Harmonious Transmissions From A Small Blue Planet Inspirations, reflections, creations, and spontaneous ramblings as my soul permeates all time and space.

Smart cars, cutting edge solar and earth core heating systems, USB swiss army knives, and talking car GPS....these are a few of my favortie Swiss things. Our latest travels have found us in the lush, green hills of Laupen, Switzerland...near Zurich...but also straight out of the Sound of Music. It seems we've hit the travellers fortune jackpot once again in the early stages of our adventure, as we get the honor of staying with the Koenig family...Jake's friend Reto and his family. Windy roads take us through house and farm studded green hills...the air is fresh, the sun is shining, and the hikers and bikers are in full effect here. Yesterday we took a drive up a mountain, and even higher walk up a communication tower to get a real appreciation of the surrounding landscape...snow capped peaks of the Alps to the south and west, and green plains painting the rest. And the food...wow the food...baked potato cakes with chicken stroganoff, egg noodles topped with salmon and peas in a creme sauce, and coffee and apricot pie for desert...oh yeah, and the chocolate is bought by the kilo here. Last night we were treated to some Swiss nightlife with the beautiful people at a house music disco. We embarrassed our host with our American dance moves (had to show them what the sprinkler was all about) until 4 am. Today was a breathtaking day trip to Mt. Saentis, where one can view Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and the mighty Lichtenstein all from the same vista. It was ironic to get more sunshine atop this Swiss mountain, than most of Spain combined...I was in paradise. The breeze gave the birds enough turbulence to just glide in the same position over the majestic Alps. The people here all seem intelligent and friendly. You won't find any Hummers here...everyone zips around in Smart cars, VW Golfs, and Mini Coopers. It's common to also see solar water heaters atop the roofs of the village houses. Jake seems content in soaking up all the "green ideas" for his own building projects when he returns. And I am content to just sit, breathe, and feel the Swiss sun as I revel in the landscape here. Prost! Justin