We ended our "Ski Week" with an actual day of skiing. The girls took a lesson while I skied with some ladies from church. We all had a great time. We went to Hoch-Ybrig in order to get up high enough for snow. A gondola takes you up over the mountain to the ski resort. From the top chairlift, you can look over the Alp ranges and lakes below. The lift lines were something to experience as well - not really lines, you shuffle together until you reach what appears to be your starting gate (think horse races) and when the little gate opens, you can proceed to catch your chair. It's a "you snooze, you lose" process - there is no room to be hesitant or "American polite" in this process. It only means you will have to wait longer to get on the chair. Here, crowding into trains, trams, lines, elevators, etc..., is just a way of life. Personal space is not a consideration. So, if you ever find yourself annoyed in the States with "foreigners" who appear to be "pushy" in your American eyes - it is a cultural difference, not rudeness. A matter of survival really :) .
Swiss Wildlife! You will have to click on this pic to see it better. There in the middle is an Ibex - kind of like a mountain goat with huge curved horns. Over to it's left is it's friend but it's harder to see. Caught this at the top of the lift looking over the other side of the ski "pistes" (runs). Too bad I can't carry my zoom lens when skiing!
We ended our "Ski Week" with an actual day of skiing. The girls took a lesson while I skied with some ladies from church. We all had a great time. We went to Hoch-Ybrig in order to get up high enough for snow. A gondola takes you up over the mountain to the ski resort. From the top chairlift, you can look over the Alp ranges and lakes below. The lift lines were something to experience as well - not really lines, you shuffle together until you reach what appears to be your starting gate (think horse races) and when the little gate opens, you can proceed to catch your chair. It's a "you snooze, you lose" process - there is no room to be hesitant or "American polite" in this process. It only means you will have to wait longer to get on the chair. Here, crowding into trains, trams, lines, elevators, etc..., is just a way of life. Personal space is not a consideration. So, if you ever find yourself annoyed in the States with "foreigners" who appear to be "pushy" in your American eyes - it is a cultural difference, not rudeness. A matter of survival really :) .
Swiss Wildlife! You will have to click on this pic to see it better. There in the middle is an Ibex - kind of like a mountain goat with huge curved horns. Over to it's left is it's friend but it's harder to see. Caught this at the top of the lift looking over the other side of the ski "pistes" (runs). Too bad I can't carry my zoom lens when skiing!
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