It’s been a while since last time… summer has passed, autumn likewise. Suddenly it was one year ago since we left for Australia. I would be lying if I’d pretend that this didn’t affect me emotionally. How much I wished to turn back time and start all over again. But luckily, I am reasonable enough not to get too frustrated and rather look forward to positive events. Like travelling to Switzerland for Christmas, meeting up with my best friend and her family for 24 hours, followed by a week at our family holiday house in the Alps, together with my parents, my aunt (living here permanently since retirement) and my brother, who came all the way from Hongkong.
It’s a beautiful old house in Jenaz, a small village in the canton of Graubünden. This is where we spent both summer and winter holidays in my childhood, and always Christmas. The house is full of memories and it still feels a bit like coming home. Only a pity that Dag stayed in Oslo, spending Christmas with his mother and his two grown-up kids and their families.
After a couple of days with heavy rain (not really helping my lack of Christmas feeling), we finally saw the sun again and enjoyed the rest of the week with blue skies. Jenaz, lying on the bottom of the valley, hasn’t got any snow yet. There’s also little sunlight down here in winter, just a few hours in the morning. It has therefor become kind of a family tradition to drive up to the village of Pany and walk from there to Alp Tratza, an idyllic Maiensäss settlement at 1600 m above sea level with a wonderful panoramic view over the whole Prättigau and magnificent mountains.
Here we both enjoyed the sun and a lot of snow. The owners of the Maiensäss have put up a container, tables and chairs, and offer hot and cold drinks and small meals. The typical “Huus Gaffi” (=house coffee) with schnapps and whipped cream tastes delicious in these surroundings! The second day we walked up, Robin even brought our old wooden sled and we had a lot of fun on the way down, after another “Huus Gaffi”.
Robin and I seized the opportunity and went skiing for one day. It’s been many years, well actually decades since last time here in Switzerland and it was great. Being surrounded by this beautiful landscape with all its snow-covered mountain tops is truly special. We tried all the lifts and all the different slopes, only with a short break at lunch on the sunny terrace of a traditional mountain lodges. We just enjoyed being outdoors and moving.
The week went by quickly. Days filled with long breakfasts, walks, playing games and cosy dinners.
Now it is time for returning home and spending the last days of this year with Dag. We’ll be looking back, remembering our unforgettable trip through Australia. But we’ll also be looking forward towards the new year, where new trips are awaiting us. Portugal in spring, then a long road trip through Europe in summer. It might not be the same driving through densely populated countries in Europe, but it will still give us a feeling of freedom, being able to travel that way, stop where we like, put up our tent and just take it as it comes. This is the way we like it. This is our way of living the dream. Work, save, travel, repeat.
A happy New Year to you all!
RCD on Walkabout 