Climbing the Saleve

Saturday was D.'s day off so we decided to go climb the Saleve. It was supposed to rain but when we met up, it was dry enough and not above 24C, a perfect compromise to allow us to stay cool. We took the bus up to the border and walked to France after alighting at the bus terminus. We weren't sure of the direction or path to take, but we followed 2 guys that seemed like they knoew where they were going. Just in case though I stopped at the post office and asked one of the customers, who confirmed we were right on our way and he also kindly provided more specific directions to the start of the climbing trail. Outside D. told me the guys also walked back to ask fo direction, so we overtook time, while laughing at each other.

We walked away from the funicular, along train track, then a bridge across the highway, and we were at the bottom of the mountain. The path was slippery with pebbles and gravels, but not as rocky as the previous climb I attempted. We were under the shades of the pine trees and a light rain was scattering above us to keep us refreshed. I nonetheless was sweating buckets and took many breaks to catch my breath.

Some parts of the trail was so slippery that they had a metal ramp along them. Some sections were made of stairs which quite high steps. We met some other climbers in ballerina shoes, or some running down the hill like kamikazes. The guys were ahead when we started the climb, but somehow, when D. and I were taking a break on the stairs, they appeared ever so nonchalantly. They apparently got lost.

For me, the most challenging part of the climb was of course the physical effort. but for D. it was the fact that she had to speak I French, since she was more athletic and seemed to take a stroll in the park. That gave me enough time to focus on my stepping and breathing. The subject of the conversation naturally settled on her experience in Japan and her favourite dramas, so she was free to use every vocabulary she knew to express herself.

After crossing a village in the valley, we managed to get a view of the land blow us, and of Geneva.

Then we found the guys behind us again during a break, because apprently they had to stop because of the rain as they didn't bring raincoats....eish, amateurs!

I dragged myself through the trail, but because we were talking about things we liked, and D. kept on stopping to eat wild raspberries, time flew by an the soreness of my legs disappeared by magic.  I also started to eat the berries, and even had a wild tiny but fragrant strawberry. Nothing better than food to make you forget about pain.

 Eventually, after about 4h climb, we got to the top station of the funicular, and admired the view over Geneva. The weather was not sunny and clear so we could not see the Jura across the plain, but we could see the whole Geneva, with the stadium, the lake, the jet d'eau. We decided to have lunch next to the small boot bu it started to rain, so we took shelter under the jungle gym, that felt like a tree house.

We shared her onigiri (rice balls) and my sandwiches, as well as my green tea and her apples. We then found out we were not on the top of the mountain! So we had to climb another 30min to get to the top. What appeared at our destination was totally unexpected, as it was a Buddhist temple.

 

We enjoyed the view once again and decided to explore the surrounding area. We finally got to a known landmark, one that we can recognize from Geneva, the telecom tower:

It was very windy and we could not really rest again as the day was advancing fast (it was 15:30) and we still had to face the descent. So we took a last picture and started to walk while chatting about our favourite asian actors. Well, this got our blood pumping and soon we were expressing our fangirls' love in the middle of the forest to Lee Min Ho, Won Bin, Abe Hiroshi, Oguri Shun, etc...

Although the descent was quite slippery due to the mud, dust and gravel, we managed to be at the bottom of the funicular in about 2-3 hours. We changed into dry, less smelly clothes, finished the leftover food, and hopped on the bus. I took off my climbing shoes to experience foot orgasm in flip flops. Unfortunately, my muscles strted to cool down as well, and soreness took over my legs and lower back. The walk from the bus stop to the house was like the walk of shame, dragging my bag and shoes...but it was a good day.

My French for your Japanese...

I often wondered how I could meet someone that had the same guilty pleasures as myself. I mean the kind of hobby or pleasure that one would draw some weird stares or some "heeeehhhh" from uninitiated audience. Sure, there are more people that know and like manga, and even anime, even if they don't watch it in Japanese. So this day marked my first encounter with another fangirl.

