trip-blogs

Day 399 –Elk Grove, California [a.k.a. HOME‼] (by Abby)

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:34:04 +0100

The Events of Friday, July 29, 2011

I didn’t think I would have to blog today, but since we arrived at our house at 12:30 a.m. and our trip still wasn’t over yet, I guess I will. Once we arrived home, we went into the garage, took off our shoes, and tried the door. For some reason it was locked. We don’t usually lock the door between the garage and the house, so we weren’t prepared for this. We searched through all our bags, seeing if we might have a key, but we could not find anything. So we turned to the next option.

Aunt Pat has a key to our house, so, even though it was one in the morning and she would probably be really exasperated, we drove to her house. Her bedroom window was open, but even so it took us a while to wake her. She wasn’t expecting us, obviously, so she almost didn’t come to the door. Soon, however, she met us at the door and gave us a ring of keys. Bidding her a “See you tonight for dinner”, we took keys and drove home. On the way, Dad was jingling the key chain the Herscowitzes had given him when he found he had two keys on the chain! He had the house key all along! We all enjoyed a good laugh over this.

Using this key, we let ourselves in and went upstairs. I was changing into my PJ’s when I heard boisterous laughter coming from downstairs. I ran down and found Aunt Pat holding up keys. The story came out that she had accidentally given us the wrong keys. She had given us the keys to her house, and realized that just as she climbed back into bed. So she had come in her car to give us the right keys and was very confused how we could have gotten in the house with the wrong set of keys. This was all at one in the morning, so we were all pretty loopy. Chuckling, I went upstairs and promptly fell asleep.

The next thing I knew, it was 6:30 a.m., and I couldn’t sleep anymore. I went downstairs and found my parents sorting two huge boxes of mail on our huge, fuzzy semi-circular couch. They bid me good morning and I started to help them sort the mail. They were a lot of letters that said “Open Immediately” on them, but that we had actually received months ago, when we weren’t here. Oh well! By nine everybody was awake, and we settled down to a delicious, scrumptious breakfast of crunchy grapes, bananas, fresh orange juice, and leftover cereal. Then the great unpacking began!

While the family circled through our perfect, wonderful showers, anybody who was not showering was un-packing everything. We threw everything into the laundry, probably totaling about fourteen loads, and promptly started it, hoping all of it will be done by the time school starts. We mostly spent the morning unpacking and moving in until about eleven.

At eleven, we went through all t he cupboards and the pantry, writing down what we had, not what we needed. Our plan was to go to the wonderful American store called Costco, and buy everything that we didn’t have to restock. Well, not everything. But first, once we were at Costco, we ate a wonderful American lunch (with hot dogs!) in their wonderful food court. I love all wonderful American things and, because they’re American, most of them are wonderful! After lunch we walked through the aisles, picking everything that we needed, and at the end of an hour, we had a huge cart full of groceries. After some of the tight packing we had to do in Destiny, our French car, it was surprisingly easy to find room for all the groceries in our large van.

Once home, we piled everything on the kitchen counter, took everything out of the pantry, most things out of the cupboards and started to re-organize everything. Dishes, pots, glasses and food were everywhere. Needless to say, the kitchen was a mess. Before it was all cleaned up, it was time to go to Aunt Pat’s house for dinner. (In case you’re wondering, jet lag actually helped us in this case. At two on Saturday morning, Mom, Caitlin and Lindsey woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. So for the next two hours they quietly finished putting everything away in the kitchen and then headed back to bed. This freed up a lot of time to do fun stuff on Saturday, like go to the California State Fair, which we actually did do!)

At Aunt Pat’s we had a delicious dinner of ham and cheese casserole, broccoli and brownies. After dinner we were able to play with our little cousins Timothy and Claire, while Mom and Aunt Pat talked life and Dad and Uncle Erik talked books. All too soon we glanced at our watches and saw it was time to go home. Some of us were feeling sluggish again and if we ever wanted to adjust to California time, we need to start with regular bedtimes. So we drove home, and headed to bed, officially finishing this trip.

Our trip lasted 13 months, which is 399 days, or 9,576 hours, or 574,560 minutes, or 34,473,600 seconds; depending on how you look at it. We visited 48 states, 20 countries (including America), traveling 41,245.18 miles by car, and walking 1184.99 miles all over the world. This trip has changed our lives. Thank you for reading our blogs and following our travels. We are now home for (hopefully) quite a while in Elk Grove, California, in the wonderful United States of America.

Day 398 – Bürchen & Geneva Switzerland; London, England; Dallas, TX; and Sacramento ...

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:25:35 +0100

The Events of Thursday, July 28, 2011

1:31 a.m. Abby’s excited shouts, “Get up, get up!” drove me from my deep slumber. Dressing quickly in our matching Taylor Travel T-shirts and jeans, we lined up the suitcases: two big suitcases, six carry-on suitcases, two extra bags, and six backpacks. Daddy opened the front door to our little Swiss chalet. A cool breeze whipped across our faces as we started out into the pitch black of the night.

Since the single streetlight shut off at midnight, we could barely see anything in the dark night air. I stumbled as I ascended the twisting hillside steps to where our French car, Destiny, was parked. We packed up the trunk for the last time and hopped into the warm interior of the car. Before I did, however, I stopped and stood a little distance away from the car, starred into the blackness and listened. In the night, the only sounds were the soft rustling of the evergreens and a distant dong of a cowbell. I guess we weren’t the only ones awake at this early hour.

To start off our day of travel, we had a family prayer time and asked God for safety during our travels. Then, in the back of the car, the kids drifted in and out of sleep. When we were awake, we talked a bit, but if any of the words we uttered had been recorded, they would have been a grand jumble of absolute nonsense. It seems to be a family trait that when a Taylor kid is tired, instead of being grumpy and whiney, they get silly and loopy. We enjoyed our share of laughs during the two and a half hour drive to Geneva.

