FINDING THE RHYTHM
There is a particular moment each July when the valley settles into its summer rhythm. Not because everything becomes busy, but because everything begins happening at once. Hay is being gathered in the fields while musicians rehearse behind closed doors. Families spread picnic blankets beside mountain streams, cyclists climb the passes, and shopkeepers greet familiar faces returning for another season. Everyone seems to be following a different itinerary, yet somehow we all share the same landscape.

This year, the rhythm has arrived under an almost relentless sun. By the time you read these pages, weeks of unusually high temperatures will already have left their mark across much of Europe. Here too, the days have been exceptionally warm, but the mountains have a way of softening even the hottest summer. Some mornings still begin with cool air, forests offer welcome shade, and an afternoon breeze can make all the difference after a climb or a concert in the village.

July also marks the return of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, adding another familiar beat to the season. For a few weeks, the valley resonates with rehearsals, performances and conversations about music, while everyday life continues around it. Farmers work with the weather, children make the most of the school holidays, hikers head for higher ground, and café terraces remain full long into the evening.

That has always been one of the pleasures of summer in Gstaad. There is no single way to experience it. Some come for the music, others for the mountains, the tennis, the cycling, the food or simply the chance to spend time with family and friends. Many have been returning for decades, while others are here for the first time. Different reasons, different routines, yet for a few weeks each year, we all become part of the same summer rhythm.

I hope this issue captures a little of that spirit and, wherever you find yourself this month, that you enjoy everything July has to offer.

Jeanette Wichmann
Editor in Chief