24 September 2021.
Every Swiss village and town is abundantly bedecked with seasonal flowers. Late summer canna lilies, daisies, sunflowers and geraniums are giving way to mums and decorative kale as our month in Lauterbrunnen comes to an end. Fall crocuses in the pastures are hanging on but the last of the high elevation campanula and other wildflowers were done in by the snow last weekend.
Embracing the flower culture is not surprising in this lush land. What is surprising is the garden whimsy, which at home in America usually comes off as silly, goofy, or downright stupid, is somehow quite charming in situ here. Perhaps it is because each garden is obsessively tended, each path swept clean, no junky cars or trash cans are in sight although chickens and rabbits in tidy pens are common.
Enjoy these snaps. Perhaps some well-kept whimsy should be in every yard. I might have to collect gargoyles again since Ric won’t let me have chickens or bunnies.
A few animal figures in a lovely garden. 
Old hikers become flower pots. 
Whatever this is on the side of an old building. 
Gnomes are popular. 
Even hotels get in the act. 
Fence post figurines. 
Decorative cowbells. 
Liselotte, a slide in a mountain playground. She moos. 
Never enough cows. 
A game — one of several of its type — in the walkways of Mürren.
Girovaga 
I am really enjoying your posts Laurel! My husband & I loved the Lauterbrunnen Valley when we were there with a Rick Steves Tour in 2015. We then returned after the tour to spend several days in Murren. We are now trying to decide the wisdom of going on the RS Sicily Tour that we have signed up for May 2022. With the Covid numbers I think perhaps travelling on your own is safer than travelling in a group of 25!
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Thanks so much, Lynne. May 2022 should be a new world again! Still, we like independent travel so much, taking things at our own pace.
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I love the garden whimsy. Gnomes are a big thing in France, and there is a group called ‘Free the Gnomes.’ They take gnomes from gardens and usually deposit them on the court house steps. They never break or destroy them. It usually makes news in the local papers and gives a good laugh to everyone, except perhaps the owners of the gnomes. Are you off to France soon?
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We have not spent enough time in the French countryside so I haven’t noticed the gnomes! We were quite taken with the over-the-top Easter decorations in Alsace a couple of years ago.
We enter France Oct 14. Only 3 nights in Paris this time, sadly. So hard to do it all!
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I do like gargoyles! We have some garden whimsey in our backyard and at I times, I do agree with you that it looks childish or even stupid here! Love the flowers and colors.
By the way, we are moving to Idaho by the end of October. Loved living in Reno for 8 years but ready to try something else.
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Wow! Idaho! What part? Have either of you lived there before?
I am going to up my flower game at home. Truly inspired!
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Lovely!
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I know how you LOVE flowers and I think you might adopt a bit of whimsy, too, with your playful side.
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