all the adventures and new experiences yet to come. 

As I've not left the airport, I don't yet have any pictures to share....but I will. Oh, I will!  So stay tuned. 

I'm taking care of a few housekeeping items for starters and then I'm off to explore for the day and then meet up with the Swiss family this afternoon :)

Signing off for now....

LuLu

Many, many reunions.....

Hello dear readers!  

It has been such a long time since I last shared with you. In these past years, I have been back to Switzerland a few times, visited Prague and Munich again, took an amazing Caribbean cruise with my friend Brian, I've explored Paris with Jess, my good friend and co-worker, and I've worked A LOT!  I've made several position changes within my company and overall found myself so blessed to work with great people at a job that challenges me but still allows me to explore the world which is still my greatest desire!  

In less than two days I will board a flight back to Zurich for yet another adventure. I'm very excited to see the Swiss family and most especially the girls who are now ages 11 and 14!  I'll be staying with them for a few days in a village located in the mountains of the Graubunden kanton.  I'm so looking forward to the fresh air and time to be out in the mountains and disconnected from the rest of the world. 

A few days into the trip, I'm meeting up with Sara who now lives in the amazing city of Berlin and Amanda who will be flying in from Montana. We plan to stay for two days in a very special guest house on the side of the Saentis (a mountain in east Switzerland). After that we are off to Southern Spain for a week-long road trip. 

So, now to the point of why I'm writing this post. Well, I guess there are really two reasons...1- I'm hoping to write several posts and share pics on this trip and putting it out there now will hopefully encourage my diligence with this goal and 2 - I'm hoping to make you all extremely jealous. I hope each and every one of you are out there enjoying this summer. Please check back for my updates and feel free to pressure me into sending out pictures....

Hugs to you all!

LuLu

A few days around Zurich

Hello again, All!

Tomorrow I will fly to Prague to meet up with my friend Sara (also a former Au Pair) and her boyfriend for a 4 day stay in that lovely city! For now, a report of the last two days:

The day after my birthday, March 30th, I did nothing for most of the day but to sit around the house and read my book. It is a fantastic thing that I can make this statement: The book I started the day I arrived was nearly 700 pages and I finished it in 6 days! I haven't had the free time (or maybe I've just lacked the drive) to read like that in quite a long time. It's nice to find yourself so lost in a story that you lose track of time and become completely absorbed!

That same day, in the afternoon, I took a tour of the airport with the kids and my former host dad. The tour was all in German but I caught a lot of the highlights.....we were whisked around the airport buildings by bus and were able to see several planes take off. Also, we were shown the extensive amounts of equipment they have on site for ice/snow events, the prison for people waiting for deportation (wish I had taken a picture of that...) and also the large hangers where they work on planes that need extensive maintenance, among other things.....I'm attaching some pictures so you can see a few things like I did....

The next day I decided to head into the city. The weather was just gorgeous and I wanted to see the panorma view of the alps from the top of the Uetliberg (the hill overlooking the city). I had a bus connection through the airport train station and I took a moment to pick up my favorite sandwich from the bakery there. When I got to the top the view was just stunning. I sat on a bench eating my ham, egg and cheese sandwich and enjoyed the sunshine and the sparkle off the mountains and the lake below. From there I decided on a walk along the ridge to Felsenegg where there is a cable car to take me below to a train back to the main station. I've done that walk probably half a dozen times but I never remember the last bit being as uphill as it is. The weather turned half way through my hour and a half walk and by the time I made it to the cable car I was soaked through a more than a little bit chilly! Never the less, the views were wonderful and the walk was invigorating.

I made my way back into Zurich city and found a cafe (ok, I admit: it was Starbucks....but it was the one where I'd meet my friends practically ever Wednesday so it is a bit of a special place to me!) and ordered a latte and read (I started another book...) for an hour to knock the chill off and dry out a bit. It was time well spent.

By the time I made my way out again the raining was only a slight drizzle and the wind had died down a bit. I decided for indoor shopping and went over to Sihlcity (a really nice shopping area which could be compared to a small US mall) and did a bit of browsing to waste time for about an hour and a half.