It started out as a simple language exchange after work. We were wondering online on how to proceed, whether there were specific themes we should discuss, such as movies, books, life in Genf, or her experience in South Korea since I was planning a trip there. But eventually we decided to go with the flow. I waited for D. in the sun then took a petit beurre flavoured gelato to cool me down. We started introducing ourselves in French and continued about how we ended up in Genf while looking for a cafe to sit down and chat more comfortably.

We settled in Eaux-Vives, not far from the old town hall, and ordered green tea and Diabolo Menthe. She somehow introduced the subject of Japanese Dramas and Korean dramas, and we soon started to fervently discuss titles, characters, actors, actresses. In French, I was talking passionately, trying to use simple words. After about 30-40min in French, we switched to Japanese, and she was most at ease, as Japanese is her Major (duh!). So it was time for me to find my words, trying to fight the frustration of having too much to say and nothing to express it.

The fact that I could discuss about the series I watched was amazing, since they are all online and in language noone around me understands (Japanese, Korean). There is of course many forums online but it is more entertaining to read the entries than actually participate. Meeting someone in the physical realm was an unexpected event, and it was exhilarating. Speaking was no longer an option, it was a necessity.

Not only did we have the same interest in stereotypical housewive hobby, but we also had the same sources: dramacrazy and dramabeans. Sharing the same hobby kind of made me want to share it even more, since in a sense it became less taboo, less bizarre, knowing there are other real people enjoying the same interest....

And so I happily share my favourite and last watched series:

Latest kdramas:
-God's quiz (season 1 to 3)
-The moon that embraces the sun

Latest jdrama:
-Rich man poor woman
-Tokkan
-Hungry
-Legal High

Favourite jdrama:
-Anego
-Nodame Cantabile
-Liar game

 Favourite kdrama:
-Iris
-Personal Taste

Enjoy watching if you get tempted...

Summer at the beach...

We worked together in London, and we babbled in Japanese to practice the little words we knew then. Since then, she lived 4 years in Sydney, Australia, travelled South Asia, and got back to Germany this year. I was so happy to get in touch with her again, and it's one of those surprises in life.

She left me her sewing set, her straw and flower hats, her Christmas decorations when she left London, and it is with anxious curiosity that I wonder if I should give them back to her, in their very used state.

She endured much personal drama away from her family and I was trying my best to be cheerful and playful while we hung out on a beautiful sunny and windy Sunday. We hopped in her friend's car and drove to Excevenex, on the lake after my future apartment, and admired the kite surfers and windsurfers while catching up.

There was enough sun and wind to make us feel like we were at the ocean, as the waves kept crashing again the sand and grass. The Dutch ladies (Famke and Al) were tanning, while Wu and I  were napping and gossiping about old colleagues. It was an atmosphere of vacation, 30min drive from home, and Wu said she almost felt like she was back in Oz. I was enchanted to discover the beach so near to my soon to be built apartment, and for the first time, actually wished to be forwarded 2 years later...

As the evening approached, people started to leave, stomachs started to growl. Being a Sunday there was no nearby grocery store to grab a picnic, and all the farmer's markets already packed and closed. After a last look at the die hards on the water, and the Dent D'oche in the background which gave me some trouble, we decided to look for food as well.

So we roamed along the beach to check the menu of the different beach-side restaurants, and settled on a place that had a cover band, and an appealing roasted ham.

We waited more than an hours with a drink, because the ham wasn't cooked yet. When our plates came with a serving of ham and gratin dauphinois, we stopped singing along with the band and became so engrossed with the food that we didn't speak until everything was finished. The fact that it was much cheaper than anything we could have fond in Switzerland was also adding taste to the food! I was game for another serving of ham but decided to keep some space for dessert. However, Famke right away asked if it was possible to get seconds...! I was speechless again and happy she took the initiative, and so we ate another serving of honey roasted ham...Yiipeee!

We still got crepe and waffle for dessert, just to follow through the feeling of vacation and doing whatever we wanted to do. The buzz would lift us through our way back to Geneva, where the proximity and the reality of Monday morning was starting to sink in...

 Wu got reacquainted with her stuff she left me, and I bet it felt like when I came back to Raleigh and noticed the things I used to have...a memory of past lives...

Summer in Geneva