THe glory of a story |
Thoughts and threads of passion and experience that have woven the fabric I call my life. Sharing experiences, memories and ideas so that they are out in the world for you to find when the time is right.
THe glory of a story |
Winding our way back around Lake Geneva, humming 'Smoke on the Water' all the way, we eventually ended up in France, at a small town called St. Gingolph for a dinner of perch and fries. The fries were the best I think I have ever eaten! Fresh, tiny and cooked perfectly as the waitress dished out portions from a large heated tray on our table. The starting salad was fantastic. Like all the salads we'd had since arriving, presentation is everything, with each vegetable laid out separately on your dish, in an effort to please the eye as much as the pallet . Two bottles of wine later, we made our way home, heading to bed to prepare for the next busy day. It may have only been for one dinner, but I am now able to say of the places I've been blessed to experience, France is among them! Who would have thought!
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Our next stop was Montreux. Because of the exceptionally mild climate Montreux is called the capital of the Vaud Riviera. Plants associated with the Mediterranean, such as pines, cypresses and palm trees grow here. Charlie Chaplin, Freddie Mercury and several other famous people of world-renown lived and continue to live on the Vaud Riviera. It is also where the song "Smoke on the Water" was written about. Who among we 70s kids doesn't remember that one! The tune played in my head the entire time we were there! We toured the city, exploring the busts of the Jazz icons who have performed there over the years at the annual Jazz Festival, taking pictures of Freddie Mercury's statue and eventually stopping by Harry's, a famous bar in the Montreux palace hotel for a drink. Two beer and a white wine cost 30 Swiss francs, although they did serve the most amazing olives Cec and I have ever eaten! Based on the looks we received from other patron, it was clear they were of the opinion we didn't really belong there, as we were all dressed very casually in our touring clothes. Still, we enjoyed our selves none the less, and it was great to have had the opportunity to stop in! And reliving these memories here, is almost as sweet as the experience was! Two thirds of the way back down from the top of the Dixience Dam, we came across Chapel Saint Jean. The small stone chapel was built in 1930 by workers during the first stage of construction of the dam. It was built to accommodate the deeply faithful Italian workers who dedicated years of their lives on construction of the dam. The chapel was small but beautiful with detailed craftsmanship inside and out. The benches inside would only accommodate a very few men at any given time, but in sitting in the quiet of the tiny sanctuary, one could gather a sense of the peace that those who sat in prayer must have embraced. Where are the places that you go to find that same sense of peace in your life? Is it in the sanctuary of a church? In the quiet of the space you where you meditate? Or is it walking in nature? For me, its either overlooking the view I have of the Assiniboine Valley here at home, or being close to a body of water. But on that day, peace found me in the mountains of Switzerland, and the quiet of that little church. We continued our journey down the mountain, and continued the adventure of exploration, grateful for all the magic we've been allowed to experience! We hiked a short distance along the lake, through the walking tunnel that would lead you for hours if you were more ambitious and prepared! Then we turned back and started making our way down the side of the mountain. We could have done it more simply, by just taking the trolley down the side of the hill. But that was not to be our experience. Our host felt that what we needed to experience was the exhilaration of making our way down the mountain his way!! Our breathtaking experience is shared in the pictures that we took and embraced as part of this amazing day. The walk down the mountain helped us to truly appreciate the majesty of the Grande Dixence Dam as we walked down the mountain. Breathtaking! How blessed we are to be able to have the opportunity to explore these amazing places as we make our way through this life! Our journey holds so many magical experiences in places around the world. Are you finding ways to experience the places your heart longs to see? If not, why not? What is standing between you and your dreams....and how are you going to bridge those barriers? Thursday we struck off about 9am, heading to the Grande Dixience Damn, at the head of the Val d'Hérens in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At 285 m (935 ft) high, it is the tallest gravity dam in the world and is part of the Cleuson-Dixence Complex. Once there we took the trolley to the top, enjoying the phenomenal views from the top. After walking along the top of the dam, we took some time to explore the trail that runs alongside Lake Dix. We didn't venture too far, just far enough to take in some of the incredible flowers that line the walkway and climb up the side of the mountain. After enjoying time at the top, we then all walked down the winding trail down the side of the mountain together. It was a beautiful journey, although the day was very cloudy and hindered some of the view we would have enjoyed with more sunshine. It was still magnificent from start to finish. So why do I spend time documenting and sharing the various aspects of our trip on this blog? Well, when I clarify my own passions, some of what becomes clearest to me is my love for travel, photography and writing. When I do the sweet-spot exercise to tryi and pinpoint a job that would put me in my bliss, what comes to mind every single time is being a travel writer. Will I ever actually be a professional