More cosmic wanderings… or

A trip from lake to lake.

As many of my family and friends know, my life although often tried to plan, usually has a mind of its own and leads me in tangents, most of which turn out very well indeed.

A couple of months ago, my eldest son asked if he could use the mountain apartment the first week in August. I replied in the positive and even offered the car as it is easier to get around although if one has to there is a train.  Then about a month ago he learned that he wasn’t going to be able to take the first week in August: how was the last week in July?

Not a problem as meanwhile I had an accumulation of odds and ends of appointments.

At that point he no longer wanted the car – his back is still giving him problems and the train is better for being able to move around.

Fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago: my lovely Syrian friends from Paris asked if they could visit the first week of August – a resounding yes on my part. There is the 1^st of August, then they will produce their marvelous Syrian and grill meal the 3^rd and so it goes. My summer house guest, R., will also be here for her last week – where has the time gone?

Anyway when another good friend no longer needed to go to Northern Switzerland for the day today, I bought the train ticket thinking to give my son a great gift, but no, meanwhile he preferred a car so rented one as I could no longer offer him mine.

Thus is was that two days ago I started seriously considering what I wanted to do today with this train ticket and for some reason, which I couldn’t explain at the time, my mind said “go have lunch in Lucerne”.

 

As Seneca said: hurry and live well: remember that each day is a life in itself.

Terminus - Lucerne - please get off

 

Lucerne's famous wooden bridge - in all its summer glory

 

detail of the wooden bridge

Which is what I did. Caught the direct train and thought to choose a different restaurant, but having checked out several ended up back at one that holds fond memories “Le Lapin” – introduced to me by one of my best friends who grew up not far from Lucerne and with whom I had the privilege of eating there whilst visiting her a few years back during their period of “returning home”. They have since returned to the neighborhood so I see them more often, still good memories.

I also went out to the Hans Erni Museum – something that I had been meaning to do for several years now: more good memories at it is in the same compound as the Museum of Transportation – a favorite of the family. Although I didn’t find another lithograph to purchase (we do have Pythagoras on the wall – bought there when they first opened) I enjoyed refreshing my memory as to his talent.

mural outside the Hans Erni Museum

Somewhere along the way I realized why I had been pulled towards Lucerne as my choice today: my favorite aunt – and second mother – would have turned 95 today! It was during her first trip to Europe that she saw Lucerne and bought me my first watch – a Swiss watch. Who could have known that I would eventually study in France then return to Switzerland and become Swiss all these years later? Cosmic wanderings indeed with an added bonus: it wasn't as hot in Lucerne as currently in Geneva.

Lake Lucerne

Lake Lucerne

On the way to… or from

From various remarks over the past year or so, I realize that what I see as being totally normal  - to the point that I sometimes no longer even “see” it – is for others extraordinary. Today on my trip to the mountains I decided to consciously drive, to knowingly remark upon the beauty of my surroundings: not that it is all beautiful or even all interesting.

The drive is a very leisurely 2 hours from door to door, but today I stopped, took pictures, walked around, try to imagine seeing it all for the first time. It wasn’t a superb day, but also at least wasn’t raining either: a normal day in short.

Along this road (through France for about half of it), there are old wooden chalets, manor houses and small castles even, together with the 50s ugly and the box modern. Scenery is much more entertaining as I pass through fields of hay, corn, some with horses, some with cows then drive along the lake front for some 20 miles: small harbors, new parks, villages of all sizes (and interest). 

School & City hall Sciez

Fish fountain in Publier/Amphion

Evian is along this route and so scenes include the widest point of Lake Leman, the Olympic sized pool with a diving board into the lake that is higher than I ever want to stand on, the Casino, an old bell tower, the spa and the new Hilton (not on this particular road through Evian is the golf course and several very luxurious hotels).

They keep adding to their art work of old wood

The church tower behind an apartment building

There are parts, which are fairly wild, others entirely sleepy-little-village-in-the-sun and yet others new modern bungalows. There are the hidden beaches, the off-the-track churches (every time I drive through one small village I think someday I have to go see the Jean-Jacques Rousseau church – some almost 40 years later, still haven’t).

Fisherman off the "Petite Rive"

New lakefront park in Petite Rive

There is a difference in the feel – and even in the roads – in between France and Switzerland – only the trees, flowers and lake remain the same.

Looking across towards Montreux from St. Gingolph

At the end of the lake a sharp right turn brings me through a transitional valley with the French alps invisible behind the lower pre-alps on the right and the higher peaks of places such as Leysin, Les Diablerets and Villars in Switzerland to the left.  Here also there are winds so usually see hang gliders, real (airplane) gliders (there is a small airport), but today there were also a couple of military jets doing maneuvers. Plenty of water inland as well as I crossed the Rhone twice.

