I went downstairs this morning to start my day with a warm cup of coffee. That is a plan that should not change. Anyway, as I went downstairs, my plan for the day was to go to a monastery near Rapperswil. As I sipped my coffee, I remembered I still needed to call one of my dad's contacts in Switzerland to set up a time to meet. Here's how the conversation went:
"Hi Leo! It's Rebecca Boniek!"
"Hello Rebecca! Are you well? ... Good! You come see me today. I am free. I'll meet you at the train station."
Boom. Adventure for the day made. I got ready to go and headed to Rotkruez where Leo would meet me. So I took the train through the foggy hillsides. Arrived and as promised, Leo was waiting for me. After hugs and greetings, we headed to lunch. As we drove there, at one point we stopped for children crossing the street. They were all dressed up- from princesses to monsters. Fasnacht is happening. It's essentially the Mardi Gra/Halloween of Switzerland. From dressing up, to decorating the town, to parades they go all out. The street we went to for lunch had clotheslines hanging above the walkway. Extremely large masks hung in the road. I was curiously looking at it all until Leo explained the traditions to me.
We sat down for our lunch in a quaint little restaurant. As we ate, we had a wonderful conversation. I had met Leo before but never enjoyed a one-on-one conversation. What an inspiring- I'd even say, legendary man. He started telling me stories of his life. I could have dragged out that lunch forever. He briefly mentioned living in the Himalayas. He tried to breeze over it but I wouldn't let that happen. I curiously peppered him with questions as he told me about living in Bhutan for 10 years. Raising his daughters in such a different culture. He then began telling me stories of his climbing adventures. He was a guide for years and has climbed since he was 16. He was the president of the UAIGM (an international association for climbers) for a while. It is his doing that the AMGA (American Mountain Guide Association) joined the UAIGM. If you aren't impressed with that, his stories continued throughout the day. He told me how he he did logging for years in a helicopter. Don't worry. I asked for clarification as well. He would fly the helicopter above the steep hillside as a man below would attach the huge tree by chain. That takes precise flying. For years he flew heli-skiing trips. He laughed when I asked if he skied them too. Of course he had. He owns a business but has a degree in engineering. Last year he took two months to fly a Maule (a very small plane) around America with his friend since 16, Hombi. Not impressed yet? He just turned 70 last week. Needless to say, I could have listened to stories for weeks. A phenomenal human all the way around.
He wanted to show me around the area a bit so he carefully pondered where to take me. We hopped in the car and off we went. Between stories, as we drove, he would point out historical sites or give me loads of information about sites. I wish I could tell you them all. We drove through the snowy blustery towns until we got to Schwyz. He pointed out the meadow where the original cantons shook hands and agreed to create Switzerland. Leo told me the town was built in the 1200's. We looked at the buildings as we headed to our next stop.
Our next stop was Victorinox, the home factory of Swiss Army Knives. You can't see the factory, but they do have a lovely gift shop. The gift shop had a plethora of knives, obviously, along with watches, kitchen equipment, and, to my surprise, perfume. Leo, despite my protesting, insisted that, as his treat, I needed something from the store as a souvenir. I went with a credit card shaped Swiss Army knife. It contains all the insides of a Swiss Army knife, but fits in a credit card slot. What every girl needs!
After that we went for a drive to a gorgeous valley. The valley is named "Muotatal." Leo explained to me that the people in this valley are special. His wording, not mine. He said they know they are Swiss but like to think this valley is the excluding factor. The people of this valley are tough. In the winter snow piles higher and higher daily and in the summer rain floods the valley. Guess what their occupation is? Farming. Yeah, tough people. In one area, there have been so many avalanches that they just built a tunnel so they can keep driving despite avalanches. They certainly are tough people.
It would help if you had a picture of this valley. If you've ever driven Boulder canyon, imagine that but a lot bigger. I never saw the tops of the rock walls because the fog was sitting quite low all day. However, what I saw was impressive. Enormous icefalls hung everywhere. Leo at one point pulled over. He pointed to the top of a rock face and said, "See that hut?" A little tiny speck of a hut stuck out among the ice and clouds. He told me that was his friends. To get there you have to climb to it. Logically. I'm sure I was a bit ridiculous looking as I couldn't tear my eyes from the scenery outside. A church sat at the top of the valley overlooking the people. The trees, heavy laden with snow, clung among the icefalls and steep hillsides. Looking at the pictures I took from the car, I wanted to delete them all. You can't see one tenth of the beauty. However, I saved some. But take my word, go see this in person.
(Look for the frozen waterfalls as you look at these!)
We drove to the top of the valley, next to the church. There was a restaurant there. Leo and I got a cup of coffee as we looked at the scenery. Leo explained to me that this is a very local restaurant. The men in the place lived in the valley and during the winter didn't have a lot of farming to do. So they enjoyed each other's company and playing cards. It was the quintessential small town feeling. I asked the waitress to take our pictures before we left. She happily helped.
As we drove back, we passed a group of guides teaching some girls how to ice climb. Leo wanted to check if he knew the guides. As he chatted with his friend, I snapped pictures.
Finally, much to my chagrin, Leo dropped me off at the train station. I promised to stay in touch and he agreed to meet up with me again and tell me more stories. I happily boarded the train after a phenomenal day.
When I arrived home, I found a surprise. Yesterday I had baked around 50 cookies. It was a slow-at-home day. When I got home, three were left. So I guess you could say it was success!
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