Seeing Long-Time Friends

Friday, Oct. 3, 2008--Copenhagen to Zurich

I packed everything, walked out of Grethe's apartment, locked the door, went downstairs, put her key in her mailbox, opened the door to go outside, and realized I did not have my coat. I had been so warm in my pullover that it never registered that I had not gotten the coat out of the closet. It was too late by then, because I had no way to reenter the apartment. I had to head to the airport without a coat and accept that I would be in Switzerland for 3 days and then travel home through Chicago without one.

When I arrived at the airport in Switzerland, I was surprised by being met by two people. Rolf had a woman with him whom I did not recognize. Then he said, "It's Elizabeth." She is a friend of theirs and of Arne's whom I have met and visited when I have been here a couple of times before. They all had dinner together recently, and when Rolf and Claude told her that I was coming today, she asked if she could come into town from Thun where she lives and meet me and have dinner with us.

Rolf had already bought me a 3-day pass good for the trains and buses and for discounts at museums. He validated it and we immediately took a train into town.

Claude was just finishing a seminar when we arrived at the building. The building is a Buddhist center and includes their temple and apartments for people involved in the temple--monks, nuns, employees, etc. Claude is the educational director for the temple with a variety of responsibilities including the seminar she had conducted.

Upstairs in their apartment, we visited while Claude made a very nice vegetarian dinner consisting of rice with grated cheese and mixed vegetables stir fried with tofu. We ate and continued to visit. Then we shared a rhubarb pie and some special sweets Rolf had bought at Sprunli called Luxemburgerli. They are delicately crunchy with a nice creamy fruit filling. Ummmm!

Elizabeth had to catch her train back home, so we said goodbye to her and went downstairs to prepare the temple for a festival that they will have tomorrow. We had to empty the water out of many bowls and clean them. Then various items were put into the bowls including more water, beads, flowers, food items, etc.

When we returned to the apartment upstairs, we had more sweets and tea before finally retreating to bed for the night. It had been so nice to catch up on so many topics with the two of them.

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008--Zurich

We had a nice breakfast this morning--various breads, jams, honey, yogurt, fruits, etc., with tea. We ate casually and continued to talk about many topics.

We walked to the local market area to shop after that. There is a farmer's market in the square, and there are supermarkets and other shops nearby. Claude bought lots of fruits and vegetables from the farmers. Then we went to the supermarket for sparkling water, cheese, and other treats. Finally, we stopped at a bakery where she bought a cake. She and Rolf actually like sweets more than I do if anyone who knows me can believe that!

The 3-day pass they gave me includes a trip on the lake in a boat, so we headed to town and took a boat that was just arriving at the docks. We got a table by a large window, ordered food, and ate lunch while sailing around the lake with views of the mountains and the houses along the sides of the lake. Claude and I had spinach-cheese ravioli plates, and Rolf had sausages with French fries.

After about an hour of sailing, we got off the boat and walked the rest of the way back to town along the side of it making a stop at the Chinese gardens. Then we wandered through the center of town. The weather cooperated the whole way with sunshine peaking regularly through the heavy clouds that were about. Eventually, we stopped at Sprunli and had a hot drinks and desserts. By then, rain was beginning and we were tired, so we returned to the apartment at 16:30.