Details II... Alpine style

After noticing so many elegant details in Delft, it was fun to see a completely different way of adorning the building in La Punt - Chamues-ch, where we stayed in Switzerland (Thanks Oom Kees!)  The buildings, made with concrete or stucco, would be rather grey against the landscape, except for the many colorful carvings as frescoes along the sides... They have a very different feel in this melting pot corner of Switzerland with German, Italian, and Reto-Romanic roots.

It starts out simply enough at the train station...

Rams are ubiquitous in this region (though we did not see any...)

This ram sculpture guards two lovely evergreens decorated with wooden stars...

Unlike rams, I don't think bears still inhabit this area, but perhaps they did at the time this bear was painted...

This building had many impressive creatures adorning it...

& of course, we didn't see any of these mythical creatures, but aren't they cool?

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Before heading back to Hanover (NH not Germany), we had the amazing good fortune to sneak in a week in Switzerland, where the snow was as plentiful as the spectacular scenery.  The only thing missing were crowds and hassle as we skied in conditions none of us have experienced before (and perhaps never again).  The blue skies, stunning mountains, and relatively mild temperatures were a treat for this family of New England skiers used to frigid air, ice, and exposed rocks along the trail.

Frans and Rose, high above Celerina, Switzerland

Ellen and Erzo near Piz Nair, in the Swiss Alps

Frans x-country skiing in Engadin

Erzo, Rose, & Ellen x-country skiing in the Engadin Valley near La Punt, Switzerland

Bright Lights, Small City

OK, OK, I admit it.  I’ve complained enough about dark skies and short days.  There are upsides to the long December nights, though.  Dark communities have ways of overcoming those somber times with beautiful, light-filled traditions.  On my last dark bicycle commute home from my office at the Hague one December Tuesday, I arrived in Delft to find all its stately buildings on the Oude Delft street lit up in a rainbow of colors.

Rainbow lights along the Oude Delft street.

After dinner, we all ventured out to find a huge street festival with music, food, crafts, and more lights everywhere we turned.  This wasn’t like a Hanover festival, where all activities take place on the Green with a single venue for music or other entertainment.  Even in Delft, a city of under 100,000 people, this festival had the scale of something much bigger.  Every time we turned a corner we came upon another stage.  Modern music? Check.  Choral groups? Check.  Traditional English carols? Check.  A Gospel choir in the Old Church? It all was there.  Ice skating on one of the town squares?  Also possible.  Bonfires along the canal?  This was precariously but beautifully executed.  And snow in this rainy, moderate climate?  Magically, yes. We were covered with snow showers as we walked through the streets enjoying the season.  As much as we all were longing to return home, I felt a pang of nostalgia for Delft, before we even packed a bag.

Look at the snow on the caps of those carolers!

 

We weren't the only ones enjoying this seasonal treat.  The streets were packed!