The Past: They say that one can’t or shouldn’t go back…

First of all, who are these famous “they”? And why would we bother to believe anything they say?  Sometimes a return to the past can be not only wonderful but salutary.

But before I get into the more philosophical aspects of that title, there are the more mundane. Although 99% of the time I am ever so grateful for the freeway bypass of the city of Thonon in France, there is that 1%. This time on my way to the mountains I decided that I really did need to see the beautifully flowered roundabouts and lakefront that were on my path for so many years. Having no appointments, nor timing to be respected, I decided to not take the bypass but to wander. The floral displays were every bit as lovely as I remembered, but I had forgotten the fountains – a deviation well worth the extra minutes.

The roundabout upon entering Thonon

Fountains on the lake front of Thonon

Part of the roundabout leaving Thonon

middle band in Evian

Flower pot in front of City Hall in Evian

That in turn reminds me of many favorite roads, some of which I may never have the pleasure of driving again, but that are there in my memory should I need them.

And so it is with the past: perhaps we can’t return to that exact minute, the exact circumstances, the good, bad, indifferent or wonderful, but we can’t simply ignore that they ever existed either nor that they are part and parcel of what we have become.

I treasure a childhood friendship more today than I did then; I wouldn’t give up those from over 40 years ago, nor those from 30 years ago, nor those more recent. Each new friendship adds a layer to my life – building upon those solid foundations laid by others.

Going down an old path doesn’t mean trying to repeat that past, it simply means seeing something distant again – seeing it in a different way, perhaps indifferently, but just as likely the experience can be even better than the first time.

One road in particular illustrates my thoughts: Highway 1 in California.

I surely first experienced this with my parents as I know we did visit relatives who spent their summers at Hearst Castle, but my memories are vague and I probably found it tiresome at the time.  The next time I drove this would have been with my husband and older son – at least a short bit of it – there too what remains thirty years later – is the sensation I had of wanting to simply let the car float off into the clouds at one of the many turns winding along the Pacific Ocean.  Then there was the time I drove it alone, traveling in between my two sisters – a beautiful road, but simply one joining my family members. More recent visits hold stronger memories:

-       driving it with my now deceased little sister;

-       the trip when we returned from Northern California together with my older son and stopped at many favorite places along the way

-       the trip with a girlfriend from Switzerland where I got lost, but we ended up discovering what became one of my favorite hotels along the route.

-       the trip up with my sister and sister-in-law after the death of the other sister (truly a pilgrimage that trip)

-       the trip with my younger son and his then girlfriend before one of my nephew’s wedding

I have many favorite places from the past to which I would gladly return, but each year I add new ones so who knows how many I will be able to repeat; how many will remain in the past and how many will become a new experience each time.

It is the same with people: we change, they change, but true friends simply add better layers and experiences – the past is with us always, may we incorporate it into our lives in the best manner possible. May the future be enriched by our past, all the while enjoying the present to the fullest.

So I’m off for a hike in some of my favorite mountains.

La Creusaz

Old photo of Dents de Morcles - May 2016

Looking towards the Mont Blanc from La Creusaz

Switching continents

Although I haven’t finished the blogs of my Alaska/Canada trip, I am home – and up in the mountains finally enjoying clear skies and a wonderfully sunny day.

This morning I took my usual walk in the woods - admiring as always the flowers in the garden of the last house before the forest.

Pink Peony - as large as it looks!

A huge white peony

light pink one

larger than life

Then after lunch it was go buy my season pass for the cable car and check out the flowers and paths of the upper mountain (the cable car is only working for July/August) while I could.

Mont Blanc on the right as seen from La Creusaz

The Grand Combin through a telescope

La Golette as seen from La Creusaz

It is one of the rare times that I was able to see the wild rhododendrons still in bloom and the blueberries are coming on nicely.

wild small rhodos

alpine flowers

green blueberries

As it’s a Monday I was alone in the cable car and met very few others in the small village at the top – the silence was intriguing – barely any birds to break it and my mood relaxed as I brought back the calm.

I did it again

And there was no “oops” about it – rather a determined Nike slogan “Just do it”.

Actually I was playing with the idea yesterday afternoon when I saw that the weather was supposed to be good today. When I awoke, for once, the weather reports were correct so up I went on the cable car for one last lunch this season followed by the walk back down.

From 1’700 meters to 1’000 one does feel it in ones knees by the end, even if I was taking baby steps. The baby steps will however be recompensed when I awake with pain tomorrow as opposed to a couple of years ago when not only were my knees killing me but also my hips: never too old to learn a new trick.

And it was entirely worth it as I sat facing the mountains the sun on my back and enjoyed a lovely meal.

