Hi from the Swiss Alps before leaving for Philly!

We just finished packing and are ready-ish to head back to Philly tomorrow. (Who is ever ready to leave the Swiss Alps? ;) This tour has been such an amazing experience. From not having any gigs pre-booked, we were asked to play 5 shows, made lots of connections with other musicians, got to be part of the recording process of a band called Kliché, collected a crowd performing by the Lake in Zurich, played in a soccer tournament with our roommates and met an amazing array of new friends! It has been such an amazing month!

Squeezing it in to our last couple days, I went on a 10 hour hike through the Alps with the friend we are staying with.. It. Was. GORGEOUS. Here are the pictures.. It's hard to even know what to say- it was breath and word taking. Seeing something so HUUUUUGE and beautiful is what people write books, poetry and music about. I am in love. 

With a lot of time to think on the hike, it was an emotional adventure walking through such vastness. I felt so small and so big at the same time. The weight of everyday life evaporates as you climb and any worries seem as far away as the town where we began our hike. As we sat eating our lunch, a chunk of snow shifted on the mountain starting a small avalanche (only because we were far away did it seem small) that thundered down the mountain. We sat holding our breath watching the snow collect speed and pour out as a waterfall into the valley below. To be there in the moment when it shifted was incredible.

It does make one think- these mountains are what we are fighting for in preserving the beauty and biodiversity of nature. These moments of overwhelming appreciation and humility and connectedness to where we come from, who we are and where we are going. We are constantly involved and always part of nature despite how lost and far from it we may feel at times. In a comforting way, we never exist outside of nature. Our actions are not separate from the environment. It is our responsibility to avoid ignorance/ denial and embrace this responsibility with pride and uphold the values that allow us to continue being part of this cycle. The Earth will be fine- humans just may not be around to enjoy it if we don't understand that we are intrinsically connected to nature.

On that note, I've got hiking boots and am excited to adventure upon returning to Philly. Please let me know if you'd like to  join :)

To all the beautiful places and people I know and have yet to meet, I am so glad we share these orbits. 

Love,
Vessna

On a spontaneous 5 hour hike we took along the Limmat river yesterday, we came across this lovely sheep farm and decided to practice our newest cover for them. It was overwhelmingly endearing when they gathered along the fence where we were playing that we forgot some of the chords. They really enjoyed it! And so did we :)