Swiss Day

Wednesday was Swiss Day and we went up the mountain to Villars for some festival fun and hosted some friends (and a couple girls we didn't know before who stopped by L'abri) for a BBQ in the evening.  

But, the highlight was the fireworks.  After the boys were in bed Jim and I stood on our upstairs balcony and could see fireworks all through the valley below and on the mountains all around us.  For the Villars fireworks we had an amazing view and could watch smaller bursts all through the valley.  I've never seen anything quite like it! 

Life in Switzerland Means...

:: Lots of wildflower picking

:: Views like this

:: Meals of Bread and Cheese

:: Lots of Yummy chocolate

:: Wonderful hikes ::

:: your neighbors use sheep to cut their grass because the yard is so steep ::

:: Delicious Milk ::

:: The Sound of Cow Bells ::

Yes, life in Switzerland means that beauty and yumminess are abundant!

Extra{Ordinary}: Alpine Exploration

Finding the extra in ordinary time: feel free to leave a link to your own extra{ordinary} moment or thought in the comments.

Also, joining in with Soulemama for This Moment

A New Rhythm and Lausanne

I've been reading The Social Art of Homemaking.  I certainly wouldn't recommend all of it, but I'm enjoying engaging with another perspective on homemaking.  The book talks a lot about rhythm and it is nice to read something on the topic as we settle into our new rhythms here.  This place is above all flexible, which means that we need to create some structure for ourselves.  I watercolored a weekly schedule the other day and gave each day a 'purpose'.  Of course, our daily purpose doesn't mean that  we will only clean on Saturdays or pray on Mondays..., but it is meant to give us a focus and help keep the work in check as we study and play.  

Here is our new rhythm, we'll see how it works.

----------------------------

Monday - Prayer (Monday mornings at L'Abri there is a prayer meeting for everyone to attend and then everyone signs up for a half-hour slot in the day to pray for community needs and the ministry.  The boys and I enjoyed our prayer room this past week as they joined me for my half hour on L'Abri's weekly day of prayer.  I also want to be really intentional about praying for our future during this time of unknowing and setting aside a day to focus on this seems helpful.)

Tuesday - Clothing (laundry, folding, sorting...)

Wednesday - Garden

Thursday - Adventure (Thursday is the 'day off' at L'Abri and we want to take lots of hikes and a few day trips over the next couple months.)

Friday - Food (I have a ride to do our big shop on Fridays, so meal planning, etc. happen on Friday.)

Saturday - Cleaning (a day to catch up on anything that was overlooked through the week)

Sunday - Rest

------------------

We spent our first adventure day on Thursday in Lausanne.  The trip resulted from the need to get a highchair.  We tried finding one used, but didn't have any luck and desperately needed somewhere to set the baby.  (Plus, he is eager to try solids and I will relent soon... why does he have to grow up so fast?!)  Anyway, after exploring IKEA, which the boys want to go back to they loved it so much, we climbed the hills of Lusaunne and saw the two main historical churches and enjoyed crepes for lunch.  It was a fun adventure.

L'abri

I wrote a bit on L'Abri last time we were here, but will try to describe this place in a bit more detail.  First, I should point out that L'abri isn't an easy place to describe.  It isn't an institution or school, but it has some similar elements.

L'Abri was begun by theologians Francis and Edith Schaeffer in 1955.  They had traveled to Europe for a mission board, but eventually cut those ties and began L'Abri.  L'Abri means 'the shelter'.  Basically the Schaeffers practiced a radical form of hospitality.  They bought a chalet (see below) in the alps and anyone who came along was welcome to stay with them, working and learning.  From the beginning it has been a place where christians and non-christians are free to come and ask questions while sharing in christian care and community.  

Now, L'abri in Switzerland (there are several others around the world) has grown to include several chalets (including a chapel/library) and multiple workers.  Obviously over the past fifty-seven years things have changed some, but the general idea is the same.  L'abri is a place where anyone is welcome to come, ask questions and share in christian community.  There are a couple lectures every week, students have a weekly tutorial, and generally, students spend half the day studying and half the day working (to prepare meals, grounds work, cleaning, etc.)  Jim and I love the emphasis on work and study in the context of hospitality.  The focus on academics and spirituality, alongside the practicality of sharing meals and the work of the community creates a very holistic environment.  We are very excited to be a part of this community for the next couple months.  

