Holidays in Switzerland

Having sailed with Blue Bie for more than I year I very much enjoyed going home. Going home to see my family and friends, to play the Alphorn and go mountain biking. My sister Sybil and her husband Christian invited me to stay with them for two months and I tried not to impose myself too much on their family life. I think I quite succeeded – I didn’t have more than five dinners with them. The first two weeks I was often in Zurich, watching the America’s Cup at an UBS venue and seeing many friends for coffee and for dinner.

Then I went to the Alphorn week in Schönried (Bernese Oberland) to improve my Alphorn skills. While the weather wasn’t too good, the course was very instructive and I was equally impressed by the concerts we gave with 34 horns in various locations, amongst others in the pedestrian passage in Gstaad.

The bad weather also impeded my mountain bike training schedule. While it was raining all over Switzerland, I went for a few days to the Engadin, where it wasn’t raining, but snowing ;) I nevertheless enjoyed a few tours and particularly the last tour over the Bernina Pass down to Poschiavo was fantastic.

The following week my parents lent me their car and I toured Switzerland. I played the horn with friends in Rorschach, went barbecuing to Lucerne, passed a lovely day with my cousins in Buochs and went mountain biking in Lucerne and the Rhine Valley. Switzerland really is beautiful, particularly when you don’t have to work. The first of my three theses’ that I will get old in Switzerland stands taller than ever!

Thereafter I crossed the Alps by mountain bike under the able guidance of Edda from yoyobike. It was as fantastic as in the previous years. I very much enjoyed the activity, the scenery, the company of the fellow bikers and the perfect organisation.

The following weeks I saw many more friends and was active all over Switzerland: Wakeboarding on the Lake of Zurich, hiking in the Appenzell, Sargans, Walensee and Lucerne area, followed once by a downhill kickboard ride – highly recommended for boys and girls of every age :)

I really enjoyed being home, in the mountains and seeing my friends. I don’t know how long I would enjoy sailing without longer breaks. But after this change of scenery, I very much looked forward to sail with Blue Bie again. I was in regular contact with the yard and knew that Blue Bie was in good hands. But first I was off to Mérida, Venezuela, to learn Spanish for two months.