As we entered the city, we began to recognize different buildings from our very first night in Europe. I saw the first gas station we used and, as we drove up, we all recognized the hotel where we first picked up our car five months ago. Very excited, we reminisced about that insane first night. But, soon, the car grew quiet. We were the only ones there. Daddy had called yesterday and told the Renault people that we would be there at 4:30 a.m. It was 4:32 and the parking lot of the hotel was silent. In fact, it was gated off and we couldn’t even get in! We called a few numbers, none of which were very helpful to our situation since they were only manned between 9 and 5.

What is God doing here? We prayed again, asking God that his will be done and if the Renault person did not show, to show us what to do next. We were coming up with a backup plan when Abby piped up very enthusiastically for five o’clock in the morning, “Hey, here’s a Renault van!” The van pulled up next to ours and we erupted with grateful prayers. I think God was just telling us to not worry and to trust entirely and completely in His Provision.

The Renault man didn’t speak English, but he and Daddy managed to fill out some paperwork without too much difficulty. Then, he silently helped us pack our bags in the other van. He hopped in the driver’s seat and we roared off into the early morning quiet. I had forgotten how crazy French drivers are and Caitlin and I held hands the entire drive to the airport. Before we knew it, we were unloading our luggage and with a quick ‘au revoir’, the Renault man zoomed away.

We had a little difficulty finding British Airways in the big and confusing Geneva Airport. After finding out we entered on the French side and British Airways was on the Swiss side, (Geneva airport is on the border of France and Switzerland) we zigzagged all over the airport until we found the checked luggage drop off. The lady at the desk was very helpful and even tried to help us to get seats together. We ate oranges while waiting to board. At 7:30, we were strapping our seatbelts, putting our seats and trays in the proper upright position and preparing for take-off. Outside the window, we saw great fields of sunflowers with their bright, yellow petals.

The sweet, always-smiling stewardesses came around with our breakfast -- a cup of tea and a chicken, herb butter sandwich. However, poor Mommy was given a plain cheese sandwich. During the flight, we slept, read, and wrote and before we knew it, we were strapping our seatbelts, putting our seats and trays back in the proper upright position and preparing for landing. It was 8:00 a.m. London time.

Our last experience in Heathrow airport was not the most pleasant one and we were very relieved to discover that we had three hours until our flight departed. Daddy pulled out a sack of leftover British sterling and we started to tour the shops of the Heathrow Airport. My souvenir from England, a pair of British flag sunglasses, had broken, so when Ben spotted a pair almost identical to the ones I had bought before, I was very excited and we used up some of our extra sterling. We searched in vain for some Digestive Biscuits to bring home with us. Instead, we bought some chocolates and Turkish Delight.

If you ever have extra time to spare in Heathrow, go around all the perfume shops and sample all the exotic scents. If I didn’t have sensitively nosed parents and brother, I would have boarded the plane smelling like a flowery rainforest. Lucky for the rest of the passengers, I had to follow my parents closely, as they were setting a brisk pace and no one wants to get lost in Heathrow. Of course, we were on the plane by 11:00 London time, but, due to congestion on the runway, I don’t think we took off until 11:45 London time. This was our longest flight and the plane was best equipped to fill the time. On the seat in front of us were individual little screens for each passenger, with choices of movies (new releases, classics, family, etc.), T.V. shows, radio and other types of entertainment.

We each chose from the variety of movies including Gnomeo and Juliet, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, Win Win, and a number of other films. They served us a lunch of beef and Yorkshire pudding or a chicken, veggie, rice dish with a bun, and a delicious cherry cream crunch dessert. Mommy, Caitlin, and Ben were able to get seats together and Abby and I were together in the row in front of them, but poor Daddy was all by himself in between two total strangers. Abby and I asked the lady next to us if she would be as kind enough to trade with Daddy, but she wanted to keep her aisle seat.

I learned a very important lesson about flying today. The lady sitting in front of me during our flight from London to Dallas had her seat leaned back all the way, totally invading my space and keeping me from working on the computer. I could barely eat off the tray because her seat was covering it so far. I learned how selfless neighbors must be appreciated. And I made it my goal to be the most selfless passenger I could be. It was very hard and at times uncomfortable, but whenever the lady in front of me leaned back or shifted in her seat, it reinforced my goal.

At one point during our flight, I opened the window shade and peered down. We were flying over America. The puffy white clouds were like a soft blanket covering the quilt of green and brown fields down below. As they announced that we were going to land soon, I opened the shade again and looked over at Abby, my seat partner. She was fast asleep with her head tilted back and mouth open. When the wheels hit the ground I kissed her cheek. That didn’t wake her up, so I played with her lip. Finally, I announced to her that we had landed in Dallas and immediately she was wide awake and ready to step back onto American soil.

When we finally arrived at the Dallas airport, it was 3:00 p.m. Dallas time, 9:00 p.m. London time, and 10:00 p.m. Geneva time. We had a whoppin’ seven hours until our flight out of Dallas to Sacramento. We spent the first two hours going through customs and un-checking and re-checking our bags. We had to give up our Swiss oranges (which aren’t half as good as California ones) and then we had five hours to while the time away.

We rode the Skylink, which was a fast, smooth train, to Gate B18 (which was near a Chili’s Too restaurant) where we waited for dinner time to come. Everyone but me got a nap in as it felt like it was nearly midnight to our bodies. We were all very tired and sluggish. Dad lay down on the floor right in front of the ticket stand and his presence was very disconcerting to some other passengers. “Look Honey -- Is that a body? What is he doing there?” The rest just curled up the best they could on the seats and armrests. At around 8:00 p.m. Dallas time, we made our way over to Chili’s for a truly American meal.

