Breath of fresh air

Its interesting to me how well we fit in here, in Switzerland. We went from trying to blend in with Italians and their leather boots, tight jeans, men with pierced ears, and fast paced life-to blending right in on our very first stop in Zermatt. Before, we didn't have to really worry about big city thieves, since we only wore our practical clothing and not designer clothes. However, up here we are crem de la crem with our Patgonia and North Face (the two biggest stores in that town!) I love it because my suitcase is much more spacious. I am wearing all the warm clothing I own; thermal top and bottoms, 2 shirts, fleece jacket, outer shell, pashmina, and beenie.Bran is continually amazed I don't sweat through it all, but it is perfect.
Gimmelwald.Take a deep breath. Your nose tingles from the cold, your eyes water, and you slightly cough as you exhale.Thats the clean crisp air. I gulp down as much as I can, trying to wash down the recently ingested second hand smoke. All you hear is the wind running through the deep valleys way below. Chimes ring off to the left, then the right; its the cows. They endlessly much the vibrant green grass, making melodies just for me. The view? I cant get enough, and blinking is a waste. I struggle between the desire to video this, take several pictures, or just sit and take in the moment. Gods work is at its finest here. He chopped the huge mountains to create deep clefts. They are so different that you can hardly see the top of the peaks, and you strain below you to see a small moving line that is the stream. He sprinkled the land with trees, of which are now varying colors of burnt orange,yellow, and chimney red. Somehow, the grass is still a startling green, almost intoxicating to look at. The glaciers at the tippy top make it feel story like, and the best part is, they are like that all year, since they are glaciers. Why is it that I feel so close to God in a place like this? It seems like this is where it all began, and who knows, maybe this is what it looks like in heaven. There is a saying in Gimmelwald, 'If heaven isn't what its cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald' I think I agree. Today is Tuesday, tomorrow is busy day for the local town of 100; it is cow washing day. That's right. They wash, clean, blow dry the cows to 'pretty them up' for the cow parade on Thursday. They even tuck them into a bed of hay so they stay clean that night! I'm sad to report, we left today, and were unable to attend the parade, something we both regret now.

I saw it snow yesterday for the 4th time. I cant get enough. I stood outside last night, while I froze, but loved every minute. We even took a hike in yesterday. Last night was a real luxury, we spent the night in a hotel. You might wonder, where else would they be other than a hotel? hmm Well, Liechtenstein was a cute town, but rough on the body. We spent the night in our car, and as much as I would like to play the poor me card, I actually thought of it. I couldn't bear to pay 80 Euro for a hostel, when I would have to sleep in a different room than Bran. That was rough. The next night was only slightly better, in a small motor home outside Innsbruck. We decided on that place not only for the price, but after a quick venture into town. Lets just say walking in a busy town is much easier than driving. The first 5 min. we somehow ended up down a street with a trolly in front of us, and only buses around us. Oops. As we hastily made our way out, we ended up going the wrong way down a one way road. oops. As a passenger, it was slightly entertaining watching Bran try to maneuver around. The great part is, the signs are either in German, or most of them are just different symbols and colors.. leaving it up to our imagination to figure it out. Of course we tried to navigate to the information center for help, and that is when we decided to find the farthest place away.

So, even though snow and rain are fun for us Southern CA people, that doesn't leave much to do. Therefore, we packed up and are heading out. The Austrians have not been so nice, dinner last night was a bit awkward. We splurged for our one night at a sit down place, only to be stared at the entire time, with no sign of a smile. hmm so off we go, to other country, with different sets of expectations. We will let you know how it goes....