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Arrival in Bayeux

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(Bayeux, Normandy, France)

The rail strike caused us a delay of nearly 3.5 hours.  Our original train still ran, but the entire self-serve rail ticket network was frozen and only a couple of ticket agents were working.  It took about an hour to buy our tickets, by which time our train had left.  Not a great start to our trip to Bayeux, especially as our (eventual) trains were very hot and we had to call our host in Bayeux repeatedly to adjust our arrival time.

Our apartment (on the left) in Bayeux, in a courtyard hidden behind an ancient wall.

We’re trying something a little different in Bayeux:  we have a furnished apartment with a fridge, etc.  In addition to being fabulously located in a historic building less than a block from the (huge) cathedral, it enables us to prepare some of our own meals.  This was a real blessing, as it is impossible to eat out every day without growing tired of it (and the cost).

This is the view from the street entrance to our apartment in Bayeux

As Bayeux was a very important medieval town, its cathedral is understandably huge.  I took many pictures of it, from various angles and at various times of day.  The days are long here, so I found the best light to be just before 11:00 p.m., when the summer sun is finally disappearing.

Bayeux’s Cathedral at 11:00 p.m.

Bayeux is perhaps best known for the the “Bayeux Tapestry” (actually an embroidery).  This work of art was created around the year 1070 to chronicle the victory of William the Conqueror (King of Normandy) over Harold (who claimed to be the King of England) at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.   It is a fascinating record of a major turning point in European history:  it also marks the beginning of the profound influence of French on the English language.

From the Bayeux Tapestry gift shop – a facsimile showing part of the 70-metre-long (!) tapestry

Looking like a massively elongated comic strip, the tapestry is nearly 70 metres long (!) and about 50 cm high.  Considering its age, it is remarkably well-preserved.  It was created to be hung in the cathedral so that the people understood the story of William the Conqueror.  In order to preserve the tapestry, photographs are not allowed and you only have about 25 minutes to view it.  The photo here is actually a contemporary copy of one of the scenes.

One of the creatures on the streets at the Bayeux medieval festival

Speaking of medieval times…we unknowingly arrived in the middle of Bayeux’s medieval festival.  The town was packed, with many of the people wearing full medieval costumes.  Many food items were medieval as well:  for a snack, I had a pear torte made from a 14th century recipe.

The medieval bakery kiosk in Bayeux. The chef is in period costume on the left.

Stay tuned for more medieval and modern stories from Bayeux!

Posts from the road

Last day in Rouen…and a strike!

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(Rouen, Normandy, France)

There are more than 2,000 half-timbered houses here…and sometimes one wonders how they remain standing.  The one below is right in the middle of the old town but nobody seems to be worried about it.

Precariously leaning house in Rouen

After quick visits to the (free) ceramics and ironworks museums, it was time for a big event:  the World Cup quarter-final match between France and Uruguay.  We claimed a table in a bar and assumed it would be like a big game in Canada:  noisy, occasionally, but still restrained.  We were wrong!

At the Rouen Ceramics Museum

Although there were only about 20 people in the room (this was a multilevel bar), it seemed like many more were actually there.  The intensity of emotion was astonishing and the amount of noise when France scored was deafening.  We had never seen anything like it, except perhaps when we saw a Feyenoord game in Rotterdam in 2014.  It will only get crazier, as France won 2-0 and advanced to the semi-final against Belgium.  I’m sure we’ll be watching that game too…I can’t imagine what it will be like if France makes it to the final on July 15!

As much as we loved the galettes here, we agreed that we should have something different for dinner.  My research uncovered a Senegalese restaurant just a few blocks from our hotel, so we decided to give it a try.

Inside the Ironworks Museum in Rouen

I chose chicken yassa and my wife ordered a vegetarian “XL samossa”.  It certainly was extra-large for a samosa:  it was filled with cheese, mixed vegetables, and an egg.  I wasn’t entirely sure what I had ordered but it turned out to be grilled chicken in a relatively sweet sauce.  However, the most interesting components of dinner were the sauces.

The very large Senegalese samosa

We were given some miniature samosas as an appetizer, with a very rich and flavourful tomato-based sauce.  However, the friendly proprietor offered me a spicier sauce, along with a warning that it was “medium strong”.  I appreciated the warning: if this was only “medium strong”, the “strong” must be impossibly incendiary!  I was glad that I had ordered a ginger-scented pineapple juice to soothe the (still enjoyable) burn.

