Life for us now is as follows.
We DO love it here, the only down-side is the lack of housing. We are still living in the hotel suite that Ken’s company put him up in when he arrived… only now we pay. It is a bedroom with kitchenette, and a bathroom. Very compact, like a camper!
The internet/email is only at Ken’s office, and we often go in on a Sunday (at some point) to send emails and call people. Hopefully soon we will have our own place… then we will have internet and we will be able to call from home. We have cell phones, but long distance is so expensive. Besides, it costs almost nothing to use the Skype on the computer. We save where we can!
Ken’s colleagues have really embraced him, and we have been socializing with them after work and sometimes on weekends.
There are always events going on, plenty to do… we’ve been to wine festivals and a cheese festival, a jazz festival and several museums. We are also getting out hiking, to see the countryside and taking day-trips in a different town or village every couple weeks. We take our “Swiss picnic = wine, cheese, bread” and of course some healthy treats to round out the meal. Eating out is costly, and people here drink wine with their meals, so it is quite common to see people sharing wine and food openly in public, no laws against that here. People take their wine or beer to enjoy on the trains (and their own food) – you can buy it onboard - if you want to pay big money.
This was definitely the right choice of place for relocation. It is so safe and comfortable, we walk every day (without fear of getting run over!) and it is so QUIET! Sometimes we say to each other, “we deserve this after all we went through in S.L.” What’s not to love about this country? (ok, maybe the cost of things) but the astounding views and lush plants everywhere, milder temps, friendly & helpful people, relaxed atmosphere, lifestyle… it is all good!
French continues to improve for me, and Ken is taking classes (and being the natural quick learner that he is, plus his high motivation), he’s learning a lot! We are finding our groove here.
We will go home for our family reunion end of July, which will be a huge event. Several people will stay in the house, and many more will camp out on the grounds. We expect 150-200 people on the Sat., but leading up to that and lingering on for a few days afterwards will be the plan for plenty of relatives. Obviously we have to set things up the best we can beforehand, and then once everyone is gone, the clean-up and shutting down of our house again. We will both be home for 3 weeks, and back here by mid-Aug. Then Ken will be in full swing getting ready for the Sept. semester. Hopefully I will be gearing up to start a new job too. And taking French classes!
And now to you… Any chance you could visit while we’re in Swiss-chocolate-land? We think this will be a 2 year posting for Ken, so you have time to plan. It is beautiful here in every season, so whatever suits you, we’ll welcome a visit from you at ANY TIME!!!
Take care and keep in touch,
Love Wonda (and Ken)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
April's activities
We really like it here in Montreux; the scenery, the cleanliness, the relative ease and familiarity of lifestyle, the fact that we blend in, and … we are even adjusting to the cooler temps. People are friendly and relaxed, helpful and understanding with language goof-ups.
There has been an abundance of April showers, and plenty of flowers and blossoms to herald in the season. It is warming up too, and I have had a couple of afternoons of t-shirt warmth.
Now, if we could only get the apt. thing settled! We thought we had secured a place (Mar.26th) and they finally sent the lease agreement (Apr.24th) and they had increased the price by another $150 per month !!!! We said no, since they had already raised it by $200 from the last tenant, and they were not even going to paint (tenant said last painted 9 years ago and really needs it.) So now we are back on search! We think we have an option for the summer (mid May to end Aug.), that would give us a couple months to find a place. We will keep you posted.
There are plenty of things to do here; museums, train tours into the Alps, boat cruises on Lake Geneva, wine tasting festivals, music festivals, old castles to check out- though some old castles are still in use as local gov’t offices, vineyard operations -offices and wine cellars. It is all still very fascinating to us.
Last Sat. we went to a village where all the winemakers had their wines out for sampling. The idea is you pay admission – get your glass, and then just walk through the village from one wine-makers house to the next; sampling the wine and chatting with the owners/vintners. There were a couple guys walking around playing music as well as a few spots along the way set up for bands. There was also an area to get food - meat pastries, meat sandwiches, meat soup, meat and potatoes… they were even roasting a cow on a spit! Huge! Lots of meat to go around! So… by the end of the afternoon I had learned two things…bring my own lunch so that I can actually EAT something, and … taste the wine, and dump out the rest! The atmosphere was festive and people were friendly. We tasted the wines of last year’s harvest and some from 2006, and from now ‘til Sept. these village wine festivals will be happening all over the region. After all, we are in the heart of the wine region… we hope to learn something about it while we are here.
The University where Ken works has students from several different countries, and last weekend they had an “International Day” where they decorated a booth to represent their country, dressed in their traditional clothing, and served food and drinks from their country. There was a cultural show too, with lots of singing and dancing. Lots of fun! It reminded me of the multicultural festival in Hfx. There is one here too, in early June, Ken and I will be sure to check it out.
In April, we also took a train to the top of a local mountain,(with another couple) shovelled snow off a picnic table and sat out there and had our lunch, then caught the next train down. We got out along the way and walked the rest of the way down the mountain to the heart of Montreux where we sat at an outdoor café in the warmth of the late afternoon sun.
That’s it for now… more to follow!
There has been an abundance of April showers, and plenty of flowers and blossoms to herald in the season. It is warming up too, and I have had a couple of afternoons of t-shirt warmth.
Now, if we could only get the apt. thing settled! We thought we had secured a place (Mar.26th) and they finally sent the lease agreement (Apr.24th) and they had increased the price by another $150 per month !!!! We said no, since they had already raised it by $200 from the last tenant, and they were not even going to paint (tenant said last painted 9 years ago and really needs it.) So now we are back on search! We think we have an option for the summer (mid May to end Aug.), that would give us a couple months to find a place. We will keep you posted.
There are plenty of things to do here; museums, train tours into the Alps, boat cruises on Lake Geneva, wine tasting festivals, music festivals, old castles to check out- though some old castles are still in use as local gov’t offices, vineyard operations -offices and wine cellars. It is all still very fascinating to us.
Last Sat. we went to a village where all the winemakers had their wines out for sampling. The idea is you pay admission – get your glass, and then just walk through the village from one wine-makers house to the next; sampling the wine and chatting with the owners/vintners. There were a couple guys walking around playing music as well as a few spots along the way set up for bands. There was also an area to get food - meat pastries, meat sandwiches, meat soup, meat and potatoes… they were even roasting a cow on a spit! Huge! Lots of meat to go around! So… by the end of the afternoon I had learned two things…bring my own lunch so that I can actually EAT something, and … taste the wine, and dump out the rest! The atmosphere was festive and people were friendly. We tasted the wines of last year’s harvest and some from 2006, and from now ‘til Sept. these village wine festivals will be happening all over the region. After all, we are in the heart of the wine region… we hope to learn something about it while we are here.
The University where Ken works has students from several different countries, and last weekend they had an “International Day” where they decorated a booth to represent their country, dressed in their traditional clothing, and served food and drinks from their country. There was a cultural show too, with lots of singing and dancing. Lots of fun! It reminded me of the multicultural festival in Hfx. There is one here too, in early June, Ken and I will be sure to check it out.
In April, we also took a train to the top of a local mountain,(with another couple) shovelled snow off a picnic table and sat out there and had our lunch, then caught the next train down. We got out along the way and walked the rest of the way down the mountain to the heart of Montreux where we sat at an outdoor café in the warmth of the late afternoon sun.
That’s it for now… more to follow!
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