SNOWS OF YESTERDAY

IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE our globe is warming, you might want to visit a retreating glacier or two.  Here's a view of the beautiful Zmutt valley, shown below in a classic panoramic photo from September 1997.

Earlier this week we were invited to a mountain picnic in the village of Stafelalp, high in the left wide of the Zmutt valley on the back side of the Matterhorn. 

Here's a view of the mountain taken from the small group of huts at Stafelalp on 31 July. As you can see, mountain huts tend to cluster together on the flat spots, and you'd better be on good terms with your neighbors!

A closer look at the mountain shows the lack of snow cover -- with bare rocks showing on the former ice climbing diagonals at both the left and right sides of the photo. Compare with the heavy snow cover in the September 1997 view. 

Looking to the glacier across the valley, we could watch the snow retreat, with multiple streams of water running merrily down across the rocks. As you can see, the ample snows of yesterday are vanishing. 

BLUMEN BLOOMIN'

IT'S A GREAT YEAR for flowers here -- Europe has been drenched as the U.S. has suffered heat and drought. Geraniums fill every container -- from the old horse-drawn carriages on  the hotel porch ... 

to the window boxes hanging from  the balconies

of hotels

or antique Swiss dwellings now used for storage.

There are geraniums in wild arrays of form and  color...

And even in the vegetable gardens, delphiniums and edelweiss bloom among the onions.

Sweet william, astilbes, and sea holly edge the lawns...

and line the fences.

Hollowed-out trees along the sidewalk make colorful containers...

At the florist you can buy cultivated edelweiss or lavender to add a centerpiece to your outdoor table,  a pot to  soften your steps, or a stoneware sculpture to add a bit of whimsy. 

It's Blumen everywhere in Switzerland.

ZERMATT FOR KIDS

THERE IS A DISNEYLAND aspect to our world these days, and the natural wonders of the world, the everyday scenes of Zermatt, have been translated into children's visions.


Like the Olympics, Zermatt must have its  mascot, and so we have Wolli, the upright lamb of the Wallis (Valais canton), a super-sheep who wears a Matterhorn emblem on his chest, with red-and-white suspenders sporting the stars of the canton's flag.  This Tourismusbüro picture is shot in front of the Leisee ("the Miami Beach of Zermatt"), a kid-friendly lake with sand beach just a short tram-ride or woodland hike from town. 

But there are kid-friendly sights all over. For instance,  we found Wolli watching over the playground in the center of town . 

And the town Arzt, or doctor, has a green band-aid decor on his bright orange Fiat wagon -- one of the few gas-driven vehicles in town.  

Even the famous Swiss "green cross" on the sign near his office door is composed of crossed green band-aids.

As in any-self-respecting tourist town, food is a principal attraction, and this restaurant sign tells us that even the Matterhorn itself gets hungry -- in Kanji!

Stuffed critters are a popular buy for kids and adults alike: the smaller versions of St. Bernards and the local field rodents called marmottes are seen hanging from backpacks all over town.

Again, it's not only for kids, because the ubiquitous ice cream stands serve young and old alike.

And the symbol of the local bakery is not the gingerbread man, but the life-size Swiss doughboy with a pretzel ear.

I suppose there's a little kid in all of us.