saturday in the sun
The run of good weather we've been having continued today - bright warm sunshine with temperatures reaching 24°C. According to my weather app, the forecast for next week will see temperatures dipping right back down to a low of 0°C, so when we woke up this morning J and I decided to uh, make hay while the sun shines and get back out into the countryside to enjoy the sun.
Gorgeous day to be out in the countryside.
Our destination was Zoo La Garenne, a small animal park located in the tiny village of La Vaud in the mountains overlooking Lake Geneva. I use the term 'animal park' because it is by no means a zoo as we typically understand it. Specialising in European fauna, La Garenne was founded in 1965 and according to an underwhelmed J, looks like it hasn't been renovated since. The enclosures are pretty run-down and the place has definitely seen better days. According to signs on the enclosures, local sponsors help with the upkeep of the animals but it's clear that more could be done for the place. Still, they apparently have quite a successful vulture breeding programme and they release these birds back into the wild once they are mature.
Even though J smirked throughout most of our visit (what was he expecting, River Safari?), the kids didn't mind at all. The Bun happily bounced from one enclosure to the next and Bao squealed and pointed at the iguana, fish, birds, ducks and goats; the rest were lost on her. For me the most interesting part was at the wolf enclosure - while we stood around trying to spot the wolf, it suddenly appeared from round the corner and came very near us, obviously checking us out, before turning its back and disappearing again. At the first moment I saw it the hairs on the back of my neck rose involuntarily. Maybe deep down somewhere inside me some primitive instinct kicked in and recognised a predator for what it is. That's how I learnt a wolf is very, very, very definitely not a dog, nor anywhere close to what we love in dogs. It was a gorgeous creature and totally worth respect, even in a run-down animal park.
We ended up spending the most time at the play and petting area for kids. It was a good set-up - a nice old-school swing set (wood and rope), a wooden climbing fort with a slide, and a small plastic playhouse for the tinier ones. I even spotted a mouldy old potty sitting forlornly in the grass, very cute although I doubt I would allow my kid to use it! The toilet (outhouse?) was a toilette sèche, constructed out of wood (the actual toilet bowl was plastic, though) and you flushed your business using pine shavings (sèche means 'dry'). We sat at one of the picnic tables and snacked on biscuits while The Bun petted and fed the goats. Bao was very taken by the Hermann tortoises and got a bit damp and muddy trying to walk around on the grass to get closer to them. I have a soft spot for these tortoises and have been contemplating getting one or two as a pet but I doubt they would be very happy in our apartment since we don't have a garden. They're not cheap either, I saw one at a pet shop for almost 300 francs! The baby ones are supremely cute though.
For lunch we drove to the nearby town of Gland to try out the restaurant of Hotel de la Plage. Their speciality is perch, the key fish that is caught in Lake Geneva, and usually served with fries or rice. There is a nice woody playground just outside their terrace with swings, playhouses and lots of random plants and twigs and insects to explore, and with Bao napping in her stroller and The Bun occupied in the playground, J and I had a nice lunch with half a bottle of wine. Best to enjoy the peace whenever we can - later on The Bun fell off the swing and was all tears, while his sister had woken and insisted (loudly!) on toddling around the back of the restaurant looking around.
After everyone calmed down, we walked down to the lakeside. I think I could never get tired of looking at the lake. Its horizon seems to stretch out endlessly (Lake Geneva is 70km long) and the mountains backing it always make me feel content. From our apartment we do have a partial view of the lake, but because of our location the section of the lake we see is a bit crowded and not as serene as from out in the countryside. I'm definitely not complaining, though.
Tonight we 'fall back' with Daylight Savings Time. Maybe that's a sign that it will soon be time to bunker down for the winter.
Gorgeous day to be out in the countryside.
Our destination was Zoo La Garenne, a small animal park located in the tiny village of La Vaud in the mountains overlooking Lake Geneva. I use the term 'animal park' because it is by no means a zoo as we typically understand it. Specialising in European fauna, La Garenne was founded in 1965 and according to an underwhelmed J, looks like it hasn't been renovated since. The enclosures are pretty run-down and the place has definitely seen better days. According to signs on the enclosures, local sponsors help with the upkeep of the animals but it's clear that more could be done for the place. Still, they apparently have quite a successful vulture breeding programme and they release these birds back into the wild once they are mature.
Even though J smirked throughout most of our visit (what was he expecting, River Safari?), the kids didn't mind at all. The Bun happily bounced from one enclosure to the next and Bao squealed and pointed at the iguana, fish, birds, ducks and goats; the rest were lost on her. For me the most interesting part was at the wolf enclosure - while we stood around trying to spot the wolf, it suddenly appeared from round the corner and came very near us, obviously checking us out, before turning its back and disappearing again. At the first moment I saw it the hairs on the back of my neck rose involuntarily. Maybe deep down somewhere inside me some primitive instinct kicked in and recognised a predator for what it is. That's how I learnt a wolf is very, very, very definitely not a dog, nor anywhere close to what we love in dogs. It was a gorgeous creature and totally worth respect, even in a run-down animal park.
We ended up spending the most time at the play and petting area for kids. It was a good set-up - a nice old-school swing set (wood and rope), a wooden climbing fort with a slide, and a small plastic playhouse for the tinier ones. I even spotted a mouldy old potty sitting forlornly in the grass, very cute although I doubt I would allow my kid to use it! The toilet (outhouse?) was a toilette sèche, constructed out of wood (the actual toilet bowl was plastic, though) and you flushed your business using pine shavings (sèche means 'dry'). We sat at one of the picnic tables and snacked on biscuits while The Bun petted and fed the goats. Bao was very taken by the Hermann tortoises and got a bit damp and muddy trying to walk around on the grass to get closer to them. I have a soft spot for these tortoises and have been contemplating getting one or two as a pet but I doubt they would be very happy in our apartment since we don't have a garden. They're not cheap either, I saw one at a pet shop for almost 300 francs! The baby ones are supremely cute though.
For lunch we drove to the nearby town of Gland to try out the restaurant of Hotel de la Plage. Their speciality is perch, the key fish that is caught in Lake Geneva, and usually served with fries or rice. There is a nice woody playground just outside their terrace with swings, playhouses and lots of random plants and twigs and insects to explore, and with Bao napping in her stroller and The Bun occupied in the playground, J and I had a nice lunch with half a bottle of wine. Best to enjoy the peace whenever we can - later on The Bun fell off the swing and was all tears, while his sister had woken and insisted (loudly!) on toddling around the back of the restaurant looking around.
After everyone calmed down, we walked down to the lakeside. I think I could never get tired of looking at the lake. Its horizon seems to stretch out endlessly (Lake Geneva is 70km long) and the mountains backing it always make me feel content. From our apartment we do have a partial view of the lake, but because of our location the section of the lake we see is a bit crowded and not as serene as from out in the countryside. I'm definitely not complaining, though.
Tonight we 'fall back' with Daylight Savings Time. Maybe that's a sign that it will soon be time to bunker down for the winter.