The Beauty of Familiarity

Daily Miles: 29.26

Total Miles: 15,578.75

I slept well. Not enough, but well.

Already when I crawled into my tent the night before, everything felt damp and wet. By the morning at 7am, the fly of the tent was completely soaked. The sun hadn’t yet reached my little spot, so I carried all my things onto the pavement to pack up. Cold coffee, hanging up the tent as best as possible to let it dry a little.

Then, all of a sudden, a woman from the other side of a fence asked, “Andrea, do you want some bread with butter and jam?” We hadn’t even met before, but I guess Dölf had told her about me. So there I was, accepting breakfast from a stranger who somehow already felt familiar.

Bernd, whom I had met yesterday, stopped by for another chat. Later Dölf and Sylv said goodbye while preparing breakfast in front of their camper. When I finally left, they sang “Auf Wiedersehen,” and everyone nearby who heard it started waving too. What a beautiful way to leave a campsite.

It was already relatively late by the time I got going, and the sun was strong even in the morning. I definitely should have applied sunscreen, but with everything else going on, I completely forgot.

Still, it was a beautiful start to the day. Sunshine, warmth, and the lake stretching along my right side with fantastic views. My body actually felt good despite the lack of sleep.

Along the way I met Remo, a gardener, and shortly after that Irene slowed down beside me on her bicycle and asked about my run. I was genuinely happy about that because so many people passed me, certainly reading “Andrea Runs the World” on my shirt, yet very few actually ask. With Irene, we ended up having a long conversation while moving along the path together, then standing and talking, then continuing again. I really enjoyed that encounter.

Later, another woman stopped. She was pulling a trailer with her two children, very similar to my buggy, while her husband rode beside her on a bicycle. We talked for a little while before continuing on our separate ways.

As the day went on, the heat became intense. At some point I thought again that I should really put on sunscreen, but somehow I just kept moving.

The path itself was beautiful. Very Swiss. Very orderly, clean, and perfect. And between us, today I also paid SFr 1.50 to use a toilet. Normally I never do that, but the roads were busy and I really had to go.

Just after 4pm, I arrived at Fa’s place. It was my first time visiting him since he moved here. Who would have thought I would one day arrive in Triboltingen after running all the way from Zagreb?

What I appreciated most was the familiarity, flexibility, generosity, warmth, and love. I kind of thought I would feel welcomed, but actually experiencing it is something entirely different. Thank you, Fa, for welcoming me with all of your heart.

We had a short time to catch up before he had to head back to work. I did some work myself afterward and got ready to meet my companions for the next days: my little sister Sändy, her husband Jürg, and their children Yanis and Enya.

Lucky me.

When they arrived, I was genuinely so happy to see them. They had gone shopping for us, and together we walked down to the lake, only a few steps away from the house. We picnicked around a bench, talked, played, laughed, and simply enjoyed the beauty of the place, the moment, and each other’s company.

Instead of clinking glasses, we clinked eggs. Yanis won. We even had a three-course menu followed by a hot coffee to end the evening. Pure luxury.

The family is camping tonight, and I returned to the house to see Fa again before he headed out once more.

A day with so much conversation. So much warmth. So much connection.

Good for the heart and therefore good for the mind.

Great. I better get some sleep.

Thanks for checking in, Andrea