My first view of the Swiss Alps was from the comfort of First Class on Continental Airlines. I awoke all fresh and dewy (some of the events have been exaggerated for affect) and breathed a quick intake as I saw the tops of the snow-capped mountains flying right by my side.
View from our balcony in Luzerne, Switzerland. It boasts the oldest bridge in Europe, lots of cobblestone roads, really friendly hot chocolate vendors ("Would you care for a beverage, Madame?" echoed in a loud voice so everyone looked at the one person too cheap to pay 7 cf for some hot chocolate I could get for free at breakfast!) By the way, this was the trip of the turtlenecks. I like to have themes, and as you will see, this was one for Switzerland!
Cheese: sliced, melted, in a fondue, with bread, with meat, with bare hands, in chunks, in potatoes, in everything and anything. I heart cheese.
These swans made me laugh. They didn't come up forever and I thought, they are either playing a horrible game of hide-and-seek, they are self-conscious about their beaks, or they are plotting and planning below the surface.
The second oldest bridge in Europe!
I understand a red circle with a line drawn through it, but I don't understand just the red circle and no line. Does this mean that wild and rough looking dogs are allowed at this site? In fact, are they encouraged as so many Europeans seem to think? I wasn't sure, but I didn't like it.
LION OF LUCERNE
...the Lion of Lucerne is the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world. ~ Mark Twain
THE ALPS
SCHILTHORN
After many expensive cable cars, Michelle and I found ourselves On Her Majesty's Secret Service with James Bond on the top of the world, eating potatoes and bratwurst in a revolving restaurant.
I went to the balcony here and shouted, "I'm King of the World!!"
George Lazenby, I'll admit, you are not my favorite Bond. I secretly wished I was seeing a set from a Bond film that featured Craig or Connery.
The Alps soon became an emotional time for me......and Michelle.
GIMMELWALD
After trekking down the steep Swiss mountianside (Michelle complete with D&G handbag no less)....I needed to revive with water straight from the Alps.
Then I took in the view and listened to the quaint and hypnotic sounds of cow and sheep bells ringing over the countryside. I also bought an old postcard from 1939 from a woman who had the smallest shop in the world in the entry way of her house. She inherited all her grandmother's postcards, I suppose. She didn't know what to do with them, so she put them in a basket and sold them for a pittance. I fell in love with the picture, the stamp, the elegant German handwriting, and I told her I would take good care of it.
Then I noticed that Heidi had not come home...it was getting late so I called her in.
ZURICH
My illegal-and-hard-to-see picture of the Chagall stained glass windows in Zurich, definitely the Zurich highlight for me.....besides the nice new watch I treated myself to.
Ok, don't you just want these guys to perch on your windowsill and wake you up in the morning? I do! My global fascination with the world that is McDonald's met with some fonder affection, which I generally have none of for said establishment, in Zurich. The characters are so cuddley and friendly, they have a breakfast sandwich called the McGuyere, which I almost tried, they have patriotic chicken figures in the shape of plus signs or the Red Cross, however you like to think of it (like on the Swiss flag). And, although their little workers didn't wear legwarmers like they do in Korea, they were still clean and friendly...another theme of the Swiss!
The artist section of Zurich, called Schelp or something, I will have to check on that. My German ist nicht zer gutt.
We climbed up to the top of the bell tower, saw a Swiss version of Quasimodo, who was kinder and cleaner kempt. We also did little jigs and sang songs from Sound of Music...because, it just seemed right.
Our room had a beautiful mural on it, with a replica of said church. And there you see my third and final turtleneck. Thanks for reading!
9 comments:
Thanks a lot: now I desperately want to go back to the Alps. Sheesh, just when I'd gotten it all out of my system you go and post these amazing pictures and describe an amazing trip.
D'Arcy,
It's like seeing my trip through your eyes. I was in the same church, and we listened to an organ recital. I still dream of those Chagal windows. Then we went across the street or somewhere close, and the first music box I picked up played my favorite music in the whole world, Rachmaninoff's Theme on Paganini. The box was mine. That old bridge burned the night before we reached. Then the swans, I was in heaven. I was there during the summer.
D'Arcy, I love hearing about your trips but seriously I gett green in the face and sick to my stomach w/ jealousy!!!! The homesick feeling is starting to become more than I can safely handle.
Oh, MKL, you and your silly antics. Fine, maybe I will get a new blog.
Seeing as I just got back from...Tampa Bay!
WOO! It was...I tried to think of a pun, but I couldn't.
So, I'll just talk about how great it was, and how you're the only person I talk to on here...creepy.
--Your Favorite Student...still.
Ooooo...I want your life! So beautiful! And tasty!
I once saw the Alps from a distance during a layover in Zurich. Very pretty, but somehow not satisfying (though the 2-hour chocolate-and-pastries fieldtrip was lovely!)
loving it all! Thanks for the diversity of photographs, from mcdonalds to the alps... wow. And for slightly romanticizing here and there for affect. You made all the people before my comment want to travel and simultaneously making them jealous. Sehr gut!
i seriously love your pictures, d'arcy. switzerland is so beautiful!
You are the envy of all the Matt Cranford's I've ever met. And of several other people I've met as well!
You write very well.
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