We arranged to meet friends at a nearby park this afternoon, and the girls were really looking forward to it (as was I), until Sofie (my little girl with big ideas) suggested we could take the bus to get there.
Now technically we can indeed take the bus to this particular park, but for those of us who secretly want to live a greener lifestyle, but remain sadly addicted to the comfort and convenience of our cars, this is not an appealing prospect.
So I dragged out the bus timetable (our village is so small we get useful stuff like local bus and train time tables delivered to our home on an annual basis), and looked up which bus we could catch. As it turned out there was a bus that would get us there at almost the exact right time. And in fact, there are a lot more buses running through our village than I ever imagined.
Suddenly I started dreaming about getting rid of my car, and becoming one of those fabulously self sufficient types who was always jumping on and off of buses, whilst saving a fortune by not running an expensive second car. I worked out that I would probably need to use DH's car one day a week, but other than that the girls and I could easily manage with public transport for most of our trips.
Why on earth had I been so reluctant about catching the bus? This was clearly going to be fabulous, and undoubtedly signal the start of a whole new era in our lives.
And it was good, really, it was. This is Switzerland the public transport is punctual, efficient and clean. The girls loved the whole experience.
They ate a snack on the bus on the way to the park.
They enjoyed playing at the park.
The Autumn leaves were the best part for both girls. The following two pictures actually sum up both of their current personalities perfectly.
Emily is just active. Always moving, always up to something, always loud, and full of fun. She is our comedian, always laughing, very cheeky, and her life is one non stop adventure.
Sofie is often quiet, very self sufficient, always thinking of things, focused, and easily becomes very absorbed in what she is doing. She is our sweet, sensitive girl, whose ability to read others often astounds me.
After a lovely afternoon at the park, they weren't even bothered about waiting for the bus at the end.
But to be totally honest, although I have promised them that we will take the bus again very soon, I just really can't see me living without my car.
Maybe it is because Winter is fast approaching, and what seemed a reasonable wait in a bus shelter today, will become unbearable when the temperatures drop well below freezing in a few weeks.
Maybe it is because I am not great at schedules and timetables (I don't ever wear a watch), and today i had to tell the girls we would be leaving the park at a certain time, so we could catch a specific bus. Normally we just stay until they are finished playing, but today i had to make allowance for the fact we would have to walk to the bus stop, wait for a bus, and then walk home at the other end. The girls didn't mind their play being interrupted, but I wonder how they would feel if it happened all the time.
Maybe it is because I know that although there are all sorts of wonderful places we could reach using public transport, the effort of making multiple changes and connections means we wouldn't always bother to go.
Maybe it is because having to rely on public transport would require more forward planning, and remove a lot of spontaneity from our lives.
Or maybe it is because deep down, I am just a grumpy old person, who likes the fact that my car makes my life easier!
But the girls had fun, and we will be catching buses more often from now on, although lets just say that I won't be giving up my car anytime soon either!