The Ryal Metisse restaurant in Rouen

It was also nice to have Senegalese music playing throughout dinner.  I had picked up an unusual Youssou N’Dour record the day before, so music from Senegal was kind of a secondary theme for our stay in Rouen.  Who knew that N’Dour had covered the 1970s soul classic “Rubberband Man”?  You just never know what you will find while on holiday.

Notice board at the train station…STRIKE!

We really enjoyed our stay in Rouen and look forward to returning some day.  After such a nice introduction to France, I suppose it was inevitable that we would run into a classic France problem upon trying to leave:  a train strike!  At the time of writing, it looks like it will only cause a three-hour delay for us.

Posts from the road

Digging deeper into Rouen

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(Rouen, Normandy, France)

We’re living the good life in Rouen.  As predicted, we returned for dinner to La Crêperie Rouennaise, the same crêperie that we enjoyed so much the day before.  It was just as good the second time.  But I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself…

Part of the Place du Vieux-Marché, in the centre of Rouen

We started the day with a little shopping.  Some necessities, of course, but also some things that are too expensive or impossible to find back home.  For lunch, we found another winner:  the Listo restaurant, featuring food from Ecuador.  In addition to the “usual” fillings for empanadas, they had one with goat cheese and honey.  It was sublime with some hot sauce.

My empanadas at Listo

Next was a visit to the Musée des Beaux-Arts.   We didn’t stay for too long, but we made a point of seeing the paintings by Claude Monet.  He painted the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Rouen at least 30 times, in addition to many other local sights.  Seeing vast amounts of art at once is not really my thing, but it’s different when the painting was made locally and is of something you’ve actually seen.  I took a picture but art photography rarely turns out well!

Unsettling plague victim at l’aître Saint-Maclou

We also visited l’aître Saint-Maclou, which didn’t really mean that much to us as a name.  But it turned out to be a cemetery from the plague that was being restored, along with the surrounding buildings. It was kind of creepy to see bones just lying there, including one skull with an opened mouth.  There are certainly some macabre sights in Rouen, as you can see from the following picture…

Also located in the Place du Vieux-Marché

We started the evening with a hike to the top of Mont  Ste.-Catherine, for a view of Rouen and the surrounding area.  This was more difficult than it ought to have been, which we blame on not waiting until at least an hour had passed after dinner.   It was only when we reached the top that I realized I would have to take pictures directly into the setting sun.

View of Rouen from the Côte Sainte-Catherine, with the Seine River at the left

But the day still wasn’t over.  At nightfall, the Cathédrale de lumière sound and light show is projected onto the facade of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame.  The simulated burning of the cathedral was very impressive.  Once again, photos don’t do it justice….so here’s another quaint streetscape from earlier in the day…

Streets like this are everywhere in Rouen

We have one more day in Rouen before moving on to Bayeux.  As we will likely not have wi-fi access in Bayeux, there may be a bit of a break before the next post.

Posts from the road

We’re back in France!

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(Rouen, France)

A series of random events (primarily a seat sale to Paris) have led us to Rouen, formerly the second biggest city in France but now a mere “regional centre”. Luckily for us, there is history everywhere and we are already enjoying Rouen despite just arriving from Canada today.

Rouen’s famous Gros-Horloge, dating back to 1389

Our hotel is, er, rustic. The breakfast room looks vaguely like a darkened hunting club. We found a boulangerie (bakery) nearby, so it was an easy decision to opt out of breakfast.  The dim rooms don’t really matter either: we won’t be spending much time here anyway!

Rouen’s Notre-Dame Cathedral

Rouen is probably best known for being the site of the execution of Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc). But the medieval feel of the city is probably the best reason to visit. If you have a liking for half-timbered houses, this is definitely the place to be!

Even the tobacco shops are historic in Rouen

We’ll be here for a few nights, so we will dig a little deeper in the days to come.  The main events on our first day were orienting ourselves, superficially exploring the medieval streets, and having an excellent al fresco dinner at La Crêperie Rouennaise.   Not only was it reasonably priced, the food was excellent and we are already talking about going back for another meal!

