wellness around the world: the european edition / SWITZERLAND

[welcome to part 3 of my 6-part mini-series, wellness around the world: the european edition. as my family and i travel through six countries in europe, i am sharing wellness habits from each. you may read part 1 here and part 2 here. today’s spotlight is on switzerland.]
 
 

 
 
ironically, just days after arriving in beautiful switzerland,
and days before writing a blog post about the wellness habits of this country,
i got sick.
with the flu.
and felt truly awful.

we had arrived in zurich after four whirlwind days in paris.
my older son promptly took to his bed, not feeling well at all.

two days later, when we were scheduled to drive to lauterbrunnen in the alps,
i woke up with the nasty illness.
(then had to endure a somewhat windy drive through the mountains.)

we’d also been lugging around five bags of dirty laundry with us,
but could never find a time when the shared washer/dryer wasn’t being used.
we arrived exhausted, unhealthy, and out of clean underwear!

but, although it was very difficult not to whine,
i tried to remain optimistic about the whole affair.
after all, what better place to recuperate from an illness than . . .
the swiss alps?

the dramatic scenery,
the fresh air,
the rugged outdoor lifestyle.
 
 
[the town of lauterbrunnen.]

 
 
[the view from my window.]

 
 
tuesday we were all feeling more like ourselves.
and we simply had to glimpse the peaks before we left the country the next day.
so we decided to take a cable car ride to schilthorn at 9744 feet.
(by the way, piz gloria is the revolving restaurant at the top,
made famous by the 1969 james bond movie “on her majesty’s secret service.”)

but then i began to worry.
will my asthma kick in?
wait – i’m scared of heights!
will i still feel weak or nauseous?

we began the first of four separate tram rides.
for a total elevation climb of approximately 6950 feet!
we watched the little town disappear,
then traveled through ever-graying skies and finally a complete cloud cover.

when the last cable car suddenly broke through the top of the clouds,
there was an audible collective gasp on board.
suddenly the different languages converged as one.

the alps.
in all of their breathtaking splendor.
simply awe-inspiring.

and i knew that everything was going to be just fine from that point on.

we spent the entire day above the clouds in our own little heaven.
the highest any of the four of us had ever been.
 
 
[some of the splendor of the alps – view.]

 
[and family.]



 
 
switzerland, i didn’t have a chance to fairly evaluate your country’s wellness practices.
i’ve read, more than once, that your people are happy and healthy.
(i even received an article in my email inbox about it on monday!)
but i only encountered a few locals during my stay.

however, there are a few wellness secrets of the swiss alps that i will mention here:

• the water is clean (we’ve been drinking straight from the tap)
• the air is clean (you can truly breathe it in)
• the outdoor life provides plenty of exercise opportunities
• tourists come here primarily to experience these benefits

 
this week, instead of thinking or talking about wellness practices,
i felt them.
i experienced them first-hand.
 
 
my take-away:

despite whatever else may be happening in my life,
feeling happy and healthy in a gorgeous robust environment –
with the three men most precious to me –
manifested as the finest wellness lesson of all.
 
 
(oh, and that swiss chocolate . . .)
 
 
[descriptive words that immediately came to mind upon my first visit to switzerland.]

 
 
~~~~~~~
 
 
are there times when you appreciate your health (and your life) more?
do you recognize these moments?
make a commitment to OPENLY INVITE THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT.
(and let me know about your plan in the comments.)
 
 
[a summary of the six european wellness commitments introduced in the mini-series may be found at the end of this post.]
 
 
 
 
get my free course!