Spring in Switzerland

Spring in Switzerland is beautiful, full of rejuvenation of life and spirit. We love seeing the new growth and flowers appearing around our village and on the trails at this time of year.

Spring flowers near the bus station

Sunrise over our spring garden

Swiss Spring

Many poems celebrate spring and the renewal of life and it is easy to see where they get their inspiration from in the Swiss spring. Winter can seem endless in Europe, especially the part between the end of ski season and the start of spring. We were delighted by the evidence of new growth we saw around us every day, with leaves appearing on the vines and trees and flowers blossoming everywhere.

Apple blossoms in the orchards near school

Blossoms in the Arboretum

Spring flowers in the Jura

We went to the Tulip Festival in Morges to see the spectacular array of tulips in bloom. The Fête de la Tulipe is an annual festival held in April-May in the Park de l'Independence on the shores of Lake Geneva. The gardens are tended by apprentice gardeners from all over Switzerland who compete to create the best display. It was truly something special to see!

Spring also sees the movement of the cows back up into the mountains. We had a Mexican standoff with some cows on the way down from Mont Tendre! We also encountered a herd in the Valley de Joux, sounding very Swiss with their cow bells :)

Spring in Switzerland

Spring has sprung in and around our village and it is beautiful! Have a look at some snapshots of our spring flowers.

On the way to the Arboretum

In our courtyard

The apple orchards by school

A typical junction in our village

Arbor Day

Spring has sprung in Alaska, and even though we're still colder than we ever were in South Africa, we are learning to deceive ourselves. We are savoring the 18 hours of sunshine every day, and we are constantly agog at all the new growth we see around us. The extended hours of daylight means that everything grows super quickly here, so already the sidewalks have changed from white to green, and the trees are sporting leaves and blossoms.

We were invited to take part in a tree-planting ceremony at Kincaid Park, in honor of Anglo American's sponsorship of a soccer field. Lacking gardening gloves and shovels, the best I could offer was Daniel's labor and my cute new wellies... So off we went to our first Arbor Day in May, imbued with 2010 SWC fever...

I put in a stunning performance as photographer/ supporter/ landscaper, while Daniel got down and dirty in the gusty Alaskan spring. A worthy mention should also go to Paul, for donning Sharon's pink washing-up gloves...