The Alps

I spent the past six days in the Alps. Two near Innsbruck, Austria; two near Sion, Switzerland; two near Annecy, France. My hosts were, now that I think about it, all 60, all with Servas.

Maria & Erich - Austria
Mountaineering madness, they met climbing 35 years ago, raised climbing children, go seal-skin skiing all winter long. Maria hosts people to keep her entertained during her retirement, 41 last year.

Joelle - Switzerland
A divorced art/sex therapist who lived on a mountain with two cats and one dog. She began teaching herself English with a computer course one year ago, and we got along with her dictionary. While she worked 2-7 pm (the perfect hours!) and I went up hiking in a valley where, had I known what I was doing, could have seen the Matterhorn.

Laurent & Joelle - France
Lake, mountains, and civil servants. He kept a bountful garden and had international friends for pleasure. She was a marvelous cook and works on behalf of refugees with a defense league. During dinner last night, I made the sophomoric mistake of putting the fruit salad on my plate along with the savory salad and fish. They both gasped and were horrified. After their recovery, they graciously said I could eat it however I wanted (sweet at the end is correct, apparently), and I waited with them. While they worked, I bussed up to Semnoz, a Mont Blanc viewpoint. Ended up meeting and hanging out with a Dutch couple after they gave me a ride back down the mountain.


HofbräuhausMunich, Germany - one night between Berlin and Tirol, stayed with a couchsurfing lady who was hosting three others. She took me and the Russian guy to a beer garden, a nice evening.

Tirol
Maria and her neighbors over for afternoon coffee
View in Switzerland
Cows and French Alpines
hk & EdenMontreaux, Switzerland - Met Eden Garber for a drink on the lake. Our families are friends and perhaps we are now, too. She has just completed a year of work for L'Abri.
The snackThe ultimate snack, overpriced, 9.5% fruit juice, but I was so tickled by the Nutella, I gave in.