S W I T Z E R L A N D

 We've been very intentional about creating personal time with each individual daughter, and the opportunity became available for Teresa and I to invite you to join us on a Bucket List trip of a lifetime. Switzerland. A dream land. The kind of adventure that most people will never realize, you have captured before your 16th birthday!

We flew into Zurich after a missed connecting flight in Lisbon, Portugal. On the 9 hour flight, we each had our own row of four seats, so we slept most of the way there. It was the best flight ever! Once we arrived into Zurich, it was pretty late. We took the bus directly to our tiny hotel in the city, and you heated up some frozen food package in the microwave. We were in bed, asleep by 10:00.

The next morning, we arose early. We ate a nice breakfast in the hotel and scurried to catch the train... a long day of train travel across Switzerland. The views outside the window were epic! I captured this picture of you just mesmerized by the beauty of the landscape. We had a Swiss Pass, which allowed us to take any train or bus at any time. We could stop wherever we wanted, get off and explore the town, or just keep moving north, or south, or wherever. 

Town after town blurred by, until the farmland turned from green to snow covered mountains. In the distance, we could see the massive Swiss Alps surrounding us, and the train moved closer and closer to our first stop: Grindelwald. 

We stopped at a rural train station, unoccupied but well kept. "Shwendi" was quaint and felt like the middle of nowhere. We exited with our luggage and began to walk. Teresa had printed off a hard copy of the address of the Air B&B, which was a great idea because we couldn't get a phone signal to search google maps. We just walked around for a few miles, winding around crazy bends in the road, dodging cars and trying to figure out where we were. Eventually we made it to "Heidi's House". The absolute perfect bend in the road, with a balcony outside on the 2nd floor. 

The next morning we had coffee and breakfast on the porch, watching the sun rise over Grindelwald. I mean, seriously?! This was our morning view... 

Then we took the train for ten minutes, north to Buri Sports where they hooked us up with snowboard equipment immediately jumped on the bus across the street to get our lift tickets. We took the beautiful gondola ride up up up up up to the top of Grindelwald First (pronounced "Fierced") and we unloaded from the top. "Let's meet at the bottom." It was unclear if we meant bottom of the entire mountain, or bottom of the first run. 

Well, needless to say we got separated on the first run. You bolted down the mountain like a bat out of Ohio, and my bindings came loose. So I stopped to fix my gear, and you were literally gone! You kept cruising and winding and carving and cruising and winding and carving for a half hour - gravity is so fun! You eventually got spit out at the bottom of Grindelwald First mountain, and landed on the street. You looked around and said, "Hmmm. There's no gondola lift here." Completely lost, you asked a few German skiers if a bus happened to come through that area. They nodded, so after a few minutes you climbed on to a bus without any working knowledge of it's destination. Hahahahaha! You just got on a random bus and hoped for the best, like ya do. 

Eventually you made it back to the top where we all reunited over lunch. It was quite the story! By then, Teresa's leg was hurting, so you and continued snowboarding in the Snow Park at the top. The sun was beginning to set over the Alps, with diminishing visibility by mid afternoon. 

We made it home that evening without any scratches or injuries, so it was a victory! We went back into town for dinner and then slept really hard for ten hours. Little did we know what would happen the next day...

We woke up and took the train into Lauderbrunnen, and eventually the gondola ride straight vertical to Murren. There are no vehicles in Murren, accessible only via gondola. On the elevated journey we began to spin with dizzying fever at the sheer majesty of the Swiss Alps, specifically Mount Eiger. 

We got out of the gondola and walked around this resort village. The snow crunching beneath our feet and there was a holy whisper, eerily silent. The people seemed to talk in hushed whispers, with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. We captured pictures and you kept saying, "Dad, can you record a short video of me walking ahead?" 

Murren.

Back into Lauderbrunnen for lunch. $90. 

The next day we packed up our things to head to our second Air B&B designation in Winsderswil. You kept instructing me on the proper pronunciation... On the train we struck up a conversation with the absolute cutest couple. They had met at a Youth Hostel in Amsterdam, and now they were touring through Switzerland together. They told us about a secret town with a guy who rented floating hot tub/tiny boats in Isentwald. We knew immediately that we needed to investigate this lead! We called and talked to "Peter", and made our plans to rent the boat just before sunset!

