08 August 2009
Charlie's Angels
Or so a clochard by the wayside apparently called my three visitors this week, as the girls roamed the streets of Montréal, positively bristling with girl power. Little wonder that their batteries were fully charged, given that they had just spent three weeks touring the Canadian West, from Vancouver through the Rockies all the way to Calgary. I got to see some of the pictures they took, and wow! The landscapes, the wildlife, the activities, it all looked stunning, and reconfirmed my notion of having to tour this unknown part of Canada soon.
But now they were in Montréal, and I was of course going to showcase the sophistication and joie de vivre of this city, contrasting those rednecks out in the West. ;-) First of all though, I had to shift into overdrive on Monday and Tuesday night, and finally assemble the very last piece of furniture that still sat in my livingroom in an all too familiar IKEA box. The instructions for the sofabed had this little symbol "heavy, work in pairs" on the first page, and I naturally ignored it - to the detriment of my back, as the thing turned out to be rather bulky in its assembled state. But once finished, laying back on it and contemplating the fact that my place was now finally done felt reinvigorating.
When my dear friend from university and her two travel companions stopped by for apéro the next day, "Charlie's Angels" became the first of a hopefully long list of guests. There are still many pages left in my guestbook, and the accommodations are ready. Good morning, Angels!
# posted by Oli : 09:07
02 August 2009
Idée Suisse
They say it's abroad that you discover your patriotic side. And I now know that that's probably true. Following a mix of curiosity, desire to meet new people and obedience to the Swiss consulate's strong advice, I decided to attend the 1st of August festivities in Mt. Sutton. This quaint little town in Québec's eastern townships has a small ski station and from its setting reminded me very much of Atzmännig or similar places. It did indeed look very much like pre-alpine Switzerland, and the countless Swiss flags decorating the town certainly helped.
For 33 years now, the Swiss community in eastern Canada, some 12'000 people strong, has celebrated the Swiss National Holiday in Sutton, and the event has become the largest of its kind outside our borders. Arriving mid-afternoon, I found myself in almost surreally Swiss settings: A large wooden chalet decorated with flags and geranium, Schwyzerörgeli and Alphorn performances, food stalls selling Crèmeschnitte and sausages (the latter with an enormous, but very orderly line), and all of it populated with hundreds of people wearing Swiss-themed gear. Not too few even donned their traditional folk costumes. I felt woefully underdressed (all I could find was a red-white checkered shirt) and quickly bought a 1. August badge to keep up with Herr & Frau Schweizer.
The crowd was an interesting mix of young and old, farmers and city-dwellers, first and second generation Swiss. All Swiss national languages could be heard (I had a rather hefty attack of homesickness eavesdropping on two families chatting in Ticino dialect), along with plenty of Québecois and English. On the chairlift, I met a guy from Köniz who spends the summer working on a farm here, and we went for a little hike together and then, much like good citizens do, listened to the wise words broadcast from Berne by the President of the Federal Council. And as the clarinet and the Schwyzerörgeli performed the Swiss and Canadian national anthems, with the sun's last rays tinting this pittoresque setting red, everybody seemed truly merry - and strangely united.
It's been a long time since I attended a lampion procession and lighting of the bonfire, but seeing the kids easily transcend language barriers while comparing their little paper lights, and total strangers singing, dancing and toasting in the Festzelt until way after dark, it slowly dawned upon me what the "Idée Suisse" really means: It's the willingness to stick together by celebrating our differences.
P.S. Speaking of Idée Suisse: That other one, the SRG SSR etc., caught me on record.
# posted by Oli : 19:54
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
