We were lucky to be invited by my friend Debbie (a friend
from nursing school days who has been here over 20 years) to her village
festival. We went to a brunch at a
working farm – it was an amazing display of food – cheeses of all kinds, yogurt
from the local creamery, charcuterie, pastries, tarts and beer and wine. The
brunch was held in a huge, new barn that was scrubbed down to perfection and
decorated for the event. The cows
here in Switzerland live in deluxe living conditions!
Baby calf just days old
Never too early for a toast!
That evening we returned for the evening meal, speeches from
the mayor, singing the Swiss national anthem (apparently so complex that
everyone needs a cheat-sheet), an excellent performance from the local brass
band (one of the trumpet players happened to be Debbie’s husband), a parade
with the children carrying their lanterns to a big field for a bonfire and
fireworks. The fireworks that you
can purchase here aren’t just your usual sparklers - some of them had timed
fuses for a display that could rival the World Series. After the individual firework displays
were done, we walked back for the “official” display with the bonfire burning
behind us (reportedly being watched by the local volunteer fire
department). The official fireworks
display was spectacular - sweet since we left the US on the afternoon of July 4th
and completely missed our own independence day.
Hi Laurie,
ReplyDeleteWow, I just saw your post on FB and came to check out your blog -- I had no idea you were doing this -- what a fantastic idea! I love the Lausanne area, it's so beautiful. You'll love all the wonderful things that make up life in Switzerland, I'm sure! I used to have a friend who lived in Vevey, I think near Ouchy. Ahhhh, so pretty!
Did Will graduate? Andy still has another quarter, as he changed from Biology to Intl Relations last year. I'm encouraging him to stay for the year, as the job market is so bad. Sarah is also at Davis, about to start her 3rd year. She's on the swim team and doing Nutrition, so she keeps really busy.
Well, take care, I'll be reading your blog and wishing I was there too!!
Margaret Winters