Our trip to California has sparked so much renewed interest in the positive aspects to life here that I decided to blog my "Switzerland Top Ten" list. Number one just has to be Lauerz, population around 800, a lakeside village about an hour and a half from where we currently live. Lauerz is the "Heimatort" of both Matthias and Alex, meaning it's the place where all of their people originate and to where you are eternally connected. It means roughtly "homeland" but the concept goes much deeper than that. Here, it's not important where you live or where you were born...what counts is your Heimatort (regardless of whether or not you've ever even been there!). It's listed on your passport and virtually all other official documents.
Lauerz is beautiful. My father-in-law had a small holiday chalet built on his inherited piece of land (he doesn't live there either) and we go there all the time for long weekends. It's right on a small lake, has a beautiful view on the mountains and is just generally surrounded by nature and typically Swiss chalets and farmhouses. Going there is truly one of the best parts of our life here. A chance to spend quality time together in a meaningful place...on land that has been in the family for as long as the place has existed.
Is this how you imagine Switzerland?
p/s the swan above is actually in our garden, as they very often are. A bit fairytale-like...
