Simply Sofie

On October 25, 2007, my jetsetter childhood friend ever Mimi arrived in Switzerland for just a weekend. I always asked her to come here but she had been here twice so she opted to go to other places and met some other friends. She was always on a business trip to Germany and this time she decided to visit us, instead of going to Spain, Scotland, Austria, Italy, France, or whatever. I was ecstatic of course, as I was not able to go to the Philippines this year. She lives in Singapore now but we always see each other in the Philippines in April every year.

I didn’t fetch her, Erich did. When she asked me before, calling from Germany, if I will fetch her, I told her that I can’t. I told her that I needed to clean the house and she laughed crazily. I told her, of course I was cleaning because she was arriving, and we both laughed. She volunteered to help later. I told her, she was my visitor so she didn’t need to clean but she can cook.

If only we didn’t have to go somewhere else the next day, maybe we didn’t sleep anymore. We just chatted like crazy. But then, she was staying until Sunday so we still had a lot of time to talk.

The next day, as the weather forecast was not that good in Valais, we decided to go to the original Victorinox shop in Schwyz, later on we went to Lucerne. She had been to Lucerne before but we decided to go for a walk there, and shop as well. Erich was with us too, so at least we had a photographer.

The next day, we decided to go to Zermatt just to see the Matterhorn via Furka Pass, a high mountain pass in the alps which is 2,436 meters above sea level.

Gosh, quite cold, fast, take the shot now…

Anyway, we continued our trip. Somehow we were tired so we both took a nap and before we knew it we were already in Visp. We passed by St. Niklaus and Randa, finally arrived in Täsch. We left the car at Täsch, rode the train instead as cars are not allowed in Zermatt unless you have a special permit.

We went to Matterhorn as Mimi and I had been to Mt. Rigi, Mt. Titlis, Mt. Pilatus and Mt. Bürgenstock before. There are still a lot of mountains in Central Switzerland but seeing Matterhorn is quite a different experience and she was glad we went there because when I told her on the day she arrived that we would go there, she said that it was too far. When we were on our way home from Zermatt, all the mountains she saw along the way was for her the Matterhorn.

On the way home, we never forgot to eat raclette. For me, it’s like a must in Valais to try raclette. So we dropped by Golf Source du Rhone, the golf club where we belong, as we know the people there. Erich and I both love raclette. And Mimi? Oh yes, she loved it too.

We left Obergesteln, passed by Oberwald then up to Grimsel Pass, a high mountain pass in the alps which is 2,615 meters above sea level.

Climbing…

Whew…

The next day, we didn’t plan to go anywhere as Mimi was leaving for Singapore in the evening. We just went to the “Hilltop” to look at Weggis in 360 degrees.

We left at 2pm and brought Mimi at the airport. But before going to the airport, we dropped by at the church first, actually, at the cemetery and visited the grave of the parents of Erich. Mimi met both Erich’s parents the first time she came here.

Mimi and I grew up together in the province. I’m older than her but she’s taller than me. We’re almost like sisters. I never had a younger sister, so for me, she’s like my younger sister.

I would never forget that when we were young, I could never leave their house unless she was sleeping already. She would cry once I left early. One day, as I was always eating in their house, her father said that I should bring some rice too. I was a child so I didn’t know that it was a joke. And so I did. The adults were laughing like crazy.

Mimi was an only child then. When her younger sister was born, she wasn’t crying anymore once I left even if she wasn’t sleeping. And I got another younger sister too.