After Zurich, we headed to Vevey, a jewel of a town on the Lake of Geneva.
Eingeladen hatten Hanspeter und Nini anlässlich Hanspeters 3x20. Geburtstag und, vor allem, seinem damit verbundenen Rückzug aus dem Berufsleben.
And it was all his fault: Hanspeter, one of Aila's oldest friends, who was celebrating his 3x20 birthday (and his retirement from Swiss International Airlines, the former Swissair).
Nini blickt nur selten so ernst...
Here's Nini, Hanspeter's wife, unfortunately photographed in a rare, unsmiling moment. Sorry. Normal Nini is a cheerful joy.
Alle Freunde waren gekommen; hier sind Hanspeter, Christine und Hermann bei den Vorbereitungen zum Vorfest am Vortag.
Hanspeter has always had a special touch when it comes to living well. He arranged for our rooms in the same house where the party was to be held. On our first evening, the terrace offered a spectacular view of the lake, the mountains and also of Christine and Herman, more friends visiting for the party.
Die Party selber musste dann leider wegen schlechtem Wetter drinnen stattfinden. Der guten Stimmung tat dies jedoch keinen Abbruch.
On the evening of the party, however, the weather failed to cooperate, so we shifted from the glorious terrace to a nice room inside. The group was small and convivial. Hanspeter said it included basically all the people he really cares about.
Hanspeter im Gespräch mit Schwester Ruth, im Hintergrund der ehemalige Arbeitgeber.
Here he is, chatting with his sister, Ruth, beneath the wings of his former employer.
Selbst wenn man nichts zu feiern hat, ist Vevey eine Reise wert.
Vevey is certainly worth visiting even if you don't have a party to go to. Unlike the better-known lakeside towns in Switzerland --- Lucerne, Geneva and Zurich --- there's no busy street to disturb the peace of the shoreline.
Natürlich besichtigten wir eingehend auch den Hafen. Der Eigner dieser Jolle hat einen originellen Regenschutz entwickelt.
Of course, we examined the marina. This sailboat has a clever weather shield, we thought.
The weekly market was a good one.
Wer in Vevey etwas auf sich hält, spielt Basketball. Hier gewinnt das lokale Team gerade gegen Winterthur.
Hanspeter and Nini's sons, Jeremy and Simon, are true b-ball freaks, as is your humble correspondent. They arranged for me to attend an A League game, Vevey vs. Winterthur. I loved it! Thanks, boys, and Allez Vevey!!