The Heaven of Gimmelwald

Author's Note:  Check out the Photo Album tab, and check back for ore on Gimmelwald!

There is a saying quoted by Rick Steves in his travel book where he writes about the alpine hamlet I visited today: "If heaven isn't all it's cracked up to be, take me back to Gimmelwald."

And, indeed, it is an almost surreal place, untouched by time and even now, handled gingerly by it's current inhabitants as well as the visitors that seem to understnad that the beauty of the place is in it's lack of typical "tourist" trappings.

 

We visited here as a family eight years ago when Neil was 15, and had read about it as a quintessential Swiss village, that you can only reach by foot or tram, that had no through vehicular traffic, but more than it's share of manual hay harvesting, home-based cheese making, ancient looking chalets, steep but picturesque "Wanderweg"s, and stop-you-in-your-tracks views of the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger.  Without my travelling companions, being there today was almost bittersweet, and it was hard not to be overwhelmed by the desire to have Barry and Neil with me.

I consoled myself with lunch and beer.  The other patrons of the British run Pension/Restaurant/Bar were all Americans, and it was only a matter of time before we realized that fact and were trading notes on where we were from, what we were doing there and where we were going next. The food was delicious, the company just enough to feel socialized but not intruded upon, the seenery beyond description. 





The weather was warm, sunny and bright.  The balance of my afternoon was spent leisurely walking the winding paths of the town, and endulging in almost an hour of simply lying in the grass next to a spot adjacent to one of the paths where benches had been placed to allow tired walkers to sit and take in the grandeur.  It was the ultimate relaxation spot, and it was not easy to finally rouse myself to continue my walking tour; but by that time, it was four in the afternoon, and the light was dimming enough to make picture taking easier.

So, I ended my day of travelling with the train ride back to Lauterbrunnen and then Interlaken where my Hotel on the river waited. 

Fête de Vendange

Wine festival, hmmmm.....  Okay, so maybe there are lots of grapes growing on the slopes surrounding Lake Neuchatel, and maybe they make some wine from them.  But, I have to say that the "Wine Festival" that we were told would be the conclusion to our work week was not exactly what I expected.

In Northern California, when you say you are having a wine festival, you expect the wine to take center stage.  Tastings, pairings, lovely sips of tasty liquids accompanying morsels of food chosen to enhance the varietals and vintages.  Not churros and sangria.  Or even bratwurst and bottled Heineken.  The Americans from my team agreed that it was like a weak version of a county or state fair, but with a ridiculously high number of people.  And, apparently, this is just the warm up. Tomorrow night, four or five times the number of people will descend upon this lovely Swiss town and overflow the cobblestone streets with loud disco music,  random alcoholic beverages, and the wonderful, raucous, inebriated energy of the assembled masses, most of which, from what I can ascertain, are not Swiss citizens.

It is definitely not the archetypal, reserved, kind of Swiss event you would expect.  A Vice President of my company that I had the chance to chat with for quite a while around midnight, and who is a five time veteran of le Fete told me that, in typical Swiss fashion..... yes, tonight was crazy fun and rowdy drinking and masses of overly relaxed attendees, but in the two or three hours after four in the morning when the Fete officially closed and Saturday morning, the streets would be returned to their pristine, clean and proper Swiss state.

But maybe that was what was worth the effort it was to attend -- to have experienced the Swiss and their extended cultural family, at their most wild and crazy.  But, honestly, I am fine with heading to the calm and peacefulness of Gimmelwald tomorrow. 

Leadership

Although it seems like a lifetime ago, a number of the lessons we were teaching during my tenure as a staff member at Wood Badge last weekend are playing out as the Field Operations Leadership Team meeting this week.  I guess I should not be surprised, as I have been a leader at my company for years, and also in volunteering, to impart similar knowledge to Scouting leaders for over a decade as well.

We spent today at work again engaged in long, thoughtful discussions, occasionally lapsing into more heated conversation, but mostly in that kind of aligned dialog that sometimes takes a while to recognize agreement until the same outcome is articulated in multiple ways.

Which is not different from the prior three days I had before I came here to work.  Slowly revealing more of ourselves with each other, exchanging philosophies, ideas, trying to improve our situations by being exemplary leaders.

After an enjoyable extended team dinner tonight, I returned to my room, and looking for some entertainment to fill the empty void of my hotel room while I wound down with a bath (and writing this blog), I put on a movie that we also use in Wood Badge to provide models of both team formation and leadership styles.  The movie in it's entirety is a wonderful and enjoyable piece of entertainment.  But watching it tonight was not just noise in the background, it was a reminder of the similarity of my volunteer work and my Autodesk life, and how lucky I am that I can connect them.  

And, in the space of this extended week away from home, in a very obvious way.

Mid Week

It seems much longer than two days that I have been here in Neuchatel, and settling into a routine.  Gourmet dinners in my room, comfortably moving from plate to keyboard with BBC International playing a repetitive cycle of stories in the background.  Sleeping soundly under the deep fluffy down comforter, but waking in the dark of early morning ready for the day, with plenty of time to prepare for the work ahead.  Continental breakfast; croissant, yogurt, strong black coffee.

