Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 38 Comments

Swiss Sunday

There is something special and comforting about slowly cruising across a peaceful lake. Calming, refreshing, recharging. Switzerland is the perfect place for those dreamy boat trips, with its stunning 1500 alpine lakes. That’s such an odd thought, a completely land locked country being such a water paradise. Bizarrely I also got to watch my first ever beach soccer match here as well….

Just a few days ago I was stuck in heavy motorway traffic, going nowhere fast thinking, where was my Road to Hell cd…. Sat in the car dreaming of one of those perfect lake trips. That’s travel, that’s living.

What I would give for a few water based hours this grey, uninspiring English Sunday. A drink, a fine meal, watching the world slowly turn, surrounded by The Alps.

As I’m writing this a long forgotten holiday memory has just resurfaced. A family trip on a steamer across Lake Brienz.

Hawklad’s Mum had ordered food in German to the waitress. A waitress experiencing her first morning in this job as she nervously pointed out to us as she took our order, potentially her first ever order….. Hawklad got his beloved frankfurter and chips. I received my healthy plate of chips with a cheese and calorie loaded pizza. However Hawklad’s Mum had a little surprise. A cheese salad arrived looking a lot like the full meat platter.

I’ve never seen so much meat on one plate.

It was quickly decided that we couldn’t send the wrong order back on the waitresses first morning, especially as clearly Hawklad’s Mums much vaunted PERFECT GERMAN was clearly not so PERFECT. So what to do. My idea of secretly hiding pieces of meat in our pockets was for some inexplicable reason, REJECTED. So was Hawklad’s suggesting of hiding the meat under my baseball hat. Hawklad’s Mum decided the best course of action. She would get the pizza and I gained a full plate of meat. My first meat in about 5 years following my trip down vegetarian boulevard. The things you do to maintain a peaceful lake trip 😂😂😂😂😂.

When his mum went to the toilet I whispered to Hawklad that actually my meat option was really tasty and I was rather enjoying it. For some reason I failed to mention that fact to his mum, sticking to the ‘this is a real struggle, woe is me’ narrative. I think I pulled the deception off although Hawklad might have blown my cover when he pointed out to his mum with a cheeky grin that

‘For someone struggling so much Dad has done so well to eat all the meat and leave nothing apart from the salad bits.’

BUSTED…..

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 39 Comments

Swiss Sunday

A bit of a family Swiss holiday tradition. Sundays would be a boat trip around Lake Thun, from Spiez to Interlaken. A time to relax and breathe.

Spiez is such a beautiful town.

You surely must be really brave to cut those lawns…..

That’s an epic road to travel as well.

On this trip the boat echoed to the beautiful sound traditional Swiss singing.

It’s all really thirsty work for Hawklad and his buddies.

And finally back to Spiez, that’s a proper Sunday.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 25 Comments

Swiss Sunday

It’s Sunday so why don’t we have a walk down memory lane to family trips to alpine heaven, to beautiful Switzerland.

We haven’t made those trips since the summer of 2015. So much has happened since then, to the world, to our family. But it’s still can be such a magical wonderful world. Switzerland is still there, the Mountains and Lakes are patiently waiting. We are so ready for an adventure.

Back about 10 years every time we ventured out, animals had to come with us.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 28 Comments

Swiss Sunday

I think it’s time to have a wander down memory lane. To a family day spent in The Alps. To picture perfect Switzerland. Back I think 8 years. It didn’t often seem to happen, but to a raincoat day. We headed off by train to the village of Kandersteg. Then an energetic uphill 4km walk to one the planets most beautiful lakes. Oeschinen Lake. It is a true mountain lake. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It’s one of those places where you find peace, you can breathe, you just smile. On a Sunny Day, the water is the bluest of blues. One small, isolated hotel is the perfect spot to sit and take in the atmosphere.

Oeschinen should be an automatic entry on any travel bucket list. I so want to go back there right now.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 48 Comments

Swiss Sunday

I was asked why we often stayed at the same hotel on our trips to Switzerland. Every morning, flinging open the bedroom curtains, standing on the balcony and you get this view.

You get this view.

That’s why…….

