IrishOboe

Sounds like the title of a German lesson essay.  I think I need to start studying again rather than just communicating.  Today I learned that you do not buy train tickets (kaufen) you use another word (lösen).  It matters little for communication, but it’s slightly frustrating to know I’ve been saying it wrong this whole time.

How did I learn that?  I took a trip with Veronika to Weissenstein, a mountain with an incredible view of the alps.

When we left at 9:30 (my request since it was only the second day since vacation started that I’ve been able to sleep in!) and it was cold.  We arrived in Oberdorf and it was very cold and very foggy.  We got on an open lift and froze as we slowly drifted up through the fog.

The trees were covered in frost, which was beautiful but I was beginning to wonder what we were doing there in the crazy weather when suddenly we broke through the clouds and before us was a sea of soft rolling clouds punctuated by islands of mountain tops before reaching the shores of the Alps, which stretched as far along the horizon as the eye could see.  I’ve been in Switzerland long enough for the gasp of exclamation to be in German and not Japanese or English.  What a sight!  It was suddenly warmer and the sky was blue above us.

We spend an hour or so walking around the trails at the top of the mountain then we ate our picnic on a bench while taking in the fabulous view.

After a hot drink at the obligatory restaurant-at-the-top (Mt. Fuji was nothing unique I’ve come to learn) we walked around some more before descending warm and happy into the bitter cold fog.  We got home cold and tired but had a good day none the less.  I introduced Veronika to Quiddler and she played fairly well.  I tried to get her to speak Swiss German to me, but for some reason she’s reluctant and I only got one sentence.  Maybe it has something to do with wanting to be understood.  Ah well, we got some good English time in and the rest of the time we went back to high German.  Just when I thought I’d given enough back to her she insisted on paying for the whole trip.  When I ‘grow up’ I’m going to have to do a whole lot of giving to begin to repay the generosity of all the wonderful people in my life!

At the top there was an exhibition of an artist who draws with one line.  I found his work rather attractive.  He did a huge drawing of that Alpine view and they showed a small replica, which I took a picture of and you can see below.

There was also many families out for walking and sledding and it made me want to be a kid again, or better yet get a family of my own so I could have an excuse to so sledding with cute little kids bundled up to their chubby faces and adorable smiles.

My cell phone seemed to manage the cold without trouble, but when we arrived back in Basel it froze on me.  The display went all dark and if I knew how to adjust the contrast I’d say it was just that since I can turn it on and off and enter my pin number and all.  I just can see anything and I can’t find a reset button and I’m miffed that turning it off and taken out the battery doesn’t work.  Computers.  You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.

Updates on Christmas and the following days are forthcoming, but I’ve got to get some work done or I’ll go into the new year even more frazzled than I ended this one.  Yes, that means I’m trying to get to all your emails as well as a tax bill that came after the due date . . .  They were too cheap to send it airmail.

But lest it should sound I’m complaining more than I’m grateful I must emphasize that that is not so.  I’m having a lovely vacation and only wish Marry Poppins would come so I could snap my fingers and have the affairs of my room in order so I could go on to more interesting tasks and continue to enjoy my time off, but I guess I’m not a kids anymore.

Love and miss you all!