It looks like things are slowly improving. Here in Switzerland, some businesses are starting to open and soon children will be back in school. But that doesn’t mean that things are back to normal. It will take some time before they are. So we are still doing the responsible thing, staying at home, going out just for groceries or short walks near home.
So far, I’m enjoying this last part. It’s been three years since I moved to my little Swiss town. But with so many hike trips and travelling around, I didn’t explore my surroundings as much as I should have. That’s what I’ve been doing during this lockdown days. Since all this started, the landscape around me has changed so much! The first days of confinement were still brown and lifeless… But spring has come and sprung and after the first bloom, now everything is full of new colors everyday. Cherry blossoms may be gone, but new flowers grow everyday in the forest and the valley, and there’s now a beautiful yellow carpet of dandelions and rapeseed in the valley, red poppies are starting to open and peonies and roses are just about to start blooming… I feel so privileged for having so many trails in the nearby forest and between the farm fields where I can stretch my legs once in a while, enjoying the views of the ever changing flowers, the friendly cows and their new born calves of the farms near home.
So here is a second batch of photos I’ve been taking at home and around my little Swiss town during these last weeks!
Pink valerian flowers. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 100mm f/4.5 1/1000sec. ISO160
Ladybug. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 400mm f/5.6 1/4000sec. ISO800
Red poppies. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 400mm f/5.6 1/2000sec. ISO800
Red poppies. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 371mm f/5.6 1/1250sec. ISO800
Wood anemone. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 330mm f/5.6 1/800sec. ISO200
Tulip. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 400mm f/5.6 1/50sec. ISO200
Tulips. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 400mm f/5.6 1/60sec. ISO320
Prunus. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 400mm f/5.6 1/8000sec. ISO500
Butterfly. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 400mm f/5.6 1/8000sec. ISO500
Wild flowers in the valley. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 100mm f/5.6 1/6400sec. ISO500
Apple blossoms. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 278mm f/5.6 1/8000sec. ISO500
Things sound like they are going well in Switzerland. Letd hope that continues.
Yes, looks like things are improving… slowly but steadily! Today shops, museums, restaurants and schools for children are open… I hope people continue to observe the distancing rules and the curve continues bending more and more!
How are things in Australia?? We hardly hear anything from there.
We are doing well. No new cases for a week or so. They let a cruise ship dock a moth ago and it brought a whole lot of cases in. Without that, we would have had almost nothing. They are now starting the process of opening up places now. Part of the senior schools are back, restaurants only are takeaway and can open for groups of ten people next weekend. Travel restricted to 100 km. Social distancing is enforced. People are getting the idea!
Even if the restrictions are still on place, looks like it is almost under control there and people is behaving accordingly, right? I’m glad to read that! Now that Europe is starting to open again, I’m tired of seeing images of people gathering in parks and beaches and not respecting social distancing… I understand this lockdown has been long, two months already… I’m also tired!! But I think the best way to protect yourself and the others is respecting the rules and staying home as much as posible until things are better… But it seems people is more tired than worried about this thing. Well, we’ll see how things go in the next weeks! I hope no country has to go back to lockdown again!
There is talk of a second wave, in China and later in the Western world, perhaps October November. That may mean Christmas is a little different. But the fact that social distancing makes a difference is something I am pleased about because it means we have an answer to begin to combat this virus.
There will always be silly people who don’t want to stick to rules. These rebellious types don’t like any kind of infringement on personal freedoms. Best to ignore and steer clear of them if we can.
Well, I hope there’s no second wave in Europe… First one has already been devastating! So many deads and the huge economic crisis that it’s already here, specially in countries like Spain where tourism is such a big part of the country’s industry… 🙁
You’re right… there is going to be always that kind of people… so best to avoid them if we can!
Stay safe and healthy, Amanda!!
Let us hope for a Covid free summer for you and covid free winter for me. Three days and no new cases now….
Beautiful images Mercedes, especially the macros. I’m glad things are opening up for you. Let me know how it is to go into a restaurant, sit, enjoy being waited on, eat, leave and not have to do dishes!!! Things here in the US are chaotic. Some states never locked down. Some did and have re-opened. I think our Federal government has totally mismanaged the crisis. Now in California, things are slowly opening up. However due to our diverse economic and geographical areas, some rural areas say they are ready to be open and shouldn’t be compared to the more densely populated cities. I tend to agree. Thanks for brightening my morning with beauty!
Thanks a mil, Anne!! I’m back to my beginnings in Dublin, when I was carrying my camera all day, looking for color and beauty during grey days, hehehe.
Yes, things are finally opening! Slowly, but it feels so good to see some businesses and shop open again! It’s like the village is waking up! But I’m not sure if I will be able to tell you about my experience in restaurants so soon… It’s probably one of the places that scare me most right now! But well… we’ll see how this evolves in the next weeks… who knows! Maybe I can even celebrate my birthday with a brunch or something in a restaurant in a few weeks!! Hehehe.
I think that problem is everywhere. Here in Switzerland there have been Cantons more affected than others, and some of them asked for a slower transition to normal. In Spain, some regions are allow to start opening things while others are still in almost total lockdown… I guess it’s even more extreme in the US, with such populated cities in one hand and isolated towns in the countryside on the other and all federal governments deciding different. I also think that rural areas should have a bit more of freedom in this regard!
Have a great week, Anne! And stay safe and healthy!
I can see your enjoyment in the photos, Mercedes. 🙂 🙂 It’s a tourist based economy here and many are going to struggle, especially the restaurants. Sitting down to food with friends was something we almost took for granted. It’s hard to imagine going back to those ways.
Thanks a mil, Jo! I’m just trying to make the most of being at home these days! I make myself take the camera and go out to find beautiful things, even if it’s near home… I’m just surprised I didn’t see all these things before!
Well, I’m not sure how all this will impact on Switzerland… But at home in Spain it’s going to be hard. I guess it’s the same as Portugal. With so many people depending on tourism, it’s going to be a very hard summer in Spain! And they government is planning to extend the lockdown even further when the rest of Europe is already starting to open again… It’s catastrophic!!
Anyway, it’s nice to see the shops and restaurants open again here in Switzerland. I’m not going to rush to a restaurant just yet (I’vre read that not many have decided to open yet), but it’s so good to see that everything is slowly getting back to normal! Well see how this evolves in the next weeks (hopefully not so bad, as cases in this part of the country are very low).
Take care, Jo!
Wouldn’t you know it, it’s raining here! I’m sorting a postcard collection that goes back to the 1960s! My worry is the family. They are rebooked to come here at the end of July but no one knows what will be happening by then. 😕💕
Love the photos of the poppies and the ladybug 🐞! They are disappearing because of so many chemicals but this year during lockdown, they have bloom amazingly. How lovely nature is and how expertly you have capture its beauty 👌🏼.
This year, I planted dill in my terrace to attract ladybugs…. And it works! Every day I see one or two and they eat all the “bad bugs” in my plants, how awesome are they? Hehehe. Plus, they are really cute and fun to photograph!
So idyllic!
Thanks a mil Snow!! My little town is like out of a Swiss postcard with its pretty green valley, the friendly cows and the millions of wild flowers blooming these days! Most of my friends live at the other side of the mountain range, close to the lake… but these days of confinement I’ve realised that I don’t need the crowded shores of Zurich lake, I’m beyond happy in my tranquil valley where I can walk and walk without getting close to large groups of people 🙂 (sounds a bit antisocial, I know, but that’s what we need to maintain social distancing these days, right?)