The reason for the time wasting was that I met a friend in the city around 7ish. He and I took a short train ride to Baden to meet up with another friend for drinks and catching up. It was such an eventful night seeing them again (plus we ran into another guy I'd known when living here) and finding out what everyone has done for the last 2+ years.

I barely made the last train back to Zurich to catch my last bus of the night but I guess I still have some of the old skill left since I made all of those connections, in the end. I even had time for a quick chat to Caramelita (who the girls have named and I'm fairly positive is not in fact female at all....) the cat. My host mum once called him/her the mayor of Oberruti and I think she must be right because that cat is everywhere all the time and no one seems to know who it belongs to...

And now I leave you with a few pictures from the last days as I head off to bed to read more of my book.....

LuLu

The Big 3-0...also known as hitting middle age.....

Hello all!

Today is my birthday....the big 3-0.....I'm 30! Can you believe it?! I always thought that it would feel different but it doesn't at all! Though he didn't mean it the way it came out, my former host dad said that it was nice to have a middle aged person in the house...talk about a major shot first thing in the morning!

I woke this morning early....not to go to work but instead to pretty myself for going into the city of Zurich for the day. My former host mum and dad took me out for a coffee on a hill somewhere and that hill was one overlooking the lake and the city of Zurich at a very special place...The Dolder Grand Hotel! This is a very special hotel which is over 100 years old (and, as a very cool side note, it is featured in the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die). During my stint living here in Switzerland, my host mum worked with this hotel during their extensive renovations so it was cool to finally see the place she talked about so regularly! While enjoying our coffees, one of my host mum's friends at the hotel organized a little cake so beautiful decorated for my birthday to be sent to our table. I've attached a picture and, yes, it was a yummy as it looks!

After our relaxing break I headed down the hill into the city for the day and I wandered around seeing all the places I have missed so much. I got my lunch to go and ate it by the lake as I watched the boats and the swans and the clouds float by...it was ideal!! Afterward I made my way to the Bahnhofstrasse (a rather long, mostly more expensive than I can afford, shopping street) and went into some of my favorite shops for some birthday presents to myself! I rode around on trams and trains for a bit just soaking up the atmosphere and then returned in mid afternoon to my former host family's house outside the city.

The plan for dinner was very special...fondue! A friend, Martina, came over to join my host mum, the girls and I for dinner. First there was the obligatory exercise of finding the birthday tray (which I did very successfully and quickly this time, I might add!) and on it were several presents (handmade jewelry from Girl Aged 8, two bottles of Swiss wine-one red, one white- and a really cool case for my glasses that I'd wanted for a while and kept putting off buying....

Finally the fondue...a lot of cheese. Cheese...maybe my favorite thing on this earth! I was in heaven!! After dinner I was surprised with one of my host mum's original cake display ideas. It was brownie cake in the shape of the Grosse Mythen (a mountain I hiked near here...), complete with Swiss flag on top, a teeny tiny picnic basket with small wine bottle and glasses along a pathway of cookies which lined a bowl of green jello (all mean to symbolize my love for sitting by the lake with friends drinking wine...), and finally at the end the girls had fun putting different smurfs on the display to add their special touch on some other of my favorite things (talking on the phone, blogging, and sledding down the mountain....).

It was a wonderful day and night filled with great surprises and happy times. I could not have asked for a better way to spend my birthday! I've attached a few pictures, I hope you enjoy them!

Going to bed now as I'm quite tired (must be the old age setting in.....)!

LuLu

A Very Smurfy Birthday Party...

My arrival in Zurich just happened to coincide with the birthday celebration for girl aged 8...her actual birthday was several days before I arrived and yesterday was the party.

Every year the girls have these wonderful little parties with the most gorgeous, very creative cakes! The new (old) trend in the area right now is the popularity of smurfs and as such that was the cake theme for girl aged 8 this year. My host mum put together a really cool scene using an amazing homemade lemon cake, different lollies from the sweets drawer and smurf figurines and houses borrowed from people older than me who still hade their childhood things....it was truly amazing!

