Sunday Run Day

Sundays are quiet days around here.  Very quiet, actually a little ghost-town quiet.  All stores are closed.  Some restaurants and gas stations are open.  No errands to the grocery store or any shopping, for that matter.  Even pharmacies are closed.  If you get sick on a Sunday, you have to drive to the airport to get medicine at the pharmacy there.  It has been strange to get used to, but at the same time, so refreshing.  Sunday mornings, we have been listening to sermons from Riverwest, our church in Oregon.  We miss the people and the church incredibly.  Then we usually go for a family run or a long walk at some point during the day.

There are great paved and gravel trails that go all over.  Nearly everyone walks and/or bikes on a regular basis.  Trails go through woods connecting towns and through farmland giving walking routes to people who live farther out of town.  It's beautiful countryside all around us.

On the south side of town here in Kloten, there are extensive trails that go through the woods.  There are benches and fire pits with cut firewood for free use to cook a picnic lunch (brats, anyone?).  Sunflowers grow wonderfully and fields are all over.  It's very picturesque.

On the north side of town, past the church, the school, and fields or corn, a trail goes uphill into the farmland.

These water fountains are all over the place.  Bryce said that they are fresh drinking water, so no need to pay for water in Switzerland.  I have yet to drink from them.  Maddie loves to cool off and splash the water on hot days.  Even yesterday, it was cool and overcast, and when we passed it, she was sure to say, "Hi Wawer! Bye Wawer!"  Most of these fountains have dates on them when they were constructed.

On most runs (which are around 30 minutes or so for me these days), Maddie almost always says, "Nannie run! Nannie run! Down, Mama!"  Then she runs for less than a minute and I put her back in the stroller.

Going out for a run or walk is a daily activity for us.  It's been good to get out of the apartment as much as possible, especially on nice days.  It's amazing what getting outside can do for everyone's mood.

But oddly enough, it's been cooler and overcast or raining about 3 days a week.  Those cooler days are even better for a run.  I love Fall weather, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to say goodbye to summer.

Tomorrow, August 1st, is Swiss National Day, which means today is Friday for Bryce!  We're trying to figure out what we want to do.  We were planning on going 2 hours to the Bernese Oberland area (Interlaken, Murren, Lauterbrunnen) for a long weekend to explore the Alps, but the weather forecast doesn't look great for that area, so we rescheduled.  Eat some Lindt chocolate or Emmental cheese tomorrow!