Oh, and yes, the work.  I am enjoying the time with my new team, and my new manager.  Talking, planning, writing, thinking.  Nothing stressful, letting the creative process apply itself to the myriad organizational challenges in front of us.

The Autodesk office here is perched on the top of the hill to the northwest of the downtown and the lake, and surrounded by lovely chateau-looking homes with vegetable gardens, grape vines, plenty of tall trees.  Many fly the Swiss flag.  The neighborhood has numerous other small businesses, light industry or services it appears, punctuated by plenty of grassy, forested sections with no apparent specific function.  The streets are narrow, steep and winding; which does not slow the local traffic down, and makes for the walk down from the office to the hotel a venture that requires attention to said traffic, and to maintaining firm traction with each step. 

As I finish up my Wednesday, I know the pattern of activity will begin again tomorrow, and again the next day.  Already the town is beginning to show the preparation for the Wine Festival (Fête de Vendange) this weekend, and I am growing increasingly interested in attending this event with my work colleagues, whom I am getting to know better each day; and nothing like a wine-oriented event to really do some team building.  And beyond that, the prospect of going up to the Lauterbrunnen Valley on Saturday and spending the last night here in Interlaken runs through my mind when I slow down my thoughts.

So, I am here at a bit of a mid point in this portion of the visit, and it's a good place to be. 

Neutral Territory

Switzerland is known for its neutrality.  While on some level, this may be perceived as a good thing, we have to remember that if you are neutral, that means you do not take sides.  No further comment from me on that.

This country is clearly a melting pot with limits.   It is fiercely protective of its cultural purity.  But due to its role in the world economy, (where that same neutrality translates into its open, global banking business) they create an environment that attracts people from all around the world.  Today, riding the train, visiting this University town of Neuchatel, at the Zurich Airport, you can see that clearly.

This country is both the epitome of modern, pragmatic high-technology, and centuries-old traditional manual practices.  High speed trains on perfect schedules, full of high-tech professionals rush by fields of cows with bells around their necks in fields being tended by men with pitchforks who will stop by the local pub at days end.

My great grandparents left this land to travel by ship, around Cape Horn, to San Francisco and start a life in the New World. Growing up, my mother espoused the virtues of the Swiss, saying that in that country, "you could eat off the streets", it was so clean.  So, it was apropos that one of the first things we saw when she and my father took us there when I was a young teenager, was an old woman sweeping the streets with a stick and twig broom.  That began my fascination with all things Swiss.  But, I am a product of Northern California rebellious background, and not enamored with a culture that only as recently as 1990 finally gave women voting rights in all Cantons.  Regardless, I have always thought it was a better place to visit than it would to live in.

Perhaps that is what my great grandparents felt too.

In the mean time, I am here and proud to tell my work colleagues of my fairly recent Swiss heritage; more so than any other member of my team, interestingly.

Airlplane Food

On the way over to Zurich on a non-stop SWISS Air flight, I found myself scrunched into my Economy Class seat, attempting to maneuver my well-designed silverware into my cleverly packaged dinner and transfer bits of it into my mouth without incident.

Interestingly, and not intentionally, I had flipped around the in-flight entertainment and decided to watch a movie during this first portion of the flight called "Chef."  I had seen the lead actor on "The Chew" a while back and was intrigued by the movie.  The premise was this guy who had been a Chef for a restaurant for 10 years, and his creative efforts were not being well received, so he dumps the job and buys a food truck that he turns into a huge success, engaging his estranged 10 year old son in the process.  The movie, especially in the opening scenes, but actually throughout, employs shots of food being cooked (and eaten) in a way that lifted a mere grilled cheese sandwich to a level of art and beauty. 

So, it was with that backdrop that I consumed my airplane food.  Which, by those standards was quite good, but certainly not up to the standards of the culinary experiences I was viewing on the tiny screen in front of me.  And, making me wonder what the folks in First Class were having for dinner.

Prelude - The Packing

Autodesk has been good to me lately.  The most recent piece of good fortune is a trip to Switzerland to our European headquarters for a Leadership Team meeting with all the folks that report to my manager, seven of us in total.  Which is a good thing on both fronts: I am improving my work life with increasing responsibility, and that being reflected in the chance to participate in a strategic exercise.  And, the opportunity to visit my ancestral home.

The challenge here was packing.  The timing of this trip is either terrible or perfect, depending on your perspective.  My committment to participate in volunteer work that requires me to be both camping and in my Scout uniform for four days immediately prior to flying to Zurich requires some planning, and at least several lists.  And, by immediately prior, I mean, drive from Camp Tamarancho directly to the airport, with just the right amount of time to spare.

But list making is kind of my thing, and while being gone from home for a total of 11 days is daunting, it's also exciting.  My travels to Switzerland and the surrounding areas starting back when I was a teenager and then our honeymoon and most recently with Neil several years ago give me the experience and confidence that the trip will be great. 

Just hoping I don't show up to my first Autodesk meeting in my Class A uniform by mistake.