This is it

YES YES YES! Just one more week to endure, then I'm off. 

One small hurdle before then - the two oldest are off school. Not quite the chilled out final week I was hoping for, but never mind. 

Last week, we received the latest gadget in the post. I have no idea what they are actually called, but Kevin and I have named it 'the big, blue butt'. You can imagine why. I'm not sure it's the best quality because it basically deflates every time someone gets on it, until you find yourself on the floor. We've had quite a bit of fun with it though!

I managed to drag myself out of the house for a bit of a walk on Thursday (small victories). The temperature was a little cooler than it has been, so I could go outside with minimal risk of sunburn or heatstroke. An accidental two-hour phone call with Mum ensued, so I was very grateful to past Sara for packing a giant apple and some biscuits for fuel. Time is starting to drag a little now, especially since it was all going so well last week. Never mind, keep looking forward!

Kevin had his graduation on Thursday. Why on Earth kids 'graduate' from primary school is beyond me, but it was a nice ceremony all the same. He and some other students in his year conjured up some speeches, which Kevin chose to do in French and English. For once in his life he looked smart, replacing the usual football kit with a navy blue suit and white shirt. It was a major achievement for him because with his friends he's super outgoing, but speaking in front of a room full of strangers filled him with dread. They were all clear and seemingly confident, despite the rustling papers. The rest of the celebrations were mainly musical and it ended much earlier than expect, so we got the pictures sorted and I scurried off

That evening, I stopped off briefly to say goodbye to my tutor family. I spent a little time with David, messing around and laughing, before deciding it was probably time to leave. They got me a really thoughtful gift and I got to take David's World Cup home as a momento of our time together.

Afterwards, I met up with Brenda for an evening of football in our favourite place - Charly's. We set ourselves up with drinks and I FINALLY got to eat my sandwich, after completing all of my missions. Unsurprisingly to me, England lost, but they didn't put most of their decent players on, so I perhaps they were preserving them. 

Friday meant grocery shopping and batch cooking for the weekend. We had a big trip ahead of us, so needed plenty of food to keep us going. Brenda and I teamed up, buying things for sandwiches and pasta salad, as well as fruits and breakfast goodies. This is the mess that ensued…

That evening was a little less stressful. With no more things to prepare, I just sat and watched YouTube videos that Marilie had put on. It lead to this absolutely hilarious moment of ‘subtitle fail.’

Shawn Mendes is DEFINITELY not bald...

All packed up and ready to go to Interlaken (much later than anticipated.)

We were stunned by the quality of the camping facilities; pristine toilets and showers, a pool, a common room with a TV, a kitchen and a wash room. After pitching our tent, we munched on a few snacks, before heading off to explore.

I was a little hasty and over confident when it came to the buses. Only when I could see us getting further and further away, did I realise we had taken the wrong bus in the entirely wrong direction. Never mind. A kind lady told us that there were some caves at the next stop and, although you had to pay to get in (and we’re cheapskates), we took some incredible photos from up the mountain.

After our short photo shoot, we took the correct bus (thank goodness!) and headed into the town. All four of us grabbed ice creams after checking out the tourism office, to see what things we could actually do.

We ended up driving to a group of waterfalls, set high up inside the mountain. It was beautiful, but utterly freezing when you’re wearing nothing more than some shorts and a strappy top. My mistake. I ended up jogging in between my picture-taking, just to try and keep warm. It was all worth it in the end, you have to experience these things, regardless of weather. 

 

In the evening, we drove to a swimming spot that the tourism guy suggested to us. He basically sent us on a wild goose chase, because you weren’t really allowed to swim. Didn’t stop us from getting in. I think you’ll agree, we got some really beautiful photos.

We had an interesting nights sleep to the soundtrack of crazy animals and one person snoring like a train (not naming any names.) Thankfully, I was the one who got the best night's sleep, even though it was like laying on a bed of rocks. 

For our final day we took one last trip to the lake. The others had a swim around and took pictures, while I quickly updated Mum on the weekends events (I won’t be able to call her this week.) Afterwards, we headed to Lucerne for an afternoon exploring the city. It was so strange to be in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, when we’re so used to seeing French everywhere. It taught me that, perhaps with a bit of hard work, I could probably learn German. Brenda and I had an enormous amount of fun trying to pronounce the place names, especially the ones that mean VERY different things in English! 

Lucerne is stunning. It’s almost like if Geneva and Annecy had a baby, offering beautiful German architecture alongside the crystal clear waters of the lake. Despite the searing heat, I actually quite enjoyed walking around and discovering different things. Towards the end of the day, we all rewarded ourselves with giant ice creams that were DELICIOUS, but ultimately far too much for me to eat. 

It’s safe to say I was glad to sleep in an actual bed, but I was so sad to leave those beautiful surroundings.
I’ve spent today parked at the pool, watching the older kids swim and cool off. Hopefully, the rest of the week will be as easy as this.