Day 3 September 12, 2011

A rather mellow day in the high alps for me.  I cleaned, washed clothes, ran errands and prepared meals...just like my Swiss brethren here in Zermatt.

 I met up with a few of the gals at the local grocery store and we gossiped about this and that.  I could not believe what I heard about Marguarite and the fact that she gotten a tattoo in Zurich.  In Zurich of all places!  What's it of...a bank?  (Swiss humor)  But it was that winch Helga doing most of the talking even though she has two tattoos...one of which is of the Swiss flag and located on the part of her body that rhymes with chicken breast.  We all know...she showed it to us in the near the dairy section.

The gals have invited me for coffee and pastries tomorrow.  I suggested Fuch's....as you can see Emme, my real gal pal and I enjoyed a brief hiatus there this morning.  Fuch's is a wonderful pastry shop...so good that they have two locations in town.  But come with cash.  If you don't spend over 20.00, you can't use your credit card.  A napkin costs

5.75.  Believe me it doesn't take long to reach the 20.00 minimum.  The blabby lady Getrude spends 20.00 by herself. Maybe she should pay for all of us.  Honestly, do you need a bottle of wine that early in the morning?  If the weather is nice...as it was today...we can stare at the paragliders as they swoop in from the cliffs above.  I think one of the men has a thing for me...he was staring at me and doing some technical maneuver which I am fairly certain is illegal in most counties of the deep south.  I was horrified...but also slightly excited.  I had to wipe the sweat from my upper lip...I hope the other ladies did not notice.

After our coffee and pastries break, Emme and I decided to explore town a bit more.  I was worried the paraglider was going to come looking for me.  We ducked into some back alleys...behind some old buildings.

The building you see in front...with the pretty red flowers is actually from the 15th century.  The house...including the bed and kitchen were on top.  The bottom structure is where the pigs were kept.  Can anyone guess why?  A swiss chocolate bar for the winner.

Our escape route from the hormonally challenged paraglider...back to safety and a great view of the Matterhorn.

This one of the main streets in Zermatt...everything seems to point in the direction of that magical mountain.  Today was the official first day of classes for all students.  I think DJ is loving every minute of the program but also understands that there are hours of homework awaiting him every night.  He is motivated to get it done.  The group of students surrounding him...will challenge and motivate him enough.  I did manage to round up a bike today.  Nothing fancy and nothing like what I own at home but it will take me around the valley just fine.  I may even use it to ride over and see the girls for coffee tomorrow...including that winch Helga!