You may or may not know that I was recently in Switerland - teaching in a craft store in Winterthur (near Zurich) Atelier Rageboge (Rainbow).

Now, I have never been skiing or snowboarding and I think I'm maybe a little too old (and unfit) to start now.  So Jacqueline suggested we Sledge down the mountain.  Acutally she said sled but I looked it up and there is no difference between a sled and sledge so I am going with sledge.

But first we had to get up the mountain and the only way up is in a ski-lift.

So my first 1st of the day was travelling in a ski-lift.

It scooped us up and off we went, above are the photos to prove it.

Jacqueline made sure I put on sunscreen before we went outside (factor 30).  And I am so glad she did because when we got to the top of the ski-lift we sat in the sunshine for a while and I took off my coat sitting there in a t-shirt in the snow.  We felt so close to the sun.

You can see from this photo that we weren't quite at the top of the mountain.  There is another ski-lift that takes you up to the summit so you can ski down what looks like a vertical drop - no thank you!

After chatting to a snowboard instructor (apparently he offered us jobs as barmaids, we must have been laughing too much!) Jacqueline said let me take a photo of you with all the snow.

Step backwards she said - so I did.  This is was taken after I stepped forward out of the snow that went up to my knees.  Not a good idea.

See the red face - getting so close to the sun does that too me, it is what I like to call my healthy glow (often known as sunburn).

My second 1st of the day was sledging down a mountain.  We followed the path of the roads (which are closed to cars in ski season) down the mountain and WOW you can really pick up some speed.

You use your feet to steer and brake - not scary at all!!!!

Sometimes those roads have tight winding bends.

 This photo is of Jacqueline on the last leg of the journey back down to the apartment.

See that wooden hut in the distance?  Right by there was some deep snow.

Did you know that a sledge stops dead in deep snow?

This would have been a perfect 'You've Been Framed' moment

I sledged down and hit that patch of deep snow,

my sledge stopped, but I did not.

 

I did not land on my face as most people assume I would,

no I landed on my bottom, so I continued as I would have on the sledge just without the sledge.

I landed in the soft snow and howled with laughter,

if only someone could have caught that on camera.

This is the panoramic view from the patio.

Where we sat drinking bubbly with blankets on our legs enjoying the sunshine.

The clouds are fascinating up here and so dramatic.

All this in one day.

 

The following day on the way back to Winterthur we stopped in a chocolate factory - yum yum.