6,300 FEET UP

Well, I'm back in Kusnacht after my 2-week course.
It was rich and intense, demanding as usual, with 
some great lectures on alchemy, the old gods and
goddesses in Swiss agriculture, the face of the 
feminine in the Kabbaleh - an esoteric branch of
Judaism - and other weird and wonderful goodies:
a seminar on dreams, an interpretation of the fairy
tale The Firebird, including a DVD showing of 
either the Bolshoi Ballet or the Ballet Russe 
production, and a lecture on the new "Mary bell" 
that has finally been replaced in Notre Dame 
cathedral in Paris after a 200+ year absence.  
During the French revolution, all the church bells 
were taken and melted down to make ammunition,
leaving only one bell of the original 10 in Notre 
Dame.  Now all 10 are replaced, and to hear them 
ringing for the first time after so many years is 
quite something - if you're interested, here's a link:
http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php?article1613
The number of people who turned up and waited for 
hours to hear the bells was really something.  Our 
instructor was there, and she said the moment the 
bells began to ring, there was a deep hush in this 
crowd of several thousand people. 

The bell was on
display in Notre
Dame, and 
hundreds of 
people came to 
see it and to 
touch it.  It
was remade
and blessed in
a sacred
ceremony 
before it
was ready to
be rung.





Also, on the suggestion of my "landlady" (but
really, my friend) Irene, I initiated a brand 
new practice for the Zentrum- a morning 
warmup!!  I offered a 30-minute movement 
and voice warmup to anyone who was 
interested, and had between 10 and 15 people 
show up every morning.  They were so 
appreciative, and it was such a delight to get
bodies moving, and to chant and sing and and laugh.

We have one day off during the course, and this
time, I went with my Swiss friend Susanne to a 
valley high up in the mountains.  We took a bus
and then a cable car, and then walked for hours. I
have some photos….of course!

This is the cable car - a strange little space-age
capsule, with room for about 10 people, and space
for skiis and boots, etc, for winter mountain access.

These are lodges - the newer ones - which are rented out, I think by the room, in the ski season.
They are close to where the cable car lets you off, and from there the skier would have to ski
over to where there are many more lifts up to the slopes.  Luke, it would be AMAZING
to ski here!! Maybe one year…..

This weird looking thing - I think it's supposed to look like
a candle - is an elevator.  You can get on at the top, which
is where the path from the cable car leads, and take it down
to the level of the little road.  Which we did.

This is one of the views from the elevator.  Isn't it just beautiful?  That little cabin is also probably
a rental place, though Susanne said it might also be privately owned.  There were people there
on this gorgeous day, lounging in the sun.  The lake was like glass.

When we started walking, on our left there were these fair-sized
cliffs, and I suddenly realized that there were many people
climbing the rocks.  Brrrr!  Not my idea of a good time!

An alpine flower - there were lots of late-summer blooms
peeking out from between the rocks.

More of these brave little alpine blooms….

Walking, walking, walking.  There were all kinds of people up there with us, but the landscape
is so vast, and there are so many paths, that it was very quiet and unbothered.

So, this is the first lake, the Melchsee - which, literally translated, means
something like Milk Lake.  

Walking up here was spectacular.  For one thing, time seemed
to stop - or it became irrelevant.  We just walked and
walked, with the view constantly changing, and the
sun constantly shining - and before we knew it the
whole day had gone by.

This was a glimpse of the second lake, called the Tannensee.  It's a manmade lake, as you
can probably tell from the dike-like green wall - but it blends in so beautifully, you
wouldn't know it was not natural.  Tannen translates as "a few scrawny fir trees".
Remember that Christmas song "O Tannenbaum"?  (which doesn't mean
O Scrawny Fir Tree - it mean O Christmas Tree, of course)

This is the lake, once you get up and over the edge.  We sat here in the bright sunshine - actually
by this time we were getting tired, so we lay there for a while - I forgot sunscreen, and
got quite a sunburn on my face.

There's something very special about how the Swiss build these little rest stops - complete with
firepit and benches - for anyone who wants to stop and cook their lunch.  They
are everywhere, these little places - up in the woods here where I walk, and scattered
along these paths - really encouraging folks to get out and to spend the whole day
walking.  Everyone here wears some form of hiking shoes or boots - even the
smallest children.  I felt very North American in my running shoes.

We were heading for the restaurant to which we'd seen a sign pointing, climbing and puffing,
when suddenly this is what came into view.  It nestles there like a fairy tale lake, or like a
secret jewel - it took my breath away.  It is called Little Angel Lake.

We stopped at the restaurant, because we were starving
by then!  It was a roughly built wooden place, typically
Swiss looking, with a big balcony and large picnic
style tables.  Everyone was very friendly and happy to
be out on such a magnificent day.  I had really good
soup, and always the delicious Swiss bread…then we
started the hike back, and I was too tired to take any 
more pictures!  It was an amazing day out - and when
I looked at the map, I realized we were 6,300 feet up
in the mountains.

Tomorrow I head back into the mountains for 5 or 6
days.  I am vacating my apartment so that Irene's 
son from San Francisco and his girlfriend can stay
here while they celebrate the wedding of her other
son.  She offered to drive me up to their mountain
home, where I could stay on my own, and then to
come and pick me up again afterward.  I am looking
forward to being back in the mountains, and as the
sun has been shining brilliantly all day, I am hoping
the weather will be good.  It is really fall here, with
cool fresh air, and that beautiful deep blue sky.  The
leaves on the chestnut tree outside my window are
definitely turning, and starting to fall.  I have five
more weeks here, exactly.  It continues to be 
rejuvenating and nourishing on a very deep level.
I am taking several books with me tomorrow, as
well as all my notes from the lectures, and music,
and walking shoes, and sunscreen!  
Talk to you later…..