Rail Travel - Swiss Style

In these retirement years when for the most part, I don't have tight schedules to follow, I am able to enjoy observing the world. Thus, instead of routinely driving to Geneva, Lausanne or other points within Switzerland when visiting friends, I generally try to take the train. I find that I actually have time to view the countryside this way, rather than having to keep my attention on road conditions, signals and other drivers. Railroad stations here are centrally-located, so one arrives right in the middle of town, even in the tiny ones.

So long as one's visit is short, a one-way ticket can actually be used for traveling within one's destination city as well as for the return journey. For example, if I want to go to Geneva or nearby Nyon, but the whole visit will not last longer than two hours, one-way ticket purchase will suffice and will include the local buses and trams. A one-way ticket to Lausanne allows me a "grace period" of four hours, which is plenty of time for short visits to friends and the return trip. For longer periods of time, it's better to buy a day pass, which is still generally less expensive than two one-way passages.

The Swiss Railway (SBB/CFF) has a website that provides excellent information, including timetables and rail fares, in four languages: French, German, Italian and English. It was formerly a national institution, but since 1999 has been a special corporation whose stock shares are held by the cantons. Those of us who are residents generally purchase demi-abonnements (half-fare travel passes, locally referred to as the "demi-abo") for periods from one to three years. These entitle us to travel anywhere, anytime within the country for half-price, even if we merely purchase our train tickets at a ticket machine a few minutes before the train leaves.  If one books longer trips enough in advance, one may also find that special fares are available for which a demi-abo is not even needed. But these fares quickly sell off, especially during peak travel periods.

When arranging for train travel to Italy last year, for example, I was able to get special fares both for the trip to Milano and for the return to Geneva that were even less than the demi-abo fares would have been. Because HWMBO, who does not have a demi-abo, would be accompanying me on the return trip, I used the special fare for his ticket from Milano and purchased a half-fare ticket for myself. No, I was not pulling a fast one. I was merely following the suggestion of the very helpful ticket agent. Note: the smaller stations use only machines, but those situated in cities like Geneva and Lausanne have ticket offices, including associated travel agencies that will book hotels, etc. as well. These are the best places to get information from actual human beings, all of whom are multilingual (in case of linguistically-challenged travelers).


On Wednesday, I traveled to Lausanne to visit friends and was delighted to catch one of the sleek new double-decker trains. Here is "my" train, just after arrival in Lausanne.

Here is the railway car (wagon) that I rode in. And yes, I chose a seat on the upper level. What fun!

The large "2" indicates that this car is for second-class passengers, which is what most passengers - including me - choose to pay for. But there was nothing "second-class" about this car, believe me! 
    

Greater Geneva

When people ask me where I live, my answer is usually that I live in "the Geneva area of Switzerland," mainly because Geneva is much better known and thus more easily visualized than the tiny village (commune) where I actually reside. In fact, I can now begin using the term, "Greater Geneva, (le Grand Geneve) accurately. Within the last month, this conurbation (and yes, I learned a new word!) of three French departments (Ain, Haute-Savoie and Rhone-Alpes) and two Swiss cantons (Geneva and Vaud) has officially been dubbed Greater Geneva.

While the name itself is new, this agglomeration project has been on the drawing boards since the 1970s because of the large numbers of people employed in Geneva - generally for the international organizations that are based there - but who live outside Geneva canton, either in France or in Vaud. It wasn't until the late 1990s, however, that it took concrete form with the publication of the "Charte d'aménagement de l'agglomération transfrontalière franco-valdo-genevoise" (France-Vaud-Geneva Conurbation Development Charter). While there were many starts and stops along the way, the Charter was signed by the partners in 2007 and the project was officially launched. It allows for the creation of a coordination and administrative level and defines the grand organization principles for the region that are to be achieved by 2030, as shown below.

To be precise, not all parts of each French department or Swiss canton named are actually included within this conurbation. It is only those regions that are in close proximity to Geneva. My village, being located in the western district of Vaud, with its regional administrative center located in nearby Nyon, is indeed included within Greater Geneva.


