À bientôt

Whew. I have no clue where to begin. The last few weeks have been an absolute dream come true. My only complaint is that it all had to come to an end. Thankfully, I was too tired at 4am this morning to really get upset about saying goodbye to Shan and Car, because I can tell you, with an adequate amount of coffee and energy in my system, I would have been a mess. And not a hot one.

We had a brilliant time together. Skiing in the Swiss Alps, meeting other fun travelers, taking a train across the entire country where we saw nothing but snow, snow, and more snow. Roadtrippring from the German speaking part of Switzerland, to the land of Swiss Italians (and the best pizza you've ever had in your LIFE). And finally back again to chez moi just in time to head to Heidelberg for a short weekend filled with more snow, Gossip Girl, and dangerously uncoordinated German guys who think fist pumping in a club is the new hip shake.

Looking back on the last three weeks, I know that we made the most of every moment together, even if that meant choosing to stay in, drink wine, and lounge around on the mattresses taking over my floor space. And the only tough part about being reunited was knowing that we would have to separate again, and for who knows how long.

As much as I like to hope that I get better at saying goodbye to the people I love, I'd be lying to myself if I thought that were true. That heavy feeling still finds a way to settle deep in my chest, and I have no idea how long it plans on staying there. And as I scroll through all our photos for the third time today, I can't help but find comfort in the smiles staring back at me. I am so damn lucky. And in an infinite number of ways. But the most important? I am lucky to have those people in my life that make it what it is. That make me who I am and help remind me of that person when I occasionally get off track. I am thankful for the goodbyes because that only means that the next God-I-missed-you-so-much hug is just around the corner. The in between moments may royally suck at times, yes, but they're there for a reason, or at least I choose to believe so.

Besides, as one very wise friend once wrote to me in a card,

"Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they are always there." -UNKNOWN

Love you guys. And miss you more than words could say.

Bonne Année!

New Year's in Verbier. One word: EPIC. The spectacular mountains covered in sparkling white snow--trust me, it really does sparkle. . . Four of the most incredible women I know. . . Cheese, chocolate, and lots of wine. And champagne. And Englishmen, but that's another story.

So here's to a new year filled with happiness, love, new challenges, old (and new) friends, and taking every moment for what it is because that's what it's all about, right? Living life with everything you've got. I can cheers to that!

Santé!

The crew in the midst of a totally sober laughing attack.

Downtown Verbier at midnight. More details (and photos) to come! Tomorrow we're off to Zermatt and after, we'll be taking one of the most beautiful train rides in Europe. 2010. . . I think I'm in love with you already.

Watch out Switzerland. . . The three-some is here and ready for action!

This photo is the essence of my next two and a half weeks, and I seriously cannot wipe the smile off my face. Sitting in my tiny room with two of the most wonderful people I know drinking wine and laughing. . . Life is good. Really good.

And tomorrow Natalie will be here to pick us up and whisk us away to Verbier for Shan's birthday, a fantastic (and freezing) New Year's celebration, and skiing in the Swiss Alps--essentially a couple days spent partying in one of the greatest and most exclusive ski resorts in the Alps. Yeah, we're that cool. Oh, and tomorrow evening, a serious feast at Andy, Anne, and Yann's Chalet (also in Verbier) with wine, wine, some food, a crackling fire and more wine.

So here's to the next few days in paradise--and I mean that in every sense of the word. And since I will be no where near my computer for the next few days, I want to wish you all a fantastic New Year's celebration, wherever the holiday takes you! Here's to the end of a fabulous year and the beginning of one that can only be better. See you in 2010!

Bonnes fêtes tout le monde!

And finally, in the spirit of Christmas, I will take you on a grand tour of the Montreux Christmas Market. Of everything in this little city, this market is by far the most magical. Each little wooden chalet glows against the black lake, and the sound of Christmas carols (in English and French) and live street music light up the already sparkling night. I would go into painstaking detail about every vendor, but I'd like to save some for the imagination. After all, that's what Christmas is all about, right? The beauty of the imagination and believing--two things that there can never be enough of in my humble opinion. And the Christmas Market? Well, I found it to be the embodiment of Christmas spirit for more reasons than I could list. Who knows. . . Maybe one day I'll come back here with a family of my own. With everything I love so much about Christmas in one place, how could I resist?

