June, 2021
Liebi Laura,
How goes life on the French side of the Röstigraben? Is everyone now in full-on summer mode? After alllllll the rain we have had, and now a week of daily storms, I am still sceptical to believe that summer is well and truly here to stay. We’ve had huge storms here in Zug this past week. So big that had our main street and train station flooded. Hopefully, we are through the worst of it and can soon permanently enjoy meals outside, campfires in the forest, lake swims. Although Zug’s lake needs to be warm up a bit before I really want to jump in.
We are on cherry-watch mode around these parts. The first has been picked but hopefully, the forecasted sunshine will ripen the next and the storms didn’t damage too many. I cannot wait to sit on our terrace (which, yes, is large enough to host our extended family of 18!) with a bowl of cherries for dinner. The season is not long, so we gorge on as many as we can get our hands on from the local farms. Zug is famous for its cherries, and in non-pandemic times we would mark the season’s start by watching the cherry-ladder races through the old town (Chriesisturm). But instead, we will just have to enjoy the fruit and all the products local producers create out of the ruby fruit! The most famous, of course, is Kirsch, which is the main ingredient in Zug’s cake – the Zuger Kirsch Torte. A word of warning, the sponge cake is SUPER potent and honestly not one of my favourites. I prefer to enjoy the Kirsch as an aperitive or even better inside chocolate! We will also try and get some cherries to freeze for jams and pies later in the year!
Again Covid is to blame for the cancellation of events like the Chriesisturm. Encouraging hundreds of people into the narrow old town streets to watch the cherry-ladder races isn’t a great idea right now. But a lot of other events have resumed. The vaccine roll out here in canton Zug is moving along at lightning pace now, and even my sixteen-year-old daughter has had her first dose. I, too, have had a shot in the arm, and my tad-older husband has had both doses. The whole process here in Zug works well, with appointments going out to those registered by SMS. The entire process takes place in an unused industrial hall that runs like clockwork. How is it down your way?
Your photo of the Rhone River in your last letter shocked me! I never knew a dam system controlled its flow. An artificial dam near us called the Sihlsee is also emptied each spring in preparation for the melting snow to fill it back up again. We pass it many times a year to visit family in a mountain village nearby but have never gotten out to walk on its empty banks in the spring. This year we actually avoided going back there altogether as our Son has been suffering from his allergies. I am not sure what precisely causes his reaction. I need to find that out. But I do know, from the moment the löwenzahn (dandelions) fields bloom, till well after the first hay is cut, he doesn’t enjoy being outside.
Well, this will be my last letter before school breaks up for the summer. We are in the middle of the final music concerts, exams and the beginning of some sad goodbyes. This year is especially the case, as my two girls are on the cusp of big changes.
Little Z is getting ready to start school after the summer. She is so sad to leave the wonderful kindergarten teacher she has had for the past two years. But at the same time, she excited to get homework, finally. The future first graders got to visit their new classroom a few weeks ago with their school bags and meet the teacher and new classmates. She actually hid her “Lüchzgi”, the orange reflective triangle she must wear to and from Kindergarten while walking to school, as she wanted to look like a real school kid! So cute!
Our Teen is in her final days of Oberstufe (9. Klasse) before moving onto her apprenticeship. Well, actually she will do a 12-month practicum first before doing her apprenticeship at the same place the following year. (at a pre-school) Thanks to the Bundesrat relaxing restrictions and the twice-weekly Covid tests they do in school, they could still go on their “Abschlusslager” or end of school camp, which they entirely planned themselves. From the accommodation in the Bernese Alps, including a jacuzzi, activities that including rafting and 3-d mini golf, their camp was nothing like I experienced at that age. All that is left for them to do is present their final project and graduate! Such a big step in her life!
As you can see, we have a lot going on this month. I didn’t even mention the school trips, my nephew’s confirmation, our renovations, and how tidy swiss handypersons are! So, hopefully, my next letter will be a little more chilled, written perhaps by the lake while sipping my new favourite summer drink – fresh passionfruit and ginger ale!
Liebe Grüsse
Kristin
