| :to see or not to see: |
[31 Jul 2003|12:05am] |
i realize that i am one of the most blessed to see what i have.
many moments today struck me as unique.
our normal breakfast.
then, 7 of us, including the dog, went off to santis, a high peak in the swiss alps not far from pfaffikon.
we took the little tram to the top and i just stood in awe of what an amazing creation lay before me.
to be at the same level as these giants of creation, nearly standing in the clouds that loom over the peaks, is just breathtaking.
the cool breeze brushed the hair across my face as i sat listening to the 4 buddhist monks chanting to the north, dressed in their traditional garb.
the hum of their chants only added to the surreal moment of sitting on top of a mountain.
i thought about what everyone at home must be doing, probably sleeping.
how many can say they've been on top of the swiss alps, looking down upon lakes, rivers, snow, germany, switzerland, etc....it was just amazing.
after a dinner of spaghetti, i went out...odette's friend's son, patrick, offered to take me out, although he speaks very little english...but it did not seem to matter as we easily talked for a few hours.
first, he decided to take me to this posh bar right on lake zurich.
to get there, we had to take a car ferry across the lake...
he was driving his mom's convertible opel.
how sweet it was to be driving along lake zurich at sunset, with the top down, listening to some horribly cheesy hip hop.
we got the car on the ferry and went atop to watch the sunset over the mountains and lake. sheer beauty.
we got to this bar, all very well-to-do swiss 20.somethings looking to see and be seen.
but the atmosphere was unreal.
they also serve food, but the tables are these white canopy BEDS with a long wooden slab in the middle.
people take their shoes off and sit on either side of this wood table top, on the white mattress, with the lake literally 6 feet away.
we ended up sitting at the normal tables that are ON the dock, swaying back and forth as the lights of outer zurich twinkled away.
with nothing else to do, we drove into rapperswill and had a late ice cream (i swear i am going to return 50 lbs. heavier), then home.
we wanted to go dancing, but silly me forgot my ID, which is ok.
the only music he said they really had tonight was house, and well...not my thing.
it is funny that you can get in any bar without id, but no clubs.
it was nice just to be out, dressed nicely, and doing more of a local thing, not the typical tourist hype.
i think one of my favorite things, though, was patrick shared with me, through his broken english, how badly broken his heart had just been by his ex...
it was yet again, a reminder of how everyone is the same.
people and pigeons are the same everywhere.
i think he really wanted to talk about it, but it was hard for us to communicate smoothly.
but i clearly understood when he said he cried everyday, and his heart was broken.
i know how he feels, or i have known.
some things don't need language to communicate.
tomorrow i begin my trek to mallorca, praying that all goes smoothly and the ferry takes me.
i am excited for these next 7 weeks.
i have so much to accomplish and see and it is a bit overwhelming, but at least i'm not dragging along wishing i were home so much-although i do have my moments.
thanks mom and dad for praying for me about stuff...that really means a lot.
djIII: if you return to Wien, will you sit on that bench for me, you know that one outside the hostel under the big tree? thanks.
ciao.
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