Bookworm Press

I decided to toss around some interesting words. As a writer, and particularly one who writes in her non-native language, I’m constantly trying to expand my vocabulary. I love words, most of all those whose meaning I don’t know or I keep forgetting, such as:

Day 7 of the Scenic/Landscape Challenge. I conclude it with the stunning scenery of Peru:

El Beso, famous sculpture in Lima by Victor Delfin

Artisans in Cuzco creating native handicraft

Cathedral at the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco

Plaza de Armas in Cuzco

Desert near Arequipa with carvings from a pre-Inca tribe

Tunupa or Wiracocha, the legendary Pilgrim Preacher of Knowledge above Ollantaytambo

Sixteenth Century Convent Santa Catalina in Arequipa

And, of course, Machu Picchu

This is the end of the Scenic/Landscape challenge. I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment, if you wish!

Day 6 of the Scenic/Landscape challenge: Thinking of a wonderful trip through Maine I took with my friend, Diane Busch. And here are some pictures of that gorgeous landscape.

Just to summarize: I was invited to take part in the Scenic/Landscape challenge by Darlene Foster. Here are the pictures of Day 4. (I actually mixed up Day 3 and Day 4, but it doesn’t really matter).

So here we go. Day 4 or 3 of the Scenic/Landscape challenge: Germany meets California: A sculpture of Goethe and Schiller, two German literary greats, in the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco!

Day 5: More pictures from the beautiful Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The Japanese Garden is one of its many scenic spots.

And more to come!

Day 3: Castello di Pavone in Ivrea, Italy (Piedmont). This is unique castle dates back to Medieval times. It is now a hotel/restaurant, where we celebrated an important birthday of my nephew a couple of years ago. The castle is privately owned by a family who lovingly renovated it while leaving the original intact as much as possible. Wonderful place! Find out more here: http://www.castellodipavone.com/en

To be continued.

I was invited by my friend and author Darlene Foster to take part in the Scenic/Landscape Challenge and post a picture a day for the next seven days. I decided to put them on my blog as well, since some of my friends may have missed them on Facebook. Here is my contribution for the first two days:

Day 1: This is a picture of my home town in Switzerland with hoarfrost and the fog snaking its way through the landscape. I thought of it because I woke up this morning in California to a foggy day.

 
Day 2: The following are pictures taken from the Botanical Garden at Berkeley of the San Francisco Bay and the gardens I visited together with my friend Susan Deming. We were surprised to find a rock with a poem by Sylvia Plath in the gardens.

To be continued!

Hello everyone. This post has nothing to do with writing. I simply wanted to show you how I spent my first days back in Southern California. I walked through Santa Monica, enjoyed the views, bought a scrumptious croissant, and got my veggies at the wonderful Farmers Market. Here are a few pictures! Enjoy.

There is a beautiful poem by Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets, called Look And See (Why I Wake Early), in which she shows us through her beautiful language and vivid images how much richer the everyday things in our life can be, if we learn not just to “look” at them but to “see” them: Look And See by Mary Oliver.

Walking around my present neighborhood in Switzerland, I was reminded of her poem. Here are a few pictures of ordinary things that shine in an extraordinary light.

Enjoy! Wishing you a Happy New Year. May you “see” much beauty in 2016!

Unlike in the United States where I live now, Santa Claus (or Samichlaus in Zurich dialect) is celebrated on December 6, in my original home country. He doesn’t breeze in on a reindeer either, but walks at a leisurely pace next to a donkey, loaded with presents.

In the United States, Santa Claus is the bringer of Christmas gifts. In Switzerland, this role is fulfilled by the Christkind (the Christ child), an angel who flies from Heaven with the gifts and puts them under the tree on Christmas Eve while the children have to wait in their bedrooms. They stand by the window, staring into the night, hoping to spot the Angel flying down from Heaven. Of course, they never see him/her, but they hear the bell ring. This is the signal that tells them that everything is ready. They dash from the bedroom to the Christmas tree in the living room, where the presents are stacked under the tree. At least, this is the way it was when I was a child. Of course, a lot has changed since then.

Accompanying Samichlaus on December 6, is his helper, the Schmutzli. His name, Schmutzli, comes from “Schmutz” (dirt) and refers to his “dirty” face (smeared with ashes). Whereas Santa Claus is the light and good force, his helper, originally Knecht Ruprecht in the old days, represents the darker side. While Santa Claus is the bringer of gifts for the childen, Schmutzli punishes them if they were disobedient during the year. There is a rich tradition (both secular and religious) around these two figures. Interested? Read this!

Nowadays, however, both Samichlaus and Schmutzli are kind men (although Schmutzli still looks a little scary in his black robe and his face smeared with ashes). Schmutzli’s basic role now is helping Santa Claus distribute gifts–mandarines, peanuts, and the famous Lebkuchen (ginger bread).

 

For those who missed Linda’s blog post last week!

One of the challenges of being an independent author is creating connections, but this is also one of its perks. Since I started my micro publishing business back in 2010, I have had the good fortune of meeting many wonderful friends on social media. The true pleasure, however, is when you have the chance to get together with them in person. I’ve met several of my author and reader friends for lunch or an outing and these occasions are always an inspiration.

One such opportunity I had when meeting Linda Huber, the talented author of books such as The Attic Room and The Cold Cold Sea. During my yearly stay in my original home country, Switzerland, this November, we met in the city of Zurich. We took a stroll through the old part of Zurich, visited one of my favorite coffee shops, the richly decorated Cafe Felix at Bellevue, which serves excellent coffee and cake. While enjoying a cappuccino and a delicious Aprikosen-Streuselkuchen (apricot crumb cake), we talked about books, about Scotland (where Linda is from), California (where I live), and tons of other topics.

To walk off some of the calories, we took another stroll, admiring the many small shops, the beautiful old buildings, and Christmas decorations.

Since the weather was rather on the cold and wet side, we needed to warm up at one of the many Glühwein stands (mulled wine) which, together with roasted chestnuts, are very popular at this time of the year.

It was a truly memorable time and I look forward to more such occasions!