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Published: April 5th 2013
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Greetings from a snowy Switzerland So it’s been a couple of months since I left the sunshine and tropical temperatures of the Maldives – This is a bit of a long blog, there is just so much to tell you… Firstly though I hope you have all survived whatever life has thrown at you since my last blog… I spent some time back home in England (with family, extended family and friends) but that’s the thing with this job after a while you get that good old wander lust again…
And now I find myself back in Switzerland, specifically the beautiful Bernese Oberland, for my third summer season… Summer being the key word here… It has hardly stopped snowing since I arrived in mid-March!!
It’s been great catching up with friends, some of whom live here and some of whom are nearing the end of their winter season… the latter mostly disappear this weekend but then return in a few weeks for the summer – maybe by then it’ll be more like summer. For now though it is still definitely the winter with just a little sprinkling of
spring.
This season, for a change, I’m based in the car-free mountain resort of Wengen – sitting pretty at an altitude of 1274m above sea level (To put that altitude thing in perspective, it’s a long way down or up depending on how you feel about being halfway up a mountain…) hence the plentiful amount of snow! Wengen is a lovely quiet alpine village – straight off a picture postcard and you’ll be hearing about village life amongst other things over the coming months, the air up here is thinner and fresher and therefore must be healthier – speaking of which…
The fantastic amount of weight I lost in the Maldives may actually stay off this summer as my accommodation is up a very steep hill, affectionately known as heart attack hill and after tackling that a couple of times a day I still have the 50 stairs up to my apartment… that may not seem much to some but to me as a die-hard Marlboro fan that is like a complete aerobic workout followed by a 10mile hike…
Fitness level updates will be posted – and the vista from my balcony is worth every step... How about that for a room with a view!
Well, as I mentioned I got out here mid-March, the first week was a little holiday. I stayed with some friends who kindly put up with me/put me up… Thank you Helen, Peter & Lilly the Pink... I spent the time drinking coffee and wine, gossiping with friends and generally chilling out.
I took a trip to Champery, a small ski resort near the French border… My friend Hazel travelled up from Zermatt and we met mid-way, then the boys (Arwyn & Jon) skied over the mountains from France into Switzerland… All for lunch (we had pizza - which was really good) and a snowball fight – it was such good fun! And how cool is it to say ‘oh I’m just skiing over to Switzerland for lunch’.
Oh I wish I could ski but such is life… I can barely walk upright in snow let alone do anything more dramatic – except maybe fall over!!
There are rumours circulating that Hazel & I broke an antique sleigh whilst in Champery… not true – I do not believe for one second that the wooden contraption that collapsed when we sat on it was an antique… the picture captured us just seconds after the sleigh fell apart due to bad craftsmanship, whereupon Hazel and I found ourselves sitting in about a foot of snow!! I still laugh out loud when I think about it…
So up here in Wengen at the moment you could be mistaken into thinking that you’re an extra in an episode of Dr Who – one where the Cyber Men launch some sort of galactic take over… 90%!o(MISSING)f the peeps in the village are clomping about in ski boots so all you hear is clunk clunk clunk clunk…
Apart from playing in the snow I have been a regular participant in the other tour operators’ bi-weekly pub quizzes in Rocks Bar, here in the village. I have been adopted into Team Olly and have a bottle of Prosecco to prove my worth to the team – that would be from one of the nights we won… as opposed to the one night we didn’t – but hey we can’t all be geniuses all of the time.
And on top of all that fun and frivolity I have been working… honestly!
We had high drama today when the railway line connecting Wengen to Lauterbrunnen – the main way out of the village down the mountain – suffered a huge rockslide which took the power out for several hours… Anyone wishing to escape the village (that’ll be me!!!) to get to Interlaken had to go up the mountain instead and back down the other side via Grindelwald… A 2 hour trip rather than the usual 45 mins… Interlaken is the main town in this area and is my usual haunt – I love it there and it really feels like I’m home when I venture down the mountain. Grindelwald is also a great resort just over the mountain from Wengen, bigger and bustling though, with a fab meal deal in the Memory Bar – Burger & Eiger Fries for 10 Swiss Francs – absolute bargain and us reps are regulars… It makes the lengthy round trip from Wengen totally worthwhile on a Sunday evening.
I will keep you informed through-out the summer of the happenings in all these lovely resorts so watch this space… And of course I can't wait to get up to the capital Bern to wave at the biffy bears!!
It’s good to be back in Switzerland and I hope you’ll enjoy my blogs from here during the summer – till then happy travelling and stay safe.
Love Tallulah xx
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rosemarymonteith
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summer in Switzerland
glad you are have a great time, I bet it feels like home to you lol