We had no problem at all getting six glasses of ice water, a pure luxury after five months of annoyance. Then, we ordered in plain American English a variety standard American fare: hot chili, salads, bacon burgers, cheese burgers, and fries. The food was energizing and all very good. For dessert, we split one of Chili’s Molten Lava Chocolate Cake. It was amazing and with that good taste still lingering on our tongues, we rode the Skylink again to A34. Here we were blessed to have reclined seats which were very comfortable for sleeping and sleep we did.

Although, we had parked right next to the escalator and it was somewhat awkward to have all those people staring at you as they walked past. Despite a loud and rude neighboring person we all managed to take a quick nap until it was time for us to board, around 10 p.m. The flight attendants were flustered because it was a completely full flight. They told Mom to put her small belly pack in her carry-on or give it up. While the line backed up behind her, she hastily put it in her backpack. But it seemed pretty ridiculous because it just sat on her lap the whole flight. Maybe they were afraid they would have to put another passenger on her lap.

The flight was longer than I expected and uncomfortably hot, but Caitlin and I had seats together while the rest of our family was scattered throughout the plane. I closed my eyes as the plane lifted off the ground. That odd flying feeling whizzed through my body. Absolutely exhausted the entire family slept the entire flight. Before I knew it, we were about to land. Sacramento’s lights were very prominent in the night and quite a difference from the early morning darkness of Geneva.

We slowly got off the plane and then set foot on California soil. The next few hours were a blur to me. My contacts were out and I had to wear glasses that weren’t quite my prescription. Also, we were all extremely dazed and tired. To our bodies it felt like four in the morning Geneva time, but in truth it was not even midnight in California. We waited silently for our checked luggage and we were waiting for the last one to come around the carousel.

Just then a voice behind me said, “Looks like the Taylors are home!” It was the Herscowitzes, the wonderful couple that stayed in our house while we were gone. After greeting hugs, they helped us carry our luggage out to the van. They had brought two cars and took their car home, while we drove our van home. As the familiar rumble of the engine rolled across the parking lot, Ben exclaimed, “It’s midnight.” And we weren’t home yet …

Day 397 – Bürchen, Switzerland (by Ben)

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:31:50 +0100

The Events of Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Our final day in Europe! When Dad woke us up this morning, we were full of energy. After devouring a delectable breakfast, we prepared for our short hiking outing. With only two backpacks full of water and snacks, we wanted a short, two-hour walk. Dad led the way through town to a gravel road, which slowly climbed through the trees and alpine flowers. Since we had no destination in mind, we walked slowly and simply enjoyed the beauty around us. Every so often, we would come to a bench and sit to enjoy a water break, a snack, or a fantastic view.

After an hour of climbing, we turned around and meandered back down. All of us had fun laughing, singing, and simply enjoying family time in the Alps. When we arrived back at the chalet, Mom began preparations for our dinner. During the next day and a half, our bodies will be completely confused by jet lag. Mom wanted to start the confusion now, so she prepared a full hot meal for our lunch. Over the past couple months, we have accumulated quite a bit of food, and this meal was a desperate attempt to get rid of most of it. Mom served up a smorgasbord of pasta, sauce, delicious sausages, Chinese vegetable mix, and bread.

After the meal, we carried all our suitcases into the main room and began to pack. It was a giant organizing, shuffling, and packing mess. After an hour and a half of hard work, all our souvenirs, clothes, leftover bathroom supplies, and laundry were packed into only nine suitcases. Much of the sorting involved making sure things were evenly distributed so none of our checked bags would be over the weight limit, and that none of our carry-on bags would get us in trouble at customs or security. After multiple thorough checks, we were pretty sure we didn’t leave anything behind. However, throughout the afternoon and evening, we had quite a few “Oh yeah! We need to find room for that!” statements.

For the rest of the afternoon, we relaxed in preparation for our long, stressful travel day tomorrow. The girls wanted to rotate through the shower, but after three showers (Caitlin, Dad, and I), there was no more hot water. After a couple hours and a bit of text tag with our host, the water reached a manageable temperature, and Mom, Lindsey, and Abby quickly showered. After we had solved the great hot water problem, we began preparations for our linner. Like our lunch, this was an attempt to finish off all our miscellaneous supplies. It turned out to be pretty good! To top off the meal, Mom made up some hot chocolate. The hot milk made us all really sleepy, so we made a couple of final checks and headed to bed around 6:30. Although we are incredibly excited about returning home tomorrow, we need all the sleep we can get for our early departure and long day.

Day 396 – Bürchen, Täsch, Zermatt, Rothorn, Switzerland (by Caitlin)

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:31:05 +0100

The Events of Tuesday, July 26, 2011

So much for a year-long trip! Trying to squeeze in as much travel time as possible, my parents extended the twelve-month year to a travel year of one year, one month, two days, and a few hours. Today, thirteen months ago, we began this epic journey together.

This morning began bright and early at 6:30. We were out of the house by 7:30, headed on our way to Täsch. From there, we parked and rode the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway train (with bathrooms onboard!) to Zermatt, where we found a helpful TI. The lady at the TI gave us three free resources, with maps and descriptions of available hikes in the area.

Why didn’t we just drive to Zermatt and park there? Well, supposedly, it’s a traffic-free city, so no cars are allowed. However, the roads are still ruled by crazy little electric cars, like golf carts on steroids. So, while the town attempted to maintain its small-town cuteness factor, it has failed miserably in the face of modern technology.

