Joyful Journey

 When we lived in Switzerland and were hiking in the mountains somewhere, there were three songs that regularly came to mind. “The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music,” “How Great Thou Art” and “This Is My Father’s World” But I frequently had to look up the words as I forgot verses 😊 On this hike around the top of Monte San Salvadore above Lugano, it was “This Is My Father’s World.” This is my Father’s world, And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas — His hands the wonders wrought This is my Father's world: The birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker's praise. This is my Father's world: He shines in all that's fair; In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere. This is my Father's world: O let me ne'er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the...

Today’s adventure is a bit different. When we lived in Switzerland, most of our trips to the mountains included hiking like we did yesterday. Up a mountain trail somewhere. But the things to do in the Locarno region encouraged hiking in the Valle Verzasca region and a good hike was along a river. Still ups and downs. Still rocky paths, but not steep. We began by crossing over a crystal clear river. It was amazing! Then we hiked alongside the river for a couple miles.  Of course we did. Good thing we did it on the early end. As we were getting ready to eat our lunch (our typical: cheese and salami), we walked down to the edge of the water to sit on some large boulders. Only I thought it would be a good idea to slip in a hole and turn my ankle 🤦‍♀️ and end up on the ground.  I know I now have to say, yes, I have fallen this year. We turned around and headed back to the car. I have never been so thankful for my walking sticks. And thankful this did not occur the day before on th...

Sometimes trying to find information online can be a bit frustrating. You can find big picture info, but not all the specifics. Hence this post. If you are in the Ticino region of Switzerland (specifically Locarno ) and want a great hike, I’ve got you covered.  Bob said we needed to write a blog posting to help other people find the specifics.  The hiking region of   Cardada and Cimetta are recommended. We agree! Here’s our experience: We drove to the gondola base. 6644 Orselina . There is only 3 hour parking on the street (not enough time!!) but right before you reach the gondola, there is a parking lot that allows you to park for longer periods. Grab your ticket on the way in (left hand side) and then when you leave, pay before you retrieve your car. You will need cash! Euros or Swiss Francs . We took the gondola up and back. (You have the option of just one way.) There is a chair lift that you can take a bit further that will take you to the top, but we wanted to hi...

 I started blogging just before moved to Switzerland . I knew I would want to remember not only experiences there, but also thoughts and emotions.  Moving back to the states, I only posted infrequently until I began quilting in earnest. And it’s a good way for me to keep track of progress made. But the next few posts will be from Switzerland again, as I will want to remember our trip back. We flew into Zurich , which felt a bit like coming home. But the weather was overcast, so I missed seeing our little village as we drew near the airport.  To fight off jet lag, we walked near the hotel in a small village and through some wooded areas. The typical Swiss homes and villages in our region Apples at a hofladen , a farm store . While I don’t really enjoy the larger cities, the small villages are special. We had a self-serve flower garden adjacent to our village and the next village over had a small self-serve farm store. I took many walks by nearby orchards . It has brought ...