"Through the wet summer of 2007" a Elst Travel Page by Pavlik_NL

Summer 2007 is lousy. After a great spring with lots of sun and warmth, the summer stays relatively cool and clouded with showers. So, what do we do then ... we head South towards ... Switzerland (nope, not Italy or Spain - haha). Our holiday brings us to Wallis and Berner-Oberland, two spectacular parts of the Alpes and true highlights of Europa. For our family together it became the best holiday up to now.

Ilja loves to go to work with me. In his holidays it has become a tradition and I am in the luck that is possible too. At the office, Ilja always finds more then enough things to do and so not disturb me. Outside he plays in the orchards and the grass field surrounding the office-house. From the store he can use wood, cardboard and the toolkit to built houses, cars etc. Or he just takes paint from home and starts drawing and painting. Ilja also made a friend and plays with Victoria, the girl from the neighbours.

In Switzerland Ilja got to know Hopp, the little steam train ghost. This story became his favourit and we eventually also bought the story book. From Brienz the steam train brings you up to the Rothorn and in summertime, children are treated on a life story of Hopp. With my attempts to translate the Swiss dialect (which is just beautiful!) Ilja followed the story and became a big fan of Hopp. Few months later mama and papa had to repeat the story ... for his classmates at school.

As told already, Ilja almost likes everything if we are talking about food. Of course he has some things he doesn't like that much, but those items are very few. His favourites ... well, like every healthy Dutch boy he is crazy about pancakes and fries (nothing French about them, the originals are either Belgian or Dutch!). Further he loves Italian kitchen: spaghetti. pizza and above all lasagne. Especially the way mom and dad make it - hehe.

Switzerland is truely a paradise (even in it's way of upholding absolute neutrality and democracy). However, most impressive is the nature in this central European Alpine country and the mentality of the people. Our family loved it in Wallis and Berner-Oberland.

Russians love the outdoor, that's a fact. It's a pitty that many of them combine this love with destroying nature, but luckely Irina truely loves the outdoors and has a full respect to natural balance. Therefore she loved Switzerland. Here the people too love the outdoors and the fact that there were many camp fire places fully equiped with wood, ax to chop it and paper to start the fire, made her very happy. Too few times we made a lunch along the hiking trails.

Hasliberg is also a great place for children. Nearby Brienz offered already the great story of Hopp, the steam train ghost. Hasliberg offers another story come alive (from the same autor: Susanna Schmid-Germann). Muggestutz der Zwerge (the Dwarf). He has some adventures here at Hasliberg and his stories can be made by the children along two nature walking paths with the pictures from the book, created in reality. Really a great entertainment for younger children and ... their parents as well.