Sunday, May 27, 2007

No. 2: Nature (Swiss Top Ten)






We are so lucky to be constantly surrounded by such stunning scenery! It seems I had forgotten to even stop and look for a while. We live in a suburb, but we are able to walk a few minutes to reach a forest which is full of things waiting to be explored and birds that sing so loudly you can scarcely hear anything else. There are mountain views, swans on lakes, and frogs on lilypads. The air is clean and so is the water. I can't believe I live here....

Monday, May 14, 2007

Switzerland Top Ten: Lauerz









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...

Monday, May 07, 2007

Under A Wave

Home Sweet Home





We loved seeing you all!

It's taken me a long time to post something after our long-awaited trip to California. Partly, I didn't know what to write and partly...well, it's taken a VERY long time for us to get back into the rhythm of life here. We had a wonderful time...almost perfect actually. The weather, the socializing, convenience...everything was exactly how we had hoped it would be. I went there expecting to visualize us all living there in the near future. But leaving here and getting a bit of distance from daily life has actually made me see all of the beautiful things about life here. The simple pace of life, the public transport, the distinct seasons, the mountains, the respect for the environment, the multilingualism, the low crime....the list seems longer each day. I love California, but I guess it's become clear to me that Switzerland is my home now.

At least for now.