As we emerged from the train station, we heard the now-familiar sound of bells jingling. It was a delightful and somewhat strange little event: a goat parade! A little flock of indigenous “blackneck” goats were being herded through the center of town on the way to pasture. These wooly goats, unique to the area, have long horns, a black head and shoulders, and a white rear end. My favorite part was watching the furry little baby goats (kids). It was also interesting to note the crowds of tourists trying to comprehend this quaint, small-town moment in such a money-grubbing, tourist-trap of a city.

Next, we walked through Zermatt, across the Vispa River, following signs to Rothorn Paradise. We were going to see the classic Matterhorn vista. Essentially, we had three options of destinations to view the Matterhorn. Klein Matterhorn, reached by cable car, offers a panorama of a whole range of Alps, one of them being the most famous of all, the Matterhorn. Option Number Two: Gornergrat. Gornergrat, reached by train, also offers great views of the Matterhorn among the surrounding mountains. This is the cogwheel train Mom remembers taking up with Dad and hiking down when they visited Switzerland oh so many years ago. This choice brings travelers closer to Monte Rosa, the actual highest point in Switzerland. Rothorn Paradise, the last alternative, and the one we selected, offered the most universally known picturesque view of the Matterhorn. It is the cheapest option of the three, and also less crowded than Gornergrat. Most exciting, it gave us the chance to try three completely different modes of transportation: an underground funicular, followed by a gondola, and finally, a cable car.

No worries, I shall enlighten you regarding these various transportation contraptions. The first leg of our journey, a funicular, is a vehicle that is pulled by a cable along tracks up an exceptionally steep slope, often counterbalanced with a similar car traveling the opposite definition. Funiculars are always in contact with the ground. Unique for this funicular was the fact that it travels underground, which made for a very chilly eight minutes.

Next came a gondola ride. Gondolas are suspended in the air by a cable, generally holding ten or fewer people, who are usually seated. Like ski lifts, gondolas move continuously; therefore, passengers must quickly step into and out of these moving cars at stations. This section of our journey was the most fun for us, as it offered the best views of a partially hidden Matterhorn.

The last section of our trip up to Rothorn was in a cable car. These are large passenger cars, suspended in the air on a cable, travelling between stations without touching the ground. They can hold a large number of people, who usually ride standing up. When a cable car reaches a station, it comes to a full and complete stop to allow passengers to embark and disembark. However, as it is on a cable, the car sometimes swings back and forth, even as people step on and off of it. Cable cars are larger than gondolas. Also, while gondolas generally have lots of smaller cars strung along the same cable like strings of Christmas lights, cable-car lines usually have only two big cars, one going in each direction. From here, we could see several glacial lakes and hiking paths, so we tried to determine which hiking path we would be taking.

Eventually, we arrived at the top of Rothorn, 10,180 feet above the rest of the world. However, it was not a magically snowy winter wonderland. Rather, it was a stony, gravelly, somewhat barren-looking, Mars-like landscape. (I would know if it was like Mars, because, you know, I used to live there in a previous life. Just kidding.) Anyway, if one looked closely, one found brilliant wildflowers hiding among the rocks. We took a few pictures of the Matterhorn, which drifted in and out of view among the stormy clouds settling around all the Alpine peaks. We took lots of pictures of the huge Findel glacier, the snowy peaks, and their white glistening tops contrasting beautifully with the bright blue sky behind them. Atop Rothorn, we also found a teeter-totter and a slide and spent a few playful minutes there.

Soon, however, it was time to get down to the business of the day: hiking from Rothorn back down to Zermatt, where we had started. We planned to first take the Kristallweg (Crystal Way), then the Murmelweg (Marmot Way), and finally, the Gourmetweg (Gourmet Way). We had a bit of trouble discerning which direction to head to find Kristallweg’s trailhead. There were plenty of signs, trailblazes and “ducks” (stacks of rocks used as trail markers), but not in the most helpful locations. Eventually, we headed down the back of Rothorn, away from Zermatt, towards the Findel glacier. At the bottom, we finally found trail markers and signs that affirmed we had selected the correct path. As we wound our way down and around the mountain side, we determined that this walk is probably called Kristallweg because of all the rugged, sharp, almost crystal-like rocks one sees along the way. We had lunch overlooking Stellisee, a scenic lake that apparently reflects the Matterhorn stunningly on a clear, windless day. Though we did not enjoy this particular scenery, we still managed to have a fun time taking in the Alpine scenery all around us. We lunched on our Ballenberg cheese, the last of our Swiss cheese experience.

After lunch, we continued on our merry way down, soon transferring to Murmelweg. This themed trail spotlighted marmots. As we walked, we learned about the way of life of these cute rodents from wooden sculptures and multilingual information boards. The trail also passed many marked marmot observation points, but during our entire time on “Marmot Way”, we spotted no more than one furry marmot. Some of my family members were not even so lucky as to see that one! But no matter, we were enjoying the hike, spotting fantastic displays of Alpine wildflowers, surrounded by towering mountains, getting our exercise, being together as a family, and learning some fun facts about marmots along the way.

Down, down, down we hiked. Beside the path, we found an inviting flat rocky ledge on which to sit and enjoy some inexpensive Swiss chocolate. From a certain perspective, it looked as if we were dangling our feet off a dangerous precipice, even though we were not! Next, we hiked through a ghost town of abandoned, partially-constructed, decrepit chalet-style vacation homes. From there, we picked up the Gourmetweg. Though this trail took us through the resort town of Findeln, with plenty of expensive restaurants to sample, we frugal Taylors walked on without spending a cent. Further along this trail, we enjoyed weaving our way through sweet-smelling evergreen forests, the footpath a soft blanket of fragrant pine needles. This section of the “Gourmet Trail” was free for all to enjoy its delicious smells.