The vineyards at "Evouettes"

Left side mirror

Right side mirror

I had debated stopping off at the spa: Lavey-les-Bains, but in the end just wandered on to Martigny and went to the Giannada Museum instead to see the Renoir exhibition. From there I came across the newly renovated protestant temple where all the windows were changed into stained glass windows by a renowned Swiss artist: Hans Erni – the last of the windows he did at 105! He must be doing something right.

Up to my mountain abode and a short walk to see what’s new – just the setting sun bathing the mountaintop. I could actually see the Matterhorn from the farthest point, but my camera’s batteries decided that they had done enough for the day and quit on me: some memories are meant to just be mental.

End of the day

Things happening all over or…

Whoever said that nothing ever happens in Geneva, wasn’t in town this weekend!

 

Saturday I had to dash into town to pick up a map that had finally arrived at one of the local bookstores. As luck would have it – the Genevan police were celebrating their 200^th anniversary: one could watch them take care of a suspicious package; parade some of the more spectacular cars and motorcycles; attend “rescue” operations; sign up to become a policeperson or listen to the music – now I would love to have those policemen on duty in some of the neighbourhoods – the singer even had a decent voice!

In the afternoon I went down to the next village where they were also officially opening the bypass tunnel to the population and celebrating with the usual drink, hotdog and dessert stands. Didn’t stay long as hadn’t properly gotten off the ground yet.

Sunday I needed to pick someone up at the train station – and wow a Geneva I have never seen. The new station was being officially opened to the public (inauguration with the politicians had taken place some time before) and they had invited the Music School to provide the entertainment – chorales, ensembles, musicians of all sorts all over the place: I enjoyed some great jazz/gypsy music whilst waiting (www.maurice-klezmer.com) – almost regretted not being able to check out the other spots around town.

Monday – now talk about what is usually a totally dead day: it was. Only made the mad dash all the way across town to check out sofa beds for the attic. On the return as there was going to be traffic anyway, made a small detour and picked up burritos: yes you read correctly, we finally have a sort of Tex-Mex fast food that actually resembles that which we know and love.

Today, I needed to again go into town (for much less entertaining, excuse the pun, reasons – the dentist). Afterwards I went down the main tramline to do a couple of errands (o.k. to get some card stock and pick up chocolates to console myself!). On one of the main squares a pianist who’s goal is to compose and play in public: a cross between classical music and what I believe is now called a “happening” or artistic “performance”: A lovely interlude. www.julianlayn.com

Julian Layn, Swiss composer and pianist

Julian Layn, Swiss composer and pianist

Julian Layn, Swiss composer and pianist

 

Who knows what’s on for tomorrow – I intend heading back up to the mountains where the main entertainment is cows in the fields and clouds in the skies.

Lakefront in Corsier, Switzerland

My normal is your exotic and

Vice Versa

Last Sunday was such a beautiful day that I decided to take a walk that I hadn’t done in a long time: up to my village, across what I call the “spine” and back down via the lakefront.

In a short time I can see both the alp mountain chain (including Mont Blanc on a clear day) and the Jura mountain range; the lake; the vineyards (almost ready for harvesting); small villages, large and small lakefront properties; the harbor itself and any other wonders along the way.

I often reflect upon how lucky I am to have such glorious surroundings – some days I even take them for granted, until I realize that many envy me my life. But then, it’s all a matter of perspective (with a touch of “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”) as I might find your surroundings extraordinary, if they differ totally from my daily sights.

Enjoy wherever you are, whatever you see.

lettuce for the fall

the upper road - Juras in the distance

part of the vineyards

grapes are almost ripe

property on the lake front - calm day

taking off - calm lake

wind's up today... five days later - another lake

the wind and waves change the color today

– Truth or Platitude

Lac Léman February 17, 2014

 

And I’ll add Plato to the mix.

Can a truth be a platitude? Can a platitude be a truth? Are they mutually exclusive, or mutually inclusive?

Truth, defined by Webster’s is the quality or state of conforming with the facts or with reality. It can, however, be an idealized abstraction as well as an actual application.

A Platitude, again as defined by Webster’s is a remark, which is commonplace, trite, even dull, especially if one utters it as though it were a new or novel idea.

So is Plato’s “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” truth or platitude?

Regardless of the philosophical discussion that one can hold – and wouldn’t it have been fun to listen to Pythagorus, Plato, Socrates or Aristotle –in the eyes of this beholder, I have found beauty in the past 24 hours.