This is the original chalet where the Schaeffers lived.  We are living in the top two floors while we are here and it is fun to read about the Schaeffers while living in this beautiful space where it all began. 

The front garden - yes, the view is amazing!

So far the days have been warm and sunny.  The boys are having a wonderful time exploring, hiking, digging in the garden, and playing outside.

This is the view from a path at L'abri.

A Quick Peek at York

We spent the beginning of last week in York.  While Jim was at a conference, the boys and I hung out.  We hit the National Railway Museum, the Viking Center, York Minster and walked through the old town.  It was nice to be away and now we are knee deep in packing tape, boxes and papers that need sorted (it is times like these I wish I were more organized!)  

Malaga

A sunny city, the birth place of Picasso, bright winding streets. 

Our last stop before flying home.

Exploring with Daddy

*my one goal for our week away was to get a good photo of the boys.  Rowan was somewhat less than cooperative :o)  This was our last attempt at the Picasso Museum... we'll keep trying!

Also, the Picasso gallery in Malaga is wonderful with children.  It is a great size and Picasso's work is so accessible for even the youngest child.  Jonah loved the plates that Picasso decorated with mythical fauns, paintings of bull fights and a clay pot Picasso made to look like a bug.

The Tastes of Spain

Trying new food and drink is one of the greatest joys of travel, so I'm eager to share some favorites from Spain.  

: Sangria - pictured above is the best we had - served along the beach it had fresh peaches in it - so yummy!

: Paella - a rice dish typically with sea food in it - Amazing!

 : Palmeras - amazing with coffee and best fresh from the bakery, smothered in chocolate :o)

: Churros and Chocolate - a messy breakfast with two little boys and certainly not healthy - but a cultural experience - right?

: Limonada and Jugo de Naranja - fresh citrus is so cheap (50 cents for a kilo of oranges!).  The lemons are closer to the size of grapefruit than to the imported lemons found in the UK.  Our rented apartment has an electric citrus juicer, so sugar syrup to make lemonade was quickly stashed in the fridge.  We've made fresh lemonade by the glass all week.  And the boys love fresh orange juice!

:Tapas - tastey morsels and while they are meant as more of a snack, we've had several tapas meals this week.

:And what is this?  I have no idea.  In Jonah's words "that is the worst thing I've had in awhile!"  The top tasted like sugar, flour and egg yoke and the bottom was soggy cake.  The taste wasn't too bad, but the texture... well, one can't expect to like everything.

Sevilla - City of Oranges

Tree after tree laden with oranges line the streets.  Sevilla is hot, sunny, full of narrow winding streets, and was obviously designed with horses and small carts in mind - not cars.  The third largest cathedral in Europe (and the largest example of gothic architecture in Europe), a handful of great art, a palace, sprawling gardens, yummy tapas, a carriage tour of the old town... it was worth the three hour car trip each way. 

Those of you who have been reading in this space for awhile know that cathedrals are my favorite spot when we travel (and I will travel great distances to see them - six+ hours in the car today - ahem).  The work and resources that went into these enormous buildings are mind blowing - especially when I consider the historical context.  And while the makers of the cathedral in Sevilla stated that their purpose was that "those who come after us will take us for madmen", I'd like to believe that the scale of the building and the brilliance of the stained glass were primarily meant to capture some of the mystery and awesomeness of God.  I always find cathedral visits an act of the imagination and almost always come away with more awe than I entered with.    We didn't have much time in the cathedral today (there were masses all morning and the boys were ready to move after the car ride) but I've clung to the image and feeling of looking up at the ceiling all day - so far above me, so beautifully formed, somehow connecting me and a reality so much greater than myself.  It was one of those moments where I felt fully human, fully aware of God and fully alive.