Mut und Kraft, my wonderful mantra!

If you ever feel scared and need a mantra to get you through, take mine. Mut und Kraft. Pronounced like Moot and Kruft, and meaning Courage and Strength.

Try it, in any language.

It will fill you up to the top with both.

It will even make you swing sideways. And laugh out loud.

Me, it brought me through my adventure trip, when I had to take a plane all the way to Switzerland on my own. Really, you`ll laugh, but I hadn`t flown since almost 40 years, and never ever travelled on my own. And so it was a big, exciting challenge.

Mut und Kraft, I mumbled. Kraft und Mut. (You can switch it around)

And then I stepped into the aircraft on Hamburg airport and got out after only ONE HOUR in Zürich. Which was a marvel in itself. Is Germany that small? But then, we travelled at 700 km/hour, in a height of 11 km. Wow! When we started I felt like Nils Holgersson, the little boy how flew away with the wild geese. (I am reading this book with my German-student from Bulgaria who loves it).

However, only one week later (yesterday) a plane in Hamburg had to return to ground,  because a wild goose had flown into the engine...

I`m glad I wasn`t in that one.

But then we landed safely in Zürich, and I found my suitcase and bought a tram ticket and caught the right trams and finally rang at my daughter`s doorbell.

I had got all the courage and strength I needed!

And after that it was all bliss. Holding my girl, and her little boy, and her big boy, and then going on walks and playing on the playground (me, as you can see above), and discovering the city, and watching the people (the Swiss, apparently they look away from strangers. But I gave them an opportunity to be nice and helpful whenever I felt lost or wanted something out-of-the-way, and THEN they responded).

"Be a little silly, don`t always think of your business", I felt tempted to shout over to them. But a good deal of soberness seems to be in their character. Nevertheless, all worked well, especially with their tram system. And they even had a gear-driven rack railway which I loved to use.

It`s a cul de sac (sack station), just going up and down the mountain.

And when you have reached the top, you get an incredible view over the Zürich Lake, and the city across.

Well, you should look to the left, I`m in the way.

But after only three days (remember, fish and visitors smell after three days), we all had to part. My hotel which was breathtakingly expensive (and where they hid the croissants from the guests` eyes and let them boil their morning eggs alone and served only one cup of coffee) saw me go happily.

But then I just walked around with my suitcase on wheels and sneaked into the University building and a church along the way (NOTHING in there, except for a few rows of chairs, but beautiful glass windows. Swiss Protestantism is also of the sober sort). Then my daughter and grandson saw me off at the tram again, and whoosh, we were gone.

Now here I am back home. My lovely home and my sweet husband, and I am happy again.

You just can`t have EVERYTHING in one place.

But I left them my mantra, and I still own it, too. I managed to travel on my own, and I am so proud of myself.

Once in a while, they say, we should leave our comfort zone.

And I can advise you to do the same - be courageous, and you`ll be rewarded!

Have a lot of fun, all of you!

Angela the travelling grandma