We wake up in the middle of the night with a loud sliding noise coming from the kitchen.. What are the Cats upto? Are they having a midnight party? Within a minute i hear Lukas's call "There's something wrong with the cats. Do you see Skylar? I search for her in all rooms and finally reach the kitchen. We can hear her cries.. She is stuck in the gap between the kitchen cupboard and floor. Apparently they climbed up the kitchen closets and she fell down the small opening. Lukas tries to coax her back to the opening to no avail. Her cries continue and Nellie parks herself outside the closet where she hears her sister -- she's just going to be there. Finally Lukas is able to dismantle a ground board & coax her to come out.. It's 4AM.. Hmmm.. what a nice Wake Up Call.
Since I haven't yet learnt the art of snoozing from the cats, I use the early wake up call to step out for a refreshing 2 mile walk. I catch a beautiful sunrise (unfortunately no cellphone to capture a picture). I mentally thank Skylar for the early start!
Morning is taken mostly in paperwork appointments: Beckenried community office, Immigration office (address proof paper request), AHV (Social Security in Swiss) and then on to Lucerne to register in a 4 week German Course from Aug 17th - Sep 11th. Daily 9-Noon. German course levels start from A1(beginners), A2, B1, B2 and C1, C2 (certification). What I've signed up for is just 1/3 of A1. I could theoretically spend a few years just getting unto C2 ;)
We watch the swans glide in lake lucerne as we enjoy a coffee/gelato.. always a good way to chill out by the lake! My afternoon is spent frantically searching for a copy of my California Drivers License (CA DL). My NJ DL is only 2 years old and I cannot get a Swiss Drivers license based on that. NJ authority had taken my CA DL when they issued me the License.. Ah well.. another item added to my endless list of needed paperwork ....
Lukas invites me for an evening Apéro date at SeeBar. It's warm sunny & brings out a festive atmosphere -- folks basking in the sun, kids swimming in the lake, a group of 30 in a private party on the side.. i try to make sense of a few known German (Swiss-German) words i overhear from the surrounding tables.. But soon my drink arrives. German is now history and I focus more on the glistening waters, the green hills, the sea gulls fluttering by in hope of catching some crumbs, the silent & elegant sail boats and the loud motorboats...
The pink/golden hue cast by the setting sun provides a perfect backdrop for a lovely ending to an interesting day..
