So you thought Switzerland was land-locked…..
All right, I’m joking…
But on a hazy day, when the German side is lost in the mist, looking across Lake Constance (the Bodensee to the German speakers out there) is the nearest thing to being by the seaside. I love it there – I really miss the Northumbrian coast where I grew up – and it has the same feeling of space. Unfortunately the beaches and waves and the salty smell are missing (as are fish and chips eaten out of newspaper wrappings), but it’s almost of good. Also missing is the blasting wind that is ever-present in Northumberland – and if I’m honest, that’s something I don’t miss!
We had lunch in Rorschach looking out over the lake last week – and enjoyed the very last day of good weather, tanking up on some sunshine to see us over the winter!!
Here is the old Cornhouse, where boats used to bring in corn across the lake. It’s now been restored and is the symbol of Rorschach.
We drove over the hills to St. Anton on the way home – but unfortunately the haze stopped us getting the full view of the Alps and into Austria – but it’s still a pretty place and we found a lovely restaurant right up high to eat Vermicelles in the sunshine. Vermicelles are a speciality made of chestnuts – very sweet and delicious and generally only to be had in the autumn – sorry, but I was too busy digging in to take a photo!
I don’t know if there are many of you out there who have grown up by the ocean, but I really think that the ocean is something that is in your blood. Given the choice, I’d live in a cottage overlooking the sea (preferably on a Scottish island). I love the sea – it’s somehow relaxing and exhilarating and totally wild and uncontrollable all at the same time. It says freedom very loudly to me.
However, here I am, living in very beautiful land-locked Switzerland and unlikely to relocate anywhere in the forseeable future – and I really do love it here too!
So I’ll just carry on dreaming of the sea and going up to the Bodensee to pretend 🙂
Helen
October 10th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
How lovely – I wish that we were able to travel about to different geographical locations in such an easy manner. Canada is BIG as you know and, depending on where you are located it can take days before you reach the ocean or mountains.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Just as you long for the sea, I long for mountains. I live in flat lands, but can drive for about 8 hours to get to something they CALL mountains, but they really are not compared to the Rockies. I love being able to see so far, and especially the fall foliage views this time of year. But no mountains for me this fall… we are heading south instead. As I grow older, the sea also is beginning to call for me to come visit more. We are heading that way this week for a little R&R and fishing.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
How funny; I was just telling a friend today how much we love to live directly on the coast overlooking the ocean. I said that it might be because we are from a land locked-country and it feels even more special to have the opportunity to see the sea every day.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
I got asked the other day what was my favourite place. Having travelled so much I had to think long and hard. Northumberland was my eventual reply. It just does it for me – other than the weather at times!
October 12th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Until we moved to France, apart from the three years I spent in Oxford, I had always been close to the sea. I miss it, but living with lakes is the next best thing!
October 16th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Lovely photos, it looks beautiful. Where we live in France is just about as far as you can get from the sea. I have never been a great fan of the sea, I have to admit, but I do like the sound of running water so am sorry we didn’t end up by a river or stream.