Berg-ing

In an effort to be more authentically Swiss, we have taken to trekking through some of the lovely Swiss mountains in these last days of summer.

The week of the class reunion, there was the ascent in Glacier 3000 country:Note that this happy summit picture belies the grueling pace of this hike (thank you to Peter, the long-legged, super-fit Dane). The last, disturbingly uphill push back to our starting point saw Swiss Mister in rather rough shape: I had to take the backpack, as I had for all uphill segments of the journey, and then we had a take a break in deference to Swiss Mister's numb/tingling fingertips!!! When we arrived at the restaurant for the IMD lunch, people remarked that we looked both flushed and pale at the same time... Believe me, that's difficult to achieve.

Even so, the hiking bug seems to have bitten Swiss Mister, so yesterday we headed back to Pilatus. After all, why take the train up (again) when you can walk 5,300 feet for the very first time! It was a perfect day for hiking, and Swiss Mister, Mathieu, and I made excellent time -- 4 hours for the hike, plus one hour for picnic lunching.Swiss Mister triumphantly made it to the top, purchased a celebratory bottle of Eichhof beer, then promptly feel asleep in the delightfully sunny sun loungers. (Full disclosure: Swiss Miss later fell asleep on the train ride back to the base.)

Back in the Zurich HB, we were greeted by this rather strange display of natural wonders:
Excuse the picture quality here...but perhaps you can still make out the oddness? Dinosaur skeletons, verdant fernery, and a rather rudely positioned kangaroo + kangaroo skeleton suspended from the ceiling. Maybe we understand Berging, but there is still so much about Swiss psychology that remains a mystery to us.

Speaking of psychology, we are now fans of In Treatment, our new HBO indulgence, recommended to us by Keith and Alli. It may have gotten a terrible review in The New Yorker, but Swiss Mister and I are hooked! What will happen to the fighter pilot who accidentally bombed an Iraqi school? (We both suspect said fighter pilot is gay and unwilling to come to terms with his sexuality...though we're not sure how this fits into the Iraq story.) Did Sophie the teen gymnast try to commit suicide or not? (I vote no, Swiss Mister yes.) Is Laura the erotic transference case a total nut-job? (A resounding yes!) There's nothing like a little psychotherapy drama to round out one's Swissness. Believe me, after my interview with a Jungian psychoanalyst here in Zurich, I should know...