Grindelwald, Switzerland: In Photos
Baby Boy
Right now the side of his face rests against my belly, skin to skin, his warmth magnified by mine. It is a wonder, an absolute awe-filled thing, that just days ago he was on the other side of me, tucked away and unseeable, a secret. Elliot. Elliot with the head full of hair. Elliot with the fifty-eight eyelashes. Elliot with the rounded nose that dips into rounded cheeks that slope to the tiny chin that quivers when he cries, lifts when he smiles in his sleep. A landscape. Elliot. Tiny boy so like and unlike all the other boys who have been born before. So like and unlike whatever small person I imagined my own son to be. Perfection is a rare if not impossible thing, but how could he not be, right now, so young, so soft, exactly as he is here, breathing in and out, making the sounds that all mothers and fathers know as first-speak. Secrets. He is revealing them to me, unspooling them by the minute, by the number of his sighs, and they tangle around my legs and body until I am war
Beautiful photos! Mountains and wild flowers are two of my favourite things!
ReplyDeleteMine, too. Maybe it's because they look so good together? :)
DeleteNow that is living in the mountains! I love alpine flowers, and am so glad you included them. Your photos are breathtaking, Emily. BTW, did you notice a difference in breathing up there?
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy -- Yes, I did notice a difference! The air was incredibly pure. I'm not saying I didn't have to stop occasionally during these hikes and get my breath BACK (pretty arduous climbs, actually, plus the altitude), but...the air tasted different, if that makes sense. I had a student with asthma who commented on how he'd never been able to breathe easier in his life. Loved that.
DeleteThe best photos that you have posted yet, you have really, really caught your stride with these! I love the close ups with the blurry mountains in the background. Outstanding.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill. These are probably my favorite of the entire trip. Hard to beat, that's for sure.
DeleteYou must be weary of worn words like "breath-taking" but these really are. I can almost taste that crisp air in your photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nikki. I know exactly what you mean. :)
DeleteThat valley...something more imaginative that a children's fairy story. Your photos take me places I don't want to leave!
ReplyDeleteThat's the great thing about photographs, isn't it? You don't have to!
DeleteNice pictures from Switzerland - wild and dramatic!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gunnar!
DeleteMy compliments for these lovely pictures..... you have made really good pictures
ReplyDeleteit's a beautiful country.
Summer greetings from Jolland, Joop
Thank you, Joop. My feeling is that it would be pretty difficult to NOT take lovely pictures in Switzerland. Just about everywhere you go = a postcard.
DeleteEmily, your photographs are truly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSuch a breathtaking view in each one.
Magnificent work!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Lisa. I appreciate having you here.
DeleteI love the way you move between the vast mountain view and the up-close of the flowers. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was constantly shifting my focus on the hikes in that same way. So much beautiful up, so much beautiful down!
DeleteEmily:
ReplyDeletePhotos one and four entice me to walk, run, or mountain bike those valley roads; so inviting. Thank you for sharing what captured your eye.
Richard
Do it! With your love of the southwest, I know you'd appreciate the elevation, views, and vibe of these mountains. :)
DeleteFunny, but when I reached the first photo with snow, I'm sure, I felt a cool breeze brush my face and the air turned crisp with ice crystals, just for a second. I'm just sure of it. Thanks for sharing this beauty.
ReplyDeleteWell, if the temperature by you is currently anything like it is in Minnesota, I'm assuming that was a welcome sensation. :) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI am a prairie girl, a flat lander, one unaccustomed to heights, one who has never seen the mountains, one who prefers open space to feeling hemmed in. But your gorgeous photos entice me, show me a beauty that is serene and overpowering and glorious.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about prairies, Audrey. They have a beauty all their own. But there is something about being IN THE SKY. Overpowering is the right word, I think.
DeleteBeautiful photos of a beautiful place. I'm not sure if I mentioned here that my favorite childhood book was "Heidi". I always had an image of my mind of what the meadows and mountains looked like. This is it.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the houses here look a little more substantial than Heidi's grandfather's hut. Perhaps they went up into the mountains only to pasture the animals in summer. I need to re-read the book!
This made me laugh, Linda! I actually have another photo--that will not be shared here!--of me impersonating our dear Miss Heidi as some pleasant Swiss cows enjoyed their hillside meal. Grandfather's hut was still there, I assure you, just farther up the mountain. Lots of cute little buildings that seemed hundreds of years old.
