At the beginning of September I followed my spouse for his work trip to Switzerland.
The trip took place only a week after we had to put to sleep our beloved cat, Paltrow, due to cancer, and so I wasn’t in the mood for traveling even though, I suspect now after the fact, that this was what I needed.
We rented an attic in a small village in Feldbach, five minutes by train from Rapperswil-Jona and half an hour from Zurich.
If you ask me what I remember more clearly, I’d say without irony and doubt, that it was the expanse and intensity of the green around us and the constant smell of cow poop. They do have many cows in Switzerland. They were everywhere and I loved loved loved the ease with which everywhere smelled of nature. It reminded my of my grandmother’s village, close to Corinth, where the morning dew hit the nostrils with a freshness one cannot find in the big city mixed with the vibrant smell of manure and animals.
Zurich was very busy on the Saturday noon I visited. Busy and beautifully sunny.
The rose gardens of Rapperswil-Jona held hundreds of roses in healthy red, white, orange and gloriously scented pink colors. Another memory from my own village, as my grandfather had a good number of roses on his garden.
The sun was quite warm on this summery afternoon.
Contemplation is best at the top of a hill, gazing with open heart at the lake at your feet and the Swiss Alps at the horizon.
Overall, it was a lovely tip, with great timing. I already miss the beautiful green expanses that settle the heart and the view of the Alps on the horizon.