Hello from Montreux! (rhymes with John-true)

Well I am here at last and so happy to be with Ken again. Love that guy!
I have many first impressions... where to start?!

Well, my first impressions happened in Sept. 2005, when, as you may know, Ken and I came to Montreux during our Swiss vacation away from Sri Lanka. It was beautiful then, and we took the river boat from Lausanne to Montreux. We sat out on the deck chairs in the warmth of the sun and enjoyed a typical picnic of bread, cheeses, fresh tomatoes and, of course, wine from the region. As we glided along the river taking in the view, we were impressed by the majestic mountains, the vineyards that took up every inch of extra space and the old world charm of the buildings.

Well, I'm not just breezing through this time... but I am equally impressed!

Oh the scenery! The mountains are just as 'jaw-dropping' astounding as before, and the vineyards and old stone buildings are just as fascinating.

The lake is huge and the mountains jut up to the sky in very steep inclines that seem to have houses dotted along at impossible elevations… all but the very top! The roads and the rail lines cut through the mountainside at angles that put even ‘Wile E.Coyote’ and the Roadrunner to shame!
The architecture is very impressive, with an incredible attention to detail. You can't help but notice... even if you don't have an interest in that.

The grapevines have all been trimmed back – ready for this year’s new growth and looking very organized; row by row. We are definitely in the middle of ‘wine country’!

As for the climate, it is now like Vancouver. The temp. is between 8 and 12 during the day, and 2-5 at night. But that cold nip is not in the air. The weather is quickly changeable – warm and sunny or cool and lightly raining.

The early spring flowers are all in bloom – tiny yellow, pink or purple alpine meadow flowers, violets, tulips and daffodils. The yellow forsythias are shouting their colour, and the cherry blossoms are all pink and white. By next week the magnolia trees will be bursting in their white and purples.

Many species of little birds are singing their spring songs and we are enjoying it all.

This is the first spring Ken and I have experienced in 4 years, so perhaps we are a little more alert to the changes.

Living here has its adjustments too.

French is the language all around us - spoken and written. Ken has help from colleagues to figure things out (translate/interpret), and I am trying to manage in French, to ask for what I need and to understand what I read and hear. My challenge is that I can begin a conversation with people, and then they assume I am completely bilingual and start speaking quickly and using slang and I get lost in the dust. But I try everyday to speak more and read what I can so I can learn the vocabulary for certain situations… like renting an apartment. The learning is constant!

Luckily, the people are very friendly and helpful. Tourism is a major industry here, and since the scenery and climate are so beautiful, this area tends to draw the “rich and famous” crowd. Well known musicians, actors, race car drivers, other sports stars and the like are drawn to the incredible beauty of the place. These are some of the reasons why a lot of people can speak English and often Italian as well as French, since we are close to the borders of both France and Italy.

German is also common to know. Ken does alright with it since he studied German in high school and university. He has also lived in the German area of Switzerland while doing part of his university studies for his Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Who would have thought that 13 years later he would be back in Swiss-cheese-land managing the MBA program here for the international students.!!! Life has some crazy circles!

Ken is enjoying his job and has quickly built up a good rapport with colleagues and students. In the few days I have been here, I have been introduced to several, and gone out for a drink and a bite with 5 of his colleagues. It is an international group and they are very accepting to us. Sat. we helped Ken’s colleague Gideon (originally from Cameroon) and his Canadian wife Angela move from a village way up near the top of the mountain (45mins by train… straight up!). Their new place is just beside the lake at the bottom of the mountain, and much more convenient for work. They are good people and I think we will become fast friends.

Other observations are that: (1) It is quiet here. (2)The train and bus systems are very efficient (it would have to be - it’s Swiss!) (3) People don’t blast their horns while driving… haven’t heard one yet; just the siren of the ambulance. (4) The city planners had their heads screwed on the right way when they created a wide lakeside boardwalk that extends the full length of Montreux and the neighbouring towns. I walked to the town of Villeneuve on Friday afternoon and it only took 25 minutes by the lakeside boardwalk. It has beautiful plants and shrubs along the full length, and you only hear an occasional train and no traffic. (5)There are even “doggie-doo” bags at all the garbage bins so no-one has to watch what they might step into! (6) My only negative…. The Europeans somehow seem to have missed all the health warnings of smoking… people smoke almost everywhere without a thought to those who don’t smoke. Yuk. Thankfully, Canada is much more advanced in this area.

We both already feel comfortable here, and it looks like this will be a 3 year term for Ken. Unlike Sri Lanka, this “housewife” (or “concubine” as the Swiss call a common-law wife) – is allowed to work. That is great for me, and I actually look forward to seeing what I can do here. Time will unfold that reality!

Our first priority is finding a place to live. This is proving to be quite challenging with a very low vacancy rate and (which naturally follows) a very high rent! This also is similar to Vancouver, but here the rent is even higher! We know that we will only afford a 1 bdrm., but of course we are keeping in mind that we want to be able to have guests. Therefore, our floor plan and the furniture we choose will accommodate that.

I think that’s it for now. I am just a few days in and loving it all! I strongly encourage you to visit, this place is really amazing! You all can start booking your visits once we have a place for you to land! We’ll keep you informed.

Take care… and look at the photos! Further updates to follow.

Wonda

WONDA IS ON THE WAY

We found out that Wonda received permission and she will arrive on Monday, 10 March... we'll have to catch up on missed Valentine's day and our anniversary (24 Feb)...
I'm still on the hunt for an apartment that's reasonably close to work and within our budget...
Wonda's in the midst of packing and happy to hear that she won't need winter clothes because Spring has already sprung here... daffodils up 10-inches and lots of blossoms and leaf buds.