Bern, Day 1

I have reached the level of tired where I am talking to myself in an elevator for half a floor before I realize there's someone else in the elevator with me.  But it's totally worth it because, thus far, Switzerland has not skimped on the wicked crazy gorgeous. Also, it's extra Swiss. Like, the entire airport is white and red and has red crosses all over it. And everyone is quietly stylish and very, very polite.

There's something very reassuring about that.

Flew into Geneva, and then took a train to Bern. It was about a two hour train ride and it was chock a block full of scenic majesty. I've always written Geneva off as a place just for skiiers but it is so much more than that. Rolling hills dotted with Meditteranean-esque estates careening towards a glassy lake, with a few vineyards and farms for good measure. Definitely on my list of places to return to.

Geneva. See what I'm saying?

Then I got to Bern, grabbed myself a bretzel and a Coke and meandered towards my hotel. I was so tired it almost felt like an out of body experience. Like, surely it couldn't be me who was so casually wandering around a strange city, easily interacting with strangers and navigating the tram system. When did I become a person who could do things like that without a second thought?

New train station, old church.

But navigate I did and I took in as much as I could. It, like a lot of the cities I passed, seems to be a combination of to-the-minute modernity and steeped in tradition classics. There aren't a lot of buildings that are built between, say, 1800 and 1980. They're all either glossy and new or very, very old. It makes a beautiful contrast, although some of the smaller towns we passed seem to have been overtaken by Ikeas and other industrial buildings. Seriously. They looked more like a giant robot than a store. But Bern seems to strike a nice balance, although I'll let you know tomorrow after we tour the produce and cheese markets by scooter. Is there anything in the world that I like that isn't in that sentence? Seriously, if I could have Rue with me on the scooter and somehow watch the Nanny at the same time I think I might spontaneously combust with the perfection of it all.

Speaking of things I like (a lot) I promise to post pictures of the ring soon but right now there's a big, Swiss bed calling my name. Literally. I really think I need to go to sleep.

I love fishes cuz they're so...delicious?

So, the short film I shot this weekend included a scene with a fish tank full of goldfish. Which kept dying. So, a couple other crew members and I conspired to rescue them. I bundled 3 of them up into a big soup container* and made my merry way home.

I was merry, you see, because I hadn't really thought this whole rescue thing through. But I powered through, bringing the fish with me on two subways, through Grand Central and onto the train. I got a few (hundred) strange looks but I didn't mind.

Then, as I exited the train station, fish in hand, I realized I'd ridden my scooter that morning. And I had to ride it back. Now, much as I like to think that all God's creatures are happiest on a scooter, it is so incredibly not true of fishes.

But I tucked them into the boot snug and tight and headed very slowly and carefully home.

And, after a brief stop for gas, I pulled them out to check on them. And a car full of high schoolers pulled up. And a young gentleman in the back seat, rolled down his window, and tried very hard to focus his eyes on what I was holding.

"Cool soup," he said.

So, without further ado, let me introduce:

Cambodia (nickname GaGa)

He is very camera shy. Better picture forthcoming.

Beta

He is not camera shy.

And Pip.

Rue quite likes them.

In fact, he's no longer allowed in the same room as them!

Ready for spring

This is the time of year when I take on projects I can't finish, drive by my favorite swimming spots, wear summer dresses with sweater tights and big winter coats and just about. lose. my mind.

I've been looking for signs of spring, and this lovely market in New Haven, with it's medley of beautiful, bright fruits and veggies was very obliging.

Aforementioned summer dresses.

Aforementioned sweater tights.

Lucky for me, the Louisiana Tourism Board has given me something to look forward to (a whole lot) to take my mind off of things. They have decided to give four journalists the chance to tour the state's music festivals and, on the way, and sample local beer and food offerings. And I'm one of them! We leave late April.


eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.