For majority of the party, a treasure hunt through the forest was planned. Host mum and I did the circuit that morning putting out little prize smurfs with clues on them as to which child was the lucky recipient and then also a few snacks and drinks along the way....as a side note, I should add, sitting behind a desk from 8:30-5pm Monday-Friday has done nothing for my severely out of shape body and I can tell you with all honesty that I've done more excersize and gotten more fresh air in the last 4 days than in the entire last year of my life. After returning home I promptly sat on the outside bench, coffee in hand, exhausted for about 20 minutes!

The party was an enormous success! The 8 little girls giggled heaps, played games (like several three-legged races), did the forest treasure-hunt circuit (which had a few minor problems-all ok in the end-and surprising, even to myself, I joined in on....), and at the end of the hunt were met by possibly the biggest surprise of the day....two horses waiting for them to each have a turn riding. Horses are another big hit for the girls (and has been for as long as I've known them!) so it was an extra special surprise set up by host mum and dad...

I'm going to cut this post short now and head to bed. I've just gotten to a particularly interesting part of my book and I want to get back to it before I'm too tired to concentrate tonight....I've included a few pics from the Smurf Birthday (including a particularly entertaining one of host dad minding the horses while we all had cake)....

Tomorrow I'm headed into the city of Zurich for the first since landing. It's my birthday...I'll be celebrating the 2nd anniversary of my 29th birthday tomorrow by shopping my way across the city and stopping multiple times for coffee at all my favorite spots!

Until then.....

LuLu

Tricks of time...

I've been here all of 15 hours or so and somehow it's as if I never left! As you last knew them, the girls were aged 6 and 9 when I departed for my reacclimation to life in the US....fast forward to present day Switzerland and now they are gorgeous girls aged 8 and 11 and nearly as tall as their former Au Pair.

It only took the briefest moment for the old familiarity between us to return. As we lay in a pile talking on the trampoline girl aged 11 said "wouldn't it be great if you'd be our au pair forever" and I agree with that remark so much! It's not that my life in Georgia isn't full because it absolutely is; but life here is so much less complicated and I long for that again especially now that I'm here on vacation just soaking it all in!

I skipped the book reading and went straight for the walk this afternoon. It was gorgeous...short sleeve weather...not hot but not cool either. I found myself a bench at the top of the hill just where the forest starts and sat for a while just breathing the fresh air and watching the planes take off and land. I'm including a few pictures I took for your jealous (I hope!) viewing pleasure....

Now I'm off to find a good book to read....

LuLu

A solo trip to CH....

Hello all...it's been a while since last I wrote....

For months now I have been plotting my next trip to Zurich. Finances and life situations as they are, I only just booked the trip about 3 weeks back. This morning I arrived safe and sound and was greeted as though I'd never left. It's such a nice feeling to know there is a place I can go and it feels so much like home to me and I'm always welcome!

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about this trip...though I'm not entirely sure why! I guess it is because this time I'm here all my own and for a more significant amount of time than before. I guess I was also afraid that too much time has passed since the last visit and that things would be greatly different. I also need to make some plans for entertaining myself a bit (day trips and such...) which because of the rush of the last 3 weeks I've not even begun to think about....but now here I am and so I must. It's horrible, right, to have to think about what to do on vacation?! I'm sure you all feel the upmost sympathy for me, right?!

So on that note, I'm going to go sit out on the terrace on this lovely sunny day and read a book and figure out my next plan of action....after that I think I fancy a nice long walk!

I'll leave you with one last image....as we made our descent into Zurich...I saw the mountains and we were approaching them quite close, I thought. I've never arrived in Zurich, at least I don't remember it anyway, from that angle. As I looked out at the snow covered Alps I began to notice that I was recognizing a few peaks and flashing back to wonderful memories I had there with friends and my host family....Grosse Mythen, Rigi, and even Pilatus (the mountain I aspired to summit and to date still haven't)...and that's when it hit me that things might change but the most important things stay the same...my memories. And there are so many more to be had here....

I hope you'll hear from me a great deal on this trip. I'll be in Switzerland until April 11th with a few day in Prague with Sara!

Signing off for now....

LuLu