We dropped our luggage off in Winderswil, and immediately set off on an adventure of a lifetime. We took the train to Interlochen, and then a bus to the tiny village of Iseltwald. Un Be Lievable!!!! It felt like the move The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, long boarding through the winding roads in a deserted European town... We hardly saw anyone here! It was spectacular, but completely silent. Eerily beautiful. A castle at the end of the peninsula, and a walk through town; it appeared to be a summer resort town, and we were out of season. This is not on the map!

There we found Captain Cove's Tug Bug rentals! At the end of the dock stood a local man named Peter who instructed us where to shed our clothes and how to operate the boat. He stacked the wood for the fire, and kept the water very hot! We jumped in, and you took command of the steering.

The sun was setting over the Swiss Alps, blue/purple haze in the clouds, and we set your music playlist to the perfect vibe. THIS IS HEAVEN!

We took a bus back home in the dark, then a stopped in the village for some overpriced salad and pasta. By the end of the night we were out of words, with hearts pounding in appreciation for God's creation. You couldn't wait to get on Wifi to video chat with Jacob, trying to describe our day!

The next day we slept in, and made our way over to Montroix to tour the city on Lake Geneva. The long train ride over provided spectacular views, and we noticed that the cultural language had shifted from dominant German to primarily French. We were closer to the French side of things... It was a beautiful morning, and we noticed the pristine cleaning of the city. We toured the massive "Montroix Palace"(at $600 per night), we walked around like we owned the place. We walked directly into the dining room/auditorium and you climbed up on stage and started Dutch Dancing. 

Then we walked across the street through the empty park, to the water's edge and took pictures. We climbed on a city bus which took us five miles south to the Chillon Castle, with would inevitably prove to be historically fascinating with a beautiful view of Lake Geneva. We spent a couple of hours touring the castle, exploring every hidden walkway. 

After lunch in the courtyard, we hopped back on to the train and headed to Gruyeres. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was an awesome hike up to the little village. Full of restaurants and gift shops, you and Teresa enjoyed homemade waffles in the courtyard. 

We toured another wealthy castle, meh. But thoroughly enjoyed the happy demeanor of the fellow tourists. Europeans as a whole, are friendly and helpful... We had a great time! In the evening we went out to dinner and were growing tired of the poor food in Switzerland. Straight up, over priced and small portions. But whatever. 

The next morning we checked out of our place and moved to the countryside. We got lost again, searching for our final Air B&B... Teresa's red suitcase had a broken wheel, and we dragged it around for miles. You were getting frustrated because we missed our train, and you started talking to local teens, trying to learn more about their culture. You wanted to hitchhike to our destination, but I wouldn't let you - and you didn't have the actual address. 

Meanwhile the sun was setting on the mountains in the distance. Hello Vuuardens. Carpe Diem!

The next morning we hopped back on the train of course. We were headed to Lucerne... it was overcast and drizzle. We enjoyed the progressive energy of the larger city, and noticed the locals all dressed in a cool fashion, and generally seemed to care more about their appearance. 

We took a Ferry Boat across Lake Lucerne to a destination near the water's edge. An exit to a gondola ride back up to the top of Mount Rigi. We thought it would provide spectacular views of the peninsula, but about five minutes up the mountain, the drizzle turned to heavy snow! After a few minutes, it became a complete whiteout blizzard! We couldn't see anything! We stayed until the very top, and eventually took the gondola ride back down the mountain. 

After waiting for the Ferry Boat to return, we avoided the rain and watched sunset from the boat. From the water, we passed several lovely Swiss Villages, and watched the glow of their lights as it became dark. We eventually made it back to Lucerne, and borrowed this umbrella from a local girl standing in the rain (under a canopy) to capture the most romantic setting!

Visiting the cities of Bern, Lucerne, and Zurich, gave us a glimpse of some of the most nostalgic and beautiful cities in Europe. We thoroughly enjoyed walking aimlessly through the cobblestone streets, devouring local pastries, and sipping tiny cups of cappuccino! 

We walked and shopped and asked questions, and imagined what it would be to live here. You began to dream of more travel, and taking risks, and living oversees. You are gaining self-confidence through cultural competence. You continue to impress us with the capacity to use discernment, following your heart, and trusting God!