 

Looking towards La Golette (middle) from the terrace of the La Creusaz Restaurant

Ma Belle

La Montagne

Que de joie à regarder les brumes et nuages jouer

Au cache-cache avec les cimes :

Un paroi par ci, une vallée de brouillard par là.

Pas une minute sans que cela ne change,

Le tout dans une silence brisée que par quelques

Chants d’oiseau ; le ruissellement d’une rivière ;

les vents ou un rocher disloqué par un chevreuil.

Qu’elle est belle ma montagne!

Là haut sur la montagne

“Viens, viens sur la montagne
Là-haut il fait si bon »

Une chanson de Marie Laforêt exprime le mieux la journée, je devrais juste insérer un mot “Là-haut il fait ENFIN si bon”. Ou encore « Là haut sur la montagne il fait ENFIN si beau » ferait l’affaire également.

Voici enfin ce qui nous manquait cruellement cette année : une journée estivale - peut être bien la première et la dernière, car bientôt on ne parlera plus d’été mais de belles journées ensoleillées automnales.

C’est égal : au moins il y a eu cette journée merveilleuse ; journée pendant laquelle je suis allée voir le nouveau sentier ludique de La Creusaz. On devrait inciter tous les profs du primaire à amener leurs classes ici en haut pour que les enfants voient ce que c’est la nature.

C’est intéressant et accessible à tout un chacun

http://www.valleedutrient-vallorcine.com/data/documents/Marecottes/creusaz.pdf

route vers Sex les Granges

Mont Blanc avec La Creusaz

Mon Blanc vue depuis La Creusaz

Glacier du Trient

"téléscopes" #5 du sentier ludique

Mont Blanc à travers le téléscope

Trient à travers le téléscope

para-avalanches en bois

mur sèche contre les avalanches_ancien

filets contre avalanches: ancien

vue direction Cervin

table en bois récupéré

avec le bois du triage forestier, maintien des bancs et tables

Et sur le retour, un instant de grâce lorsque j’ai aperçu deux cercles dans le ciel : l’un entourant le soleil, couleurs arc en ciel, l’autre le reflet parfait en blanc. Trop grands pour être photographier dans leurs entiers, les quelques bouts que j’ai pu prendre me rappellera toujours d’un instant magique.

Further up the mountain, or

The village is too crowded.

Summer has finally shown its colours – and none too soon.

I had purchased a season’s pass on the local cable car so put it to good use, dashing

Off for the 13:30 trip further up the mountain.

We were only three so shared a gondola and as is my want, I looked for an exchange of information. All three of us not only came from around the lake down in the valley, but also were looking for “peace and quiet” along with a lack of other humans, although I suspect that they, like myself, like people well enough normally.

We headed off in the same direction, but with staggered departures, each seeking the quiet and strength of the mountain.  Besides stopping for pictures at many points I simply stopped to listen… to the lack of everyday noises, the lack of any noise at all more than once. Above tree level, there were no birds, not even the normally ever-present crows. No wind to chase the hovering clouds, no mountain streams, no hikers for the most part. I haven’t enjoyed such total silence in a long time: it filled me with a sense of eternity, of oneness with the universe. I returned greatly strengthened.

La Creusaz, VS, Switzerland

vers La Golette

vers le Luisan

Les Marécottes, VS, Switzerland

Path signs

Up the mountain

La Creusaz, Switzerland

My summer landlords in the Swiss Alps are always inviting me up for drinks and meals and occasionally I like to return the favor. However, I am not big on cooking and certainly not the roasts, fresh salad and potatoes au gratin they often offer me. So, what to do? Ah ha - light bulb idea yesterday as the weather was glorious and the gondola to La Creusaz is now open for the summer season: I’ll invite them for lunch up in the new restaurant. Invitation tendered and accepted, we had only to hope that the weather would be amenable (this summer is very much and up and down affair, one day summer, the next back to winter – imagine the heating is still on and it is the beginning of July!).

We awoke to acceptable conditions so caught the 11:30 ride up. It was a big deal as I hadn’t realized until then that it is the first time that the husband has been up since last September: he is 83 and has had a few heart problems this year – now on the mend thankfully. 

Anyway we first had drinks with a nephew and his wife, then our meal: if she chose the cheese toast, both he and I decided to savor the kangaroo cooked on slate. It was copious; it was delicious; we were stuffed!

Kangaroo steak

Looking towards Mont Blanc

Coffee and back down the mountain for a wee siesta to digest – a lovely meal with lovely people: and the weather has now turned, rain any minute.

Sometimes one has to just Carpe Diem.