Fall Activities

Almost been 2 months since arriving, and fall is here. The wines are being pressed and local villages have better than usual festivities, celebrating their new status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Wine is cheap here, compared to CA (not counting Trader Joe's 2 Buck Chuck). We are growing to like it more, but I feel the way about the grape the way Europeans used to feel about American coffee: a diluted, weaker brew. Our coffeemaker in Japan actually had an "American" setting. So, coming from the California wines I've been used to, these vintages are lighter - a different kind of beverage altogether.
We finally got into mountain territory last weekend, exploring nearby Gruyeres (yummy cheese that comes in degrees of saltiness - splurge and use it on your pizza for a fantastic treat!), Chateau D'Oex, and Gstaad (winter hangout for older generation of celebs like Elizabeth Taylor). We stopped by this beautiful little churchyard and wandered through the cemetary and adjacent playground.
The reason for the trip was a church weekend. That's Michael hanging from a tree. It's a predominantly UK expat church, with maybe one other American family. Reminded us of gatherings in Japan and among Swiss, where, if I may stereotype and generalize, people seemed to have been better at group behavior, not excluding anyone? I don't know. My experience at parties (at our home or elsewhere) is that it can be awkward, as people find whom to "glom" onto, but rarely will the roomful of people fall easily into enjoyable group company, unless it's around a TV or surrounding a particularly entertaining, commanding individual. But the weekend was more like parties in Japan where people seem to have a common denominator, socially speaking, to fall back on, allowing them to enjoy being a group. Just my observation. I can also confirm that American colloquialisms, as I had heard, have indeed become much more common among UK English-speakers.
Outside the dining area. There was some televised rugby game people seemed attuned to that went right past me. I'm not a sports guy at all, but European rugby and soccer seem more fan crazy than American football, as national games go.

So far, hotel living has its advantages: the supply room. Shelves of paper towels, toilet paper, soaps, etc basically gives me a Costco-esque experience - minus the food sampling. And then there's breakfast. We usually eat upstairs by ourselves, getting Michael ready for school, but I'll make a bread run, nabbing freshly baked bread delivered by a bakery. The restaurant for dinners, Tues-Thurs, is about a 20 min walk through the old town. Classes are going well for now. Michael is picking up more French words everyday it seems, and having an office so near where I live has been nice. Michael and Jack run down the hall to my office to announce lunch, and Carolyn enjoys the reprieve from driving kids everywhere. She is, however, walking a LOT.