Religious experiences....

Three experiences in the last few days have made me aware of the bigger world around me. Firstly a before supper hike up to the small church in Vesancy. (I didn't go the first time, at the beginning of the trip, I don't think I could have made it up the hill, frankly.) What greeted me at the top was a perfect, minute church, doors open, hard benches and candles flickering at the altar. It made me think of my Mom. Norm, the boys and I lit a candle for her and spent a few moments recalling memories. I, of course, blew out the candle when blowing out the match! Mom would have giggled.

Next a trip to Lausanne, to see the huge cathedral at the top of the town. In the morning we took a boat across to Evian to drink the waters, no view of the alps, we could have been crossing a lake in the prairies! After we docked back in Lausanne, we took the metro up (and up and up) the hill to the cathedral. The hill was so steep that at one of the stations, Toby noticed that the benches were on a slant so that people could at least sit level. After disembarking, we climbed many stairs to get to the cathedral. Built in the 12th century, and taking nearly another century to complete, the cathedral is grand, ornate and makes one want to whisper in awe. I find myself imaging the workers and the conditions back in 'the olden days', what it must have been like. All this for a monument to another power. The stained glass windows were gorgeous and intricate. Some were made as late as the 1950's  which was surprising to me. We had an hour on our metro tickets so had to get back. Could have been lost inside for a long time sitting under a beam of sunlight.

Now the United Nations: We parked down at the lake and walked up the hill to the UN headquarters in Geneva. Outside the gates is the huge three legged chair, built to honour those who have lost limbs due to land mines. We went on the tour inside surrounded by art, marble and exhibits about the importance of birth certificates and newspaper headlines of important events in many countries from the end of WWII to the death of Micheal Jackson and every thing in between. We went into one assembly room in which the topic was the banning of land mines. There needs to be 100% agreement from all 193 countries to make it pass. They are at 75%, really people? Once again I could have stayed longer just to absorb, it was profound for me.

Maybe it's the history, maybe the surroundings or maybe it's just the climbing.