surfing on a river

Yesterday I was in Thun at my Dad's godmother for lunch. She is a pretty awesome woman. Never married. Loves kids and worked as a nanny all her life. Told me she never could have had dozens of kids herself if she had married - better to just be single and nanny instead.

But check it out. On the way back to the train station I watched as two surfers, hundreds of miles from the closest ocean, found some swells to ride.

The river Aare flows out of Lake Thun, and is controlled in two places by old wooden sluices, on top of which are old wooden bridges that are so famous in Switzerland. With nice flowers, like this one:



These sluices create nice 3 foot swells, which these dudes took advantage of.



Should you ever wish to do the same, it's a simple idea:

First tie a line to the bridge



paddle out to the waves



And ride.



Eventually fall off (there is a head in there somewhere...)



swim back



rest up



And go at it again.


I'm now at my Uncle Peter and Aunt Lilo's house. They are so incredibly welcoming. Sometimes I think about things I don't deserve. Things I don't earn.
Undeserved love.

Isn't it something beautiful?