Finally, we came to the tracks of the Gornergrat cogwheel train and – the end of Gourmetweg. We had been hiking down from Rothorn, with occasional short stops for over five hours straight! We covered a distance of 13.6 kilometers (approximately eight and a half miles) and descended almost 1500 meters (almost five thousand feet). Needless to say, we were exhausted, but proud of ourselves for our achievement. Next came a lovely, almost-level, paved path through the resort town of Zermatt.

We followed Kirchstrasse (Church Street) to Bahnhofstrasse (Train Station Street) – I’m becoming quite fluent in German! Quaint chalets with overflowing flower boxes lined Bahnhofstrasse, as well as souvenir shops and restaurants. As we wandered, we heard the sound of Alphorns and hurried over to watch. Four gentlemen and two ladies, all in tradition garb, were giving an informal street concert. We listened, delighted, to the second half of one song, and then all of a second song. Then it was over. The group posed for photos with other tourists. Then, they walked slowly up the street the way we had just come, carrying their Alphorns in one piece over their shoulders. It made quite an amusing sight, these Alphorns all sticking up in the air! Mom exclaimed that there was absolutely no better way to end our day, as well as our time in Switzerland.

We walked back to the train station, rode the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway train back to Täsch, and drove home. After emptying the car, we stumbled, rather tiredly, inside, unpacked from the day’s adventures, and prepared yet another dinner of pasta and red sauce. This time, we added lots of garlic to spice it up, as well as sliced sausages. Ben even seasoned his spaghetti with hot sauce! This little tidbit of variety made it tastier, but I cannot wait to get home and eat dinners with a bit more variety. After dinner, we relaxed, read, and went to bed, tired but happy.

Day 395 – Bürchen and Moosalp, Switzerland (by Pam)

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:30:23 +0100

The Events of Monday, July 25, 2011

As our time of departure draws near, both Jim and I are experiencing crazy sleep patterns. Before our trip I averaged four or five hours of sleep a night as I tried to tie up all the loose ends and get everything organized and packed. As we prepare for the end of our trip, there are no loose ends to tie up or organize and since we have been living out of our suitcases, really not much to pack up. Yet, one or the other of us wakes up at 4:30 am and can’t get back to sleep. Today was Jim’s turn and he enjoyed a nice walk on the mountain. Although it wasn’t as early, I still awoke at six and couldn’t get back to sleep. Eventually we woke up the kids and started on the day.

The plan for today was to find somewhere nearby for a hike. Bürchen is a resort town that must be really busy during the winter ski season. However, it is not very busy right now, and we have encountered few others vacationing in the area. First on the agenda was a visit to the local Tourist Bureau, which was closed Saturday after 12 noon and closed all day on Sunday. We were hoping the TI could give us some updated information on the local weather and the weather for Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn, and suggest some good hikes in the area. In Bürchen, a visitor must pay a tourist tax at the Tourist Bureau and register their presence. So that task needed to be completed as well. We were also in desperate need (okay, desperate may be too strong a word) of an internet connection.

Arriving at the TI, we quickly completed the necessary paperwork and paid the required 40 SF. We learned the weather would be cloudy but clearing, with no rain in the forecast (finally‼) and were given several pamphlets about hikes in the area. We noticed an internet corner, advertising 15 minutes of internet for 2 SF. Given that most places in Switzerland are charging 12 SF/hour, this was a good deal. The kids quickly went to work. Using our USB chip, Caitlin downloaded and posted a week’s worth of blogs and then we checked our emails. 57 emails‼ We skimmed through the important ones and found nothing that demanded an immediate answer. Caitlin, with Ben’s help, then downloaded some of the prayer letters we receive electronically to the USB chip so we can pray for these missionaries during our family devotions. While Caitlin worked on the computer, Ben and Jim studied the hiking map and found a good hike for us. In the end, we spent about 30 minutes on the computer, but the nice lady only charged us 2 SF.

As we drove to the top of Moosalp, the mountain where the village of Bürchen resides, we discussed Swiss economics. We have been very surprised at how expensive everything is in Switzerland, especially since the exchange rate is fairly good. Often we wonder how the Swiss can afford anything, given the prices we are seeing. On Saturday, when Jim and I went down the mountain to nearby Visp in search of an internet café, we briefly checked out McDonalds which sometimes offers a WiFi connection via a “McPin” given out with a purchase. While there I saw that a Big Mac meal costs 11.90 SF. Since a Swiss Franc exchanges for $1.20, that 12 SF Big Mac costs $14 or $15. That’s expensive by U.S. standards! Last night at the Café du Vieil-Ouchy, the cheese fondue for one person cost 24 SF. With every purchase, when we convert it to dollars, the prices are outrageous by American standards. So we started talking about using a different standard and as we drove we developed the “Big Mac” standard. Using the “Big Mac” as our unit, our cheese fondue only cost about 2 Big Mac meals – not really all that expensive. And our internet access of 2 SF, was downright cheap, about one-seventh of a Big Mac meal, or 50 cents. The 5 SF chocolate bars? Why those cost less than half of a Big Mac meal, really not all that expensive at all. While this “Big Mac standard” doesn’t really help our bottom line, it does give us a new perspective.

After winding our way up the mountain, surrounded by gorgeous views at every turn, we finally reached the top. A cacophony of cow bells and bellows accompanied us as we hit the trail. Our destination was Augstbordhorn, or its nearby shoulder, March peak, the summits above the inhabited “top of the mountain”. Initially the trail was a gravel road, steeply climbing via switchbacks. As we climbed we heard a strange tune. Abby, immediately exclaimed, “An alphorn!” However, looking down the hill, I saw the culprit. It was the mountain bus, sounding its horn to let potential riders know that it had arrived at its next stop. As we climbed higher, the bus noise dropped off. Yet the cacophony of cow bells continued. It is uncanny how far the sound of a cowbell travels.

