The Good Ol' Days again

When we came to Switzerland 7 years ago, we were introduced to Nikki and Stuart, a couple who had made the big move just a few months before we did. They took us under their wing and showed us the do's and don'ts of living here. The four of us slipped into an easy friendship that felt so comfortable, I like to think of it as "friends at first sight". The Good Ol' Days were good. Mah jong, beer, fondue, mah jong, port, fondue, mah jong, champagne, you get the idea... After having their first son in 2005, they decided to move back to the UK. I knew that we would always be friends but it was a time that I shall describe simply as 'sad'. Since they left there has been a Byfield shaped hole in my life.

We spent a Christmas with them and they spent spring break with us and then, fast forward to summer 2009...joy and bliss the Byfield family came to visit us! If not for the four children running about around us, it would be as though time had stood still. The only difference is that we are now better looking, smarter and much, much funnier. The three weeks flew by and, although we are left with lots of fun memories, I am more sure now than ever that life is definitely BWB (better with Byfields:-)

When they are here I revisit old doubts about why I am here, so far away from my family. Am I doing the right thing? It feels right to me. I wake up feeling that I am in the right place but life is not all about feelings. SHOULD I be somewhere else? Have I got obligations and responsibilities that I have pushed aside? Did Mum and Dad think these thoughts each year they stayed in Canada? When, if ever, does a foreign country feel like home? Is home where you grew up, where your family is originally from or where you choose to live? Am I Canadian, Scottish or both? Does it even matter? If we stay for ages, will my children feel like they belong somewhere? Can, and should, you ever go back? Where is 'back'?

My head spins with these questions that plague me from time to time. I take small comfort in the knowledge that if my Dad were still alive, he would like where I am and what I am doing. It would bring him joy.

Living here brings me joy but it brings me sadness too. If I had to be a flavour of ice cream, I think I would be bittersweet. Bittersweet is the flavour of my life.

It is like being a parent. With each new stage of my naughties lives, I mourn the stage they have left behind. I rejoice each milestone but inside I am crying. Crazy, I know. Similarly, with each adventure I have here in Switzerland, I think about what I am missing at home. I know you can't have it all and I know too that the grass is NEVER greener but still...I am always, always wondering.

Camping in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

Ever since I began living in Switzerland, I have wanted to visit the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It has been circled in my guidebook for 7 years. This year, I realized the dream! We just got back from 3 days camping in the Valley. It was very very beautiful and was better than I could ever have imagined.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and set up camp. The sky was grey but the people in the campsite were confident the sun would shine Friday and Saturday. (I have learned that Swiss people are NEVER wrong about the weather!) Now, my Canadian friends need to understand that European camping and Canadian camping are two very very different things. Canadian camping is really roughing it. You are out in the middle of nowhere with a fire and an outhouse (if you're lucky), you have to tie up your food, or hide it in your car so that the animals aren't attracted to camp and you spend your evenings around the fire, laughing and telling stories until the wee hours. European camping, on the other hand is (sadly) more civilized. The campgrounds are right next to the roads and towns. There is a shop, restaurant, bathroom, laundry room and sink room on site. There is a quiet time (from 10pm - 7am) that you must adhere to and there is absolutely no threat of wild animals anywhere! I must admit that the older I get, the happier I am that there are proper toilets and a room to wash my dishes in. The thing I don't like is the 'no fire' rule. What is camping without sitting around a cozy fire? Sadly lacking.

The Pros and Cons of European Camping:

Pro: The scenery and its accessibility and real (clean) toilets.

Con: No campfires allowed and it is all a bit too easy;-)

Friday morning seemed to arrive very, very early. I forgot how early kids get up when camping. The sky was blue and the views were amazing. We had breakfast and set off on a walk down the valley towards Tremmelbach falls. It is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site and was incredible! 10 glacier-waterfalls inside the mountain that you get to by tunnel elevator. It is now the only glacier-waterfalls in Europe that you can visit that are inside the mountain. The water has carved beautiful shapes in the rocks and Josh and I loved it. Max spent the whole time with his hands over his ears, saying it was too loud.

Saturday was Swiss National Day. We got an early start and took the gondola up to the car free village of Murren. From the gondola station, we took a mountain train along the ridge to the village. From there, we hiked down to Gimmelwald. At Gimmelwald, we took another gondola down a very steep section and then a bus back to Lauterbrunnen. It was a small circular route but perfect with small children. That night there were fireworks which lit up the surrounding rock walls and the echo was fantastic!

We'll definitely go back as there is so so so much more to do in this beautiful valley.