And the view at the back of the hotel isn’t bad at all.

I wish I could have that view tomorrow morning, maybe one day soon. Let’s hope for more adventures in all our daily life’s.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 26 Comments

Swiss Sunday

About 10 years ago I remember talking to a super polite Japanese Guy in who was sat next to us in Geneva Airport. Someone who had seen years and years of life. He told the story about how he had attended an international conference here in Geneva during the sixties. At that stage he hated travel, hated being away from Japan. That all changed on that trip to Switzerland. He fell in love with another country. Since then he had travelled for a holiday here, every single year without fail. He said he would keep coming until his body failed.

I knew why he said that. I understood immediately his sentiments. I still do. I wish I was there right now.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 29 Comments

Swiss Sunday

It’s a few minutes past midnight here in England. A muppet dad is fighting to put on duvet covers. In this case, a ‘George from Peppa Pig’ cover. The duvet cover is winning….. What makes it worse is that it’s for my bed. Hawklad wouldn’t dream of sleeping under that these teenage days. But it’s still a good cover so, waste not want not. Plus as it’s just me under that duvet, who will ever know.

So can you keep a secret……

Anyway I have given up the cover battle for a few moments and I’m thinking 2015.

I wouldn’t have got away with that themed cover back in 2015. Not a chance. Back in 2015 it was also our last holiday we had as a family of three. Seven days in beautiful Switzerland.

The next time we go back to The Alps things will be very different and not just what’s allowable in terms of bed furnishings. I had hoped that 2022 might have been return year but maybe things are still against a trip this year but you ever know. But wow, I wish I was there right now. I wish I was back in Switzerland.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 53 Comments

Swiss Sunday

It’s early Sunday morning here in Yorkshire. I am currently enduring the annual torture of a very very very long night as Hawklad is sat watching Wrestlemania. Don’t you just love a good international time difference. It is due to finish here at 5am…… I can’t remember seeing that wrestling related task in the parenting contract. My tired mind has wandered from what is on TV to real adventures. Time for a bit of wonderful Switzerland.

I don’t know why but I remembered an old, long forgotten Swiss holiday memory. The night before I had over indulged in fondue and Swiss chocolate. Really over indulged. It would have been very impolite not to have. So I got up early the next morning and went for a lakeside run to burn off some calories. The further I went on the run the more people I ran past. Very very very polite people. Every single one of them said hello and asked how I was.

Gruezi. Wie geht es dir an diesem schonen Morgen

Every single one of them hearing my very wooden Swiss German reply immediately switched to almost perfect English. A run that would normally take 30 minutes, lasted well over an hour. Finally back outside the hotel, I was sat on the lake edge when another runner stopped to say hello.

Gruzei

Then we talked some more. I mentioned just how polite the Swiss were compared to the English and the runner told me that running was often hard because you did have to stop so many times to exchange pleasantries. The runner said that one day he tried something different. He went for what was intended to be an uninterrupted long swim in the lake. I said that was a really cool idea and with a smile the runner said ‘it didn’t work’. Apparently several early morning fishermen had rowed over to him while he was swimming to say hello to him and and ask how is swim was going.

I do love Switzerland . Can’t wait to get back for a visit. I would move there in a heartbeat.

All the photos today are from that lakeside running route. Wish I could run that right now.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 37 Comments

Swiss Sunday

Sunday brings thoughts of family holidays to beautiful Switzerland. Trips to an alpine wonderland from a much different time. Yes the last holiday was only 6 years ago but it does feel like a lifetime ago. Much has happened to the world, much has happened to our family over those 6 years. It’s actually quite hard to remember how that former life felt like.

That former life isn’t coming back but Switzerland is still there. Maybe our much smaller family can return sooner rather than later, start to create some new memories. Life has to go on.

Time to see what memories some old holiday snaps can bring back.

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 37 Comments

Swiss Sunday

It’s Sunday so that means one thing here. Let’s take a virtual trip to Switzerland.

We still don’t know when we are going back yet but we have decided one thing. It will be a 1900 mile car roundtrip. England, across France, Switzerland. No tunnel, Hawklad wants a ferry journey to France.

Now let’s see when Hawklad is ready to go.