me & geography: February 2007

Villers le Lac

I am now getting ready to leave Villers le Lac, a small french village about 5 min from the Swiss border known for its waterfalls and views. I've spent my time here staying with my friend Johnny, who I met waiting for a plane in Brisbane last year, a fabulous pastry chef and amazing host. He and his family have let me grace them with my presence for a week and I am very thankful for it, its beautiful here and i've spent my days split between France and Swizertland touring around and soaking up lots of nature (and pastries). That first picture is taken from the top of a closed ski hill (they,ve only had 2 days of ski season here) with Villers le Lac in the back ground.

Next week I will be in Taize severed from the internet and stewing in silence.

Monday Johnny drove Marie, his girlfriend, and I to see all the different natural attractions of the area, criss crossing back and forth between Switzerland and France.

Wednesday I spent the afternoon working at the patissery with Johnny and his girlfriend making chocolate and other yummy treats. A bit of a take-your-foreigner-to-work day.
Yesterday I walked all over Chaux de Fonds, a little self guided tour of sorts, initially ended up in this little Swiss town to see work by the architect 'Le Corbusier' who I did a project on in school but ended up more interested in the stained glass scattered all over the city.

a synoguge in Chaux de Fonds, one of the biggest in Switzerland, built 1896

my favorite stanied glass of the day --->

Villa-Turque - Le Corbusier designed this home for his parents, he's famous for it, not really my style though.

found this one in a church, very dark but very pretty.

much love and will post again in a week or so xxx

Lucern § Lausanne

Thursday night I stepped off the train in Lucern to find myself in the middle of their monster carnival... to scare away the winter. Met Andre, my scuba buddy in Western Australia, quickly dropped my stuff at his apartment and walked to the old city center for a quick drink... that quickly turned into a night of dancing in the streets surrounded by fully costumed brass and percussion bands playing songs like Aerosmith's Crazy, they were all incredible. The amazing thing was that everyone homemakes their costumes, famillies and friends all dressed to match, there we people with bird cages, paint buckets and full shower stalls on their heads, whole bands dressed like devils, and lots of knights and carabanna type colours. I was introduced to cafe-schnapps (yum) and met a bunch of Andres friends, spending the night immersed in Swiss German. I didn't take any pictures, they wouldn't have done justice, but if you can picture any old city crammed shoulder to shoulder, everyone in full creative costume, bands setup around every corner so that the only way to move was to dance, through the streets, up and down stairs... that was my proper introduction to Swiss-German festivities.

Friday Andre and I woke up early for a day trip to Lausanne, about 2hrs away to pick up some of his old stuff for his new apartment, spent the afternoon exploring a bit, Lausanne is beautiful with an old city center, complete with 700 year old Cathedral and Lake that stretches out to touch the mountains.

Saturday brought snowboarding for my first time. These are the moutains in the distance, took a cable car up to the resort town and after a few hours of lessons, Andre left to join Andia and Lukas on the big-kid hills and I was on my own. It was incredible, beautiful and my bum still hurts 3 days later...

Saturday night, we had a well deserved Raquelette feast, the focus being lots of broiled cheese and potates, and for desert we went out dancing...

Sunday Andre took Lukas and I out for a bit of a tour and then Lukas dropped me off at a train station on his way home to Fribourg where I then met up with Johnny who I am staying with this week in France, about 5 min from the Swiss border.

Zurich with Liz

So for the last three nights i've stayed with Liz in Zurich and explored the very beautiful city. Liz, for those who don't know, is also from King, a good friend of Sarah's and is here working for another two years working on the waste treatment, turning pee into fertilizer and will be doing consulting for water system installations all over the world. I'm going to post a whole bunch of pics here, because i really loved Zurich and think all my pictures turned out great, and to the last two posts where I couldn't post pictures before. I have been touring churches so i've posted my favorite two bits of stained glass... my favorite being the second one with the organ in front of it.

Had a Valentine's Day girls only ice cream party last night so I have proof that I am with Liz. I am off to Lucern today and then headed back to France early next week. xoxo

what the Bern?

so after about 4 hours in taize i had been offered a ride into swizerland... so keeping my arms wide open to changes in my plans i accepted... stayed the night in taize and took part in two incredible services before heading onwards sunday morning... rode up here through the beautiful french and swiss countryside with 2 german boys and a swiss girl... a great adventure including running out of gas on the swiss highway (pics to come later). i,m safe in Bern staying here for a night at a new friends place, this amazing apartment with little old fashiopned stoves in all the rooms, then hope to head to zurich and lucern to visit friends before heading back to taize via a friends house on the border. so plan reversal but loving it thus far... loved taize and cant wait to get back. more love xxx

Max taking full responsibility for running out of gas on the autoban

getting darker...help finally arrived a hour or so later.

Layla, my gracious host in Bern... and check out her kitchen, the log burner in the corner...

Walking beside the river that runs to Bern you will find a makeshift zoo. It was pretty cool, bisons, wild boar, birds, these mountain goats and supposedly bears. It's made right into the landscape and it doesn't cost a thing.

The parliment house on the hill... apparently it goes deep into the hill for military purposes...

more shots of the capital city.

to taize by thumb.

I have arrived safe after my first, and very successful hitch hike across France.
Jim and Jane dropped me off and i only had to wait about 20 min in the rain before i was picked up by a very nice bulgarian truck driver named boris who lives in Spain. we spent our '4 hors together speqking spanish, a bit of french, a bit of english, a bit of bulgarian and a bit of polish,,, he had rosary beads hanging fro, his rearview mirror and was a great guy with kids my age at home in bulgaria,,, we had a goumet lunch from his ice box at a truck stop,, I wish i could post pics but i cqnt and this keyboard is funny. Boris drove me all the way across to the turnoff for Clunny where i had another ride ready before he left into town and then a third to her with a woman who has been co,ing for years...

i am here, apologies foy lying to mum and dad, there was a change of plans and i cme a day early so i cant call tonight.... so you dont have to stress im here!!! tricky tricky!!! so posting via email and wont be online ,uch this week, but thanks again jim and jane, i made it and it all looks wonderful. the rain has stopped, theres sun on the hills and stained glass in the widows,,, much love Allison

A picnic lunch with Boris

First impressions of Taize... beautiful old bells that ring out into rolling hills

Rancho Relaxo, this time in France.

These quiet places seem to pull me in and hold me. Now that i'm heading out i'm seeing a lot of similarities between my time spent here and when I was at the orchard in Melbourne... it's been another amazing stay at a quiet out of the way house surrounded by fruit trees, lots of thinking and preparing for what's ahead. Thanks so much Jim and Jane for putting me up and putting up with me. Some sniceless pictures!