The area is home to approximately 730,000 inhabitants, 500,000 of whom live in Switzerland. Contrast this with the population of my birth state of Montana, which is approximately the size of the country of France. The population of that whole state is just shy of one million. Despite what might be seen as congestion by my fellow Montanans, this area is a shining example of how humans can co-exist harmoniously not only with their fellow humans from all over the world, but with the native flora and fauna.


I never feel crowded here.


    

Saturday Morning in May

The afternoon has begun to cloud over, typical of afternoons in recent days. But this morning, like the last two, the weather was actually quite beautiful. So, after a quick excursion on my bicycle, I showered and walked into the bourg to run some errands. The first Saturday in May is Kentucky Derby Day in the US. As usual, this reminds me of Friends A and J in Bluegrass Country whom we visited a couple years back. I will likely only be able to see the race itself on-line, less the media hoopla, late tonight.

After stopping by the post office, I walked over to the boat landing area. The municipality has installed a spanking new snackbar (buvette), which is a great improvement over the former weathered wooden structure that has been there for years. I was tempted to join those who were enjoying the sun and the view.

Looking back towards Geneva City, I was sorry to see that the familiar plume of the jet d'eau was not visible. The fountain may have been turned off because we have lately had freakish gusts of wind that erupt suddenly from nowhere.

The lake itself looked placid at the time, with tiny waves lapping against the boat landing, although ominous-looking clouds were scudding towards the Alps.

One of my favorite Spring sights is blooming wisteria. Even though wisteria doesn't quite have the fragrance of lilacs, I love its blossoms.

But my major destination in town was the local museum, which had its 2012 grand opening this morning. Invitations had been placed in our mailboxes earlier this week, announcing that everyone was welcome to meet there for breakfast this morning. This invitation was reinforced by a sign outside the museum.

I made my way in and up the narrow staircase to find the little space crowded with people. After being given a bookmark marked with the museum's schedule, coffee and a tartine (small piece of fresh bread) slathered liberally with butter and homemade jam of my choice (I chose rasperry - framboise), I was invited to explore the museum at my leisure, which I did.

The museum is contained in a 16th-century house that was a legacy to the municipality in the 1950s from a local family and is thus named after them. Its three-story expanse contains well-presented displays of furniture, porcelain, family possessions. There is also an impressive collection of antique firearms, also a legacy, but from a citizen of a nearby village.  A temporary display presents inkwells of all kinds, together with nibs from pens used in pre-fountain or ballpoint pen days. But one of the most fascinating exhibitions dealt with monochords - which I had never heard of before. These were musical instruments, technically with only one string (cord) that were among the strangest instruments I have ever seen. Those on display looked as if they were hybrids between a small piano keyboard and a cello. I wish that I had taken a photo but I was so entranced with them that I forgot. This is the closest that I have been able to find, but it still doesn't do them justice.

All in all, it was a very pleasant morning and I met some new friends!

Optimism, Opulence and Ostentation

Along with being the month of the Spring Solstice, March - at least in 2012 - is showing welcome signs for a recovering global economy.   The Euro, much to the dismay of those so-called experts who have been predicting the demise of that currency for months - if not years - and who even now are continuing their scare tactics, has found tentative footing, at least for the moment.  It appears that naysayers have all along underestimated the commitment of the European Union to a currency alternative to the US dollar that is neither the pound sterling nor the Swiss franc - nor any other Western European currency.

There is even some optimism in the US as consumer confidence has risen.  More importantly from my own selfish perspective, the US dollar appears to be trending upwards, albeit very slowly, towards parity with the Swiss franc.  Because my routine monthly receipts, i.e., pension and Social Security benefits, are US dollar-based, this is very welcome news.   So there is reason to view the financial glass as half-full rather than half-empty.

While Switzerland has, for the most part, escaped the financial ravages and cataclysms that have hit some of its European neighbors very hard, it has suffered significantly from a high-value franc that has cut down on foreign visitors from whom it would otherwise have received tourism income, especially with all the wonderful snow this year.  Still, there are at least two events held in March that go far beyond a merely optimistic outlook for the economy.  Both bring in well-heeled international visitors in high numbers, even if only for a day or two.  One is the annual International Motor Show, held in Geneva from 8-18 March 2012.  The other is Baselworld, held in Basel from 8-15 March 2012.