A group of hikers had set out just before us and we kept passing them and being passed as we alternated rest periods and times for pictures. Soon we reached a junction and decided on the “road less traveled by”, and that made all the difference. In Switzerland, “Bergwanderweg”, or mountain trails, are marked with white/red/white striped paint blazes on signs, and yellow diamond blazes if it is a “Wanderweg”, or walking way. We left the Wanderweg and chose the Bergwanderweg. Following the signs to the top via the hiking trail was at first much more picturesque and definitely less crowded. However, as we turned a bend we found ourselves ascending a rather steep ski slope. That was a little disappointing, though the girls soon had a solution for this. They found that by walking backward, they could master the incline while taking in the breathtaking scene around us. At one point, Ben offered an “assisted ascent” and pushed Lindsey and Abby up a portion of the hill. Near the top of the chair lift, Ben, now a little ahead of the others, found a potential lunch spot. I, however, was looking for something with a better view than a ski slope. Crossing the slope to the next ridge, I found what I was looking for – some nice rocks to sit on overlooking a fabulous view of snow-covered peaks, mountains and quaint villages far below.

After lunch we headed up the part of the mountain above the ski area. Lindsey, our mountain goat, clambered up the narrow, rocky path. Near the top, we noticed a hiker with poles descending rapidly. Lindsey, Caitlin, Jim and Ben stepped off the path to let her pass. Abby and I attempted to clear the path as well, but she indicated that we should go higher, saying in German that this part of the path is better for two persons or something to that effect. As she passed us, I noticed that she was an older woman, probably in her sixties. Most of the sign posts for the hiking trails in Switzerland include the destination and an estimated duration of the hike. We’ve been told that Swiss senior citizens are used to clock these hikes. Watching this older woman quickly and sure-footedly descend the hill we were struggling to climb, I finally understood why it was often taking us longer to complete a hike than the estimated time. As we set off again, I heard a whistling sound. I had read that the marmots that inhabit these Alpine peaks whistle to communicate. Standing still, Jim spied the marmot first and we all watched as it made its way down the hillside to perch on a rock. Abby snapped a photo and we were on our way.

As we neared what we thought was the summit, a cold fog moved in. Taking a rest stop, we consulted the map. We could not determine if the summit we were seeing was the March summit or Augstbordhorn. Having already decided to descend on the more traveled path, we had to at least reach the March summit to find that path. We decided to hike on until we found where the paths intersected. Rounding the bend we found a signpost; we had discovered the junction. We descended to a nice grassy overlook and ate some cookies. Quickly chilled by the fog and the wind we were soon on our way, descending the mountain. We reached the car shortly before 3 pm when our parking permit expired. The drive down the mountain was a bit more adventurous. The road is very narrow and at one point we were face-to-face with a bus. Jim crossed to a small open area on the opposite side of the road and let the bus pass. Since our car has a French license plate, when we do something crazy in the car, we always excuse our action by saying, “That’s OK. We’re French”. We probably owe the French nation quite an apology for the bad reputation we have given its drivers.

Returning home, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. Jim needed the most computer time to work on putting together the June photo album so it can be posted, finishing his blog and dealing with some of our finances. So while he worked, the kids and I began some preliminary packing. After setting aside travel outfits and backpack essentials, we segregated out the liquids. On our trip over to Europe, it was smooth sailing through security due to our prep work and we are hoping for another easy transition when we return. After this the kids read and worked on schoolwork or on the computer until it was time for dinner. Tired of pasta and red sauce, I made macaroni and cheese using emmentaler Swiss cheese to have with our sausages and candied carrots. Swiss chocolate for dessert made the meal.

After dinner clean-up, we discussed our plans for visiting Zermatt and the Matterhorn tomorrow. There are several hiking options in the area and each of us shared our opinion of which to take. Then I read to the family about the formation of the Matterhorn and the car free city of Zermatt. Then we watched the video of Jim dancing to the yodeling song at the Stadtkeller last Monday. Still chuckling, the kids headed off to bed. Now that my final blog is finished, I will be joining them soon.

Day 394 – Bürchen, Montreux, and Lausanne, Switzerland (by Jim)

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:29:41 +0100

The Events of Sunday, July 24, 2011

The sun had not yet risen above the mountains when I left for my walk this morning. The chill in the air surprised me, but I quickened my pace to keep myself warm. Not five minutes up the street I found a trail leading into the woods. Perfect! I followed it up for about ten minutes and enjoyed a panorama view of the Bürchen area. A light layer of new snow dusted the peaks behind me. Wow, what a beautiful place. I returned by 6:30 to wake up the others, so we could get an early start on a long day.

Pam had two events for us today, both in the area of Lausanne. First we visited the famous Château de Chillon. This castle boasts a long and rich history, of which I had, until today, remained totally ignorant. This property distinguished itself in several ways. First, the audio guides were superb. The audio content was stored on iPod nanos, so we rented three units (we have splitters and extra earphones, so we do not need a unit for each of us). On the player’s menu we could select a language and then an audio band corresponding to our location on the property. We enjoyed excellent content, good narrators, and interesting information, punctuated by occasional sound effects. Throughout the tour we also found video monitors. Here we could choose from a selection of eight video clips, quite well-done, about various relevant subjects: “Daily Life”, “Architecture”, etc. The sound tracks for these videos were also on our audio players.

The location of this castle is stunning. It takes up the entire area of an island in Lake Geneva, so every window and arrow slit offers spectacular views. (The lake reminded us of Lake Tahoe.) From the top floor of the keep, we looked down to see the deep water, and villages on the shore, and still farther, the ridges and peaks of the Swiss Alps. All in all, this was not a bad place to call home.

