Mikeal's mother, Jutta, picked us up at the train station. How wonderful to have a meet and great after a month of lonely arrivals and departures. Jutta speaks very good English and we talked all the way to their home and haven't stopped talking since. She is a beautiful women, my age, we even look similar, like sisters maybe.....both tall and blonde. With Molly too, Mikeal looks like a dark haired outcast.
The trip from France to Switzerland on the train was as good as it gets. The driving to their home was like a fairy tale. If you have a vision of Heidi and Switzerland, cows and rolling hills, that is exactly what we saw. Mikeal lives in an area they refer to as "The Three Lakes" and their home is perched above one of the lakes amongst vineyards, mooing cows, complete with a view of the lake and the Alps in the far background. The home is very nice, with a lovely garden and I believe they live well.
We drove first to Mikeal's soccer game to bombard him with hugs and kisses. Same handsome man, same endearing smile, same warmth as when he left Bellingham. Jutta and I watched our children interact, like siblings really, but with a nice bond of friendship and understanding.
They have one upped us at local soccer games. Mikeal is playing on the first team level in their area. They serve wine and beer.......and......they had a wonderful, autumn soup for everyone after the cold, cold game. Cheesy, potato, vegetable, nummy soup. We really need to talk to Lindsay and Martin about changing some things at the NWSP. Some nice, old, toothless man bought me a glass of wine, as they wouldn't take my euros. Oops....didn't know the money thing switched to Francs.............thank you nice, old, toothless man.
After warming up with the soup, we all drove to Mikeal's girlfriends home. Her name is Pamela, and it was her mother's birthday. There was a small, family, birthday party. We met everybody, I don't remember anybody.....some spoke limited English, most French and some German. The area is filled with a mix of languages.......it was fun to see another family and be a part of a social scene in a foreign country, although I think they may have sighed a big sigh of relief after we left and they could carry on in the comfort of their own language and customs.
Jutta made a wonderful, traditional, suisse fondue for a late dinner. Cheese and bread and wine. It was very rich and creamy and the heaviness of the meal put us fast to sleep in an attic room, with skylights and a comfy bed. The cows mooed as I dozed off.
The trip from France to Switzerland on the train was as good as it gets. The driving to their home was like a fairy tale. If you have a vision of Heidi and Switzerland, cows and rolling hills, that is exactly what we saw. Mikeal lives in an area they refer to as "The Three Lakes" and their home is perched above one of the lakes amongst vineyards, mooing cows, complete with a view of the lake and the Alps in the far background. The home is very nice, with a lovely garden and I believe they live well.
We drove first to Mikeal's soccer game to bombard him with hugs and kisses. Same handsome man, same endearing smile, same warmth as when he left Bellingham. Jutta and I watched our children interact, like siblings really, but with a nice bond of friendship and understanding.
They have one upped us at local soccer games. Mikeal is playing on the first team level in their area. They serve wine and beer.......and......they had a wonderful, autumn soup for everyone after the cold, cold game. Cheesy, potato, vegetable, nummy soup. We really need to talk to Lindsay and Martin about changing some things at the NWSP. Some nice, old, toothless man bought me a glass of wine, as they wouldn't take my euros. Oops....didn't know the money thing switched to Francs.............thank you nice, old, toothless man.
After warming up with the soup, we all drove to Mikeal's girlfriends home. Her name is Pamela, and it was her mother's birthday. There was a small, family, birthday party. We met everybody, I don't remember anybody.....some spoke limited English, most French and some German. The area is filled with a mix of languages.......it was fun to see another family and be a part of a social scene in a foreign country, although I think they may have sighed a big sigh of relief after we left and they could carry on in the comfort of their own language and customs.
Jutta made a wonderful, traditional, suisse fondue for a late dinner. Cheese and bread and wine. It was very rich and creamy and the heaviness of the meal put us fast to sleep in an attic room, with skylights and a comfy bed. The cows mooed as I dozed off.