There will be several luxury vehicles featured at the auto show.  But excellent news, including good news for the US's General Motors, is that the Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera/Chevrolet Volt has been selected "2012 Car of the Year."   One of the key points in its selection over the other nominees was that the Ampera/Volt is a "family car," which incorporates "innovation and value for money but also safety, quality and design as well as environmental aspects."

Baselworld, on the other hand, is billed as the world's top watch and jewelry fair.  As one might expect for a country best-known for cheese and watches, the Swiss watch industry is well-represented there.  But rather than concentrating on watches that might appeal to familial or jewelry basics, opulence is on ostentatious display everywhere.  There will be no watch equivalent to an Ampera/Volt for autos selected as "Best in Show" here.  The idea is to attract the wealthiest buyers from around the world.  It is thus no surprise to see that great efforts are being made to attract customers from Asia.  These efforts have been successful in Switzerland's case, with Hong Kong and China being among its top three markets.  Switzerland is also successful in the United States, with the US accounting for its second most significant market in 2011.  It is clear that at least some in the US are doing well financially, even if most there are still performing high-wire budget acts without many of the social safety nets that characterize the preponderance of the world's most industrialized countries.

So as we drift generally towards Spring, I am optimistically hopeful that these positive economic trends that have begin to sprout with the crocuses will bring well-being for all, rather than mere opulence and ostentation for a very few.

Visiting Italy's Lake District: Part IXa - Savoring Cadenabbia

Any visit to Italy provides many first-hand moments to savor Italian cuisine, which is a tradition that our group heartily and enthusiastically indulged in.  Our wonderful hotel in Menaggio had aided and abetted us all in this, providing copious amounts of wine - and refills - to us each evening at dinner.  In fact, we were all pleasantly surprised; this was a benefit that none of us had expected except on rare occasions.  When we have travelled before, most wine has not been included in the package.  How wonderful to discover that this tour was an exception to that policy, at least in Menaggio.  In Stresa, other than our first and last evenings, we had to pay out-of-pocket for our wine orders.  It wasn't necessarily a hardship to have to pay, but having copious amounts of "free" wine later on was greatly appreciated

After our trek up to the church of San Martino and return to the lakeside, we found ourselves in the charming Italian village of Cadenabbia.  As we made our way along Cadenabbia's lakeside walkway,

along with our lake views, we enjoyed the magnificent villas that were situated on the other side of the road.  According to local Guide P, the villa shown below belongs to an American university, but he could not remember which one, nor have I been able to find the name despite several internet searches.  What a dreamily wholesome way to spend a summer: learning and gazing out at beautiful vistas!

But an even greater treat was in store for us on this day.  Our destination was La Marianna, a tiny eight-room alberghetto

and, in particular, its restaurant (cucina) where we were to receive a cooking lesson from the owner-chefs.  

The alberghetto itself was warm, inviting

and cozy - certainly a place to return to on our own someday, especially now that we know how delicious the food there tastes!

First, we gathered on the cucina's lakeside terrace

for a midday apéro, very much appreciated after the exertions of our morning.

The apéro was to build up our courage for a dash across the heavily-travelled lake road to the building itself, where our lessons and midday meal would take place.

Yes, there IS a pedestrian crosswalk, but there are also a lot of drivers and it just takes one to be inattentive for a second or two.  Those of us who survived the ordeal then figuratively rolled up our sleeves, while the chefs did the actual "heavy lifting.  We got the best part: watching and learning - and later - eating.  First, we learned how to prepare pesto sauce for the pasta

and how to prepare the rest of what we would be eating for our midday meal -

fortunately already prepared, for the most part -

and then we learned how to make tiramisu, the dessert that would culminate our meal.

Fortunately, for our bursting taste buds and growling stomachs, the midday meal was served forthwith.   All I can say is "Mmmmm!"

And yes, we all happily received detailed written instruction for future recipe re-creation on our own!

Switzerland and Languages

Switzerland is a unique country in many ways.  One of its most unique characteristics deals with its internal linguistics.  Three distinct languages - German, French and Italian - are spoken here.  Where these languages are spoken depends largely on the shared history of Switzerland with Germany, France and Italy respectively.  Thus, German is the principal language spoken in northeastern and eastern Switzerland, where Germany and Austria are bordering countries.  French is spoken where Switzerland shares a border with France, that is, northwestern and western Switzerland.  And Italian is spoken where Switzerland shares the Alps with or otherwise adjoins Italy.

