Through snowy Switzerland

But first from Bordeaux to Geneva by train. Wonderful trip -- I actually arose at 6 a.m. and Dany and I drove through the dark until dawn streaked the eastern sky as we approached Bordeaux. A pink dappled sunrise, very beautiful. Waiting at the station, a croissant au beurre and black coffee, ah vive la France. The train went along the coast and I was delighted to pass through the town/city of Beziers once again (last visitied in 2010 on the trip along the Canal du Midi).

After following the Rhone valley the train climbed through ever-hillier countryside and finally (becasue of an hour-and-a-half delay at Avignon) we reached Geneva after dark.
Great to see my former tenants, Matteo and Ella, now living and working in Geneva, and of course Matteo's mother, Mary, whom David and I first met in Esfahan. There it turned out we had many mutual acquaintances, in the UK, the US and the Netherlands.
So here is Mary in a park just across the road from her house in Geneva,

And here a couple of pictures of the snowy scene there.

Leaving Geneva I took the train to Zurich, via Lausanne and Freiburg. More wondrous snowy landscapes. And multi-lingual listening: at one point on the train I could hear (and almost follow them all (!): English (Manchester vowels); French; Zwitser-Duits; High German; Italian; Spanish. I believe inside my head there was an English dialogue going on ...

Ah, old friends. Vreni and I met almost 50 years ago. Good to share memories and also think about the future... Here a couple of pix taken from the upstairs window in Vreni's house in Uster.

Making plans for tomorow: there is a Chagall exhibiton on in Zurich. And old friends from Manchester days who live close by in Horgen. And of course, lots of snowy scenes to admire.