This photo was actually taken at the Christmas Market in Morges, but I thought it was just too appropriate not to include.

The grand eating pavilion surrounded by stands with foie gras, dried meats, fondue, pizzas, pretzels, crêpes, waffles, churros, cookies, chocolates, and of course, vin chaud.

The tea corner. But this tea is special. Really special. Black tea with rum. . . and lots of rum. Sounds kind of strange if you haven't tried it, but I can tell you that after a couple of these, you'll be plenty warm. Oh yeah, and by the way, that is a legit log house. I'm pretty sure that a family of four could have lived very comfortably there.

If I had no self control before, well, it went out the window here.

Nougat and fudge and chocolate oh my!

My favorite vin chaud stand. Mostly because the men working it were adorable and so so friendly. And I would be that happy too if was working there with huge cauldrons of bubbling wines at my disposal.

The same stand, with the same adorable (now shirtless) men roasting chestnuts for an eager crowd. Drooooool.

One of three full scale houses built for the market. Just the market. God I love this city.

The ferris wheel (duh) and the Canadian village to the right. And yes, that is a tepee with a real crackling fire inside.

Full scale house #2.

The center pavilion with more stands selling crafts and gifts, fine Christmas delicacies and more delicious food than you could ever imagine.

So what do you think? Christmas in Montreux, 2010?

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

And because I'm such a sucker for this song (I've listened to it like four times today), here are the lyrics, though you all probably know them anyway. Just imagine that I'm singing to you, cracking voice and all. La de de daaaa!

* * *

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light,

From now on,

Our troubles will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,

From now on,

Our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are dear to us,

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years,

We all will be together,

If the Fates allow.

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

It's a wonderful life

It's Christmas Eve and I just finished watching It's A Wonderful Life for the first time. And I have to say, it really was wonderful and exactly what I needed. Being my first Christmas alone, today has been a little strange. While at work this morning, I let my mind wander to Christmases past. Remembering my family gathered around the big dining room table for a bouillabaisse feast. . . Jumping up and checking the front door for Santa every ten minutes. . . And finally that magical sound of the doorbell actually ringing, which meant that Santa had indeed been there, leaving behind a great big bag of Christmas treats for the whole family, which we would then proceed to tear apart in the following hour. (We did things a little different in my house.)

And with the arrival of some hotel clients for breakfast, I snap back to reality. Montreux. Christmas Eve. My first Christmas away from home. Though I don't want to say that I'm completely alone because I am lucky enough to have the means to call my family and be with them temporarily, even if means being connected by our voices. Don't get me wrong. I've had my moments when the loneliness finds its way in. While walking the Christmas market yesterday evening, I felt that tinge of sadness watching all the bundled families walk by me, their hands joined and swinging with laughter. I smiled at their shared moments and continued walking, my hands shoved deep in my coat pockets to keep them warm.

I eventually bought myself a cup of vin chaud (I have to take advantage of this strictly seasonal offering, right?) and found a quiet bench next to the lake to sit and think. In the background, Frank Sinatra's voice warmed the chilly winter air as the thoughtfully placed speakers started playing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." I don't know if it's his voice, or the lyrics, or just the tune itself, but this song (and this version especially) has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs, despite the fact that it leaves me feeling heavy hearted. I get lost in the song, imagining a white, winter scene with twinkling Christmas lights. Silent snow falling in giant starry flakes like you always see in movies.

So I sat there silently looking out onto the dark water, lights glittering and reflecting off its surface, and I thought about all the wonderful Christmases I've had surrounded by family and friends and presents and sparkling ornaments. Yes, I would be lying to you if I said that I didn't miss it. Of course I do. And I wish I had a Christmas tree and a huge Christmas Eve feast at a large, loud and bustling table. But I'll take my quiet Christmas this year. I'll take it and revel in it and spend the time being thankful for all the wonderful gifts I've been given all year long. Soon enough I'll be with two of my best friends, laughing and crying (perhaps at the same time) and talking as if we haven't been apart for six months at all. And tomorrow? Oh don't worry, I have a mini feast planned, though it won't be served on fancy china like it normally is. But along with a good book, some delicious smelling candles, a few Christmas movies, and talking to family and friends. . . Well, I'd say that it's a wonderful life indeed.