In addition to these languages, a small subset of the population in southeastern Switzerland speaks the fourth national language: Rumantsch.  Rumantsch, like French and Italian, is also derived from Latin and is thus a "Romance" language.  But to complicate things further, there are five regions where Rumantsch is spoken; each region has a different dialect; and each Rumantsch-speaking region is separated from the others, generally by German-speaking regions.

So, how do people communicate when there are more than three national languages?  The answer is simple.  Very well.  The Swiss broadcast media, for example, air programs in French, German and Italian, with dual options, including English, when a program is broadcast in its original language.  And not only do Swiss nationals communicate well with each other, they also do extremely well when a fifth language - English - is thrown into the mix.  In fact, quite a few Swiss nationals love languages generally and deliberately strive to learn others as well. 

I personally find this a lovely trait.  I think that it is a real shame that so many people in my own huge, culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse homeland seem to feel threatened by non-English speakers to the extent that some states are attempting to pass English-only laws.  Teaching foreign languages has always been an uphill battle in the United States - for many reasons - which I will not even begin to discuss here.  Again, that is a real shame.

When I was much younger, I had the impression that every single person in Switzerland spoke German, French and Italian.  In fact, that is not quite the situation.  Most Swiss do speak more than one language.  But they principally study French in French-speaking Switzerland and choose English as a second language.  In German-speaking Switzerland, English is also favored over French as an elective.  In Italian-speaking Switzerland, German or English are often selected instead of French.

There is some concern in French-speaking Switzerland that German is not selected by enough students and that this will ultimately limit their workplace opportunities.  Beginning in 2012, there will be a major push to interest students in the Geneva area to study German or even "Schwyzerdütsch" (Swiss German), which is not quite the same thing.   Swiss authorities will try to redress what they see as this lack of interest with a  three-pronged approach.

First, they will evaluate and improve, where improvement is needed, the abilities of the German-teaching personnel.  Speaking German - or any other language - does not necessarily mean that one is able to teach it.  They will also introduce a new method of teaching German, both at the primary and middle school levels, that will be based more on oral and written expression.  Finally, they will incorporate more hours of German into the primary school schedule, as well as reinforcing the hours already required at the middle school level.  While French will retain its absolute priority status in the Geneva area, more hours of English will also be incorporated into the schedule, with Italian as yet another elective.

Language, culture, traditions, practices, folksongs and mentalities are all interwoven.  The more we recognize this fact, as well as accept, understand, appreciate and interact with it, the more our own lives can be enriched.

Relearning the Network

It's been a long time since I've been a regular customer on the truly excellent public transit systems there are in Switzerland.  I used the system in Geneva quite a lot during our first year here.  Since that time, however, we moved outside Geneva City.  It has become too convenient to hop into my vehicle to run errands.  For some errands, that convenience will not change.  But, now that my life is no longer delineated by the routines, schedules and deadlines of the workplace, I am determined to relearn and use the system.  Even if for no reason other than that I must be able to explain it to others.

After all, my young niece and a friend - both university students - will be staying with me this summer while they attend French courses at the University of Geneva.  In order for them to get the full benefit of their summer abroad, as well as to gain self-confidence and earn themselves some autonomy, they should use the public transit system.  I'll help to get them oriented, of course, and we can make a couple "dry runs" (HWMBO's tried and true techniques) before they begin to take classes.  But the experience will ultimately be most meaningful for them when they can use the system themselves without having an older person constantly watching over their shoulders, however well-intentioned that person may be.

So today, on the occasion of a visit to a friend and former colleague while she was recuperating at a local clinic, I took the train from my little village into Geneva's main train station, Cornavin.   Here's the little local gare:

I was delighted to discover that I was not the only train neophyte today.  Several others who have gotten more dependent on their vehicles over the years were also taking the train to visit the Motor Show.  We all had exactly the same questions but we had only ourselves to learn from.  It was somewhat like the blind leading the blind.  But ultimately all of us did manage to buy tickets and board the train.  Our train is just coming into view around the bend.  There is another train already stopped at the station, and it's also a train to Geneva.  But the train I took was the Express: nine minutes versus 29!