This is where we had dinner tonight

Like many restaurants in Normandy, they specialize in galettes (buckwheat “crêpes” with savoury toppings/fillings) and proper  crêpes themselves (with sweet toppings/fillings).  I chose a Galette Parisienne, filled with emmental, ham, fresh mushrooms, and cream, and then topped with a egg.  For dessert, I had a simple crêpe with freshly squeezed lemon and icing sugar.  The  dessert crêpe was probably unnecessary, but I felt I had a duty to try one!  The locally produced cider was an added bonus.

Alas, northern Europe is having a heat wave that is almost as bad as what we were experiencing in Canada.  Our hotel also doesn’t have air conditioning, so we will have to pace ourselves during the long, hot days.  It is still light until well after 10:00 p.m.  Luckily, there seems to be plenty of ice cream available!

Another quaint business in Rouen

This extended trip to northern France is off to a good start.  Stay tuned for more on Normandy and Brittany, as well as a Bastille Day celebration in yet another historic small city, before our finale in Paris!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Orkney 2002 (Part 2)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

My previous post focused on the ancient sites of Orkney.  However, Orkney wasn’t just a big deal 5000 years ago.  It continued to be an important place for a very long time…so important that the Vikings controlled it for hundreds of years and left more than a trace of their culture.

Kirkwall’s St. Magnus Cathedral (founded in memory of Magnus Erlendsson)

The Viking presence is felt most in the “capital” of Kirkwall.  It’s the largest “city”, but still is home to only about 9,200 people.  For a city of that size, it certainly has its share of disproportionately large buildings. The most epic is St. Magnus Cathedral, which is built from red and yellow sandstone and dates back to the year 1137.  It’s very dark and drafty inside, with plenty of morbid gravestones (featuring lots of skulls, crossbones, and hourglasses) to remind us of our mortality.

Me “inside” the Earl’s Chambers, at the Earl’s Palace (Kirkwall, Orkney)

Right beside St. Magnus Cathedral are the ruins of the Earl’s Palace and the Bishop’s Palace.  The Bishop’s Palace was built in the 12th century to house the bishop of the Norwegian Catholic Church.  The Earl’s Palace was built in 1607, because the then-Earl of Orkney thought that the Bishop’s Palace was inadequate for his needs.

The “Interior” of the Bishop’s Palace in Kirkwall, Orkney

In a bizarre example of foreshadowing, I was intrigued enough by the bowling green behind the Earl’s Palace to take a picture of it (it’s the one at the very top of this post).  Little did I know that, 15 years later, lawn bowling would actually become part of my life.  Any future trip to Scotland will definitely include a bowling green visit – what an atmospheric place to play!

Goofing around on the Bishop’s Palace Tower (Kirkwall, Orkney)

The “second city” of Orkney is Stromness, with a population of just 2,200 people.  However, it was worth a visit because one of my wife’s ancestors sailed from here hundreds of years ago en route to a new life in Canada with the Hudson’s Bay Company.  We found the well where such sailors took on fresh water before heading across the sea.  In addition to the Hudson’s Bay Company ships, Captain Cook’s vessels and John Franklin’s ships (in search of the fabled Northwest Passage) also took on water here.

The harbour in Stromness, Orkney

While in Orkney, we also took the opportunity to visit one of the more sparsely populated (relatively speaking) islands.  Shapinsay is home to only 300 people and is about a 25-minute ferry ride from the Orkney “Mainland”.  There isn’t much for the restless tourist on quiet Shapinsay, which is known primarily for agriculture and birds, but there is a spectacular castle (Balfour Castle) that is now run as a hotel.

Balfour Castle – on the island of Shapinsay, Orkney

Other sights in Orkney include the Highland Park Distillery, which is the northernmost whisky (as the Scots spell it) distillery in the world.  We didn’t go on the tour, as it seemed rather expensive at the time.  Alas, we didn’t realize that Highland Park is actually a very special whisky;  apparently, it is the only whisky to ever receive a rating of 100% from the tasting team at The Scotsman newspaper.