F or something over a thousand years old, the building itself is in remarkably good condition, both inside and out. We visited the cellar-prison that inspired Lord Byron’s The Prisoner of Chillon, where we could still find metal rings for manacles and ankle chains. In the “Coat-of-Arms Hall”, the painted coats-of-arms were still quite visible on the walls. Though faded, the murals in the “Camera Domini” (Lord’s bedroom) gave us a good idea of the original grandeur of the room. (It helped to see the painted model in the middle of the room that showed the murals in full splendor.) Of course the view from the bay windows in the four great halls has not faded at all, and this may be the castle’s greatest asset.

When Pam gave her driver’s license as security for the iPods, the castle guide/cashier commented that we are from Elk Grove – and she had lived in our neighboring town of Galt. Galt! I jokingly asked her what could entice her to move away from Galt to a place like this. She replied that she preferred the Galt weather but the Geneva view.

We also experienced some medieval bathroom humor. It happened during our visit to the castle’s two-hole latrine. On the wall next to the seating area we discovered a collection of drawings, verse, and riddles. Here are two of our favorites:

What is the most noble and upright plant of the forest?

‘Tis the holly.

For no one uses it to wipe his behind.

What is the most joyful thing in all the world?

'Tis a fart!

For it sings from its birth until it fades away.

After munching our picnic lunch overlooking the lake (what a view!), we drove on to Lausanne. Here we spent the afternoon at the Olympic Museum and Park, both learning and remembering. The outdoor park section included fountains, “award” podiums (for photos), and a variety of sculptures relating to Olympic figures or ideals.

Inside, we first learned about Pierre de Coubertin. It was his vision and leadership that brought about the Modern Olympic Games. A renaissance man of varied talents, he demonstrated talents as a historian, traveler, author, linguist, educator, and athlete. After successfully launching the Modern Olympic Games, he continued as Olympic Commissioner for over forty years! He was truly an inspiring model of perseverance and leadership.

Also inside were several exhibits on the history of the Olympics, both the ancient Greek competitions and the modern Olympic Games. One display featured a collection of Olympic torches, one from each Olympic Games since 1936, when the tradition of the torch relay began. Another handsome display showed all the Olympic medals of the Modern Olympic Games. (The Summer Game medals have strict design guidelines, so they are all pretty similar. The Winter Game medals, on the other hand, include a great variety of sizes, shapes, designs, and materials.) Our audio guides, again on iPod nanos, guided us seamlessly from one exhibit to the next. Occasionally we stopped our guided audio tour to enjoy short movies in their small theaters. One of their theaters showed 3D movies. The content of these was nothing special, and the 3D tended to distract the viewer from the focus of the film.

Finally, we enjoyed reminiscing with video clips of our favorite Olympic moments. We found a family-sized video cubicle and chose selections from Olympics that we fondly remember. These include:

· the “crazy Austrian” (Rassi?) , the downhill ski champ at the Innsbruck 1976 Winter Games;

· Nadia Comanici’s perfect ten scores in the Montreal 1976 Summer Games;

· the “Miracle on Ice” 1980 hockey game between the USA and the USSR;

· the Pairs Figure Skating Finals from the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Games;

· the Opening Ceremony to the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Games;

· the 1984 Men’s Freestyle Swimming finals (Randy Gaines from the USA won gold);

· the Opening Ceremony for the 1996 Paralympic Games, hosted by Christopher Reeves;

· the 1996 Women’s Gymnastics team competition;

· the 1996 Women’s Gymnastics “Dream Team” Gala; and

· a focus piece on Michael Phelps in the 2008 Men’s Swimming competitions.

Pam and I enjoyed this wonderful opportunity to share our fond Olympic memories with our kids.

Time ran out on us when the museum closed at six. Pam’s advance research had located a budget Swiss restaurant nearby, the Café du Vieil-Ouchy. So we walked a few minutes to the café and consumed some excellent Swiss-cheesy food: a large bowl of two-cheese fondue; a Rösti Viril (with ham, Gruyere, and onions); Rösti Clochard (fried hash browned potatoes with sausage); Croûte au fromage (a slice of cheese atop a slice of bread, soaked in butter and sautéed); and a bowl of consummé.

With happy tummies, Pam and I shared driving duty for the long two-hour drive back to Bürchen. We enjoyed onboard entertainment, courtesy of Loopy Lindsey. She was in a goofy mood when she began to talk, and the words just kept coming. “You know, Ben, if you say giraffe really slowly, it smells like gullible.” Later, we heard, “I am so glad that time works forward. If it went backward, our departure time would get further and further away. That would be so sad.” On and on she went. Her unparalleled creativity fueled her verbosity. Pam and I concur that life never gets boring with this crew. We also agreed when we arrived at our chalet apartment, it would be bedtime for these bonzos.

Day 393 – Faulensee to Bürchen, Switzerland (by Ben)

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:07:00 +0100

The Events of Saturday, July 23, 2011

As the end of our trip approaches, it is sometimes tempting to focus more on what we will do when we get home than what we are doing now. The end is in sight, but we are trying hard not to let the last few days go to waste. But excitement was in the air as we prepared this morning for our last driving day.

Since we only had a short drive of two and a half hours today, we enjoyed a leisurely morning. Our entire packing-up process, usually completed within an hour, stretched to fill two and a half hours. Finally, at 11:00, we bid farewell to our hostess, Christine, and drove away from Faulensee. The first part of the route we traveled was, thanks to our trips around the Berner Oberland region, fairly familiar. Driving past the same lakes, towns, hills, and valleys, we longed for something new. Once we reached the town of Interkirche, the scenery changed dramatically. Our route from Faulensee to the town of Visp took us northeast for a while, over several passes, and then back southwest to our destination. Why couldn’t we just go straight south for 25 miles? There’s a huge natural barrier called the Alps. Although trains zip right under the highest peaks, the fastest route by car is around.

