Homeschooling: Greetings from a very 'green' Switzerland!

One of the sights Jonathan hopes to see in his travels in Europe - one of the plusses of being homeschooled. Courtesy photo.

The buses are electric, there are separate travel lanes for them, as well as for bicycles.

[Editor's note: TheHartunian-Alumbaugh family is traveling in Europe as part of a work-related trip for Jon, Ruth's husband and Rosie and Jonathan's dad. See the previous column, "Ease on down the road," for more details.]

Hello readers... we are in Switzerland, so our travels have hindered our keeping in touch with you but let me describe a little of what we have seen, so far.

It's easy being green here

You would be amazed to see how "green" Switzerland is. There are recyclables receptacles all over the place. They even look nice, too! The packaging for their food is also recyclable, so there is less waste.

They even have a small button to push for a small toilet flush and a big button to push for a bigger flush, if needed.

Public transportation runs all week long, including weekends... the buses are electric and there are separate travel lanes for them, as well as for bicycles.

People walk a lot, so the city is very exercise-friendly It seems no wonder that as you see elderly people out riding their bikes - as well as people going to and fro - that they look like they are in good physical condition, even after eating lots of cheese, breads, and meats for many a meal.

The Scenery is green, too

Not only is there a great recycling movement here, but the scenery is enough to steal your breath away. I feel like we are driving in a picture postcard all the time.

I love the sound of the cow bells ringing as the creatures go up and down the steep hills. The air is fresh and crisp. If people smoke, they are outside.

Buildings merge into the landscape to provide a natural beauty that is not seen where we live in the U.S. And just when you thought the Alp scene that you just saw is the most magnificent, another appears in even greater splendor.

The waters look so clean and pristine.

Boat rides on Lake Constance were quite a highlight during our trip, as was a cable car ride to the top of a mountain.

Wherever I look, I see the Hand of the Creator in plain sight.

A little less green

As we spent time in Milan, we observed more chaos and excitement wherever we went. But the roof of the Duomo, as well as the Last Supper viewing that we had a chance to see, had to be two highlights for me.

History stood still as I viewed the city from many different angles. The culture, architecture, music, flavors - all blended into a very sensual adventure.

I had a very hard time navigating the car through the city; even the GPS was confusing.

For many reasons, Milan had to be a piece of the puzzle of life that I had been looking for. The styles were lavish and beyond comprehension.

I wondered what people did for a living to be able to afford Prada boots to the tune of 1,500 Euros.

So many young people... so much energy in the city.

I will have to provide more information on this city another time.

I also have hundreds of photos to share but will pick a few for another time, too.

Greener still...

And talk about being "green" in another sense, being a traveler in countries where you don't know the language can be really challenging.

Thankfully, many English words are similar to what we see around us at the stores, businesses, etc. But the highway signage is overwhelming to me. There is so much of it!

In each country we have been in, we have known people who speak the language, so we are kind of fortunate in that they have helped us negotiate the trains, public transport, customs (differences between sparkling, mineral and still waters, for example), and how to pay a bill at a café or restaurant.

I think I could be happy here...except for the language. I would have to learn another language, for certain.

One more week

I will have a lot more to tell you in the next week or so, but here are a few comments from the kids

Notes from the kids

- Rosie -

I got to get a knife with engraving on it. And I also had fun going on the Alpine slide. I also had fun going to a Mongolian Barbecue restaurant as well as fondue!

- Jonathan -

The alpine slide was really cool and the Mongolian Barbecue (called Han) had the best food. I wish I knew German.

Everyone is friendly and polite even when driving, even on bikes and stuff.

There is a lot of modern art.

You would not believe how many rotaries there are!

All the light switches are different. No two apartments have the same switches. Sometimes it's confusing.

Even the door handles are different. Once I turned a door handle up, because it was pointing straight down, and the door popped off its hinges. It started to lean toward me and I took the door and put it back on its hinges. I turned the handle back to where it was supposed to be!

Comments on this or any other item published in Mansfield Today are encouraged. Simply click on the "comment" link below.