Switzerland Day 7
Day 7 (Saturday) - Uncle Robert
Today is check out day for our Wengen condo. We packed up in the morning and left at about 10 am headed for Zurich arriving at our hotel at about 2 pm, checked in, grabbed a bite to eat, went back to the hotel, freshened up, and then headed to Uncle Robert’s house.
We took the train from Zurich main station to Richterswil, then a bus that dropped us at the corner of Schyzerstrasse and Bacherstrasse. At that point my spidey senses started tingling. I looked around and recognized the woods we used to play in when we visited here 45 years ago. It was a deep wooded gully that ran downhill towards the lake. Brian would always run around on those slopes like a madman proclaiming that his name was Moss - “Master of the Slopes”. Brian always has a way of making things fun, it is a gift really.
From what I remembered that meant Robert’s house would be to the right when looking out at the lake, and down the hill a little bit, then I zeroed in on it and we made our way down the switch back roads to get there. Who needs Google Maps!
I can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday or where I put my keys, but I remembered this house from 45 years ago. It had changed a lot since then. Built in 1980, and newly constructed during our last visit, it was now surrounded by other houses and was fully landscaped, also Robert had added some solar panels to the roof, but the bones were the same. It was built on a hill, and when you entered the house you kept going up a series of half-flights of stairs, each time spilling into a new level of the house. First, Andrea’s Pilates Werft, then Lars’ bedroom, after that the living room which was overlooked by the dining room. When at the top, in the dining room, a slider opened up to ground level at the back. Every floor is at ground level. As kids we thought it was the coolest thing, and that opinion still holds.
I’m guessing we visited in 1981 based on the fact that it was newly constructed, and Uncle Robert told us it was built in 1980. Gerry remembers he was in fifth grade at the time, and so I’m guessing it was spring of 1981. That puts me around age 9, which seems about right, but this is all just guess work.
Robert and Andrea welcomed us in, and Lars, and HP were also there. I hadn’t seen Uncle Robert since we were kids when he was a much younger man, so I didn’t know what to expect, and always pictured him as that young man. When we did see him, here in 2025, he looked great. I hope to be as witty and fit at 80 years old as he is. In spite of his age, his voice and mannerisms, and the way he spoke hadn’t changed. He could still make you laugh and had a joy in his heart. He loves his family and loves Switzerland, and in speaking with him, he makes that plain to see. As we ate dinner, I watched and listened to him speak with Lars, and although I couldn’t understand a word they said, it was clear that they had a close bond and took comfort in each other’s company. It was touching to see.
Andrea was a gracious host, welcoming us and making us feel at home. I appreciate the connection we have with her and the link she provides for us to our family in Switzerland. It was a joy to see her and spend some time in her home. I have not seen Lars for a few years, and he has grown much in that time. He now towers over me, but he has also grown to be a fine, mature young man. I was glad to hear that he is happy with his apprenticeship as a boat builder and that it is going well for him. It sounds like he is working hard at it, and we all wish him the best with it.
HP prepared a delicious dinner for us. There was some miscommunication about the number of people that were with us, so when 6 showed up instead of 3 that must have been a surprise for the chef, but he adjusted with no problems and we all enjoyed a bountiful meal. This was my first time meeting HP and I found him to be a wonderful and very personable man, filled with great hospitality. I think he spoke English better than all of us and is a natural conversationalist.
As the evening drew to a close and we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t help but reflect on all the time that had passed by between my last visit as a child, and this visit as a man that has adult children himself. I am so happy that Robert has kept this house and welcomed us back into it so many years later. Although his house has changed and has been updated over the years, the structure of it has remained the same. The family inside of it has changed as well, but at the heart of that family, the love remains the same. We all hope for our families to have that bond that keeps us together over the years and decades, through thick and thin, connecting one generation to the next. In this visit to Switzerland I felt that connection to our past, to our family, and to our mother and her family. I feel a real connection with the land and with the people, as unlikely as that sounds, and the visit to see Robert and Andrea and Lars helped to solidify that feeling of connection. I am grateful for that.
