On Friday morning, Bill had one last seminar. Then, his plan was to come back to the apartment and spend the afternoon with me, before we went to Küsnacht to attend a “farewell/graduation” party for the participants. Some of the people that were attending the intensive sessions were finishing actual certification programs. And some were just curious folks, like Bill. The staff at the Institute were kind enough to invite me to attend the party with Bill, even though I wasn’t a participant, myself.
Once again, the people in the apartment over us were making a lot of noise. It was also a cleaning day for the staff. So I decided to go back to the lakeside and watch people some more. It was actually interesting, because it looked like they were doing some construction on the pier where people were entering the water. Some of the benches were moved, so I moved to another spot and got a slightly different vantage point.
I got some raw video footage, but for some reason, I’m having trouble getting it to turn into a proper video. So here are some photos of Friday’s visit. The weather was actually very nice that day. The skies were cloudy, making the temperature comfortable, especially with the lake breezes. The clouds also made the lake look otherworldly. A group of kids were entertaining me by jumping into the lake and racing. I also saw some really cool looking herons.
When Bill got back to the apartment, it was just after 1:00 PM. The weather had cleared up a bit, so we decided to go back to the Biergarten by the lake for another sausage lunch, and more photos of the lake. I could enjoy that Biergarten all summer. It’s really laid back, and surprisingly easy to get a good table by the lake. Unfortunately, I noticed that the pile of dog shit that was by the tree on our first visit, several days earlier, was still sitting there. But, on the positive side, it no longer stank. I know a lot of these photos look the same, but they are so pretty, it’s hard to choose just a few!
At about 3:45 PM, we decided to leave the lake and go get ready for the farewell event at the Jung Institute. As we were standing up to leave, a pretty, young Black woman with crutches approached with a big smile on her face. I smiled back and gave her a sweeping “welcome” gesture. It occurred to me that the mood is so much more relaxed in Switzerland than in the United States. There’s a whole lot less hostility. In fact, I didn’t mention it in yesterday’s post, but I wore my “Trump Sucks” t-shirt on Thursday, and some guy stopped me, gave me a big smile, and said, “I love your shirt!” That made me smile, too.
I was thinking of wearing a dress to Bill’s event, but it was too hot. I wore white pants and a t-shirt instead. Bill’s analyst was there, because he gave a presentation that morning. He said it was a casual event, even though some people were dressed up because they had actually graduated from the program. We took the tram for two stops, then got on a local train, which took us to the quiet community of Küsnacht, where Tina Turner lived for years, and where Jung lived, and began his famous institute. It really has a different vibe than the city does.
After we said hello to a few people, including Bill’s analyst (whom I picked out immediately, even though we’d never met), Bill gave me a tour of the facilities. We learned that the grounds are actually rented, which was surprising to hear. The institute itself is quite small, with only a few classrooms. It was pretty warm in the building, although one room had a balcony that opened to lake views and breezes. Bill’s analyst asked me what I do with myself when Bill is attending classes. I just laughed and said, “You haven’t had much exposure to military spouses, have you?” And it’s not even like I’m anything like most military spouses… it’s just that we tend to spend a lot of time fending for ourselves.
The spread was nice. They had jars of several different food items, including one that had smoked salmon, and another that featured lentils. There was also a lovely white chocolate dessert, and plenty of wine, water, prosecco, and juice flowing. The reception was very gracious and elegant, and I was impressed by the send off the Jung Institute gave a staff member who was leaving. They gave her two huge bouquets of flowers, chocolates, gifts, and many kind words. I got the sense that the staff and students were very close. I also enjoyed talking to some of the people who attended. Most of the time, when I go to events with Bill, it’s a military function. Military folks are, are a general rule, typically very different than people who are interested in Jungian psychology.
Küsnacht is such a beautiful area. Bill’s analyst said that when he was a student, there was a lady in town who would kick out her kids and rent out rooms in her house to Institute students. I’m not sure she’s still in business, but her offer must have been a real boon to people who were studying psychology.
As we were leaving to go back to the apartment, I got the sense that Bill will be applying to study, starting next year. The pandemic has made it so that it’s possible for him to do most of the work from afar. I don’t know what the future holds, but this is something Bill wants to do. So, he’s going to try to do it. We’ll see what happens!
Next post will be about our 4.5 hour cruise around Lake Zürich. Stay tuned!