Lx

This Glorious Morning

Aldous Huxley wrote, "My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing." Although I don't agree entirely, I can certainly see where his father was coming from. Hiking the mountains of Switzerland, for me, is a very special spiritual experience but, sometimes, as I walk down towards home, what I felt absolutely sure of at the summit becomes unclear. Up there I am a part of something bigger than me. Down here I am me again: same doubts, fears and worries. Sigh.

As I looked out of the window this morning, this is the view that greeted me. Honestly, I am overwhelmed every single day by the beauty of my world. It makes my heart sing to be where the grass and trees are green and the snow capped mountains rise up and stand tall.

As I write this, the river rushes by and cow bells jangle in the distance but it is not perfect; cars rush by too and the construction next door of the flats being built can be deafening. At the moment, I choose not to hear those things...I am feasting with my eyes on beauty and I'm going to get my fill.

I have been inspired today by what others have written and so I will leave this post in the same way. A wish for us all: "May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." - Edward Abbey

Amsterdam: Last Day

By now I had passed enough pancake houses that I was ready to have one of my own. Dutch pancakes are heaven on a plate. They are like crepes except the things you have with them are baked in, rather than folded up inside. I had an apple one and the best cup of tea I had had in 5 days. I was practically shaking with happiness...

We then wandered for a bit, soaking up our last of the Amsterdam atmosphere and then we headed to 'Ton Fun'. It is a children's soft play area built in an abandoned underpass under the city center. You can hear and see the cars and trams passing overhead and the whole place is set up with a car theme. They kept the original road that ran through the tunnel and built on either side of it. The kids can use little scooter things to race up and down the road. Max was a bit anxious as it was a loud place but Isla was Little Miss Independent and didn't stop once the whole time. She cried when we left and kept making the sign for 'more' and saying "mo mo mo".

We made our way to the train station and headed for the airport and the short flight back home to Switzerland.

We'll definitely go back to Holland again...we want MORE!

Amsterdam: Day 4

We spent day 4 at the Artis Zoo, in the center of the city. It is a very old, very pretty zoo set amid lush gardens in the center of town. The animals were surprisingly close and some were separated from the wary tourist by only rocks or water, rather than a big fence (with a few exceptions of course). This was a bit off-putting at first as it seemed like the monkeys and giraffes could just walk out of their enclosures but that didn't happen on our visit;-) I do however, have great visions of the naughtiness the animals must get up to when the zoo is closed at night. Without proper fences to keep them in, they probably all get together and party.

There was a great reptile house, an insectarium, an aquarium, a butterfly exhibit and many, many other animals. Isla was fascinated! She was exhausted by the time we headed home and actually fell asleep on the front of the bike! Honestly, my kids will sleep through anything;-) (pic included)

The only disappointment was the food. Sadly, we forgot our picnic lunch and had to eat zoo cafeteria food. Blah.

Amsterdam: Day 3

Day 3 began very slowly thanks to a late night with my husband and a bottle of wine. Luckily, the kids treated us with a lie-in....something they have never done before. We decided that we would go to the train station and rent some bikes to tour around on. For those of you who don't know, EVERYONE rides a bike in Amsterdam. They are everywhere! Isla and I got a really cool one, with the baby seat on the front by the handlebars. She loved being able to see and I wasn't thrown off balance by her wiggling around behind me, trying to see! Josh and Max were on a child/adult tandem number which had Max in the front as well. He was a little anxious to start with but was soon ringing the bell and shouting, "Mummy, we're cruisin', are you cruisin'?"

I also included pics of the precarious stairs in our apartment as well as the aforementioned roof terrace. Fun stuff!

(For those of you with a keen eye, you will notice that the little monkey with his tongue stuck out has a swollen face and his eye is almost swollen shut. He has really bad reactions to mosquito bites and came down the stairs the first morning looking like he'd gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson! )

Amsterdam: Day 2

After sleeping in, we took the train to Enkhuisen, about an hour away from Amsterdam. It is a quaint fishing village with a little treasure in it called Sprookjes Wonderland. It is a theme park for the under 8's based on Grimm's fairytales as well as other well know stories. It was perfect for Max and Isla. Nothing was too big, loud or scary. They rode all the wee rides and LOVED walking around the elf village. I highly, highly recommend it! We stayed all afternoon and then walked the 15 minutes back into Enkhuisen and found its main streets were pedestrianized and it was late night shopping! I felt drunk with choice of small boutiques with funky style and realized I should have perhaps been born in Holland;-) We stopped to ask for a restaurant recommendation and were directed to the Grand Cafe. It was in an old, town office building and was, indeed, Grand. We headed back around 6:30 and got the kids to bed at a much more decent hour, just in time for us to kick back on the roof terrace with our glasses of wine. I am now wondering how many Dutch people have actually died by falling down their ridiculously steep staircases after enjoying some wine or 'herbal' supplements on the roof terrace. There must be a statistic somewhere...