Highlights
People, mountains, mountains, mountains, watching the cows come down out of the mountains for winter, watching Swiss wrestling, schnitzel and bratwurst, the best ham I have ever had, sweating in the mountains one day and then having snow the very next (a change of over 25 degrees), mountain biking in the mountains, visiting a glacier, swimming in a beautiful lake, having people say Gratsy (hello) to me everywhere I went and dropping into Lichtenstein just to check it out.
Reflection…
As the train whisks me away with such efficiency from the village that I had been staying in, I am reminded yet again of the most difficult part of travelling, saying goodbye. A heaviness sits in my chest and I am left staring out of the train window thinking of what had been. I close my eyes, rest my head on the window, feeling the gentle pull of the train and listen to the soft music playing through my headphones. The difficulty that I face is that there are only so many times that you can say “incredible” or “amazing” to describe something. I will search, but to find words for my time here is not going to be easy. Moreover, the greatest challenge (as it has always been) will be to describe the people that I have met, the people that have touch my life, and I fear that I will not be successful in portraying how generously they have given of themselves and just what that has meant to me. I continue my journey now but part of me will stay, high in the Swiss Mountains free to look across the snow-capped peaks, alpine lakes and down to the villages where my experiences were born.
Walking with Angels
Pointing up high into the mountains, Monika and Sabina explain to me the path that we are going to follow on our walk through the mountains and I cannot help but to feel excited. They explain that we will be walking past lakes, climbing peaks and ultimately end up at a place where we will be able to have a BBQ. We will walk up for approximately 800m and down for approximately 1000m (vertical equivalent), the length of the walk itself will be over 5km. They ask how I am feeling as I have just got off the night train and although I only managed a couple of hours sleep I say to them that I am raring to go.
We are sitting on the balcony at the home of Monika and Sabina’s fathers eating breakfast. The sun is shining on the small village of Mels and the vistas from the balcony are something special. The village is in a valley and on each side is a mountain range. The peaks are jagged and I can clearly see the individual features, the character of the mountains. I have a little trepidation because while I have a general amount of fitness I am not sure whether I have enough to climb a Swiss mountain. But for the moment I am enjoying breakfast and the views.
Shortly after lunch we take our first step on the mountain and have been joined by one of Monika’s friends, Olivia. The lower slopes are very green and there are cows grazing on the grass. I am amazed to see that the cows do actually have bells and it feels like we are being encouraged up the mountain by the ringing, they are showing us the way. As we progress higher the terrain becomes steeper and rockier and we now need to zigzag back and forth to continue our ascent. I am talking to the girls which requires that extract bit of exertion and my breath is short, but we continue up the mountain. I take a brief moment to sip some water and then look back at the path, smile for I am walking in the Swiss mountains, and then continue to push on.
Our first stop is on the banks of an alpine lake that appears like a giant gem sitting in the grey terrain. The sun seems to be charging the water with colour and as I stare deep into the centre of the lake I feel as though I am drawn to it. It reminds me of staring deep into the blue eyes of a friend, seeing what lies behind. While my body is hot from the walk, the colour of the lake seems to cool not only my body but my mind and I am left staring at the lake with my mind empty of thoughts but full of joy. Little did I know that this was the first of a number of lakes that I was going to pass, and each just as moving as the previous.
After the lakes we continue our journey up, aiming for the summit of this particular walk. During this climb I am thinking how fortunate I am to be experiencing this climb. In all my days I could not have thought of such a place, I could not have created the gem stone lakes, the combination of colours, the warmth of sunshine, the line of mountains silhouetted in the distance, the company that I walk with, and yet here I stand surveying across a reality that feels as it had been waiting for me. Waiting for me to come and appreciate every detail but at the same time not to be lost in the detail.
As I am staring across the distance mountains Monika walks across my view and she is outlined against the sun which is behind her and looking at the scene before me, with the silence in the mountains, I am reminded of the freedom of the mind.
Approaching the summit the grass changes to an orange colour and with the sun now lower in the sky it seems that a carpet has been laid especially for us. I have fallen behind the girls as it seems I cannot take more than a few steps before something else has captured my attention. The most recent was to stand on the edge of a drop off imagining myself flying. As I turn back to the path, there is only a short distance left to the summit. All I can see in front of me is the remaining ascent and then beyond nothing but wide open blue sky. The air is starting to get a little thin and I cannot help but to feel that I am walking up into the heavens themselves, particularly after the perfection that I have past. I look at the three girls in front of me and smile to myself as I think surely I am walking with angels.
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