sey085

Hola amigos, I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya ... and no excuses.  Things have indeed been pretty busy around here, but really the main reason I haven't made any updates to the blog is just plain laziness.  Not a whole lot to say, really.  And, you know how it is: put it off for a little while; then you start feeling bad that you didn't do it when you should have; which makes you not want to do it; which makes you put it off some more; which makes you feel even worse; etc.  Kinda like bathing.  Anyhow, it is starting to look like my days in la Suisse may be numbered, so I figured I should sort of empty the metaphorical hopper of all the stuff I haven't posted yet just so that it will be there for all.  Seeing as how I talk to most of my "readership" personally (Hi Mom), most of you have probably heard of or seen a lot of this, so you'll have to wait for even later updates for some new info. The Jura, redux No other place on earth offers m...

As the weather has been ideal, I have been doing my best to do as much hiking as possible lately. Switzerland, as I have mentioned many times before, is really a hiker's paradise: not only are there mountains, hills, lakes, and natural wonders aplenty, but they are easily accessible to anyone with a Swiss Railway half-fare card. Aside: the half-fare card (aka the halbtax or demi-tarif) costs a scant 150 CHF a year and gives you a 50% discount on virtually all forms of transportation in the country -- trains, boats, buses, trams, funiculars, etc. A quick calculation reveals that it only takes about a half-dozen trips between Geneva and Lausanne a year before one earns back their money, thus the card is generally cost-effective for nearly everyone who lives in the country. Now, you ask, what if you don't live in the country? What do you do? Well, if you've come and visited me, you know that the answer to this is: you pay -- a lot! A half-fare card for a single month c...