A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to take advantage of the lovely spring weather and go on an outing to a nearby place I'd never yet been: the Verenaschlucht, a gorge leading to a hermit's hut and two medieval chapels. Located near the beautiful Baroque city of Solothurn, it's known for ancient healing forces, … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Verenaschlucht
I recently finished a training for caregivers that involved two days a week of classroom time, over eight wintry weeks. Each day, after so much intense learning in a language that is not my mother tongue, I felt the need to get out and walk during my lunch break. I wandered in various directions through … Continue reading Can we build a path to peace?
For my birthday weekend it was my idea to visit St. Ursanne, a lovely town about a half hour drive away. We'd been there in our first year for the medieval festival that takes place every July, but not since then. The patron saint with his legendary bear, with view across the river Doubs to … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: St Ursanne
During our fall break, we went to Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland -- a place we'd been wanting to visit for a while. Located beyond Interlaken, at the other end of the Lake of Brienz, it's a renowned destination for both skiing and hiking. It's also famous as the place where Sherlock Holmes met his … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Meiringen
On our way back from Bivio this summer, we took a jaunt through northern Italy to visit a friend of my husband's for a few days. This was the Sudtirol region, which has close ties with neighboring Austria, and where German is still mixed in with Italian in a lot of places. Interestingly, as soon … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland (and Italy): Two sacred sites
At the start of Europe's heat wave in July, we decamped for cooler climes in the Alps. We stayed in the delightful town of Bivio in Val Surses, just across the Julierpass from the famous Engadin valley where my husband and I had stayed shortly after we were married 18 years ago. We got to … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Val Surses and Engadin
We haven't been doing much traveling for the last few months, but last October on our way back from Ticino we stopped in Lucerne, a city in the heart of "old Switzerland." It was a gorgeous day to spend a couple of hours in this stunning location by the lake, with a view of the … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Lovely Lucerne
Back in October, when winter was already approaching in our region, we spent a couple of weeks exploring and looking for sunshine in Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland. It can only be reached by going over or under the Alps -- we spent 15 minutes driving through the Gotthard Tunnel, a wonder of modern … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Ticino
What comfort are you finding in these challenging times? Books are high on my list, as always, along with family, the chance for meaningful work, and the ongoing quest to understand our amazing, complex world. Here's a survey of what's come my way this month. Literature I really enjoyed participating fully in Nonfiction November this … Continue reading Month in Review: November 2021
Back in July, we spent about a week in the Goms Valley region of the Alps -- we had planned to do some hiking, but as it ended up being shortly after my gallbladder surgery I couldn't move around much, plus the weather was very wet. So we spent most of our time relaxing in … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Muenster
