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
A few weeks ago we found ourselves with some time on our hands in Fribourg, a largish city (for Switzerland) that's grown up around a well-preserved medieval center. The city is built upon both sides of the deep gorge cut by the river Saane; up on the cliffs still sit the ancient fortresses and monasteries, … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Fribourg
After a couple of weeks away from blogging, I'm happy to be back with some more pictures to share with you. These are from Davos, a town in the mountains of Eastern Switzerland that was once famous as a tuberculosis health resort and still draws lots of outdoor enthusiasts. We visited in the very last … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Davos
Chris of Calmgrove asked if I was planning to post some visits to Swiss castles, given the theme of my blog. I thought that was a lovely idea, so I'll try to oblige! At the moment we are not really able to travel, but I was in the beautiful city of Solothurn the other day … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Solothurn
Is it possible to learn two languages at once? I don't know what the research says, but it would seem to me that probably one at a time would be more effective. However, living as I do between the French and German parts of Switzerland, I don't have much choice. I have to speak French … Continue reading Doublespeak
