Yesterday we took a little stroll through my home state, Montana, via the lenses of several very talented photographers. Today, let’s travel to Switzerland. It’s where our daughter, DeAna, lives with her husband and family. It’s our go-to place when we have saved up enough to travel… and are free to do so. Three of our grandchildren are there. Of course, it’s a wonderful place to “have to” go!!
We sat on a patio with this view eating raclette with our daughter last time we visited her in Sierre, Switzerland, spring of 2018.
We visited that quaint village and attended the wedding of a Swiss friend.
Here are our three Swiss grandsons, Mike, Nick & Chris. That was several years ago when we visited at Christmas time. They’ve changed considerably since then!
Here’s their mom, our daughter. DeDe. Such a sweetheart! She never changes.
Her sons, on the other hand, do! But, okay, let’s look at some of their Swiss scenery. That’s why you came, right?
The lakes are sites to behold!
Castles are plentiful!
Riding in the car with my son-in-law driving on these switchbacks is an experience to remember!!
Flowers in springtime are everywhere!
Towns often were built almost to resemble fortresses.
Grape vineyards border towns and cities where the ground is fertile.
How they built castles on such high, rocky mountain peaks is beyond me!
Every square inch of the sunny mountainsides of Switzerland is terraced and planted with grapes. (This is Lake Geneva). It is near Valais, the canton where De & Andre’ live).
The lakes in Switzerland are numerous, clear, clean and so picturesque!
Castles in Switzerland are plentiful and always points of great travel interest.
In every town and village, the church steeple is always the highest point!
The way they tuck houses into crevices is amazing!!
Trains are a wonderful way to see Switzerland.
You can set your clocks by the trains and their arrival/departures.
The train system is amazing in Switzerland. Andre’s uncle was an engineer who helped design some of these bridges!
Here’s that raclette I was telling you about earlier. Delicious melted cheese with potatoes, pickles and onions is “the best” delicacy of Valais! (Of course that’s in my biased opinion)
I love the Swiss cows. We have one of the queen cowbells hanging in our kitchen here in Montana!! I’ll show you that another time.
We usually visit in springtime or in winter (Bob loves to ski), but autumn is a gorgeous time in Switzerland, too.
The Matterhorn is one of Switzerland’s most famous landmarks.
This year De & Andre’ were working at a mountaintop restaurant at a ski resort where the only access was by chairlift. Can you imagine the views??
I love the springtime the most. Flowers are everywhere and the mountains are green and alive.
Oh, here are some more of those gorgeous Swiss cows!
Switzerland is beautiful in every season!
Thank you for visiting a few scenes with me. Thank you to #IloveSwitzerland for most of the images. Some are mine, though. Isn’t it an amazing country?
This is my oldest grandson, Mike with his significant other, Tania. We can hardly wait til the next time we get to go and visit with them. Kids grow up so fast, don’t they?
Doesn’t matter what season it is, we know our “DollyWolly” will be there to greet us!!
Thanks for visiting with me for a while. Hopefully someday we will go back… and I hope you can visit Switzerland for real yourself someday, too.
order take-out or learn to cook some fantastic stuff yourself!
make home-school an adventure for you and your kid(s); if your kids are grown, send ideas to friends, neighbors, grandkids about things they can do (like log into http://www.janbrett.com and listen to her read her newest book, COZY).
take time to appreciate the ones who are still at work – on the job – making it possible for us to have groceries, get gas, know our loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes are being cared for, and fill our prescriptions when we call them in. God Bless ’em!
don’t let the stock market numbers consume you or freak you out
stop hoarding toilet paper, and
look for virtual ways to be together while we’re apart.
My friend, Elaine Hundley, wrote this poem, “Together from a Distance.” I posted it already on my blog a week or so ago. It’s time to post it again. Take her words to heart!
Together from a Distance Elaine Hundley
“Shelter in place”, they say, “Socially distance yourself From others, and Save yourself In these uncertain days.”
Accepting the mandates Emanating from multiple sources Muddles mind and soul, Reducing faith to realms Not resonating with reality.
So, feed the children, Hold the children, Cherish the children As they carry Fears of family insecurity.
Show young adults affectionate attention, Remembering to renew The frail with hope, Casting aside Despair and defeat.
Connect with the community As faces flood your consciousness, Allowing fingers to fondle keys of phone and keyboard To share love, kindness and contentment.
Share smiles all around, sending self-confidence On its way to unsuspecting faces, places, situations. Simply become beacons of tranquil assurance And you, too, may discover realms of restful renewal In these uncertain days.
This pandemic will not last forever. Make it a positive, meaningful time in your life. With prayer and faith and compassion, it will be. When it ends, if you have remained positive and you have spread hope to those around you, it will be “A Pretty Good Day” INDEED!
Count on it!
Here’s a gift for you!
Have a good week! Thanks for visiting JanBeek. What’s on your agenda?
My friend, Elaine, who has avoided poetry most of her life (after a high school experience in an English class (where diagramming sentences and picking poetry apart looking for rhythm and rhyme scheme and very hidden meaning turned her off) is discovering the poet in her soul! She sent me these Haiku. She wrote them this morning:
Our world is amiss One alone proves capable Gentle as a kiss
Choose to share kindness Chaos only seems to reign Care completes circle
Kindness in Chaos?
In this crazy world where people sometimes are behaving irrationally, it is easy to write some people off and say they are off-limits! They are adding to the earth’s problems, rather than trying to solve them. One of my followers wrote this note yesterday:
“I’m all for being positive, Jan, but some people’s behaviour is sickening … like some here who are selling paracetamol on eBay for £10 and Calpol for ,£20!”
What to Do?
What should we do about those “sickening” people? Do we write off the toilet paper hoarders and the ones buying cases of hand sanitizer, and the price gougers? Do we condemn the politicians who sold off hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock after a preliminary briefing about the upcoming pandemic? Condemn ’em and throw all the bums out??
27 Jesus said in Luke 6:27-31 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Kindness Rules! Kindness completes the circle of life as we want it to be.
Let your creativity reign. Give birth to your inner poet .
Be the change you wish to see in this world.
My niece, Jodie (my sister, Sally’s daughter in PA, just sent me a picture of this bouquet with a note that said, “Bill brought sunshine to our home today ❤ “
What kindness can you exhibit today to add love and sunshine to your home?
We are in a bit of a mess right now But we will as a world of people Get through this problem of COVID-19 If we focus on the possibilities.
We have to see the problem, though. We can’t ignore it and decide This is just a bunch of media hype. Opportunities for containing it are coming.
The people who are working on a cure Have to view the problem clearly. They won’t create a vaccine or treatment If they are convinced it’s only a hoax.
This major, world-wide problem is An opportunity for people to see A new and better world where people Come together to create positive change.
Factories shut down and air quality improves. Tourists are convinced to stay home, and The waters in the canals of Venice are Beginning to exhibit less pollution.
Schools are closed and parents are at home, Schooling their children the best they can, And hopefully spending quality time together. Shut off the TV; limit screen time; TALK!
This problem IS providing us with opportunities. Which ones are you taking advantage of? Which closet got cleaned? What book did you read? What distant friend did you call to reconnect?
Problems provide possibilities for creativity. Use yours to make this corner of your world A little brighter for your family and neighbors. Remain positive. Spread hope. God bless you!
