On to Switzerland

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Peggy: Leysin, Switzerland\r \r Alec, Taryn, Scott and I just returned from a day hike in the mountains here\151from 2000m (about 7000') the summit of Berneuse Mtn, around and down back to our hostel in Leysin (around a mile high). We took the ski gondola up, enjoying views of the distant glaciers and Lake Geneva and towns along its border, then explored both ski and bike trails hiking down. At times we had glorious vistas all the way to Mont Blanc and at other moments we were shrouded in fog. It reminded me of my walks here 30 years ago, when I was a student at the American College of Switzerland, here in Leysin (thus the reason for choosing to come to this ski town up in the mountains on the east end of Lake Geneva). The college has changed buildings and merged with Schiller International College, but retains its presence here. My French however, has not retained a presence and we are all dependent on Scott for conversation with the shopkeepers and locals! I'm sipping hot tea here at the "Hiking Sheep Hostel", where we are the only guests (36 beds\151full during ski vacation weeks)\133.it is fall-like, quiet and lovely! A refreshing change from the hot climates of the last 6 weeks. \r

So what else have we been up to the last 10 days since Barcelona? \r \r Oct 3--Duncan and Scott took the high speed train to Paris and began intensive French classes the next day. They focused on conversational French, what Duncan wants and needs to prepare for AP French back at Conval HS in the spring. They explored Paris a bit and then moved to stay with our friends the Vaskous (Marie and Pierre for those of you who met them at our home in Peterborough or in Maine). Meanwhile, Taryn, Alec and I took a 20 minute flight from Barcelona to Mallorca (the largest of the Balearic Islands, part of Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea) for the week, anticipating more Spanish practice, other schooling work and some seaside times. One thing we didn't anticipate was that few people in Port de Soller (the small seaside town where we had rented a flat for the week) spoke Spanish! Most spoke Mallorcan (a mixture of Catalan, Spanish and French) or German (lots of German tourists!) We did enjoy a Mediterranean swim each day, small walks along the harbor and a relaxing pace. Taryn and Alec both said they did not want a lot of adventures! Math, social studies and Spanish studies dominated the mornings while Alec made chocolate truffles, and we read, played rummy or rented a small paddle boat in the afternoons. Alec and I both experienced jellyfish stings, a painful and unexpected result of an otherwise wonderful cove swim. In case you wondered, they hurt a lot initially (like a bee sting), then itch for a few days afterwards! \r

\r Duncan is still in Paris for 2 more weeks of French intensive, while Scott met us in Lausanne (Switz) on Sun Oct 10\133once again our plans were changed due to a plane cancellation, but we did make it to the designated guest house in Lausanne on the expected day! We were all enthralled with the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, spending hours there viewing the displays of athletic, historical and cultural memorabilia and info on these games. They had an interactive computer screen to search for specific games, athletes or medals. We typed in "Carol Brown" in an athlete search and it brought her up as 1976, rowing! YEAH! There was a wooden eight hung from the ceiling as well, from Mexico games, saying it was the last year wooden shells were used. In addition to the fascinating displays, there were audiovisual presentations (with headphones in 5 languages), outdoor sculpture garden and a special kids Olympic sports week, with demo opportunities for kids ages 9-15 in MANY sports (even curling!). I highly recommend this museum for any who might be in the vicinity, as the children said this was the best museum we've been to (Alec says it was even better than the chocolate museum, which provided free samples at the end!)\r

\r We will continue our Swiss explorations by heading to the Nestle Chocolate factory in Broc (guess who requested that! - Alec thinks he might like this more than the Olympic Museum) tomorrow, then into the Jungfrau region and onto Luzern and Berne in our rental car! Thanks Carter for our Swiss travel recommendations! \r

\r (Scott: For those who wish, you can try to check out once again our entries for Ronda, Granada, and Barcelona for the photos; we tried to upload photos with text earlier and were unsuccessful, but we're trying again now. Dunc and I had a great time in Paris together. The school was demanding but good, we got to see some sights: Sacre Cour, Les Invalides, and the Pantheon, and we had a very enjoyable time with the Vaskou family)