Holy Water, HOLY bike riding, and Nora =)

This is my new friend Nora, or as she likes to refer to herself as, my 'swiss momma.'

I first met Nora, a few weeks ago when I moved into the 9 century old convent that I now live in. (No men allowed, and no talking after 10:30pm).

Nora, offered to take me around town so I would know where things are.  She is such a sweetheart :)

Since then, she will come into my room from time to time to chat or inform me that we are going out.

Today was one of the 'going out' days.  She suggested we go for a bike ride. She is actually moving back to the states after being in Switzerland for the past 20 years and has generously offered to give me her bike. So of course I agreed to go on a bike ride with her today. 

Here's how it went:

Now I have had some physically straining days in my lifetime, not since high school, but I have definitely been pushed to my limit before. I once had to run a 5k on the hottest recorded day of the summer and ended up collapsing on the pavement and vomiting in front of my high school football team. I know, tasty...But that's neither here nor there. The point is, I thought I'd never see a day like that again. 

I was very wrong.

It took us about an hour to bike to the outskirts of Zurich, I had no idea we were going that far.  I also was not aware that the ride to Zurich would consist of going up one hill after another. 

Nora was gliding up hills like her Tour de France medal depended on it. Meanwhile, I am fighting to breathe, repeating the phrase "mind over matter" to myself, and doing that maneuver where you try really hard not to pant because you don't want people around you to think you are ridiculously out of shape. 

By the eighth hill I couldn't fake it anymore, mostly because Nora kept saying things like, "Oh isn't it just so beautiful out here?" And it was getting way to hard to answer with a five word sentence that didn't include me pausing in the middle to gasp for air. So, I hoped off of my bike and walked it the rest of the way.

Talk about feeling like a total failure.

I neglected to mention that it was 41 degrees outside today, so I was wearing a sweater, gloves, and a heavy jacket. When I stopped to walk my bike I took my jacket off because I had gotten very hot.  My sweater was drenched in sweat. Disgusting, yet true. All the while Nora is still pedaling away, smiling, talking...breathing normally.

This is a picture of me, post death ride, with some pretty trees. 

Nora and I like the way the leaves are changing color, photo opp! 

It's truly a blessing that you can't see me very well. At this point my heart was 

beating against my chest so hard that it felt like it was going to rip its way right out of my body. 

Our destination was the home of a very nice older lady. I didn't catch her name, or probably

I just can't remember it, I have a really bad habit of doing that.  She is the mother of a very

good friend of Nora's.  Mrs. Nora'sfriend'smother invited us in for coffee and biscuits. She doesn't

speak English, but I really liked that. We hung around for about an hour and I listened to the two

of them speak German and understood about 10% of the conversation. Just give me time, I will

learn. 

In an attempt to relate to Mrs. Nora'sfriend'smother, I noticed a picture of the Pope on her wall

and informed her that I am also Catholic. She immediately leaned over and picked up 

what looked like a bottle of hairspray and sprayed it on to my head. 

"Ah, this is holy water", said Nora, "She is a very spiritual woman." 

"Yea, and that wasn't the slightest bit odd", I said inside my head.

She also gave me a rosary, showed me a picture of her grandson receiving his first communion 

and told me to sleep each night with the rosary wrapped around my thumb... religion :)

In all seriousness, I genuinely enjoyed being there. You know the opening scene of 'Inglorious Basterds',

the country side of France in the 1940s? That is what this house looked like, it was out in the middle of no where, on a beautiful green farm.  I had one of those in the moment realizations that just make you appreciate your existence. 'Wow I am having coffee with two nice ladies in a gorgeous old farm home, in Switzerland. Is this real life?'

Graffiti wall in Baar we spotted on our bike ride. 

Woody was my favorite.