The First Summer Camp 2018

Nothing could have really prepared me for this first summer camp 2018 even though it was my 25 th camp! Luckily, I had spent five wonderful days relaxing, exercising and working in Madulain, so at least I started feeling really fresh and ready to go! Walking through the quiet streets of Madulain, imagining life as it used to be before cars, I felt very much at ease.

My final morning at the campsite was surreal. The cloud hung in the valley and actually up to the wine barrel, but as I ate breakfast outside my beautifully painted door, the cloud started to lift, like opening the curtains in the morning, and suddenly I had this lovely view. Marvelous memories.

So, from basic but fantastic accommodation to my luxury room in the Lyceum with my own door to a large balcony with this incredible panorama. 

And from my bed, this special view across the valley, with the famous Maloja snake tucked into the valley below. 

Even after thirteen years of working at the Lyceum Summer Camp, I am still totally captivated by the spectacular scenery on crystal clear days. Making things even more remarkable this year is the truly magnificent new dining hall, which must surely rank as  one of the top school dining halls in the world. It is gorgeous, both inside or outside on the terrace. People pay hundreds to eat with such views. The food is also delicious!

With 185 children, ranging from 7 to 16,  from 35 different countries, with18 classes of English, French or German, my average step count just around the school was around 10,000 per day! As I write this, I am happy to say I have forgotten my phone and can consequently enjoy the tranquility of these fantastic mountains. 

Getting away from the school whenever possible was more vital than ever before, though not something I could do  as often as in past years. The first trip was to the Silvaplana See, one of my favourites because it is so calm and not used for sailing, swimming or any water sports. What magnificent folours.

The Silser See, on the other hand, is a hive of activity, and on that particular afternoon, with a stiff breeze blowing, the windsurfers and kite surfers were zooming to and fro at breakneck speeds. Very colourful to watch but a bit scary.

Boy, was I thankful to reach the weekend and to have some time alone. Me, one of the most gregarious people around here, wanting to be on my own! With rain forecast, I took an early train down the valley to Chinusch-Gel for a walk down the Susauna valley. As I left the station, I found the answer to why the petunias here seem to last for ever! Unbelievably, they have little rain covers when rain is forecast. 

Not much further down the road I spied another unique sign, and sadly they were not joking! There were two landrovers parked there. What affluence!

What a lovely, peaceful walk I had, meeting a total of three people in the same number of hours. It was soooo therapeutic. I did occasionally wonder what I would do if I met the bear which pays an annual visit to the area, but as I could see the anthills were untouched, I felt a bear encounter would be unlikely. 

I was thrilled to see that the ostriches in the village of Schanf were still there. We spent a long time watching one another. I wonder if they remember me from last year.

Sunday morning was fabulous, starting with a brilliant Jazz concert in St Moritz. We had front row seats so it was fascinating watching the facial expressions of the musicians when they were playing and interacting with one another through raised eyebrows, smiles and signs. The music was great too. Being the 25 th year of jazz brunches, we got delicious bread free of charge. 

As the forecasted rain did not arrive, I decided to walk around the St Moritz lake, through the forests to another favourite lake, the StazerSee. I must admit that autumn is my preferred time to visit when all the larches turn gold, but it was still stunning. I love the wiggly wooden walkway to the lake, and today was particularly special because there was almost nobody around. Probably too cloudy for the average tourist or local.

 The fine weather returned on Monday, week two of the camp and probably the busiest for me. It is a week when so much happens in camp one and I have to start to finalise plans for camp two. It is really hard to focus on what is actually happening. 

Tuesday, I really needed some fresh air, so was so thankful to Marco for taking a group of us to the majestic Morteratsch Glacier.  In fact, it was quite sad to walk up towards the tongue of the glacier and to see how much it had receeded even since last year. Last year you could walk up and touch the ice, but now there is a river blocking your way. 

I think I will make sure to visit each year. Who knows how much we will see of this glacier next year. After so much snow during winter and with relatively mild summer temperatures, we thought that there should have been no change. Sadly, we were wrong.

It was still a fantastic afternoon with a dear friend. It is so nice to spend time together in such an amazingly beautiful environment.

The end of Camp One today. Sad to see many friends leave, but it won't be long before we are hugging each other at the station, when they arrive next year!