Land of the Swiss

Hailing from Switzerland

We made it!

I am sitting here on a bench overlooking Lake Geneva while Stanton is at work, having been for a lovely walk around the lake and through the market, having eaten 3 croissants (among other things) for breakfast, and having all these uninterrupted minutes to think and watch and wonder.  Switzerland has been beautiful. There is too much to tell in a single email, but I’ll share some favorite moments and some disappointments, although probably in reverse order.

Disappointments:

#1

I forgot my earthing sandals! Who forgets their earthing sandals on a trip to one of the earthiest places in the world?! It’s been quite sad, especially since the first three days were pretty warm and my feet wanted to be bare and free. I also found that one of the pairs of shoes that I brought gives me blisters, so pretty much I’ve been stuck pairing my workout shoes with leggings, jeans, shorts… looking like a Class A Frumper. Oh well. C’est la vie.

#2

Stanton got a cold/cough last week, and while we were hopeful that it would be pretty well resolved by now, it appears to have been aggravated by a change in time zone and climate. He has not gotten much sleep since being here, as the coughing is much worse at night, and it has severely limited his enjoyment of the trip to be feeling both congested and super tired. He’s been a good sport and we’ve still done most of what we planned to do, but twice I’ve had to eat gelato by myself😢 because he felt like it would make his symptoms worse. Also, the pharmacies here are quite restricted in their over-the-counter offerings. Turns out you need a prescription to buy melatonin! Probably wise, but a little crazy.

I think those are my only real complaints (the others are all pregnancy-related, and they don’t change no matter where I am), so now let’s move on to the favorite things!

The first day after getting to Interlaken we rented bikes and rode for nearly two hours around the eastern lake - I can’t remember what it’s called - and at one point we stopped to dip our toes in. ‘Twas frigid cold, and within 20 seconds I had a brain freeze even though the water was only up to my ankles. But the water was crystal clear and I convinced myself that it had healing properties, so we stayed for 10 or 15 minutes more. What I really should have done was dip my tailbone in, because I hadn’t thought to change into my padded biking shorts and the skinny seat of my hardtail mountain bike was splitting me up the middle. (More on that later.)

On Day 2 we took a short train ride to Lauterbrunnen, a tiny town nestled in the ravine between sections of the alps, ornamented by waterfalls and ringing with cowbells. UNREAL. Like, seriously crazy. There were houses dotting the steep landscape all the way up both sides of the ravine, and no automobile roads to get to any of them. Narrow footpaths seemed to be the only infrastructure, and when we again rented bikes it was amazing to basically have roads and paths to ourselves, as even on the main road the cars were very few and far between. I did remember my padded shorts for this trip, and even opted for an E-cruiser instead of the cooler-looking mountain bikes, but the damage had been done and I could scarcely bike for 40 minutes before we had to get off and take a break. Which was totally fine. We bought bread, herbed cheese, some regional salami and chocolate for lunch and had a lovely picnic beside a creek. We spent the next few hours biking off and on, exploring different paths and eventually finding a meadow to try to nap in. We sat in grass and wildflowers up to our shoulders, and because we were so engulfed anyway (and because I hadn’t noticed any weird bugs or creatures to deter me) I decided to relieve my bladder among the wildflowers. I have to say, it was one of the cushiest outdoor relief sessions I’ve ever had, and the only problems were the wildflowers that I kept finding in my pants for the next two hours.

While that spot was beautiful, it was in direct sun and was getting pretty hot, so we decided to continue on in search of shade with a view. Stanton found a spot, but after testing it discovered that it was covered with something like stinging nettle, and ended up with a sting on his fingers. But imagine my pride and joy to discover ribwort plantain leaf nearby and to know that my studies in herbalism haven’t been for nothing! I chewed up a leaf and applied the spit poultice to Stanton’s finger, and though he complained about having to wear my saliva, it did the trick! (I’m still not totally sure whether it was just the leaf’s medicinal properties or whether I have magic saliva… I did sing “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…” just in case.😜)

We found a safer spot in the shade of a huge tree on the mountainside and laid down for a nap, and it was glorious. The theme from ‘Heidi’ (the animated version on YouTube that our kids used to watch all the time), was repeating itself in my brain, but it seemed to add to the experience so I didn’t even try to get rid of it.

When we finally got back to Interlaken we were too tired to do anything but try some gelato for dinner. And I probably should have put this in the disappointment section because that gelateria was definitely a disappointment. Here’s the thing about gelato that I learned after living in Italy: you can fake a lot of flavors and be an okay gelato shop, but you know you have found a real 5-star establishment when they have legit pistachio gelato and a dark chocolate (cioccolato fondente) one. Most places will cheat and use pistachio flavoring, which tastes about as much like pistachio as almond flavoring tastes like almonds (read: not at all). And in some places they have a dark chocolate, but it is missing the bitter edge and leaves something to be desired. This place missed the mark on both and I wasn’t even sad when some fell on the ground.

Since arriving in Morges, however, we have experienced TWO top-notch gelato shops, so I’m pleased. And now I can branch out and try their other flavors.😆

Morges is a more modern city, and although I miss the mountains and the cows there are much better options for food here! So far on this trip we’ve had Indian curry (4.5⭐️), sushi (2.5⭐️), pizza (5⭐️ - run by Italians), and burgers (3⭐️ - quality, but we have different ideas about what tastes good on a burger). And then of course the muesli, yogurt, fruit, breads, meats and cheeses of our breakfast buffets. Top it off with some carrots from the marketplace and some dandelion greens from the fields and it’s a pretty well-rounded diet!

It’s been a good week, and I’m especially grateful that the kids have been so well taken care of in our absence. Huge thanks to Stanton’s mom and sister and all those who have helped to make this possible!

-K