Orkney is a small and remote place, but it far exceeded our expectations.  It’s yet another place that we’d love to visit again!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Orkney 2002 (Part 1)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

One of our favourite trips was our 2002 journey to Scotland…especially if you ignore my severe allergy attack in Inverness and the food poisoning I suffered in Glasgow!  We loved the regal city of Edinburgh, but the most enjoyable part of our trip was our 5-day stay in Orkney, off the remote northern coast of Scotland.

Boarding the Pentland Venture at John O’Groats, Scotland…on our way to Orkney!

Orkney is fascinating.  It is largely treeless and it also has a rich Viking history.  But our favourite parts were the ancient (many of them older than the Pyramids!) structures at sites such as Skara Brae, Maeshowe, and Broch of Gurness.  To say nothing of the various standing stones…in terms of atmosphere and access, these put Stonehenge to shame!

The 5000-year-old chambered burial tomb of Maeshowe

The Maeshowe burial tomb was not just a mound…you could go inside and look at runic graffiti (30 examples, written by Vikings nearly 1000 years ago)!  The tomb was already 4000 years old by then.  The tomb was also precisely constructed for light to shine in on the winter solstice each year.

Beside one of the standing stones at the Ring of Brodgar

If you’ve ever wondered what is so fascinating about standing stones…stand next to one!  They are huge.  Trying to figure out details such as “why” and “how” could occupy you for an entire lifetime.  There are 27 stones still standing at the Ring of Brodgar, a circular Neolithic “henge” very close to Maeshowe on a windswept plain.  Only 1 km away, the Standing Stones of Stenness are also impressive, with one of the stones reaching a height of 18 feet.

Centre Chamber of the Broch of Gurness

The number of ancient sites on Orkney’s “Mainland” is almost overwhelming.  The Broch of Gurness would be a major attraction all on its own, but it is just one of many on this compact island.  This Iron Age settlement dates from “only” about 500 B.C.  See the photo at the top of this post for more of the Broch of Gurness.

Climbing above and around the Neolithic village of Skara Brae

Also found on Orkney’s “Mainland” is Skara Brae, the most complete Neolithic village in Europe.  Although constructed 5000 years ago, it was unknown for millennia until a severe storm in 1850 ripped away the soil and exposed a series of stone buildings without roofs.  You can now wander around, and look down on, the homes which have miraculously survived all these years.  In some cases, there are even stone “furnishings”.

One of the homes at Skara Brae – this is how we lived 5000 years ago

Stay tuned for further pictures and stories from Orkney (and Scotland).  There is plenty more to share!  While I highly recommend visiting Orkney, you should be aware that it is not the warmest destination.  The pictures in this post were all taken in the middle of the summer:  we needed a jacket every day.  Given Orkney’s location in the North Sea, and the lack of trees, it can also be very windy.

Posts from Base Camp

My Enduring Connection to St. Pierre & Miquelon

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I recently reviewed my site traffic and discovered something very interesting about my posts.  For the past three years, the most popular ones have been a series of posts I wrote in 2015 on the remote French islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon.  The traffic on those posts is remarkable – it far surpasses anything else I’ve written.

A large crowd remains after the fireworks (and the arrival of fog) at the Bastille Day celebrations

I think this is mostly attributable to visitor numbers: millions of people visit places like Switzerland and Italy, but the visitor numbers to St. Pierre & Miquelon are considerably lower.  The tourist season is also quite short, with relatively few visitors outside the May to September high season.   And, of course, with fewer visitors, there are fewer bloggers.    It also didn’t hurt that a St. Pierre & Miquelon discussion group posted a link to one of my articles!

Zazpiak Bat: the local Basque pelota court in the centre of St. Pierre

The most popular individual post, by a considerable margin, is my report on Bastille Day 2015 in St. Pierre & Miquelon.  Which leads me  to a discussion of Bastille Day 2018…because we will once again be in  France!  As I mentioned a couple of months ago, I found a great summer airfare to Paris for the two of us.  At the time, I was still a little unsure of what our itinerary would be for that trip.  However, in the meantime, the picture has become considerably clearer.

Red-shirted volunteers distribute the vin d’honneur (and local cold cuts) on Bastille Day in St. Pierre

Lithuania and Latvia remain on hold.  Instead, I have booked accommodations in a number of towns in Normandy and Brittany.  We will be travelling by train and staying in small and characterful local hotels.   And we will be spending this Bastille Day (a.k.a. le 14 juillet) in an ancient Brittany town called Vitré!  I didn’t know anything about it until  I started researching this trip, but a number of sources (including the Michelin Guide) rank it quite highly.   It looks like a great place to spend France’s national day.