one? Maybe, maybe not. But as I take steps to work myself closer and closer to my passions, I have come to realize that I do travel now. I do lose myself in the wonder and love of my photography right now. And I can share my experiences with others around the world right here on my own site right now. So with the philosophy of 'intention, attention, no tension' ...I have set my intention, I am paying attention in the ways that I can...and doing what I love...well that is no tension. If it's meant to be it will be. If not, I am having a blast just living life. I hope you find ways to do the same, whatever your own passions are! Traveling to Italy has been a dream of mine since I was 17 years old. I am not sure why it felt so important for me to see. Maybe it was just all those cute young men from Sorrento's Pizza in Winnipeg that I had the chance to get to know all those many years ago :). But regardless of what drew me, the dream remained. If you saw my blog with the song 'Welcome to Holland' you'll understand that there is also a connection to that dream as a parent who had a child with a disability. What matters most is that I did finally get to go, and I promised to share the adventure with my friends through this blog from the journal I kept on that trip. Travel and photography are two of my greatest passions. I am clear on my...how about you? I can hardly believe it. it's 8am on Sept 14th, and I have finally arrived in Italy. After dreaming about it for almost 36 years, it feels like it is still an impossibility that I am here! Cec and I arrived in Switzerland on the 11th. JP picked us up and gave us 3 of the most amazing days. I know that we'd have never seen the country so fully had we planned it any other way, and it gave me such a broader view of it all that we could ever have imagined. How lucky we are to have met the people that we have met in this journey of life! I am not even sure what I thought Switzerland might offer, but for some reason I felt surprised by everything we saw and did. Upon our arrival on Tuesday, JP assisted us to get our train tickets for our trip south, then we headed into the heart of switzerland, finally stopping for a lunch of the most amazing fondue at Le Chalet in Chateau-d'Oex. There we enjoyed an amazing lunch, being entertained by a young woman who demonstrated the making of Swiss cheese while we ate, as well as a wonderful old gentleman who played his accordion and demonstrated his talent for yodelling. It was right out of the old story books of the country you read as a child, right down to having the cowbells ringing in the distance. After our meal, we took a walk up to see the old church on the hill, and the graves of young Englishmen, who most likely died there during the war years. The views from the church grounds were breathtaking in all direction, as we looked down on the quiet little town below. The grounds were decorated with a selection of bronze statues, most of them bearing memorial plaques to honor the families they were dedicated to. After our meal and walk, JP took us on a leisurely ride through the mountains on our way to his home in Muraz, but after our long, sleepless night of flying, both of us were sadly too tired to keep our eyes open. My head kept bobbing in the backseat as badly as Cec's was in the front. We were both pretty poor company I fear! We arrived at JP's house about 3. He lives in a beautiful house on a quiet street surrounded by mountains, and a small dairy farm on one side, neighbors on all the others. His home is lovely! Upon arrival we immediately laid down for a nap, the long journey from Canada catching up to us. That nap turned out to be about 3 hours long! Longer than intended, but less than needed. We woke up and had a light cold cut dinner at JP's and watched a John Wayne movie together. Some things you just can't escape! It was a wonderful start to a long awaited adventure! So what are the things that you have been putting off doing? Are there steps that you can take to move you closer to those things? What one action could you do right now? Maybe clarifying your own passions would be a good first step. Your thoughts? It may seem strange that I have a second blog on this website. I want to take a moment to explain it to you if I may. A big part of what I do is helping people to figure out what their top passions are, and then on a daily basis, find ways to live those passions. I want people to know what makes them happy, and to find ways daily to be able to live their joy. That brings me joy! I decided that one of the best ways for me to keep encouraging people, is to live by example. With that, I spent the time necessary to clarify my own passions, and have my markers in place, and I realize more and more everyday the things that I am passionate about that truly bring me happiness! This area of the website allows me to express the things I am most passionate about, by sharing things I am doing, and the things that I have done in the past, things I still dream of and work towards doing. It's a place for me to share my experiences and the magic that has happened in my life to bring my passions closer to me, and the steps I take to keep moving closer to the passionate life that is mine for the taking! My hope is that in opening up my world a little, those sharing this journey with me will see ways of moving forward towards their own dreams. Finding ways to share the things they are passionate about, that bring them joy, that make life meaningful. There is magic in sharing our stories with each other. They can give people hope, permission, encouragement. It's important to help others to know that even after the worst of times, there can be a light at the end of some very dark tunnels, and life will move forward and get better. Know that, journey with me as we all embrace that things that bring us the most joy and happiness! |
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