Abysses and Neuchâtel

Today we went to the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle in the city of Neuchâtel to see an exposition on deep sea creatures called "Abysses". It was fascinating! I felt in some way like I was in an exalted modern art gallery. It was the perfect combination of images depicting the delicate complexity of remote beings, and descriptions of their biological means of survival in such extreme environments. It appealed both to the artistic and scientific interest.

Afterwards we explored the rest of the museum, and saw the preserved animals like they have in Fribourg. My host mother remarked to me that there is an American equivalent for almost every animal they have in Switzerland. I think it might be true...

The city of Neuchatel was beautiful! When we first arrived it was gently raining, so Elise, Monika, and I took to running up the hill to the museum. There was something about it all that made me so happpy: the cheerful, yellow stone buildings, the spring flowers all through the streets, the raindrops, running like children, being with my host family, seeing new places... When we left the museum it had stopped raining and the wind was raging across the lake, bringing with it the smell of spring and whipping up white caps over the water. Afterwards we drove to a neighborhood in the outskirts of the city to pick up something for my host father. The people were very nice, and they invited us in to see their lovely home, and talked for ages. There were flowers pouring over their garden wall, and from the driveway there was a beautiful view of the lake, the green, Swiss hills and forests, and the grand Moléson with her mountain attendants.