Sunset February 16

Lake Swan

Heart of a yellow tulip

Winter Solstice – Hope

“For the Northern Hemisphere, the moment of winter solstice is when the sun's elevation with respect to the North Pole is at its most negative value since the previous December. (The elevation with respect to the South Pole is at its greatest since the previous December). The hemisphere has its longest night and shortest day around the moment of solstice with the night within the Arctic being 24 hours long.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

Already toward the end of November I personally start looking forward to the winter solstice – when the days will finally no longer get shorter. As luck would have it this year, not only did it fall on a sunny day, but this morning (the day after so to speak) thanks to our warm wind – the Foehn – one would think that winter will never arrive.

Now, we in the Northern Hemisphere know that there will still be dark, gray days; we know that if we are at the appropriate latitude that it will snow; here in Geneva we know that there will be days of our cold wind “La Bise”, but for now, we have hope.

Hope that as surely as the world turns on its axis, the days will lengthen, the nights shorten until we reach the apex six months later of Midsummer’s night. We hope that the coming light will also warm up relationships, will help combat the cold, will lead us to be friendlier.

If there are many celebrations around the theme of light, never mind Christmas, it is probably because since time immemorial mankind needed something to get them through the long dark nights, something to give them hope of better, longer days.

Continuing in the theme of being closer to family and friends, we have already celebrated Christmas, I have accepted many small (and larger) invitations to gather together with others, and as the days grow longer will also get up and get back out on my walking paths. If it isn’t “the mountains are calling and I must go” (John Muir) it is the lake beckoning where I can listen to the wavelets, look at the mountains across the way, observe nature in all its variety.

In the end the Winter Solstice brightens up my life.

The advantages and beauty of a gray, rainy, November day

Admittedly when that title popped into my mind this morning, I had a one-word answer: NONE

But the thought kept buzzing around in my head as I went to the post office for the mail, to a friend’s house to deliver some magazines and to the service station for gas. And I actually thought of a few (in no particular order, and with no evident importance).

• The glory of not having to leave a warm house.
• Paradoxically, the fun of leaving said house for lunch with family or friends – when the skies are gray and the weather unwelcoming, the warmth of one’s fellow humans is even more precious.
• Not wanting to be out and about means cleaning a drawer instead offing shopping, thus producing two benefits: no money spent; a clean and tidy draw.
• The excuse to not rake the leaves.
• The lack of guilt at taking the car instead of walking.
• The few remaining leaves seem like beaming spots of color in the gray.
• The cloud patterns are interesting.
• My sister’s wind chimes gently remind me of the presence in my heart of those who are no longer physically here.

Then I decided to “look for the beauty” in that gray and discovered that if you do look, you will find it – including the light rainbow on the lake and the spot of sun that appeared (just for me: I would like to think that it was my reward for taking the question seriously) for two minutes.

And I couldn’t help but take the thought a step further: what if when our lives seem full of only dreary gray events, we actually looked for the beauty – we would probably find it. So from now on (most days anyway) I’ll strive to, instead of seeing the gray, look for the spots of beauty – it can only improve my mood like those fifteen minutes this morning.

 

Waves of Happiness

My roommate and I share something wonderful: every once in awhile we’ll feel just immersed in a happiness wave. They come unbidden and not often, nor are they explainable as to why then or there, they just appear.

I had one yesterday as I left the mountains for the trek home to celebrate the Swiss National Holiday August 1^st.

After the cold and rain of Monday, followed by a general clearing out of clouds and bad weather on Tuesday, Wednesday was a brilliant day: the greens were greener, the blues as blue as they’ll ever be – everything was shiny and seemingly new.

Then today – the Swiss National Holiday: it was in 1891 that the date of Swiss National day was first decided upon – August 1 (the chosen date of August 1^st harks back to summer of 1291 when three cantons bonded together, not as a country, but in a pact of mutual support should they be attacked by the reigning Habsburgs).

Then, the Swiss not being particularly rapid when it comes to many things, took over a hundred years before running a vote to actually give themselves the day off. Following the vote in September 1993, the day became an official national holiday in 1994.
 
Celebrations are similarly low-key with a gathering of the community, the reading of the pact and a bonfire. Often children carry lanterns (and yes, some still have real candles in them) and parade around the village.  It is a very special sight to be on a boat in the middle of some small lake in Switzerland’s interior and see the bonfires on all the surrounding hillsides.
So happy vacation to all of you wherever you are – enjoy the beauty of your surroundings.

La Batiaz Bridge, Martigny

Chalet, Les Marécottes, VS

Lac Léman just out of St.Gingolph

August 1 decorations