:: our weekend with erika ::

We've enjoyed a lovely weekend on the German-speaking side of Switzerland with our dear friend Erika. Like when we were in Tessin, the Italian-speaking part, we found it funny being in the same country but not being able to understand or respond to a language that is completely foreign! But we had Erika to do the translating, and we enjoyed her company, particularly as it is the last opportunity we had before we move to go to her home. 

In the days of anticipation leading up to our weekend I was also excited to see that the weather forecast was amazing. I haven't ventured into the German-speaking part very often but almost every time we have the weather hasn't been wonderful. Seeing forecasts of sunshine and mid-30's added to the anticipation! As a result Erika was able to show us some of her favourite places. 

We started off in this beautiful river spot. Despite the warm air the water was freezing! But we ventured along to see if we could find a good spot for the girls to play and to have our picnic lunch.

We passed a REGA team who had been doing some water-rescue exercises further up the gorge, then came across this intriguing hut frame which Erika wondered may have been a make-shift sauna. We stayed there a little while until the girls' rock-throwing antics became a little risky!

 

When we didn't find a good place to stop and stay a while for eating, playing and napping, Erika suggested a nearby camping ground further down the river, which proved to be a wonderful discovery. Perfect for the girls with a playground, shallow water and a swimming pool and a great place to enjoy our picnic and let them sleep afterwards.

Rivella - Swiss famous and a drink we're going to miss!

Our little cervelat men for lunch :o)

After a nap for the girls, a swim for the bigger girls and a gorge trip for Eti, we packed up our things and headed up into the hills to a farm that Erika knew served meals with a beautiful view across to the Jungfrau, Eiger and other infamous mountain peaks across the valley. It was a fun, relaxed meal experience, obviously well-known to the locals and in a lovely garden setting of a beautiful big chalet home, surrounded by a menagerie of farm animals, which the girls enjoyed seeing!

 

Yesterday we changed our plans to take a cable car to the top of a near-by mountain, instead opting to allow the girls a morning sleep in their beds, with time for us to pack and play some games...Erika being famous among our friends for providing fun and just a little bit competitive games! Afterwards we ventured into Bern, our capital city, and up another cable car to the top of a small mountain (by Swiss-standards!) where we found a great park complete with several different play areas, a ride-on train and an impressive view overlooking the city down below. It was a wonderful place for little people to explore and to enjoy our last couple of hours together before Erika had to head back down to her job at the hospital in the city. 

Goodbyes are becoming more difficult as the time to our departure for NZ looms closer. With a couple of overseas trips for Erika to come in the next two months our chances to see each other are limited. There is a tug in my heart with this move. One big part of me is really looking forward to being back "home" closer to my family, to friends and with the possibilities of making new friends and the open adventure that is ahead of us. The other part of me struggles as I see that family and friends here dread our departure, peppering Eti with questions of what we'll do and how it will be hard for his family. It's hard not to feel guilty and responsible, or want to say "But I've lived so far from mine for so many years!!" It helps to remember, as Erika reminded us before we left, that life is full of changes and adventures, goodbyes and hellos. And it's not easy but it's rich and we can trust God that He's already there preparing our way.

:: home is where my holiday is ::

Our summer family holiday has come and gone, just like that. Time seems to be flying at the snap of a finger these days. Maybe it's a sign of old age ;o) Maybe it's because we have a lot we'd like to do in these last months here in Switzerland, and time is teasing us as it flies by unusually quickly. 

We spent two weeks down in the south of France on the Côte d'Azur, between Toulon and Marseille. Eti's family have a couple of sites in a private camping ground, so it's a great place to spend the summer holidays...especially when many of the wider family on both sides also have sites or bungalows in the same place. 

For the trip down I was keen to see the lavender in Provence. I realised it was quite unlikely as the flowering of the lavender normally happens earlier but I had heard that this year the season was later, so I was hoping! Thankfully my dream was fulfilled in part. The flowering season was over and most fields had already been harvested. But there were still some fields in which the lavender hadn't yet been cut...and we stopped to drink in the wonderful scent, the sound of a thousand bees still busily humming at work, and to let the girls stretch their legs and have a run around. I can only imagine how stunning it must be in full bloom. Not to mention the wonderful sleeps that everyone in the region must enjoy with the scent!

The rest of our holiday was spent in and around the camping ground and with frequent trips to the seaside, squeezing in among thousands of other holidaymakers who fill the beach with their brightly coloured towels and umbrellas (wow, we have it good in NZ!). It was hot, we didn't see a drop of rain, only a cloud or two every few days. Cicadas are the soundtrack during sunlight hours, and sunscreen is the scent of the summer holidays. 

We spent our first breakfast at the beach, with a fresh baguette and pots of jam, chocolate spread and honey. We quickly realised this was the best time of the day to be out and about. We spent our last morning at the beach, too, and wondered why we hadn't done that every day!

The South is buzzing with activity during the summer months. Markets in the mornings and evenings. Eti and I were grateful to be able to sneak away during the girls' naps or during the evenings to go and explore the markets, enjoy icecreams beside the port, go for a refreshing swim in the sea and canoe to a nearby island. Eti's parents happily obliged to keep the girls occupied once they awoke!

If I stopped here with describing our time and left you with the photos you could be forgiven for thinking 'What a wonderful place to go to on holiday' or 'How lucky you are to get to enjoy a time like that!' You wouldn't really see the reality of the 'holiday' or know that our first week was occupied with two sick little girls, multiple trips to the doctor and the pharmacy, being advised not to let the girls be in the sun or swim in the sea, very hot days, a sick husband, going through several little outfits of clothes each day alongside the day-to-day routine of figuring out what to cook (not my strength or love!). Several times I found myself thinking "This is NOT how I imagined our holiday to be!!!" and had to remind myself that camping and small children don't always equal 'holiday,' not to mention night-time crying and close tent-dwelling neighbours! Who was I kidding to think I could sit back in relax!? ;o) I don't know that I've ever felt so tired and actually feel more on 'holiday' at home :o) 

BUT we had many wonderful moments! The girls, despite feeling awful with throat infections, an allergic reaction the antibiotics and breathing problems, were generally very good-natured. They spent most of their time between the little playground beside us and the water tap, which was a wonderful incentive to get them drinking enough!

There were plenty of outfit changes but the main thing was that they were happy, refreshed and occupied in their explorations! Living outdoors does wonders for little souls. And they loved making new friends...

There were days of tears and pale faces (not only for the little people!)

But thankfully they were interspersed with moments of fun to remind us that it was worth it all to be away from many modern conveniences and to enjoy our time together with family and friends.

We loved being around cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Many we won't see again before we leave, so it was a precious time to be able to spend together. 

Grand Grand Papa was a hit. We loved seeing him!

Breakfasts were in true French holiday style - baguettes still warm from the boulangerie with jam...miam!

Accompanied by a little alphabet singing practice with the morning milk bottles :o)

Pentanque...the quintessential holiday game of which I only observed this time around!

Grandpapa's moto, an object of fascination and the odd ride around the camping ground!

 Quite a few 'batons' were collected over the two weeks

There was a lot of water play!

Many a dirty face and body to clean after tumbles in the dust

And a boat trip to the Calanques, a beautiful part of the coastline between Cassis and Marseille to top it all off...

Et voila! Back home again. After flooding the laundry twice and 6 machine loads of dirty washing life is settling back to regular pace...apart from the fact that we're moving to the other side of the world in less than three months and all that needs to be done before then.