The high country

Not a bad upgrade, from a compact Ford to a mid-sized Audi. Yes!!!

Unlike the deserts of Egypt and Jordan Switzerland is what I would call The High Country.  The sweep of your view always seems to be up and down, rather than left to right. From the valley floor to the mountain peak, you are always straining your neck to take it all in.  Outsiders always wonder, “How do they live in this place?”  “How do they get around?”  “How did they ever make a living before mechanized help?”  Despite the usual questions this country  always amazes visitors with its awesome mountains and gorgeous valleys.  Kathy’s side of the family came from here so we have a natural affinity with this place. 

We entered Switzerland through Milan, Italy—a central hub for this region.  We picked up our rental car at the airport and that was our first surprise: they upgraded us from a compact car to a mid-sized Audi.  Quite an upgrade! We then drove north to the lake country where we stayed overnight at a lovely little town called Stresa on the shore of Lake Maggiore.  We  had been here before and it became one of Kathy’s favorite places, mainly because of the three beautiful islands just off shore.  This time, however, it was just a sleepover place so we could reach our first destination: Saas Fee, a small mountain town we have always wanted to see near Zermatt, Switzerland.  Instead of going into details here, let me just show you some of the places we saw in a slideshow.

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