DeleteStunning images, Emily! No, I've not been to Switzerland but these photos certainly set me dreaming. Incredible beauty! Thank you so much for stopping by Paris By Two.
ReplyDeleteGeorgianna
Thanks, Georgianna. That "set to dreaming" bit is one of my favorite parts of finding good blogs. So much world out there that so many people are willing to share.
DeleteEmily, these are scenes are amazing - so idyllic!
ReplyDeletexo
cortnie
Glad you liked them, Courtnie!
DeleteSwiss landscapes have always been a challenge for photographers. Very good angles and lighting!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. It's impossible to capture the entire scope of such a landscape, but I did enjoy trying!
Deletedaaang! i want to go to there! beautiful shots.
ReplyDeleteI want to go BACK there. Thanks, Liz!
DeleteBeautiful photographs from a beautiful country. Thank you, and also Thank you for visiting my blog. I am glad to meet you. With my love, nia
ReplyDeleteLove connecting with new people. Thanks for stopping over, Nia. :)
DeleteA delightful series of photographs highlighting alpine beauty. Brought back many happy memories of our visits there.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that. I can't imagine memories in Switzerland being anything but happy, unless of course you got stuck in a blizzard or some such thing! I do wonder how very different this area is in the winter...
DeleteSoooo beautiful, majestic, and amazing. I am blown away. Love these.
ReplyDeleteI just clicked. The great big world did the rest. :) Happy you liked them, Angelia.
DeleteWow - the beauty is so pristine! Fabulous set of shots.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good word for it. Don't think I mentioned it in this post, but as soon as we got up past the timber line, we could drink the water right out of the streams. Delish!
DeleteStunning photos! I really want to go!
ReplyDeleteYou should! Seems like a "bucket list" kind of place.
DeleteWhat a beautiful place. I envy you. I would like to visit there someday.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful I was able to have this experience. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been, easy.
DeleteWonderful photography, I really love the harebell!
ReplyDeleteLucidgypsy, I am in your debt. I tried learning the names of the wildflowers I came across, but every guide book I found was written in German. Now I know what the purple flower is called! Thanks!
DeleteLooks beautiful and I really like your blog, glad I stumbled over you. I´m your newest follower! :-)
ReplyDeleteYay! Glad you found LoCW, Tinajo. Happy to have you here. :)
DeleteBeautiful places, views like from the fairy tale. I am greeting
ReplyDeleteIt felt like that to me, too. Thanks for commenting, Zielona!
Deletewhat glorious views. I can hear "Edelweiss" in the background. ;<)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blog you have.
A song or two from "The Sound Of Music" may have been an integral part of my hikes... :)
DeleteI often feel nostalgic for Switzerland and its mountain splendor with the seemingly countless wanderwegs that one can travel upon from village to village. My mother grew up am Zurichsee and so I too have visited there often as a child... but have not been to europe for over twenty years. Your beautiful photos brings back some fond memories to me.
ReplyDeleteSo glad these could bring you back to happy memories, Bernie. Isn't that one of the most powerful aspects of photographs? Sometimes I think about how many "images" I have stored up in my brain, and how many scents and sounds and sensory details are attached to each one. I hope I'll forever be able to remember how this specific part of Switzerland seemed to me; bare-bones perfect.
DeleteAlso, I love that term "wanderwegs." I hadn't heard of it before. :)
You have captured the scale so well...I'm looking at the photo of the houses scattered on the valley floor and wondering...do none of them have gardens?
ReplyDeleteGreat question! Many of the small buildings we passed on the mountains were simply barn-like structures for their farm equipment and animal feed, so maybe all the gardens are back down by their actual homes in the village. Picturesque, though, right? Out of a story book.
Deleteeven more stunning! this really made me go to switzerland. I've been thinking about it for a while!
ReplyDeleteStunning is the perfect word. I just let my mouth hang open most of the time. :)
DeleteEmily, beautiful pics! You were an incredible travel partner on this trip! And any one of these pictures brings me back to that calm, breath-taking, happy place!
ReplyDelete:) Lynn
Thanks for introducing me to this spectacular place, Lynn!
DeleteI was in Switzerland around 2002 and remember both the Lauterbrunnen valley and Grindelwald. Both were among the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It was in July and August. It was so cold I had to wear a coat. Every beautiful place has it's flaws, for if you visit Florida in July and August it is a lot like a sauna with mosquitos. 😊
ReplyDelete