Claire is here

For the past week we have had fresh snow on the top of the mountains every morning. When there's sun during the day it melts again, but otherwise not. The daily high has not exceeded 70 for the past 10 days or so and many fear that summer is over. We will probably get some more nice days, but no hot days. The local saying is that here there are 9 months of winter, 2 months of cold weather and 1 month of summer... and that month has already come and gone! As long as it doesn't rain all day long I don't really care. I have to carefully monitor the weather forecast to make sure we plan a good hike for the nice days - as tomorrow is supposed to be. Despite the generally bad weather we do manage to get out every day, either for a day hike, or then at a minimum for a nice afternoon walk, even if it has to be with the umbrella in the backpack.

Anne-Marie and Yvan went back home this morning, after dropping in with a bag of croissants. Having them in town for 2 weeks allowed us to really get reacquainted. We saw each other every day, if for no other reason because their paper was being delivered to my mail box. Bringing it to them was the perfect excuse to visit for at least a short while every day, compare notes on each other's hikes, share a cup of something, plan a common outing.

And then, of course, on Sunday night Claire and Colin arrived. It feels like a vacation for me as well, just like all the other times I was here with Claire. We hike, walk, cook, eat, play dice (crap - for my Sierra Club friends!). I have barely time to check my email, let alone respond. I trust you will forgive me! We took a guided tour of the village for which I provided the translation service. I am finally starting to get my local history down. For example, I now know why the oldest houses date back to the early 1500's: the valley was invaded in the late 1400's and the inhabitants of Zuoz abandoned the village, set it on fire, and went hiding into the mountains. The invaders, finding no prisoners to take and nothing to pillage, moved on. Eventually the locals returned to the village and started rebuilding.

Yesterday we did the infamous 4 hour train ride to St. Gallen and 4 hours back because Claire wished to see my aunt, which touched me a lot. Colin came along as well, but while we spent time with my aunt he visited the city and now knows much more about it than I ever did. My aunt would have been too overwhelmed with all 3 of us, and the many languages. Claire and I cooked and my aunt ate with much gusto. She had a great day, feeling well enough to get a good bottle of wine from her cellar and enjoy it as well. Claire's German surfaced from the depths of her memory and we actually had a lively conversation, my aunt recalling some of her travels to Italy, Russia when St. Petersburg still was Leningrad, and her trip to the Arctic.


Since yesterday was a long day (up at 5:30 am to catch the 6:13 train, back only at 7:30pm), today we took it easy. It was 3:30pm when we finally took off to go on a walk. As we got to the center of the village, we saw stands in the street and I remembered that it's the big yearly street fair. So we had to check it all out, chitchat with my acquaintances, taste some of the food. In the end I had to drop in at a store to buy some First of August paraphernalia: August 1 is Swiss National day, and we decorate our houses with flags, lights, etc. The store used to belong to the only friend I had in Zuoz before moving here, Leonora - but she died a few years ago rather unexpectedly, from cancer. Her daughter-in-law, Lucrezia, now runs the store, and I took the opportunity to ask how her father-in-law was doing. She looked at me with shock in her eyes: her father-in-law had died just one month ago! I missed it because it happened while I was in New York! However, Lucrezia told me that Ursulina, Leonora's daughter was here, staffing the stand in the street. The last time I saw Ursulina was in the early 70s, when she was a teenager. I thought she wouldn't even know who I am. However, she had already recognized me as I had been walking by... and we fell into each other's arms as if we had been the best of friends. She looks just like her mother, and she has the same warmth and kindness. I don't understand what created the strong link between the two families, despite the distance and the years. Was it the tragedies that hit both families? The young son killed in a car accident in his late teens? My mother's premature death? Ursulina's husband died of a heart attack at only 49 and she is widowed, without children. She apologized for not having written to my father about the passing of her father just one month ago... and was utterly shocked when I told her that my father had passed away as well. We ended our conversation promising to stay in touch and I have no doubt that we will.

Pictures:

1. Hiking between Il Fuorn and Scuol (National Park area)
2. Claire and Colin. The Inn is extremely low because it's too cold for the glaciers and remaining snow fields to melt.
3. Zuoz street fair. Silvia, neighbor and member of the Ladies' gym makes the best waffles.

By the way, my June pictures are now posted on Picasa: hiking in the rain, wildflowers and New York City. (http://picasaweb.google.com/irenevlach/June2010#)

Still squeezing

Thanks to a totally innocent typo (in the email notification) I had the most extraordinary response from my readers. Thus two points are proven: first that the recipients of the email at least have a glance at the title, and second that same recipients have a naughty mind. Now of course my challenge is to find similarly enticing titles for my postings to make sure I keep my readership!

Is it because of my two visits to a counselor, or has enough time gone by for me to finally be able to move forward? Nothing is happening on the outside (yet), but I am getting restless. Not that I am bored or lonely, but it is starting to feel like there ought to be more to life than hiking. I am ready to work, to work hard, to contribute, to learn.