Reims supporters show their colours

Having booked the accommodation, my main task now is continuing to work on my French language skills.  For the past month, I’ve been spending at least 30 minutes each day on on-line French courses.  Reading French is not a problem but I need to work on the other elements of speaking, listening, and writing.  However, with a goal in mind, developing language skills is much more enjoyable!

Post-tour tasting at Vranken-Pommery champagne house (Reims, France)

To celebrate our upcoming trip to France, I’ve included some of my favourite pictures from St. Pierre & Miquelon and my 2014 trip to Reims, France.  In the meantime, stay tuned for some general posts about travel and a focus on some local destinations!

 

 

Posts from the road

Last Meal in Zürich

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(Zürich, Switzerland)

For our last meal in Switzerland, the posse agreed to meet at Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zürich’s main train station) and set out in search of mutually agreeable food.  Our plan was to head to “Tibits”, a vegetarian restaurant in the Bellevue neighbourhood that I had enjoyed on some previous visits, unless something else really caught our eye along the way.

Some Dutch food would have been nice…

However, when we arrived at the station, we were quite surprised to see that there was a street food market!  And it was only there for this particular weekend, so it was a pretty big deal.  The street food market concept really took off in Copenhagen, where a temporary set-up in a vacant industrial space became the “go to” place for affordable food in that expensive city.

My Indonesian dinner from the Zürich street food market

As Zürich is even more expensive than Copenhagen, the street food market suddenly seemed like a great idea.  With about 80 different vendors offering food from around the world, we would each be able to find something we liked.  And so, after some crafty manoeuvres to nab some seating, we each faced one of the biggest dining decisions of our lives!

Wait, is that a Kaiserschmarrn vendor?

As we had eaten (more or less) Swiss food for the previous 12 days, I was less inclined to eat something local for my main course.  However, it also didn’t seem right to have something I could easily have at home or in another European country that I frequently visit…this eliminated the Dutch food and several others from contention.  I was quite tempted to try one of my favourite dishes from Chile (pastel de choclo), but this is readily available in Toronto.   I eventually decided to grab some Indonesian food, which is very scarce in Ontario.  The peanut sauce was amazing!

My Kaiserschmarrn – didn’t go for the plums, but it would have added some real colour

For dessert, I decided to go for Kaiserschmarrn, a favourite of one of our other posse members.  As he had already moved on to Basel, I figured he would appreciate it if I ate it on his behalf.  Kaiserschmarrn is an Austrian specialty named after Emperor Franz Josef and consists of shredded pancake, apple sauce, rum-soaked-raisins, icing sugar, and various other toppings:  mine featured almonds but plums (“Zwetschgen“) are quite popular in Switzerland.

“Cholera”?!

And who would have thought that a dish called “cholera” would last into the 21st century?  As you can see from the photo above and this explanatory article, people really do want to eat cholera! I didn’t have any, but in retrospect it would have been interesting to try.

Last photo of the trip: the Brasserie Federal at the Zürich train station

It was a lot of fun to eat street food in Zürich.  The only real negative was that smoking is still permitted in that part of the train station.  For a post-dinner coffee free of second-hand smoke, we adjourned to the Brasserie Federal in the station.   This is a very old-fashioned railway restaurant with furnishings that probably date back a century!  It was a nice way to relax after the hustle and bustle of the street food market.

Und jetzt bin ich bereit nach Hause gehen!

Posts from the road

Mixed Emotions in Switzerland’s Largest City

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(Zürich, Switzerland)

I definitely had mixed emotions upon arriving in Zürich.  On the one hand, I am quite familiar with it, as it has been the “endpoint” of many Swiss holidays.  It’s always nice to return to a city where you know your way around, and I have had some memorable stays here.  On the other hand, it was rainy, cool, and relatively crowded.  Most importantly, we were no longer in the mountains.  We could still see them across the lake, but they were at quite a distance.

Zürich’s Niederdorf neighbourhood

No matter how appealing a city may be, it can be a bit of a letdown to return to a drizzly urban area after spending nearly two weeks on the (mostly) sunny slopes.  The day before flying home also brings with it a sense that you are on “borrowed time”:  the vacation is just about over and nothing can turn back the clock.