And, as predicted, nine minutes later, we disembarked at Cornavin.

Here is Cornavin's main entrance.

There are - almost - as many bicycles here as I remember seeing in Amsterdam.

From Cornavin, I went in search of the tram that would get me to my destination.

 
The system worked marvelously! I avoided the troublesome traffic attendant on the Motor Show.  I also avoided parking fees.  I enjoyed the ride, got to my visit in good time, and even returned home in a relaxed state.

I look forward to the next experience!

Going for the Green

Today launched the ten days of traffic snarls and mass human migration to Geneva otherwise known as the International Motor Show.   2011 marks the 81st exhibition.  The Geneva Motor Show is one of the important major international auto shows and is regarded somewhat as a level playing field for the world's automakers, aided by the fact Switzerland lacks a significant auto industry of its own.

Small cars were last year's theme.  This year's theme is "Green" as in Ecology.  Based on plentiful pre-Show publicity, there will be a plethora of hybrid vehicles to view and, hopefully - from the manufacturers' viewpoints in any event - purchase.

I generally like to go to the Show to see what new technologies, designs and gadgets are being featured.  I will not be a purchaser.  My trusty nine-year-old little Nissan will, it is hoped, keep on trucking for as long as I need it to.  In fact, last week I received a notice from the Vaud traffic control authorities, telling me that my Nissan is due for its triennial inspection this year and further, that said inspecton has been scheduled for later this month.  Upon my return from the US, I had planned to run the car to the garage for an oil change, etc., anyway.  But now, having received this notice, other than vacuuming inside and running it through the carwash - and yes, there was a specific reminder that the vehicle should be clean, this IS Switzerland, after all - I'll wait to hear what needs to happen to bring it up to code before making my garage appointment.  I'll get everything done at the same time.

At the risk of calling down the wrath of the Car Gods, I must say that the three cars we purchased during our 17-year stay in Switzerland have all worked beautifully.  Our 1994 VW Golf drove like a charm, right up to the early morning in September 2001 when the chef at the Japanese Mission Ambassador's residence, while swerving to miss a bus coming from the opposite direction, rear-ended it as it was innocently and legally parked along the roadway.  The VW was totalled.  To add insult to injury, the shock of the crash caused the VW to plow into the car ahead of it - also totalled - and that car in turn to rear-end our second vehicle, a Nissan Sunny.  The Sunny was a secondhand purchase I had made in 1997 when my work schedule became so much more demanding and unpredictable that a second vehicle was in order.  Fortunately, aside from a small dent or two, the Sunny remained unharmed, largely because no car was parked in front of it, which allowed it room to move forward.  Because we bought a new Nissan in early 2002 to replace the VW, I let the Sunny go in 2005, when HWMBO began spending more time in the US than here.  We didn't need to be a two-car family then.

The 2002 Nissan has been a stalwart little car for the past several years.  But I dream of an even smaller, more energy-efficient Micra.  Ironically, my children look to purchase van-like vehicles, which are necessary for hauling small children, their regulation bulky car seats and, especially, all the paraphernalia that little ones these days seem to require.  How on earth did I ever raise two small children in Morocco without any of that?  One of my more hair-raising memories - when my sons were older and we were back in the US - is of driving from Missoula, MT to Phoenix, AZ with one child in the front passenger seat, taking turns with his brother who was confined to little more than a crawlspace in the back seat because our valiant little Subaru was packed chock-full of our belongings.  I'm not even sure whether we had seat belts!

Thankfully, vehicles have changed a lot since those days, as have knowledge and implementation of safety measures.  On the whole, travelling by vehicle is much safer now than it used to be, with statistically fewer deaths or serious injuries as a result of innovation, invention and regulation.  But, if we are going to be able to keep driving at all, we must get serious about the dwindling fossil-fuel supply and climate change.  Otherwise, this world will exact its toll from the generations who follow us here.  We are not good stewards if we leave this world in worse shape ecologically than we found it.  We now know better.  Or we should.

Winemaking as comedy

Last week, TSR 1 began airing a comedy series filmed in the canton of Vaud, where I reside.  The series, called colloquially, if ungrammatically, "T'es pas la seule" ("You're not the only one"), has been filmed in the region around Begnins which is not far from my own little town.  Begnins is located a little farther from the lake than I am, but its elevation provides a stunningly panoramic view of Lake Geneva and the Alps, as can be seen at its official site here.  As with most of this agricultural region, it is also a wine-producing area.

