Goodbye February

Conceptual Decoration, Everybody!

The cold I was determined not to get won. Je suis malade. Ich bin krank.

Today I was thinking for a second that a person 3 years younger than me would be 15. What, I'm 18 again? I really do not feel 20, though. Good grief, I'm turning 21 in a few months! Being 20 I feel like I really should have something on my Lifetime Achievement Award Application. Me? Close to nada, thank you. I think I read a depressing poem in high school about this very thing. Except he was 25 and turned out to be a famous poet, so not the same thing.
I want a magic fairy to tell me what to do with my life!

Fastnacht! It was a few weeks ago actually, but anyway.


For some reason, Bernese festivals = confetti. They really like their confetti.




They went all out on the costumes.

I'm not sure the world is ready for this. Deep breath, and look:

Time to party!


Perhaps this was a shock as well.


That's better, cover your mouth when you laugh like you belong in a mad house!


Man with the fanny pack coming in for the attack...


Bam! Apparently Vanessa did not even know he was hugging her from behind.


Get my chocolate side, please.


Fanny pack man, Sam and Cyril caught in the moment.

The Transformation








And now my boyfriend has no hair.

Spring in Winter


Fruit blossoms!


Okay, these are potted...


February!
I bet you're jealous.

I have to tell you about a little problem I've been having recently. With escalators. In normal people's minds their brains go "I see the step, put foot on step, nicely done legs!". For me it seems to be more like "I see the step... oh damn, which one? That one! Okay legs, and step. No not that one! Oh too late, move back, faaalling over, okay and we're good. Nice save." And I really hope people don't notice me staring at those damn moving steps for 20 seconds before I decide which one to get on. It's the little things in life that make it challenging. Words of wisdom.

Schilthorn

Hitting Up The Alps James Bond Style

One Friday afternoon brought Cyril, Myriame and I to the film location of James Bond On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I have to admit, I have never once seen a James Bond film. There was a clip playing there, though, and saw the restaurant we had just eaten in get blown up. Also lots of ridiculous ski chases. Good ol' 1969 film effects.
Here is a fun fact: On Her Magesty's Secret Service is the only Bond film to entirely take place and be filmed in Europe!

Giant gondola. Usually full of skiers and their skis, leaving little room for little old us.


Myriame and her son on Schilthorn.


View from the revolving restaurant with Lake Thun just visible behind the snow.


Mountains!


Also from the restaurant.


Somebody thought it would be fun to go off the run and brake his neck.




Ski runs.




One of the guys wishing to break his neck, I guess.


At the lower gondola stop.
Mountains: Eiger, Münch and Jungfrau in the back. Quite well-known.




Soaking it up.


The sun is fantastic that high up.
It has been so sunny and clear lately, it feel as if you can see around the globe from up there.




The altitude is also a bit tiring.
Almost 3000m above sea level is pretty high.

Determined not to let the oncoming cold take hold, I am spraying awful sprays, taking long baths, drinking lots of water, swallowing those pills and sleeping it off.

See you on the other side.

Amsterdam

We Took The Wrong Flight

And ended up in the desert. It was nice too. A bit windy, though.











Like I said, it was windy!


Oh wait, there were dunes by the ocean in Bergen aan Zee


Still windy.


Marne, our fabulous Dutch host!




We had been visiting his parents. Lovely also.




Dutch breakfast/occasional sandwich/baby shower tradition/snack/okay, they eat it all the time: sprinkles on bread/toast. Just try it, you'll be amazed.


Welcome to the most confusing city in the world.


Reason: damn canals; everywhere. Yeah, they're nice to look at, but when every street looks basically the same, you begin to resent them a bit. Especially if you are lucky enough to be as directionally challenged as I am.


It decided to be sunny for about a second.




Next day it was raining cats, dogs and raw meat. The latter, literally. "Yes, let's throw raw meat out the window for the herons whilst the tourists are distracted!"


Marne, in a very important business call in the cake shop.


Cutest cake shop ever.






Cyril decided to get lost on his own in Amsterdam for 3 hours whilst I had visions of him being beaten, robbed and left to die in an alleyway. Finally we found him.


Canal tour.




The narrowest house in Amsterdam! It's one door wide.




I love the black painted houses.


Some town from the sky.


Canals in the Netherlands.

Happy Valentine's Day for yesterday. Or if you prefer, Stalintine's Day. I think I sort of do. I don't mean to brag or anything, but let me just say that I spent it with my schatzi looking out on the Matterhorn from the highest viewing point in Europe. Bam.

Myriame bought a bread machine this afternoon. She brought it home, Cyril ripped open the package, read the instructions, went to go buy flour and an hour later, a happy little bread was being made. 30 minutes to go...

1 more thing: August 6
This is an important date; I'm coming home! I know you've probably all forgotten me at home by now, but... I have no idea where I was going with that.