Last Saturday my friends Anne-Marie and Yvan arrived from Neuchatel. They have rented their own apartment - just across the parking lot from my building. So I am rediscovering the easy socializing with old friends. They are not my guests, but we already have gone on two hikes together and shared some meals. As I was hoping, their company allows me to go on new hikes, and hikes that I would not be comfortable doing on my own. On Sunday we went to Val Champagna. I had been pouring over the map repeatedly, wondering whether I should attempt it on my own. It's not very long, the trailhead is at the arrival of a cable-car, meaning that there would be lots of people. In the end though, I decided to wait for company.

It was an interesting day. The trail was indeed quite good, as I had guessed. We saw a herd of ibex (bouquetin, Steinbock) looking down on us from nearby rocks. To our surprise, after the initial hour we were the only party on the trail. And all of a sudden, on a section where the trail traverses the slope, for no apparent reason, Anne-Marie, who is an experienced hiker, fell and tumbled down the slope. I'll spare you the details, suffice to say that she is fine. However, it could have been extremely serious - she was very lucky. Nevertheless, we all were quite scared and shook up. For me it was the confirmation that indeed, I had not been overly cautious: a tumble like this can happen to anybody, any time, any place. And I would not want something like this to happen while alone in a remote area. Lesson learned.

Anne-Marie and Yvan also took me on a gorgeous hike to an area that was unknown to me, on the other side of the Julier Pass. It was fun to be shown a new area, while usually I am the guide. As fun as the hiking was, the most exciting aspect of the week was my inner journey, the feeling that I am now having some options and that I will be able to move forward - somehow. It all is intimidating, even scary, but I have now learned that this is how one grows as a person. I did not choose this path, but I am trying to look at it as an adventure. It still is Lemonade, and with enough sugar it's actually quite good.

Claire and Colin are arriving on Sunday night - I can't wait!

Ice cream and pastries

It feels like a treat: I am spending an entire week alone in Zuoz, catching up on laundry, email, quiet time. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, one day nicer than the next, and hotter than I remember it ever was. When I go for a hike I make a point of leaving early, to be on top before it gets too hot, and to be back home before the thunderstorms strike. So far, when they do come, they come quite late and up till now I have avoided them all. I am becoming very daring - for today's hike I wore shorts (instead of the zipper-leg pants) and didn't even pack a sweater! The other night, at 11pm, I was sitting outside on my balcony, wearing just a t-shirt and shorts - definitely a first! Also unthinkable 30-40 years ago: I am considering going to the "beach", i.e. pack a towel and a good book and take a swim in one of the local lakes. They actually are now warm enough even for someone as wimpy as me! Meanwhile the glaciers and the permafrost are melting, and a little rain is enough to trigger major landslides. Two passes were affected last week, the Albula, and more importantly, the Bernina, which is the major thoroughfare to Italy. Both the road and the train tracks were blocked for a while.

After a long dry spell, I have renewed hopes for a job. On Monday I interviewed in an upscale bakery/pastry shop/tea room in St. Moritz. The pay is lousy, but I am getting restless, I am ready to do something and learn something. Besides, any income is better than no income. The contract would be for the season, i.e. till the end of April, so there's no long-term commitment - which is good. I am currently also working on an application for IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). They are based in Gland, near Geneva and are looking for an administrative assistant for their global marine program. I just about have the perfect profile and I am working really hard on this application, but deep down I fear that I don't stand a chance because of my age. And then yesterday, the guy from whom I was buying an ice cream cone in Zernez, offered me on the spot a full time job - selling ice cream! I told him I'd think about it until Monday. He is desperate because the summer season already is in full swing. If I do it, it would be just part time... I am hesitating... a gut feeling, the whole setting was not very professional... and I don't want to stumble into a bad situation.

So now the snow has melted even at high elevation, save for a small patch here or there. This is the time to get up into the high country - and yet I hesitate. Most of you know that I have a bad knee, which I twisted in my office a couple of years ago, to the point that I couldn't walk for a few days. I am hiking with two braces and a stick, but I do feel vulnerable. I always carry my cell phone, but I am sure coverage is spotty in the remote valleys. Therefore I have decided to play it safe, and my hikes are limited either to areas where I know there'll be many people, or to trails that I know to be relatively good. This decision limits my options considerably, and so I am looking forward to the next visit: this Saturday Anne-Marie and Yvan are arriving from the Neuchatel area. They have rented their own place but Anne-Marie and I plan to do a few good hikes together while Yvan goes on bicycle rides. Then Claire and Colin arrive, then my sisters... then... more friends until the middle of September. So from now on I will have lots of company for the exciting hikes and to explore new trails.

Below are a few pictures of my recent hikes. I also took a couple of bike rides. Biking is much more of a challenge than hiking or skiing. I trust my legs (even with the bad knee) infinitely more than tires. Yesterday I finally passed the test of wrestling the bike onto the train. They have a great set-up, but cyclists still have to carry their bikes up 3 steps to enter the special bike coach...

Lej da Statz, near St. Moritz. This is "the beach".














Es-cha hut and Piz Kesch. I spent many nights in this hut with my father and my sisters on the eves of climbing Piz Kesch.












