I came back to Switzerland in early June. That’s the time when the weather is usually pretty nice and stable. The time I like is when it’s nice to be out. Since I’m allergic to grass, the worst time is over, and I don’t have to struggle through the bad season in April/May. So June/July is a great time to be in Switzerland. After attending WordCamp Europe in Switzerland, I also stayed a couple of weeks in the office and met many Swiss friends I rarely see since I’m out of the country a lot.
The first couple of weeks, I spent at home in the original home office at my parents’ house. There, I had a very regular work schedule, which is quite unusual for me. I went to visit my grandmother and watched my brother’s floorball game. I played a sport for quite a while as a teenager. It was interesting to see it again, and to see some familiar faces I played with back then who are still playing it.
A visit at a mountain cottage
I did some activities with my family, like hiking up to the uncle’s mountain cottage for a nice lunch in the peaceful nature. He usually spends his holidays or days off up in the mountains, going for walks or just enjoying the peace away from the city. I’ve been up there already a couple of times and always enjoy the getaway. It’s reachable in about an hour of uphill hiking from the next car park. The route crosses forest, a lake, and some smaller paths if we choose to take a shortcut.
Breakfast on the lake
On a weekend, my mother came up with the idea of grabbing our stand-up paddleboards and a canoe to go to the nearby lake. Paddle around and enjoy breakfast on the lake. The lake usually gets busy in the afternoon and can get very hot. So we decided to get up early to arrive without crowds. Then we paddled out and somewhere in the middle we stopped, let us float and unpacked the prepared breakfast.
Airfield Bad Ragaz
My father is a private aeroplane pilot and loves to fly his glider through the Swiss Alps in the summer. I haven’t joined him in a very long time. I was very passionate about it back in school and joined him almost every weekend. He came up to my home office one day and asked me if I wanted to join. I happily agreed and joined him the next weekend for a flight through my home region. Flying past the cottage we just hiked up days before, entered some valley with beautiful mountain lakes still covered in snow, and made it to some famous skiing resorts like Davos, Lenzerheide and Arosa.
Later, we crossed the city, I worked my first job, and passed my hometown. Then we had to rush back to the airfield because we saw big clouds forming. While rushing with nose down full speed towards the landing, we caught some rain (and cleaned our plane halfway already). Luckily, there was no rain yet at the airfield. So after landing, we quickly turned around, tracked back to the runway, and stopped the aeroplane in the parking position with the help of some people at the airfield.
Right after we finished, the rain already started. Good timing and a nice experience once again, after so many years, I haven’t been flying a glider, and not just big commercial aeroplanes.
Hiking with my cousins
I haven’t seen my cousins for a very long time, so I made sure to finally meet them. They’re spread out within Switzerland and usually quite busy, but we managed to set a date and plan for some activities together. My cousin is very into hiking, and since the weather was very nice these days, we went for a medium-difficulty hike not far from our hometowns. Our goal was to find a hidden cave up in the mountain. None of us has been there, so we didn’t really know where to find the entrance.
After some relaxed hike through the forest, it got steeper and steeper. At some point, we were out of the trees and exposed to the sun right on some rocks. We climbed the steep north side of the mountain without any gear. After the first stretch, we found a spot with some shade where we stopped for a break and some food (so-called picnic). Then we continued through a small valley with many stones. We needed to avoid triggering falling stones, which could hit one of us or someone farther down. Then, at some point, it got a bit more technical, and we took out our rope for safety.
A little further up, thanks to my cousin’s experienced eye, we spotted the entrance to the cave. I would definitely miss it. It was just a meter-wide hole, through which we went and arrived in the first chamber. From there on, the cave went downwards, and it got colder and colder. Good, we brought some warmer hoodies. Arriving at the bottom of the cave, we found some snow. At the lower end, there was a wider chamber with some nice dripstones. As on the tops of mountains, in caves, there’s a book where people can write something inside and add their name and the date, so others can see who visited the place as well.
Some days in the office in Bern
During my time in Switzerland, I also wanted to spend some time in the office to see my co-workers and friends there again. During the summer time, there’s always a lot going on in the Swiss capital. There are many pop-up bars and outdoor activities. Just a good vibe. Two of my cousins live and work in Bern, so I met them by the river to sunbathe and talk. Later, we grabbed some takeaway and went to my office’s backyard to enjoy it.
I also met an Indian friend whom I initially got to know in Berlin. A crazy traveller as well. Later, I met him in Munich, and I somehow inspired him to find a job in Switzerland, which he did, and he moved there. So since his office is in the same city as mine, we had to meet up one evening. I showed him a pop-up bar above the central train station, a place I really enjoy and has cosy vibes. We talked a lot and enjoyed the time before heading back home. Talking about home. Since my parents’ place is a two-hour train ride from the city where my office is, I need to find a place to stay. Hotels are quite expensive, and since I’m a lot at the office or out, I don’t really need a proper place. Good that I have some awesome friends, who are okay with me crashing at their place for a couple of nights during the week.
I spent some time with a friend I was able to stay with after work. Grabbing dinner in the city or cooking at home. There was also the women’s football European championship taking place in Switzerland, and therefore a lot of public viewing all over. One place where something is always going on is on the square of the Swiss parliament building, where they place a big ferris wheel.
My 30st birthday with family
I’m getting old and moving into my 30s. While I was in Switzerland, I wanted to take this opportunity to spend time with my family and celebrate. We invited my grandmother over to my parents’ place for brunch. My mother baked a nice pineapple cake, my brother’s favourite, and one I started to enjoy a lot too after I started to like pineapple (which I didn’t as a kid).
Spontaneously, a friend from Vietnam who had attended a language course in Germany came to visit Switzerland. She also joined our family gathering for my birthday, and in the afternoon, we went for a short hike in our area. A trip I do a lot with friends who are into walking and seeing nature. It’s the second time in the past few years I’ve done it with my parents, and around the 4th time I’ve done it with friends from abroad. It’s easy to hike, offers a good distance, and offers some great views of the valley.
