Friday, September 16, 2011

So, here we go then.......

There has been time spent like this......
Watching, playing, laughing, delighting in this little one, who never stops talking, and who has the most gorgeous giggle too, and who just has to say "Come, Moreganny, come" and we lever ourselves off the couch and follow. 
 Please note the garage I built for the little bus.
 And then there was an early morning view of the white cliffs at Dover.......

 And 9 long hours after arriving on the European mainland, there was this place.........
 My favourite place up in the Alps. Marge's garden has been spectacular this summer.
 And there were walks through the forest, over the river, to the waterfall with my son.
 Via the "Seilpark" - you could, if you were certifiable, swing or climb through the top of the trees in the forest. I gave that one a miss.
 And the rafting pool was deserted, so David got to raft around it, and its islands. My kids have always loved this place. It would not exist in the UK. Health and Safety and all that. The Swiss prefer to think that parents can watch their children perfectly well without restrictions imposed on them.
 The setting sun from the balcony at Marge's house. I think her house appears in every tourist's photo album. They all stop to take photos. They sometimes ask to come in too. And at times, they just wander in by themselves. They do not seem to grasp the concept of private property.

And then, I got on the train and went to Luzern. It was a beautiful day. I also failed to notice the filthy mark on my camera lens until I got home, so WAIL all my photos have a blob in the middle of them. 


 I went to Luzern to meet Helen, my blogging friend, who lives in Zurich. She blogs here and is an absolute delight in real life as well as on her lovely blog. I can't remember how I found her in the first place, but I am so glad I did. We met at the station, and headed straight for Marge's favourite coffee shop next to the river. Which was thunderous, I have to say.
 You can see it behind us. And the blob is neatly in the middle of the photo. And we chatted and drank coffee/tea/coffee and then we walked a little in search of a wool shop, but failed, chatting all the way, and then we found another restaurant, where we stopped for lunch and the talking didn't stop, and it was just lovely.
 Luzern is a beautiful little city. You have to come and see it for yourselves, you know. It is so old, and yet so easy to get around. Loads to see. Well, I have seen it, and we wanted to talk, so that is what we did for a good 4 + hours. There will be a next time to continue the talking too.
And this is what I meant when I told you how wonderful it is to meet up in real life. We already know the background. Or parts of it. There is a history, and it is not in any way like meeting a stranger. No. It is like catching up with an old friend, who knows you well. And each and every time I have met one of you, it has been exactly like that. I love it. And Helen is just lovely. I was grinning for ages after we said goodbye and headed for our respective trains, which always run on time, because it is SWITZERLAND.

I have just burned the supper. I will be back with a few more photos later.......

6 comments:

Dawn said...

Oh, such a beautiful place! I would love to get them, so very much.

I love your observation about taking responsibility for our own kids and not being bound by so many absurd laws.

Crystal said...

How fun to get to meet Helen! I follow her too, found via your blog I am sure :) It is good to have friends everywhere, I think. Great picture of David - and your comments about parents paying attention are spot on!

Helen in Switzerland said...

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments Lindsay - I certainly had every bit as much fun in Luzern as you did! (and you're lovely too!) As the Swissies say 'bis zum nächsten mal!'....hope to see you again later in the year!!

Vee said...

So glad that some of your story is about this most wonderful spot on earth of yours. My goodness, I could well be the tourist who wanders in just to see your sister's garden. (Not that I've ever done anything even remotely like that ever ever before. No.)

What fun to find a friend you've known all along. I always want to talk for much longer, but am trying to be respectful of the time. Perhaps I need to rethink that and ask from the beginning how long we have. I need to know these things because I have two meets coming up.

Sweet picture of Missy. She's going to keep you young so keep making those garages!

The Bookworm said...

We drove through Switzerland several years ago and I have wanted to go back and see it properly ever since. So beautiful!

MelD said...

Lovely to see how much you enjoyed your stay here in Switzerland - and I know EXACTLY what you mean about getting together with other bloggers (don't I, Helen?!), it's a great chatathon ;)) and now I've discovered a great new blog, too...