Waiting for the train at the Luzern railway station
Time for an update. In three weeks we have been to Luzern, Geneva, Luzern, Basel, Luzern and finally back to Chur. That was a lot of packing and unpacking, different rooms, trains, buses, cars and crates! In the middle of all this Jochen developed diarrhoea, something he so rarely has. This made life very interesting because I had to make sure that he was as empty as possible so that he would not have 'the runs' on the train. Can you imagine that disaster? It was close. On the trip from Luzern to Basel we just made it off the train, into the car and the nearest place for a pit stop.
I finally figured out what the problem was - I am sure it was old pigs ears. They smelled a bit funny but seeing I am a vegetarian this sort of thing smells 'funny' anyway, but in the end it is the only thing it could have been because when 'the runs' stopped running I gave him the last pig's ear and 'the runs' started again. But the tables I had fixed it very quickly. He has been fine since.
For some bizarre reason there is this big spacing at the moment. My whiz husband is going to have to find out why and fix it for me otherwise these blogs will be even longer.
I finally figured out what the problem was - I am sure it was old pigs ears. They smelled a bit funny but seeing I am a vegetarian this sort of thing smells 'funny' anyway, but in the end it is the only thing it could have been because when 'the runs' stopped running I gave him the last pig's ear and 'the runs' started again. But the tables I had fixed it very quickly. He has been fine since.
For some bizarre reason there is this big spacing at the moment. My whiz husband is going to have to find out why and fix it for me otherwise these blogs will be even longer.
A lane in Basel
We stayed in Basel with Jutta and her Winja, one of the teams in the deployment equipe recently. Jutta also stayed with us two years ago whilst she was in Melbourne doing an intensive English course. Jutta clearly knows and loves Basel and she was an excellent guide for the three days we had together. The old part of Basel is beautiful and more extensive than usual in a city. Unfortunately I was so busy gazing that I forgot to take many photos and the picture of the lane is the only one I took.
In a Basel square. Jochen still not quite well
We stopped for a coffee and cake in Jutta's favourite square, small and trendy old where of course dogs are allowed. You can see that Jochen was still not quite well, looking very sad and sorry for himself.
Jochen in the monkey house in Basel
On the last day Jutta took us to the animal park in Basel - not the zoo as dogs are not allowed there but are allowed in this small animal par k of mainly indigenous fauna although monkeys certainly aren't local!
The new monkey house was hilarious as Jochen nearly couldn't cope with all these monkeys doing what monkeys do best - leap, 'fly' jump, play. He started to whistle and yodel and his ears were so far forward that they nearly fell off. But that was only the start. One monkey suddenly appeared at the top of the window and knocked on the glass!!!! This nearly fried Jochen's brain. It got worse because another monkey thought that this was the best lark he (or she) had had all morning and also knocked on the window. Poor Jochen. He completely bent himself out of shape whilst these two monkeys laughed themselves into stitches. I kid you not - I am sure one of them had a grin from ear to ear.
The new monkey house was hilarious as Jochen nearly couldn't cope with all these monkeys doing what monkeys do best - leap, 'fly' jump, play. He started to whistle and yodel and his ears were so far forward that they nearly fell off. But that was only the start. One monkey suddenly appeared at the top of the window and knocked on the glass!!!! This nearly fried Jochen's brain. It got worse because another monkey thought that this was the best lark he (or she) had had all morning and also knocked on the window. Poor Jochen. He completely bent himself out of shape whilst these two monkeys laughed themselves into stitches. I kid you not - I am sure one of them had a grin from ear to ear.
Elke & Jochen watching deer in Basel
This is one of the joys of being in Europe where dogs are so much more tolerated and integrated into daily life. Whilst dogs are not allowed into the zoo, they are allowed into the animal park and as per usual, there were dogs everywhere. That is, families pushing prams,small kids cycling with their parents plus the family dog going out for a family outing. This is why Jutta chose this place as she knew that Jochen would never have another chance to be in such a social situation. If I lived in Europe, this sort of excursion would be part of every puppy's training. The car would be left at home, the puppy would go by bus or train and would get used to monkeys knocking on windows, deer, stag, donkeys, pigs etc. It was a great morning.
Nanda with her goats
In the afternoon we visited Nanda, an 'old' and very good friend of Jutta's. Nanda has a plot of land at the edge of the forest that is part of the community gardens that are so popular in Europe and occasionally appear in Australia.
Nanda is a remarkable Dutch lady who has lived in Switzerland for over 30 years. She breeds and successfully shows goats and very fancy chooks. She also keeps rabbits, ducks and birds and at first glance it all looks a bit chaotic. However, Nanda is an incredibly knowledgeable, practical elder-type woman who loves and cares for her animals.
Nanda is a remarkable Dutch lady who has lived in Switzerland for over 30 years. She breeds and successfully shows goats and very fancy chooks. She also keeps rabbits, ducks and birds and at first glance it all looks a bit chaotic. However, Nanda is an incredibly knowledgeable, practical elder-type woman who loves and cares for her animals.
Goats in Nanda's small goat shed
We spent the afternoon at Nanda's place at the edge of the forest. Winja and Jochen were able to move around most of the little house/shed. The sights and sounds and smells for a dog must be wonderful in a place like that. Jochen watched the finches and budgies, he was fascinated by a rabbit in a cage and generally behaved himself well.
The calm and peace of the place and the people was great. It was one of the most pleasant, lazy, stress-free few hours Jochen and I have spent in quite a while. I can understand why Nanda is a special friend of Jutta's.