How should you start a new month? - Try gloriously hot weather
and a spectacular fireworks display.
The 1st August is Swiss National Day, and this year was definitely an experience not to be missed. All of Switzerland was on holiday. The weather was clear blue skies and hot and the fireworks were incredible.
It all started about three weeks before hand. Stalls started appearing selling fireworks. Not just the smaller fireworks seen in shops in Britain, but also massive pyrotechnics intended to hurl spectacular exploding light and sound high into the night sky. I saw one young man proudly walking home with two rockets at least as tall as he was, smiling at his father who had just bought them. Then there was the standard official notices about being safe with fireworks and flyers about special events to be held that day in the post. This was followed by the Swiss flag being sold in every shop and either the National flag or the Cantonal (county) flag or both sprouting magically, almost overnight from buildings. Any buildings. It seemed like all the buildings in Switzerland had flags on them by August 1st. And of course the meat, the wurst (sausages), the ribs, the steak, the chicken, the chops, the kebabs, etc. etc. Meat for a feast. Meat for the barbecues which everyone was planning or visiting that day, ourselves included.
