Mini vacation

Although I can’t say why, I always know when I have passed from Swiss Romand to the German section. I don't need to see signs with different languages or ever the name of the towns. When I took the train from Geneva to Bern today, I realised that the break comes between Lausanne and Fribourg right after we look down on the lake over a patchwork quilt of vineyards with the Alps in the background. It is one of my favourite views.

The grass is the same color, the cows look the same, the houses don’t vary that much. Farm communities on both sides have beet-filled train cars waiting to be taken to market. The two areas just feel different even if it is the same country. No value judgement should be applied. The Swiss talk about the Roesti curtain, because the German and French often vote opposite on issues. Roesti is the German potato dish which in reality is eaten on both sides of the language frontier.

In Bern I met a former colleague and housemate. We both started at the same company in 1990 and shared the company flat although I was in my forties and she was just out of university. We don’t see each often, but it is pleasant when we do. In 15 years you can build up a lot of memories of trips to Ikea, buying McDonald’s, missed airplane flights, and more backgammon games than can be counted, etc.

She chose a restaurant that overlooked the city with the mountains behind. The service was good, the food even better.

My German at best is rusty. My Schwyzedeutsche is worse. As I said to CB, whenever I change languages I feel as if I am on a mini-holiday even if it is only an hour and a half away.

We’ve decided I’ll visit her for a longer time in Zurich where she lives in March, and I’ve talked about dog sitting for her in the future. She is doing well. She is happy. Seeing an old friend and a mini-vacation of three hours all in a day, is a good way to spend a Sunday.