I must apologize for the radio silence. I meant to write this post months ago, but I never seemed to have the time — and then when I finally had the time last month, I put it off and off, overwhelmed by the prospect of having to put the happenings of the previous four months into words. I woke up this morning, brewed some tea and decided today would be the day. So let me try to recap…
switzerland
Oeschinensee: That Water Though…
Oeschinensee is the quintessential Swiss lake — and my new favorite — with its dramatic mountain landscape rising out of shockingly turquoise water. The trail was dotted with grazing cows wearing bells and when we arrived at the lake there were even more lounging around the shoreline. I couldn’t put my camera down!
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Graubünden: A Very Small Taste of Swiss #Vanlife
After two weeks of living in a 35-degree apartment — that’s 95 degrees Fahrenheit, for my American readers — Guillaume and I were desperate for one blissful, sweat-free night. So we rented a jeep, drove across Geneva to the canton of Graubünden and celebrated our wedding anniversary in bright red camper van perched on top of a mountain that I found on Airbnb. Sipping rosé and taking in the gorgeous view of the valley below in the crisp mountain air, we knew we had made the right call. And when we woke up at 6am absolutely freezing because we had left all of the camper windows open, we weren’t even cranky. Oh what a joy it was to be cold again!
Fribourg: Urban Golfing à la Suisse
With our half-fare train passes on the verge of expiring, Guillaume and I decided to take advantage of our last discounted weekend and the gorgeous weather to visit the medevial city of Fribourg, Switzerland. The train journey itself was quite the treat, particularly the stretch just after Lausanne, and I think the above and below photos of Lake Geneva look like paintings even though they were taken through a glass window — Don’t you?
Two-Year Anniversary
I experienced a bit of déjà vu on Wednesday: I pushed through one of the enormous glass doors of the Geneva Apple store, weaved my way through the sea of eager customers trying out the latest Macs and made my way to the left side of the room where I knew I would find the iPad-wielding employee that essentially serves as the bouncer for the Genius Bar. As far as I could remember, I had not set foot in the store since the several-week debacle over my MacBook shortly after moving to Geneva, during which I helplessly relied on my husband to communicate on my behalf. But this time, I reminded myself, things were different. I took a deep breath and approached the smiling bouncer. Continue reading
21-Month Anniversary
I don’t mean to disappoint, but I think it’s only fair to share bad news up front. This post is from Guillaume. You may know me as Melissa’s husband, a supporting character in the Plaid Shirt Diaries known for erratic driving through the Balkans and an unquenchable thirst for history. Have no fear! This is temporary! The Plaid Shirts Diaries is not about to become an unwanted history lesson. Thankfully, Melissa will soon return to the stage. Over the past few months, other projects have sadly pulled her away from this blog. But I can assure you that she will return and cannot wait to fill you in on our latest adventures.
Soon to come are posts on:
Basel: The Art of Papermaking
With one weekend to go before the start of my final semester of classes, Gui and I decided to take a quick trip to Basel before I got buried under books again. We caught the 8:45am train to Bern on Saturday and then transferred to a train headed to Basel, arriving at the main station at 11:30am.
Zermatt: Waiting for the Matterhorn
Gui eagerly pulled back the curtain covering the window of our Matterhorn-view hotel room after our alarm went off early Saturday morning and saw… nothing. Well, not exactly nothing: We could see the town of Zermatt, complete with its adorable Swiss chalets, but the spot where the Matterhorn should be famously looming over the town was covered in clouds.
18-Month Anniversary
Celebrating a year and a half in Geneva today! Time to blow out the candle!
Photo credit: Akorfa Carlos KLUTSE
(Seriously, though. Notice anything?)
Swiss Road Trip: St. Gallen, Appenzell, Vaduz & Lugano
Switzerland continued to blow us away with its natural beauty and cultural diversity on our road trip last weekend that kicked off with a four-hour, post-work drive out to St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland. I fell asleep a couple hours in and Gui was a champion, escorting his sleepy wife to the hotel room upon arrival before going to park the car.
The Plaid Shirt Diaries 