Piz Uter, which I can also see from my living room window. The first time I climbed it (in one afternoon) I was about 14. Dad coaxed me up to the pass, and then to the top!











Chaste Peninsula, in Lake Sils. Looking towards Maloja.

Arosa

I am almost embarrassed to admit it: I am not doing anything, yet I hardly find time to sit down at the computer and write a new entry for this blog. Of course I am also way behind in my email correspondence and I apologize to all of you who are waiting for a long overdue response from me. I am now squeezing in a little writing time between cleaning and cooking - hoping that my friends won't show up too early. Indeed, I am expecting two friends from Neuchatel, Eliane, whom I met in 6th grade, and her husband Alain. They actually got married in Portland, with Martin and I as witnesses, and our children and their (step)-children as guests. I remember a delicious dinner at Timberline Lodge after a walk in the lupine-covered meadows.

Quick recap of the last few days - it actually feels like I haven't written in weeks, because so much has happened. The activity, in some way was good for me, because all of a sudden, I feel in a different place, more at peace with my situation. I have a draft plan for the next few months of my life, but can't write about it here - first need to vet it with my sisters and my children. For one, I am reconciling myself with the fact that I need this time-out and that it's not something I can rush. I wanted to put the apartment up for sale in the late spring - and just couldn't get myself to do it. Perhaps there's a reason to it all.

My trip back from New York went well - a mere 6.5 hours flight - barely time to sleep! I got home early enough on Wednesday afternoon to unpack and do laundry, which freed the next day to repack! Indeed, on Friday I was back on the train, this time first to Chur, the capital of Graubuenden (the "state"). The train ride from here to there is a UNESCO World Heritage site - it is such a masterpiece of engineering. Eric and I actually were sledding along a section of that line in January. 360 degree tunnels alternate with vertiginous viaducts, with tracks clinging to steep hillsides - it's a lot of fun. In Chur I met Brigitte, my sister, and together we hopped on an equally fun train, to head up the valley to Arosa. This one goes so slowly that it's ok to have the windows wide open and to take it all in, standing with the head out the window.

Arosa is at the very back of a valley - both the train line and the road end there. This makes for a very quiet town, all the more so, since unlike here in Zuoz, the river is too far away to be heard from our hotel room. The only thing that kept us up all night was the herd of sheep grazing right under our window, wearing the proverbial bells. I didn't know that sheep are nocturnal! Arosa is at 1,750 meters (5,900 feet) - even higher than Zuoz, basically at the tree line. This means that hikers get above the tree line with little effort. It's a stark, dramatic, very alpine landscape and I am sure it is in part responsible for my preference for wide open landscapes like deserts and areas above the tree line. Indeed, Arosa is the place where I developed my love for mountains. At the age of 10 I spend my first night in a hut with my father, and with him I climbed my first 3,000 meter peak, the Arosa Rothorn. We vacationed here as a family from 1959 to 1963. I had never been back and I had been nagging my sisters to come with me for a trip back into our past for many years.

The trip was total success. First the weather was perfect (yes, it finally is summer here too!). Time with either of my sisters is always so easy, uncomplicated. There's not much to discuss - we mostly agree on everything, and we still can have good laughs, until our abs hurt. I managed to book a very cozy room in the very hotel in which we stayed in 1959. The following years we rented an apartment in a chalet. While then the chalet was at the edge of town, now it is hidden amid many other chalets. That was one of the few disappointments, as the chalet looked somewhat unkempt and forlorn.

Brigitte, of course, is a strong hiker and we did two great hikes. It was interesting to discover the area with adult eyes and see the many hikes we never did as kids because they were too challenging. Everything is very steep in Arosa, and while the area is stunning, the town is nothing special, with houses of various eclectic styles strung out along the road on the slope. There is no town square and unlike Zuoz with its charming core, Arosa lacks a soul. The flowers were at their peak - whole slopes had a pink hue from the blooming rhododendrons (here they are small bushes, the size of sage brush). In addition to the fun, the beauty and the hiking, there also, of course, was a painful trip down memory lane. We felt ghosts all around us - our parents, of course, but also friends of my parents who would come and spend 2-3 days with us over the course of the month we spent there each year. We found the very rock on which we had so many family picnics, strolled along the forest trail where the squirrels come and eat out of our hands, visited the spot near the river where we had roasted many sausages, even whole chicken. To my delight, while of course the town has increased in size, the areas still looks about the same with the places that mean the most to us still left untouched.

On the way back from Arosa I made a 2-day detour through St. Gallen to visit my aunt, give her a hand with this and that and cook a good meal for her and her friend. She is doing much better than in the winter and has a new sparkle in her eyes.

Last night was the end of the year social evening with the ladies of the exercising class. We were some 20 of us, playing boccie and sharing a superb meal. My strategy of joining this upbeat, outgoing and friendly group worked. We didn't do much as far as working out, but I got to know a terrific group of fun local women. Priceless.

Pictures:
1: One of the many impressive spans of the Rhaetian Railway
2: Hotel Sonnenhalde, Arosa
3: The iconic chapel of Innerarosa
4: Welschtobel Valley
5. Aelplisee - my favorite mountain lake.