Isn't it odd how you forget some of the small pleasures of life? I can think of a few things in my life that I miss dearly, most of them obviously are from when I used to live in Switzerland. Here are a few:
-the sound of the valley waterfalls heard from our chalet, with a fresh early morning breeze in the air
-the sound of the old oven clock in our chalet when all is quiet in the house
-the smell of the furnace in the backroom where we would store all our wet gear to dry (and the warmth it would bring for that matter)
-although still doable in the US but none the less different, sitting in a small cafe at a train station or in town while enjoy a reasonably sized cappuccino in an actual porcelain cup (that is a 12oz or less cup, not the enormous ones in the US)
-amazing historical buildings (such as the train station above)
-sitting on a train to travel from point A to point B, observing the country side with no thoughts running through our mind, other than admiring the beauty of the world we live in with sounds of the train tracks in the background.
Today I realized just how much I missed that last one. It has been over a year since I have been in a train, and as part of our welcome to Dunedin, we were given a free train ride along Dunedin's country side. All I have to say right now is I am going to like it here. I am certainly more eager to go tramping now. Especially since the train had to follow along a "valley" and so you can't see the amazing views from the top of the hills. But after what we saw from below, the above will be even better! It is for that reason that I plan to wake before the sunrise tomorrow to go on a short hike where I hope to get some breath taking views. As I am sure you have already hear, live in the now and not in the tomorrow.
Although I love to fly, I cannot think of a better way to travel than by train. You get to stand whenever you want. You can walk along the wagons, and walk greater distances than in planes. You can get some fresh air. And the best part, you have a view that is ever changing, and is not just the ocean or the tops of houses. That is not to say that I do not love flying, but acrobatic flying or gliding is a lot more fun and entertaining than commercial flying.
During my train ride, we passed many farmers and hill sides. As an adventurer, it is my duty to document what I have discovered. As such, I counted every animal I saw. Here are the stats:
Lamas: 3
Horses: 15
Sheep: around 400+
It would appear that just as in England, New Zealand like their sheep. A fellow traveler asked me if New Zealand used sheep for more than just wool and meat, such as maybe milk or cheese. As far as I knew they did not, however with a bit of research I did find that they do. Not only do they make cheese, but they also make ice cream! Here is the link so that you may check it out yourselves! http://www.blueriverdairy.co.nz/
As an explorer, I will have to find this ice cream and cheese (depending on the price) and taste it, so that I may report back to you.
Until then, this is W.W.A. Rhondiggity, signing out.
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