Didn’t mean to just disappear like this after coming home from FedCon (which was loads of fun, btw). But just two days after I got back, a dear friend from America arrived and things have been crazy ever since, although in a very good way.

It’s awesome being able to put faces to a person you’ve known online for so long, and we’re having a wonderful time together! I’m trying to show her as much of Switzerland as I can without bancrupting either one of us… Luckily my neighbours are on vacation and have lent us their car this week, so we have the chance to save the train fare at least a couple of times. Very exciting for me, seeing that I haven’t driven at all since Scotland last summer!

Also, yesterday we took the train to Bern (because it was raining strongly in the morning, so our planned trip to see the Alps had to be postponed) and I showed Bronwyn the Swiss capital. It’s really pretty – the old town is very picturesque and rightfully a Unesco World Heritage Site. We also took a (free!) tour of the parliament building, something I hadn’t done before. That was a lot of fun – especially since the guide (probably thinking that it was all tourists who didn’t know anything anyway) used a… more legendary approach to Swiss history.

I’ve got to say, I almost laughed out loud several times – and when he tried to sell William Tell as a historical figure to the group, I had to step in. You should have seen the look the guide gave me when I said (quite politely) that he might want to mention the fact that the popular folk legend of our national hero was written by the German poet Friedrich Schiller… So if they start forbidding Swiss people access to the English tours, you know why! *g*

When we got home (earlier than we’d thought, because we hadn’t gotten tickets for my friend Cindy’s play of ‘The Duchess of Malfi’, which was a pity), I asked my parents about the German tour they’d done last year. Apparently they hold it more with the truth there, which I find reassuring. 🙂

In other news: I’m afraid I missed a birthday! Dear Patty – I hope you had a lovely day and will forgive me the (very, very) late birthday wishes… *hugs*