The series theme revolves around three sisters, one of whom struggles to recast herself as a wine producer after inheriting a wine estate from an eccentric aunt.  As a former city dweller, Eve's previous experience with wine has been only with the finished product.  It is thus no surprise that this new undertaking comes with complications.  Her husband suffers from professional burn-out and her two children enliven the scene.   Her jet-setting top-model sister returns to "help" and Eve is further encumbered, among other things, by a stubborn cleaning woman, jealous neighbors, an unexpected heir who challenges her right to the property, as well as the occasional spectral return of her opinionated late aunt.

The young women are all quite easy on the eyes, as can be seen in this trailer. 

The series is produced by Rita Productions, a Geneva-based film company that also produces documentaries.  It prides itself on presenting unexpected readings of modern society.  The second episode in the series will air at 8 pm this evening.  I'm still trying to decide whether I like it, but it is always fun to see this beautiful area on the little screen.

From the Middle East to the US Mid West ...

The mostly peaceful uprisings of populations fed up with inequality, corruption, cronyism and repression of basic human rights continue their ripple effects across the Middle East.  They have spread east and west from Tunisia, the initial spark that has been the most effective.

First, there were the seemingly successful uprisings in Cairo and elsewhere throughout Egypt, that most US media outlets no longer follow closely.  Many in Egypt are wary of their "success" so long as Mubarak's chief cheerleader and "former" torture guru, Suleiman, remains in power.  We should be wary too.  Libya, Yemen and Bahrain have followed suit.  In Libya, long-entrenched dictator al-Gaddafi has vowed to remain in power until "the last man standing."  I, for one, have no reason to doubt his resolution.  Some sources report uprising-related deaths there amount to 300 so far. To date, Yemen's uprising has not been so bloody.  Nor has Bahrain's, which Robert Fisk describes as "more a civil rights movement than a mass of republican rebels ...."  At least, so far. 

While Algeria and uprisings there have been in the news lately, yesterday was the first day that significant demonstrations were also reported to occur in my beloved Morocco.  Of course, being the fairly Westernized and more liberal society that Morocco represents, those protests also have been peaceful.  It is not simply repressive Arab regimes that are feeling the effects. Even China is worried.

But what the media have been slower to report have been the uprisings that have been gaining strength in the US state of Wisconsin, where there is a patently overt attempt by the radical right wing to prohibit collective bargaining, primarily that in unions representing public workforces where women are traditionally in the majority.   Even the captain of the Super Bowl winning team, Wisconsin's Green Bay Packers, has joined in support of the protesters.   The crowds, small at first, are gaining strength and support.  In fact, the Wisconsin protesters are also being supported by pizza from well-wishers in Cairo, Egypt, among concerned citizens in at least 11 other countries and by fellow US citizens in at least 38 out of 50 states.  Is the US really to be next?

So long as short-sighted politicians - of either party - continue to pander to the lowest and most uninformed, I sincerely hope so.  Too much has already been ceded to the selfish Haves in the top two percent, while the Have-Nots have been forced to grovel, cower and beg for the slightest crumb - even in the once shining ideal known as the USA.  Too many forget that public employees are also taxpayers.  Further, those public employees perform services for all.  If each one of us had to pay for such services individually, they would cost us far more.  Too many of us would not be able to afford them when we need them and those of us who are not in the upper two percent of the US population would continue our drift into the burgeoning underclass - literally a crime for such a rich country.

Collective bargaining is indeed a Last Stand for public employees.  If they lose, we ALL will.

Surgery milestones

I apologize in advance for this graphic.  It's a photo of my left foot from yesterday.

Before I had my recent ankle surgery, the surgeon went over his post-op directives with me.  One of these was that if I noticed toes turning blue or white, I should let him know ASAP.

As can be seen from the photo, my toes were distinctly blue yesterday.  I was pretty sure that it was natural bruising, but we took this photo and sent it to the surgeon just to be on the safe side.  He confirmed that this "blue" was not the "blue" that would concern him.  The "dangerous" blue would have indicated a blood circulation problem. 

