It’s Sunday so it must be time for a much needed bit of alpine heaven. A dream destination. A place which is so special to our little family. Yes we haven’t been able to visit since 2015. But one day…
It’s time for Switzerland.
We always wanted to visit this beautiful land over Christmas but sadly never managed it. The weather is most certainly not very festive here. But let’s try to imagine what it feels like by going back to some of those visits where it snowed. Happy times
“Dad Brexit has some advantages!”
Ok Hawklad. Off the top of my head after 4 years I’m struggling to think of one but go on then, what is it….
“Well it’s going to be much harder for people from Britain to get into Europe. As we are quite annoying that must be a good thing for those in places like France and Germany. Less annoying people in their country.”
We are very annoying. Very obnoxious and exceedingly grumpy. So yes I will give you that advantage. But it’s a double edge sword. If there are less of us lot in Europe then that will mean there are more of us lot here. That’s not a good thing.
“Well you get use to it. I’ve got use to living with YOU. That’s not been easy. You have to admit that. What do you describe yourself as…”
A sporting super being I think….
“No definitely not that Dad”
A brain power colossus.
“On wow where do I start with that…. No what’s the word that starts with a V which you call yourself Dad”
Voluptuous
“I don’t even want to know what that means… the other word Dad start with V”
Vexing…..
“That’s the one”
It’s Sunday so it must be time for our weekly trip to alpine heaven. A dream destination. Let’s visit beautiful Switzerland.
Switzerland is a place we haven’t been able to visit since 2015. But it is still so special to our little family. One day we will return.
The weather has been awful here in Yorkshire. Day after day of damp, misty greyness. I so need to experience colour again. To breathe in that fresh mountain air. To experience being alive again. So let’s spend a few moments drinking in the colours of Switzerland.
Take care.
It’s Monday. It’s grey. It’s wet. It’s cold. It’s getting really boring…..
Hawklad summed it up perfectly
“What on earth where you thinking. Why didn’t you and mum move to the South of France. Somewhere warm… this weather is nothing short of torture. Think of the money you would have saved on jumpers and heating bills. I actually wouldn’t be now wearing two coats, a mega jumper and three T-shirt’s”
He does have a point. Our winters are usually not much fun. Cold, windy and wet. But we don’t tend to get snow. So we don’t get the upside of winter. Just the downside stuff.
Warm I can handle.
Snow I would love.
But just not our weather. Week after week of this.
“Dad what are you doing?”
I am putting the solar powered Christmas lights up outside.
“What’s the point I bet they don’t work. It’s too dark. I bet they would work brilliantly in the a South of France. Oh wait. You never moved there….”
It’s Sunday so it must be time to spend a few moments wandering one of this planets most beautiful countries. A little piece of Alpine Heaven. Let’s visit Switzerland.
2015 was our last family holiday here. The world has changed since then. Many things for the worse. Loss, isolation, anxiety, confusion. I won’t be the only person to experience this. But there are special things that keep me going. Things that I hold close to me. Give me hope for the future. One of those things is Switzerland. It’s still there. Still beautiful. Patiently waiting for our return.
There is always hope. There is always places like Switzerland.
It’s Sunday so it must be time for our weekly trip down memory lane. To family holidays and dream destinations. To see staggering beauty. To experience crisp, fresh mountain air. To experience the peace. To see the mountains and lakes. To see the awe of the The Alps. It’s time to visit Switzerland.
In these odd times where travel seems such an alien concept. Where our passports are gathering dust in drawers. Suitcases are redundant. Its so vital we continue to dream. To remember what a wonderful world we actually live in. To remind ourselves that places like Switzerland do exist.
Yes it’s now been 5 years since our last trip. Our last holiday. But one day we will return.
It’s Sunday so it must be time for our weekly trip to alpine heaven. Time to visit Switzerland.
It’s Sunday so it must be time for a little wander down memory lane. Back to 2015. Our last family trip to beautiful Switzerland. Last week we looked at the last long walk we did as a family of three. A walk at the Gonnergrat. But we had one more walk. A much shorter one but still memorable. This would prove to be our LAST walk with my partner.
I give to you that walk. I give to you one of the most beautiful countries on the planet.
Thank you Switzerland.
I put my hands up. I might poke a bit of fun at my county of birth. Well actually a lot. Yes the weather can be grim, the people can be a bit odd (me certainly included), we might be a little behind the cutting edge, probably spend too much time focusing on the past BUT….
It is a great place to live and visit. So much history, beautiful brooding landscapes, welcoming, diverse, a wonderful quirkiness and a place that has definitely left its mark on the world. So maybe every so often I should really show and tell the good about Yorkshire.
So here goes. I give you just a fraction of what Yorkshire has to offer.
It’s Sunday so it must be time for our weekly virtual trip to beautiful Switzerland. A country that is 900 miles away from our house in England but actually feels more like where our hearts want to be. One day we will return.
Today we are going back to 2015 and our last trip to this alpine wonderland. It was the second last day of our holiday and the weather was glorious. So we went on a bit if an expedition. We went to the Zermatt. From there we caught the mountain train which took us to 10285ft (3135m) to the top of the Gonnergrat. The train is an experience as it’s Europe’s highest open-air railway.
The top is a huge rocky ridge with a luxury hotel, restaurant, shops, astronomical observatories, a beautiful stone chapel and views of The Matterhorn. It overlooks a stunning glacier and has views of 29 4000m mountains. It’s a truly epic place.
After a few hours at the top we walked down most of the way. Poignantly this would prove to be our last long family walk as a team of 3. So it’s extra special to me and our son.
I give you the Gonnergrat.
It’s Sunday afternoon here in the UK. Sunday means it must be our weekly trip down memory lane. A lane which leads to one of the most stunning countries on our planet.
🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇨🇭
Switzerland is such a special place for our family. Hawklad’s Grandfather is scattered here. His Granny and his wonderful Mum will be laid to rest here as well. Yes it’s 800 miles away and that sounds such a long way some days but actually it isn’t. It’s so close. Hope exists that one day soon we will return.
But tonight I’m living in memories. Surrounded by grey, misty Yorkshire weather. A place lacking in colour for days. Then the old photos bring colours flooding back to lift my soul. A reminder of just how special this alpine paradise is.
With a fair wind we will one day return. But we will need to think about that beautiful rocking horse. As the shortest in the family now maybe it’s my turn to ride it. How much fun would that be.
I hope one day you will visit as well. ❤️
