Gempen, Switzerland

It’s my favourite place.. the place that gets me completely.

Expanses of green, open in all directions…

..but also hidden-away corners and pathways, leading to green ponds and old castles…

Rolling meadows, sometimes with an endless open road ahead, sometime the grass rising up to meet the horizon..

Then there are fish, who know me from 4 years back.. and horses, cows, donkeys, ducks, homes, and earth and sky and me..all smiling at each other.

It shows me a different side of itself every time I go to it..

The romantic side, like the first time we went there together and it rained, leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing but an almost-broken umbrella and each other..

The accommodating side, like the alternate route it allowed parents to ride through a bus, so they didn’t have to climb up for hours…

Also, the whimsical side that didn’t allow friends’ stroller to go uphill beyond a point…

The honest side… I like telling the story of the strawberries on sale. On an earlier trip, we saw a crate full of boxes of strawberries by the road side. There was another smaller box next to it, and a handwritten note mentioning the price of each box of strawberries – no shopkeeper, no over-seer. Guess what- the cash box actually had fair amount of cash in it! Left behind by honest ‘shoppers’. This was an introduction to the culture of the place.

The quiet side, like sitting at the top of the hill finally, and breathing in the view… What’s that?.. The cow-bell jingling in the valley below!

The musical side.. at the top of the hill, soaking in the colours, with soft music of long-forgotten songs..

The generous side, like the time they were handing out free beer at the mountain top (Dad was delighted)!

The young and free side, like this Sunday with friends when we trespassed onto the flower bed (honest mistake!) and reclined on the main road..

It always completely gets me..

Ever-changing, and yet the same… it always feels like a soft glow, and a mild breeze travelling from a moment long, long ago when Someone first created all Creation.. to be complete, to be perfect.