Technical difficulties

My Internet connection suddenly stopped working yesterday morning. Soooo not cool. Especially considering that I have been depending on TVShack for nonstop movie entertainment (especially since I've been sick) and skype dates to keep me feeling close to you all this time of year. It's probably due to the lovely construction that also sporadically leaves my water brown or turned off completely. Let's just hope I can fix this little problem by Christmas.

But for now, my Christmas Wish List:

1. Internet (this wasn't on my original list, but suddenly got rocked to the top).

2. Friends and Family (I will settle for a few days after Christmas as well :).

3. A Christmas feast.

4. Snow.

5. "A Christmas Story" Marathon (hey, I can dream, right?).

6. A new supply of Yogi Tea.

7. My papers from Germany.

And since 7 is my lucky number, I'll stop there. Besides, I can't be too greedy. And just in case I cannot get this Internet problem figured out before Christmas . . . I wish you all a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends and food and love. I'll be thinking of you all!

Merry Christmas!

With love,

Mel

18.12.09

It snowed even more today. Fat, white flakes came tumbling down most of the morning, covering Montreux with a thin sheet of whiteness. Hello winter! And I wanted to go out running in it with my camera to capture the city in all it's wintery glory, but sadly, I woke up feeling absolutely awful this morning. Like could barely get out of bed and walk to the doctor kind of awful. But shockingly, I made it to the doctor's office just in time for her to assess my sickness and hand over a prescription sheet that was entirely covered. And now that I have a full on pharmacy in my room, I am feeling much better, though some homemade chicken soup and a cup of tea from my pink Beverly Hills Hotel mug would really do the trick.

If all goes well, however, I will be back on my feet and ready for action in two more days. Just in time to catch the snow with my camera--while it lasts that is. But for a quick preview, I will tell you this: it is cold and very white. Can't you just picture it?

New Developments IV

It snowed today!!! I was doing some grocery shopping in Vevey this morning and stopped at Starbucks for a much needed coffee and reading session. And when I walked out an hour later, tiny white flakes were falling down from the clouds, waving hello to the lunch time crowd gathered around the city center. Snuggling into my huge scarf, I walked around the city, enjoying every bit of the brief wintery teaser. The flakes were so small that they were more like ice, but it was still a lovely surprise. And who knows . . . Maybe I will have a white Christmas!

New love

That's right. I'm in love. With Greg Laswell and his raspy voice and dreamy lyrics. I first heard his song "The One I Love" in the car with Sam while driving along the rugged, raw California coast heading north. Our hands danced outside the windows as we let ourselves drift into other worlds of thought, trying to imagine what post-grad life would be like. I bought that song on iTunes the moment I got home and it's been racking up the play count since, always reminding me of that perfectly clear road trip day in a car that was so packed full of Sam's college life and our swirling memories that I'm still shocked that we made it to San Francisco in one piece.

And since then, I've been wanting to buy the CD, but being such a tightwad has left me listening to the 30 second teasers on iTunes. But I did it. I finally broke down and bought his album and what an excellent choice it was. I'm slightly obsessed and repeatedly get lost in the delicate guitar strings and depressingly romantic lyrics. Walking lakeside with my iPod, I imagine myself with toes in the wet sand, a morning walk on Mission Beach, coffee mug in hand, thinking and walking and occasionally stopping to stare out at the steady blue line where ocean and sky meet. The snowy mountains aren't such a bad tradeoff, but the nostalgia still creeps in and I find myself missing a lot of things. And although this may seem sad to some, I actually find myself happier after such moments because I have so many wonderful memories to look back on.

Okay, enough sentimental pondering for one post. If you haven't listened to him, I strongly recommend that you check out Greg Laswell, album titled "Three Flights from Alto Nido." Trust me, you won't be disappointed.