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View from our B&B
taken early in the morning |
Switzerland is an amazing country with majestic mountains and vineyard-filled valleys. My vocabulary was suddenly diminished to, "wow", "ahh", and "gorgeous". This might not be so surprising to you (especially after viewing the pictures we took), but I've been before and I was
still stunned by the beauty. There is no doubt I would return in a heartbeat. In fact, Kevin and I wandered through the alpine village of Leysin and dreamt of owning a chalet and escaping the pressures of the world within those four log walls. Although owning a chalet will not likely be in our near future, we found respite and retreat in a wonderful B&B. Our time in Switzerland was brief but memorable.
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The storms a comin'
(view from our room) |
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| Chimneys in Bern |
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| View toward the center of Bern |
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| Chateau de Chillon |
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| Lake Geneva |
The day we arrived in Geneva, we (and when I say we, I mean Kevin) drove to Bern and we wandered around the city for a brief time before heading back toward Lake Geneva and the Chateau de Chillon. Bern is beautiful and quaint with a river that winds its way through the city. There are incredible views with green hills, red-roofed homes (with wonderfully unique chimneys) to gaze upon. I could've stood in awe for hours, but alas, we needed to continue onward. Chateau de Chillon is a 12th Century fortress on Lake Geneva. We sat in its shadow for a short time and chose not to go inside. In my mind, it was almost more magical to imagine than to experience the narrow, winding corridors, cold, damp cells, and views of freedom from the small, square windows.
The following day we were in the car again, headed toward Zermatt to catch a glimpse of the Matterhorn. The trip risked disappointment as the Matterhorn is often enveloped with clouds, but to our amazement (and delight), there were few clouds in the sky. The snow-capped Matterhorn clearly pronounced it's dominance over the valley.
Our evening was incredible (probably my highlight) as we had fondue in a chalet in the alps. The chalet restaurant was nestled in a valley surrounded by rocky mountain peaks. As we walked from the parking area to the chalet the ringing of cow bells was all that could be heard. In addition to the incredibly picturesque atmosphere, my heart and mind reflected on the time I'd come with my family several years ago. I felt incredibly blessed to be able to share this special place with my dear husband.
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At the top of the gondola ride
(Lake Geneva in the background) |
The third day in Switzerland we let the car rest and put on our hiking shoes. Sadly we didn't do much "real" hiking, but we did breathe some fresh mountain air as we explored Leysin and took a gondola ride up the mountain to view our surroundings from a different perspective. Our relaxed evening included a bottle of the local wine and a pizza. It was a perfect way to bring our time in Switzerland to a close.
As I write this note, I reflect on the time in Switzerland and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to see a bit more of this world that our Lord created.
In contrast to our peaceful suburb, Clapham, a city in southwest London, was hit pretty hard with the riots and looting. Clapham Junction is the "busiest railway in Britain" and one that I went through yesterday to return home from my glorious day at Kew Botanical Gardens (more details on that in another post!). Upon exiting the train station, I was met with broken and boarded windows, police officers in every direction, and nearly as many news reporters. Most of the people "roaming" the street were actually standing and staring at the damage or taking pictures (like me). It is surprising, and yet, I think writer, Max Hastings, may be on to something. He observes:Of course it is true that few (of the rioters and looters) have jobs, learn anything useful at school, live in decent homes, eat meals at regular hours or feel loyalty to anything beyond their local gang. This is not, however, because they are victims of mistreatment or neglect. It is because it is fantastically hard to help such people, young or old, without imposing a measure of compulsion which modern society finds unacceptable. These kids are what they are because nobody makes them be anything different or better.
A key factor in delinquency is lack of effective sanctions to deter it. From an early stage, feral children discover that they can bully fellow pupils at school, shout abuse at people in the streets, urinate outside pubs, hurl litter from car windows, play car radios at deafening volumes, and indeed, commit casual assaults with only a negligible prospect of facing rebuke, far less retribution.
Although Max Hastings is referring to a sect of British youth, I think it warrants a serious look at American youth and what we communicate with our system of expectations and sanctions (or lack thereof).
