14.09.09

I swear, whoever controls the weather up there must have a copy of my weekly schedule because since I started working three weeks ago, it has been cloudy or rainy or just plain dreary every day I’ve had off. Boo. But all that changed today. Hooray for sunshine! I could feel the happy rays penetrating the depths of my soul! Okay, yes, I’m exaggerating, but to put it simply, the warmth felt pretty damn good on my walk this early morning. I leisurely strolled to the cafe du jour--my newest find, a tiny little piece of Swiss heaven with an intoxicating smell of extra buttery croissants, Nespresso coffee, and an indoor balcony that overlooks the lakes and mountains in Vieille Ville--and bummer, it’s closed on Monday. So in celebration of the crispy blue sky (and me being too stubborn not to enjoy the my favorite time of day), I walked to the church that props itself up on the edge of Vieille Ville where some of Montreux’s best benches sit peacefully, patiently waiting for the next quiet visitor to plop down with a book or a quiet moment. Between the shady patches from the tree that dangles high above, I sat looking out at the city, the mountains looking identical to those artfully displayed on an Evian bottle: statuesque, grand, and dominating but without a feeling of imposition you might expect. Clean. Everything just feels so clean and pure up here--and no, the church twenty-five feet away has nothing to do with this, though it definitely ups the symbolism factor of the setting itself. The church bells ring start ringing. Nine o’clock. Ah. It may not be the same as sitting on the seawall looking out at the Pacific, but I have to admit, the view from here still makes my whole body smile with contentment, happiness even. What a fine way to start the day.

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Vevey

Population: 17,287 (thank you Wiki)

Bus ride from Montreux: 15 minutes (and free thanks to Natalie’s connections at the reception).

Attractions: Commercial shopping centre, Vieille Ville, Nestle headquarters, and some other random stuff I have yet to discover.

Yesterday when Natalie and I went out to dinner at her favorite Chinese place--we both needed a break from the mush that is cafeteria food--I asked her about Vevey. What’s worth seeing? Are there any great bookstores? How about a real market? Instead of making me a to-do list that would have likely become a sort of scavenger hunt on my end (not that I don’t love the sporadic Coachella scavenger hunt myself... Team 2 rocks!), she suggested, “Why don’t we just go together? I can show you around and take to you some of my favorite stores...” Ummm... Yes please!

So at eleven o’clock this morning, Natalie and I hopped onto the bus to Vevey, chatting and people watching and enjoying all that public transportation has to offer. Once in Vevey, we started in the Commercial Centre (your typical mall, Swiss-sized of course, with plenty of stores I had no interest in, especially since my paycheck is seriously dwindling if not obsolete), and ended up in Manor Food. Compared to Migros and Coop Pronto in Montreux, which are both sad excuses for markets, Manor Food is like the Swiss version of Whole Foods but without the ridiculous prices. I could barely keep my hands to myself. The produce actually looked crisp, fresh, and colorful (gasp!). There was sushi, a salad (and fresh fruit) bar, Chinese food take-away, soy milk, some of the best made sandwiches you’ve ever seen, and of course, a patisserie that made me want to throw my already full basket aside and oooo, just go crazy taste testing every little fruit tart, morsel of sweet carbohydrate heaven, and chocolate anything I could see. Oh my god the chocolate. But don’t worry, I held back. I only bought one thing: a chocolate eclair that is about the size of my thumb. So freakin cute I couldn’t walk away without it. (It’s still sitting on my mini-fridge because I find it too adorable to eat. Give me five more minutes, the novelty will definitely wear off.)

With my bag full of goodies (yes, we eventually left Manor Food even though I momentarily thought about how cool it would be to accidentally get locked inside after closing... hey I can dream!), we walked around the labyrinth of Vieille Ville, admiring the variety of boutiques, restaurants, papeteries, cafes, and adorable knick-knack stores that inevitably make me dream about the future quirky, miss-matched apartment that I’ll call home. And obviously because no perfect afternoon is complete without a cup of coffee, Natalie and I stopped at a corner cafe she knew about with funky music, chairs that had “nap here” written all over them (yes, it crossed my mind), and cups fit for a tea party, or in this case, a coffee break.

Compared to my hiking adventure yesterday, a day spent exploring the city was just what my body and mind needed. Good food, good company, and plenty of crispy fall sunshine. Tomorrow, it’s back to work, but the two days off did me well, did me fantastic even.

And Vevey... I’ll be back. Perhaps armed with my next paycheck.

Vieille Ville

Natalie

And finally a picture of me. Now you know that I haven't totally staged everything ;).