A food truck in Zürich…foreshadowing?

I suppose the high costs here also were a factor, after a relatively expensive holiday in the Alps.  Walking along the famous Bahnhofstrasse reinforced just how much money is lurking in this very prosperous city.  While the rest of Zürich has plenty of banks and jewellery shops, they are different on the Bahnhofstrasse.

Augustinergasse, in medieval Zürich

We saw “private banks” where there was essentially no signage and you had to enter a security code just to get in the door.   As for the jewellery shops, many of them were open…but locked.   There were also generally two very large staff members poised just inside the door.  It was reminiscent of seeing bouncers at the front of an exclusive club.  It sent a very strong message.

Pfalzgasse, in downtown Zürich.

While I don’t remember this happening on my prior visits to the city, I also felt extremely underdressed. I had no idea people wore so much silk in the winter:  the scarves alone probably cost more than all of my clothes put together!  I have friends in the Zürich area and I know this is not how everybody lives, but this was the first time that I felt so conspicuous in my luridly-coloured ski jacket.  Traveling light meant that I had to wear it here too!

View of the Fraumünster from the Grossmünster

After doing a little bit of last-minute shopping (at a grocery store!), I returned to the hotel and prepared to meet the remainder of our posse for dinner.  It would be a challenge to eat economically and still have a memorable final meal.  Stay tuned for the unexpected solution to the challenge!

Posts from the road

Skiing by the Numbers

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(Lenk, Switzerland)

As we prepared to leave Lenk for the bright lights of Zürich, I decided to take a look at something not typically associated with a skiing vacation:  statistics.

Catching some air at Luegli (above Adelboden)

A website called skiline.cc lets you connect your digital lift passes to an on-line account.  By entering the unique code on your ski pass, all of your skiing data can be collected in one place.   Each of the resorts I visited this year participated in this program.   The result:  I now know exactly how many lifts I took each day, how many kilometres I skied, and how many vertical metres I skied!

Typical chalet above Geils

I’m glad that I didn’t fully explore this website while I was still skiing.  I think I might have felt some subtle pressure, especially on the last day, to “set records” before it was time to return to Canada.  As it turns out, the data pretty much supports my guesses about the relative intensity of each day.

Skiing down from Lavey to Hahnenmoos

In total, my 9 on-slope days in Switzerland had me taking 201 lifts, skiing 455 kilometres, and accumulating 72,481 vertical metres (237,798 vertical feet).   No wonder I was always so hungry:  I was averaging more than 50 km per day!  Some statistics were useless:  I was the only Canadian registered on skiline.cc at Lenk this year.  I apparently also won the “gold medals” for most vertical metres in one day by a Canadian at both Wengen and Gstaad.   But my overall totals for those resorts were not best-in-class for Canadian skiers.

Unusual climbing apparatus at Sillerenbühl

It was interesting to see that I skied a formidable 71 km on our deep powder day at Betelberg.  We arrived early, caught the very last lift up, and didn’t have a particularly long lunch.  However, despite this being the “farthest” I skied in any one day, it was not the biggest vertical day.  I only accumulated 8,088 vertical metres that day, which I can attribute primarily to the relatively easy slopes at Betelberg.

Strange to see the Japanese flag on the slopes above Adelboden…

In terms of vertical, our biggest day was at Kleine-Scheidegg/Männlichen/Wengen, when I managed to accumulate a healthy vertical drop of 10,240 metres (almost 34,000 feet) over the day, despite only skiing a distance of 54 km.  This also makes sense:  we spent a lot of time on steeper slopes such as the legendary “Oh God!” and “Black Rock”.

The Chüebodmi restaurant, specializing in Ramen!

One nice surprise on our last day at Lenk-Adelboden, as you can see from the photos, was discovering the Chüebodmi restaurant on a little-travelled piste near Sillerenbühl.  We wondered why there was a Japanese flag flying above it, but upon investigating we realized that they specialized in ramen!  It was *very* rustic (no WC, just an outhouse!), but ramen turned out to be the perfect lunch for an active day on the slopes.

Speaking of surprises, we also had a couple of them in Zürich…stay tuned for the details!