Switzerland

So Long, Farewell

Michelle Lee1 Comment

Our last day in Zermatt and we surprised Zach with a ticket to go paragliding with Uncle Greg. Zach has always been intrigued with flight and creating airplanes out of anything he can find.

This activity caught him by surprise; he even asked if we were kidding. As an old soul, Zach takes in the world around him through his eyes. Occasionally he reveals excitement, rarely in public though. The morning came early for several reasons. We had to pack, check out, and get the guys to the train station to summit the mountain for flight. The exact mountain we hiked yesterday would serve as a launching pad for both Zach and Greg.

“There’s a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say “cuckoo”
Regretfully they tell us
But firmly they compel us
To say goodbye . .” and farewells to the guys and they were off. So long, farewell we hope we see you soon! The guys will be like Lousia in The Sound of Music, just prior to picking up Gretl and leaving the party, ”I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly…. Goodbye.”

The rest of us headed to the landing field covered in green grass, rocks and black face sheep. How exciting for Zach to land in a field with his favorite animals.

The sheep gave Mazie, Sarah, and I something to do to bide our time. These sheep were extremely cute and stringy-fluffy.

Bells and GPS monitors were attached to the collars. Against a far off brick wall we spotted a lonely sheep herder resting in the shade.

Randy and Cody watched the sky for the guys. We watched several paragliders land safely in front of us. Each landing gave Mazie more confidence that her brother would be safe. Oh, a little important note, the guys were attached to professional paragliders who fly with FLY ZERMATT, which was a fabulous company.

Finally we spot Greg doing acrobats in the sky. He was having a great time. His landing was adventurous, but nothing they couldn’t handle. On the ground the wind caught the chute and pulled them a little ways on their knees. In the end, laughter was heard and a few bruises appeared the next day.

Zach came in for a smooth landing within 2 minutes of Greg. Mazie rushed him and gave him a huge hug! Once unharnessed a successful simple smile was radiating from Zach’s face. He loved every minute of paragliding over the Alps.

I HAVE CONFIDENCE

Michelle Lee1 Comment

Zermatt #1

Arriving last night (June 6, 2023), we basically slept, ate breakfast, changed hotels, and headed for a small adventure hike. Precious cargo was traveling by plane and train, bound to meet up with us in the late afternoon!

We set off for the indoor funicular to Sunnegga with Cody trying to lead the way! Once we reached Sunnegga we enjoyed snacks and drinks overlooking the valley with a bird’s eye view of the famous Matterhorn. Zach’s bucket list has been accomplished within 24 hours of his arrival to Zermatt! The clouds were nice enough to part for a rare spectacle of the Matterhorn sans clouds. A small hike up and the reward was even better.

A small hike down gave the view of a small lake, in which swimming is allowed. Cody even took to the water, however his confidence to swim across to fetch a stick was quickly thwarted either by cold water temperatures or inability to judge the distance. In the water, Mazie found a huge log that looked like a rock next to her island rock.

Log

Next we decided to hike back down to the village. The All Trails app gave us confidence we would arrive at the train station in time to meet precious cargo. The hike meandered along a tree line with beautiful mountain views. We studied and felt young evergreens that were as soft as a baby’s bottom. Then we dove quickly straight down a dusty thin trail. Looking behind us I saw others following us or following the trail app. 

This thin trail down was crazy. Cody and they kids were nimble and quick, having a lot of confidence in their abilities. I trekked on gingerly, having packed for the day on nice meandering trails. The soles of my shoes were worn smooth and could not grip. Also I was without an ankle brace as added measure for my 4mo post ankle sprain injury from another steep mountain descent. Almost all of us were on our bottoms many times in order to safely maneuver step gradient landscapes. Randy even stayed back several times to help the hikers behind us. Finally, we intersected with a more developed trail. At this junction we translated a sign explaining the trail we had just descended was actually a training trail for climbing the Matterhorn. How about that!!! This news did not help the sounds of frustration coming out my mouth. 

We proceeded down the more manicured trail. We found bunkers, which spurred the kids along. We saw views of the village rooftops. We took wrong turns. Our confidence in meeting the train carrying precious cargo was dwindling rapidly. At this point we were walking as five separate units without all being in view. 

Inside the bunker

Alas, we made it to the village. The race, for some with energy still left in their legs, began. Lo and behold, we reached our new apt flat the same time as our precious cargo, Uncle Greg and Aunt Sarah. Hugs and excited kids were seen and heard throughout the village. 

We ended the afternoon with drinks, hanging out, Swiss fondue and a plan for the next day!

Trip to Switzerland-Intro 10 September

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We took off to Switzerland via minivans, trains, and buses. We brought along the “CODY 2000” aka dog kennel on wheels used as a sled to transport luggage and eventually be used while we go places puppy Cody cannot go.

We were stared at and talked about in every town and mode of transportation available to us. Eventually, Cody became a pro at traveling on trains, even double decker trains, and sleeping at our feet. He continues to not be fond of elevators and rolling wheels. AND he NEVER used the CODY 2000 kennel! He was a good pup and behaved at all the hotels and homes we stayed.

Learning how to travel with this crew and paraphernalia took about 3 days of trial and error. Finally we figured out everybody’s role when boarding, riding, and deboarding trains and buses. Everybody had a backpack, in addition Mazie was in charge of 1 suitcase and the depositing and managing of suitcases on platforms during the mass chaos of getting quickly off trains. Zach’s role included 2 suitcases and helping Randy lift the Cody 2000 in and out of trains. Randy had his hiking backpack, disc golf bag, Cody’s food bag and the Cody 2000 kennel/sled.

I had Cody, which is the shortest to type, but wow! Fast moving people, noises, whistles, gaps between platforms and train steps, escalators (which we did not take), elevators, ramps, tons of wheeling suitcases, small barking and large curious dogs, sensational smells and so many hands all at a dog’s tongue level, not to mention French, German and pictorial signs everywhere for directions overwhelmed Cody’s senses and ours. On one train, Cody turned around, slid under the opposing seat and started licking a lady’s toes through her sandals. GROSS! Luckily I noticed within 2 licks AND apologized AND luckily she spoke English, had dogs of her own AND was kind. We shared an awkward laugh.

Our itinerary included: Montpellier-Geneva(1night)-Geneva-Montreux-Gruyeres(2nights)-Grindelwald(6nights)-Montpellier.

We enjoyed side trips, tours of castles and cheese factories, meals of fondue and raclette, all with rides in trains, ferries, funiculars, cable cars, mountain trikes, alpine coasters, and a glider.