Trains

The films of Yasujiro Ozu gave me a new appreciation for trains, as he studied their impact on Japanese society, simultaneously creating new experiences and institutions, while destroying existing ones. Trains are a metaphor for modernity in movies that, amazingly to me, allow virtually no nostalgia.

The country trains I took in Italy back in the '80s were not long passenger cars with doors at the ends, but a series of individual compartments designed like stage coaches. You opened separate doors to directly get on and off the platform. These early trains, like the early light bulb, mimicked the former, preindustrial forms (horsedrawn stage coach, candlelight) in their new guises.
Today was a holiday, so we took a train to La Tour de Peilz, where our first apt was located. Michael and Carolyn showed me their secret way to school - narrow gardens tucked next to villas - which took us to the station, as well. M an J were so excited to ride an actual train, calling out "choo choo" the entire way.
Grape harvest is next week. This beautiful region of vineyards will be Switzerland's next UNESCO World Heritage site.
La Tour has this geranium tree - metal wiring creates a skirt for the flowers.
Ran into Jack by the lake, who is going to Florida this week for a vacation.

Other matters. I guess we've pretty much settled on All Saints in Vevey. I've been impressed both at the lack of personal affect and the focus on scriptural text in their spirited worship. The rhetorical level, the poetry whether in prayer or song, is significantly higher than what we're used to in what is now called "contemporary" worship.

We have internet, figuing out shopping, daily routines...we're slowly getting comfortable. Amused by trashy BBC shows in the evening - I mean, trashy.