Winter Wonderland

Just like the year before I was invited by Christoph to come and visit him after Christmas. As last year had been so much fun it did not take me long until I agreed and once again, on the 27th of December I took the train to Solothurn in Der Schweiz.

On arrival I was picked up by Christoph and we drove to Recherswill, the little village where he lived in a typical Swiss family house, together with his parents. His sister Judith and her family were living in a separate apartment in the same house as well

It was wonderful to come back to this place and like last year, from day one I felt part of the family. It was wonderful to enjoy mum’s homestyle cooking and listen to dad’s intriguing stories about photography and traveling, two hobbies that he shared with both Christoph and myself. 

We had a lot to talk about, watch all our pictures from our previous trip to Morocco but when Christoph asked me where I wanted to go and visit the answer was easy… Although I come from the hilly part of the Netherlands we do not have the wide panoramic views as one gets from the Swiss mountains so up we went. It was amazing that, although it was still green in Recherswill there were thick layers of snow as soon as we ascended to the mountains. I loved every minute of it and we made a long walk enjoying the thick layer of snow and the wide views over the Alps. 

We found a small hut for some coffee and a local schnapps and time went by far to quick for my liking. It was time to return home again as the sun was setting quickly.

Many evenings we spent home chatting and playing games (“Uno” and “Scheisse” were amongst the favorite ones) but one evening we went to the baroque city of Solothurn which at night has a total different atmosphere. Most buildings are fantastically put in the spotlight and it creates a fantastic atmosphere.

Obviously we enjoyed an evening of my favorite Swiss specialty, raclette, at Susanne, Christoph’s girlfriend, place during a Sylvester evening to remember. It just proved that one did not have to go out and party to welcome the new year. A nice evening at home, surrounded by good friends, wonderful food, and a glass of wine make some of te best memories I have of Switzerland. Memories that definitely bring a smile on my face.

On my final day we returned to the Weissenstein, Solothurn’s ‘house’ mountain for one final glimpse of the alps and one final visit to a bergstube…

Once again, it had been a brilliant visit and I felt wonderful being back to be back and meet good friends again. Little did I know that I did not have to wait long before my next visit as I would return to Switzerland during both the summer and winter holidays next year…