We have awaited the new year in many different places and gathered precious memories over time. Each country has its traditions, and we were curious about the Silvester experience, as they refer to it in Switzerland. It was our first winter experience, and with icy temperatures, it was very different from our summer experiences.

Rigi Kulm in the Alps

Candice and Tristan wanted to end their Swiss visit in the snow-capped Alps. As part of a day trip, we visited Lucerne and Mount Rigi Kulm. A cable car took us 1800 m high to see the pure white and breathtakingly beautiful landscape. Slippery ice covered large areas, and we all got a turn to land embarrassed on our buttocks. Candice and Tristan’s visit ended literally and figuratively on a high.

Lausanne

In the last two days of 2019, we experienced Lausanne on the French side of Switzerland. The low temperatures forced us to look for indoor activities. Museums are usually not high on our tourist list, but our visit to the Olympic Museum was a highlight for me. I learned a lot of informative facts through visual and interactive activities.

Finally, the last day of the decade has arrived. Until 5 pm, the shops were still open, and the streets were full of people, but later on, there was almost no one to be seen anymore.

We marvelled at the champagne and wine chilled on the windowsills of the apartments. People were ready for the new year for the celebration.

New Year’s celebration

In our search for a festive New Year’s celebration, we finally found an area with street markets and music. I experienced a Quiet disco for the first time. Bodies moved around with illuminated headphones. The colour of the lights of the headphones distinguished the different songs they played at a given time. Dance partners could therefore listen to separate songs at a given time.

The visible policing was limited to three officers, who got off the train with coffee and snacks for the winter evening. We saw no fireworks. It was a stark contrast to Rio de Janeiro, where the police filled the streets with machine guns from early in the morning the previous year. Everything was a stark contrast to Rio, including the number of people, the noise, the temperature and the visual spectacle of fireworks that continued until early morning in Rio. The only common denominator was the strong smell of marijuana in both places.

The year ended in Lausanne with an organ performance in the city’s beautiful cathedral. I was so looking forward to attending, but the price of the entrance tickets made us turn around in our tracks. We went home for hot chocolate. We went back to the cathedral just before midnight with masses of people coming out of their cosy apartments. At 00:00, the cathedral’s bells began to ring deafeningly for 15 minutes, with red lights and smoke making it appear as if the tower was on fire. The Swiss welcome of the New Year in Lausanne was a memorable experience.

The ski town of Leysin

On New Year’s morning, we went to the ski town of Leysin to experience a Swiss winter holiday. It felt like a beach town in South Africa, only with a snow theme. This holiday village also has many tourist shops and a shortage of parking spaces. Instead of queues for the water park, there are rows of people waiting for the cable car up to the ski area. Instead of designer bikinis, the girls were wearing designer ski suits.

In the evening, everyone was exhausted from snow fun. In South Africa, the waves, building sandcastles and the sun were responsible for the exhaustion. A beach holiday in South Africa is much cheaper than a ski holiday in Switzerland. It is impossible to compare a Swiss cheese fondue or raclette with a South African braai or potjiekos.

May 2020 treat you all well and bring you pleasant surprises and opportunities. Since life is in balance, I hope we all find creative solutions to the challenges that cross our path and peace and acceptance with the things we have no control over. I look forward to our SA visit in April 2020.

Kind regards
Emsia