So, the healing continues apace.  I stopped taking the prescription painkillers over the weekend because, while I was taking them, I couldn't keep anything - food or liquid - down.  I found that aspirin worked just as well for the pain and that I haven't even needed more than 1-2 aspirin per day.  Apart from a couple uncomfortable moments on Saturday, the ankle has felt much better after the surgery than it did before.  Now that my appetite has returned more or less to normal and that I don't have to use the crutches much at all now, I am feeling quite optimistic that I'll soon quit being a burden on HWMBO.  While he is an excellent nurse and has been waiting on me hand and foot, I am undoubtedly the world's worst patient.

I even had my first shower since the surgery this morning with no problem.  Not to worry, I've been taking "spit baths" up to this point, so it's not as if I haven't been keeping clean.  It's just that our home in Maryland is a multi-level dwelling and those bathrooms that have baths and showers are upstairs on the second level, while I've been staying on the ground floor.  Creeping up and down stairs on my bottom (the way recommended by my surgeon) or manipulating crutches and perhaps losing my balance altogether were challenges that I wasn't quite ready to meet until today.

But now, they are behind me!  Onward to more challenges!

Our trip to Lausanne: castles and history

After learning about cobblestone replacement, we sauntered over to the Château Saint-Maire and wandered around the square.

The cantonal offices for the canton of Vaud are based in this structure, which was formerly the seat of Lausanne's Catholic bishops.  Nearby is the site of construction for the new parliament building.  The former historically significant building was destroyed by fire in May 2002.  There were signs showing the chronology for the new building

along with smaller signs depicting various historical eras that the former building had personified.  Here, for example, was the beginning of the Protestant era in 1536 until the invasion by the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798.

From this site, one can look across the rooftops of Lausanne for a panoramic view of Lake Geneva.

After a light but very tasty lunch at a tiny Italian restaurant (nine tables!) located near the square, we retraced our steps to the Lausanne Historical Museum, formerly the Old Bishop's Palace, for a visit.

We paused at the overlook for some excellent views of Lausanne's Vieille Ville.

While making our way back to the gare (train station) where our car was parked, we couldn't help but notice that the ubiquitous Golden Arches - that bastion of American culture - can also be found in Old Lausanne.

It wasn't far from "McDo's" - as McDonald's is known throughout the French-speaking areas - that we were genteelly accosted by a group of young girls who wanted to ask us some questions.  They were clearly reading from a script.  They told us that they were taking French courses in Lausanne and their assignment was to engage some passers-by in conversation.  We explained that, while we would love to converse with them, they might be better served by speaking with native French speakers.  They giggled, agreed, and bustled off in search of some native Lausannois!   

HWMBO wished - perhaps for the first time in his life - that he was a native French speaker.  The girls were very cute!

The Last of the Grapes

There they lie - where they ultimately will nurture the soil that once nurtured them - the grapes that were "left behind."

After a few days of wonderful sunny weather, we have settled into a more typical overcast and wet November.  There is snow on the slopes of the Jura to the northwest.  The Alpine peaks to the southeast reach proudly towards the sky, the newest snowfalls smoothing the rugged crags and turning them into things of beauty.

The vines, that were ripely green and thick even two weeks ago, are now brown and crumpled - where there are leaves left at all.  Now that the leaves have fallen, remnants of unpicked grapes remain attached to the branches, shrivelled and unsightly.

The winter pruning has begun.

Of all the branches that bore grapes on each vine this season, only one branch is chosen to continue.  The others are clipped and carried away, to be ground into mulch to replenish the perennially generous soil.  The chosen branch is carefully wound around the twine that will guide it into the next season.

There are still quite a few rows that remain to be pruned.  All the work in this vineyard is done by hand.

Les Frères Dutruy (the Dutruy Brothers), from the nearby village of Founex, who work these vines together with those from several other small wine domains, have consistently been nominated and won prizes for their wines.   They were among the prize-winners again in 2010.

Those who live outside Switzerland rarely get the chance even to sample these lovely wines that feature so much in my village routine.  Fine wine is one of the few bargains to be found in Switzerland.   The reason that Swiss wines are not well known outside the country is because those of us who live here realize how fortunate we are.  By the time we all buy them, there is virtually nothing left for export markets.