details

today was a funny day. I was supposed to go over the Alps to be interviewed for a documentary but that was cancelled as the weather wasn't nice for filming. Which left me with a day ticket for the whole of Switzerland, already paid for that could only be used today. The children can travel free if with me so, I asked them which part of Switzerland had they never seen and would like to visit. Flea immediately decided she wanted to go to Geneva. And that has taken us on an eight hour round trip right across Switzerland.
Before I came to Switzerland I had, like most students of English literature, a very firm idea of what Switzerland is. It's French-speaking, Geneva is the capital city and there are mainly lakes, mountains and very rich people. Somewhere, there was a vague idea that Heidi must've lived somewhere and there is a place called Grindelwald. So, when I came here and found out that there are four languages spoken here, the bit I live in is flatter than Wales and has no lake right by my doorstep...and, not only that, Geneva is not the capital city....nor Zürich, but Berne (where?!)...anyway, I was a bit surprised. But I've lived here on and off for 18 years now, so I kind of know my way around. But I'd never been to Geneva...
This morning I was sure that I would be blipping a something from Geneva tonight. But, as usual, I got caught up in the details and it looks like I've been nowhere at all. We spent most of the eight hours playing dice and card games and, after a sulky warm up, it was great fun and the journey home at least, whizzed by. It was great to spend so much time with two of my children, it's not something that happens all that often and so it was well worth "wasting" a day on :-)