Greetings from Switzerland

Yesterday evening I boarded a Swiss Airlines jet in Chicago for an overnight flight to Zurich, Switzerland.

To my disappointment, the seating configuration in economy really didn't provide any more legroom than what you would find on American carriers.  Fortunately, I had an aisle seat so it did not feel quite so crowded.  As usual, I was not able to fall asleep on the plane,  (I have been awake for 29 hours straight as I right this.)  Wine is offered for free with supper.  I had a glass of wine, thinking that it might help me to sleep... but, no such luck.

In spite of this, it was not an unpleasant flight.  The flight attendants were exceptionally nice, and humored me with my attempts to speak a bit of German.  Also, I had a very nice conversation with the fellow sitting next to me.  He was a young fellow from Poland who now lives in Chicago.  He was going to continue on from Zurich to Warsaw, and was going to spend three weeks visiting friends and family. (I gave him my blog address, so if you are reading this, I hope that you are having a good time in Poland.)

The flight arrived early, shortly after 10:00 A.M. ... which would be 4:00 A.M. Cleveland time.
To the south we could see the peaks of the Alps.

 My cousin Brigitta and her partner Peter were at the airport to meet me, and to take me to their lovely home.  It is located in a very tranquil setting on the edge of the town of Uster, to the east of Zurich. 

In one direction there is a view of the rolling hills around Uster.

In the other direction you can make out the Alps on the horizon.

   
Cows graze in the pastures adjacent to their property.

After lunch Brigitta gave me a tour of her garden.  It is quite large with paths rambling up and down the hillside,  Much of it is naturalized and planted with wild flowers. 

There are numerous ponds and fountains throughout the garden.

In this idyllic setting, it is easy to understand why Brigitta goes out into her garden on a regular basis to meditate.