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!