Paradise, otherwise known as Switzerland

I would write about my last week in Lille, but France has already faded far into the distance since I arrived in Switzerland on Saturday. My life here is completely perfect and there is nothing more I could ask for. In fact, my one fear is that I will shoo away my wonderful luck, but I guess all I can do in the mean time is enjoy myself and be thoroughly thankful for just being alive: the weather is perfect, the air is fresh, the view is spectacular, and Hervé and I have never been happier together. I had a relatively easy journey from Lille to Lausanne with only a 9 minute delay, which nevertheless was extremely aggravating for Hervé and threw off the normally perfect Swiss train schedule. After Hervé met me at the station, we took a train from Lausanne to his home city. The view from the train was one of the most beautiful scenes I had seen up to that point, though now it has already become quite normal for me. As I looked through the window with tears literally welling up from the view, Hervé pointed to his lakeside home. A quick overview of Hervé`s home: His house has a beautiful view of the lake with the blue mountains in the background. The garden which is full of red current berry bushes and zemlinika (wild strawberries) in addition to the flowers and mini lilly pond presses up against the lake where we go swimming a few times a day. Inside, the house is beautifully decorated with modern art chosen by his mother who is finishing a master`s in history of art. In the central living room area is a magnificent baby grand piano that is perfectly in tune and just begging to be played. Finally, the house is right below acres and acres of Swiss vineyards that were actually the first ever UNESCO World Heritage Sight and the whole area is just 15 minutes outside of the central Swiss city of Lausanne. Hervé and I have been lazily soaking up our vacation time since I got here. A significant portion of time is spent taking naps, reading together in the garden or in the beach, swimming in the lake, taking walks, playing piano, and eating his mother`s delicious and deliciously healthy food. Otherwise, I went into a park in Lausanne on the first night to see the beautiful fireworks over the lake (it was the national holiday). The area felt like a war zone with all the amateur fireworks going off, but it was thoroughly festive and the official fireworks were very impressive as well. Monday, Hervé and I went into central Lausanne where I bought a Swiss knife and where we explored a handful of the million overpriced luxury shops on the street. We also saw the Cathedral of Lausanne and Hervé`s high school right next to it before eating a Kebab for lunch and then getting stuck in a bookstore. Our afternoon was quieter, for being as ridiculous as we are, we found "Lausanne Plage", a place in the middle of the city where there was sand and comfy white beds with white cloth roofs over them to keep the glaring sun out. We then just laid there, enjoyed ourselves, and napped in the perfect weather while surrounded by sand and Lausanne city. In the evening, Hervé`s mother joined us to see the adorable movie, La-Haut at the cinema (the Pixar movie, UP). Otherwise, yesterday Hervé and I went to Montreux and Chateau de Chillon, one of the most iconic places in Switzerland. The 11th century castle was unbelievable and impressive, but the most fun was picking wild blackberries right below the castle or swimming in the lake around the castle. I wish I could put up pictures, but my internet has not been working at Hervé`s house and I can`t upload my pictures from his computer (I`ll figure out how to do it soon) so you`ll just have to take my word for it: it`s beautiful here. Now I have to go outside and pick some red currents for breakfast and for making jam and then we`re off to the house of Hervé`s father where we`ll go bicycling and relax some more. Next week, we`re going to spend most of our time in Hervé`s stepfather`s chalet in the mountains so I won`t be writing too much, but I`ll probaby put up some pictures. In the mean time, please please donate to the Jimmy Fund!!! (see last post)