Even though we weren’t heading through the highest peaks, our drive involved quite a bit of elevation change. We were headed over the peaks, or at least through the passes. Winding roads took us up to the top of passes, and then led us back down the other side. After crossing a valley, we were up again…then down some more. Surprisingly, we passed bikers pedaling uphill very slowly. We must have passed at least 20 over the course of our journey. It looked to us like biking was their way of enjoying the mountains, and climbing a pass might be like a hiker summiting a peak. Nonetheless, pedaling up these slopes must be a very exhausting hobby!

Although the weather was a bit rainy, the views from the tops of the passes were incredible. Once, we drove through incredibly thick fog to the top of a pass, where the fog instantly disappeared. The views of the mountain valleys, with little villages nestled on the slopes, were incredible. At times, the scenery was so gorgeous that, near the point of a hairpin turn, we would see several cars parked onto the grass so a passenger could hop out and take photos.

The roads were incredibly curvy (so curvy that, at one point, Dad turned on his ticker to pull a hairpin turn) and not good for reading. So we spent most of the time looking at the scenery or laughing at the other crazy drivers. Dad loves zooming up and down these slopes and turning the hairpins at high speeds in his “sports van”. However, some drivers, especially Italians, weren’t as confident in their driving skills as Dad. So we passed three Italian cars that were, in our opinion, going a bit too slow. Ironically, Italian drivers were typically the fastest and worst drivers we’ve encountered in Europe!

As we headed down toward the town of Fiesch, we saw another incredible athlete heading up the slope we had just descended. He wore a helmet, knee and elbow pads, and was propelling himself with ski poles. On his feet were two-foot-long mini-skis with inline skate wheels. This must be his brutal summer training for cross-country skiing in the winter. It looked really tough to ski up a pass! We were a bit worried about how he would control his descent‼ The Swiss are definitely more fit and active than the average American!

A couple miles past Fiesch, we pulled over near a rushing river for a picnic lunch. We sat on the rocks near our car, enjoying our delicious food and the warm sunshine. During our meal, however, clouds blew in and it started to drizzle. We all took shelter in the car. Mom and I sat on the tailgate, under the raised hatch so we could still enjoy the pleasant view and the river. After finishing our meal and trying to throw some rocks across the river, we climbed back in the car and headed on towards Bürchen.

About an hour later, we were heading from Visp, up another pass, to Bürchen. Our lodging here, an apartment in a chalet, was a bit hard to find. The instructions from our host were a bit vague, but we eventually found Chalet Moosalpe. Our friendly hostess greeted us, showed us the apartment, and gave Mom and Dad all the information they will need. Since we had to park on the street above the chalet, hauling the luggage down two flights of twisting and turning stairs, built into the hillside, was quite a task. Luckily, since we will have no food or extraneous boxes and bags, it won’t be quite as hard when we leave.

This chalet, overlooking a gorgeous mountain valley, is much nicer than our apartment in Faulensee. In the main room is a dining nook (this must be a Swiss, German, and Austrian specialty), a small kitchen, a couch (which turns into a bed for me), and a desk. Nearby are two other rooms: one with a double bed for Mom and Dad, and one with a single bed and a bunk for the girls. In this house, there are no high thresholds or low ceiling or beams to worry about, and we have plenty of space. Once we were all settled, Mom and Dad headed out to get some groceries. While they were gone, we kids worked on our photos and schoolwork.

After Mom and Dad returned from their speedy shopping adventure (they arrived at 4:45 and were surprised to find the store closing at 5), we started dinner preparations. Dinner consisted of pasta (now our staple in Switzerland), sauce flavored with mushrooms and garlic, and green beans. Although simple, the meal was incredibly delicious. Dessert was a real treat: Swiss chocolate. Yesterday in Interlaken, Dad found a huge bag of chocolate bars. Today, we chose sections of milk, dark, and hazelnut chocolate. All in all, we each enjoyed the equivalent of half a bar. Satisfied from the meal, we returned to our relaxing activities. After we watched a Rick Steves video on Switzerland, we unsuccessfully searched for a weather report on TV. The weather in Switzerland, according to our hostess, has been a really strange mix of wind, rain, clouds and sun, all changing several times daily. Mom wants good weather for the hikes she has planned, and wants to do our inside activities on the day with the worst weather. Unable to find the information necessary to make these decisions, she just picked an activity and hoped for the best. The rest of the evening was spent reading, studying and preparing for tomorrow’s adventures until bedtime.

Day 392 – Faulensee, Stechelberg, and Gimmelwald, Switzerland (by Abby)

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:06:12 +0100

The Events of Friday, July 22, 2011

As our car curved through the Swiss Alps, I checked my watch one more time just to make sure my calculations this morning were correct. Today was July 22, so only six more days until we go home! Yay! Looking out the window of our dear Renault minivan, that has carried us throughout Europe, I caught sight of misty waterfalls and the mysterious peaks covered in clouds. We quickly arrived at Stechelberg, located at the foot of these peaks. There we parked and walked to the cable car station, what we Americans would call a gondola station. Soon we were floating high above the valley, passing waterfalls, and even a skinny rope bridge, crossing from one precipice to another.

Once we arrived, we stepped out into the isolated mountain village of Gimmelwald. Gimmelwald is a pedestrian-only town of about 120 residents, most of whom are related to one another. When developers wanted to turn it into a resort town, villagers protested by getting Gimmelwald declared an avalanche- zone. So the town remains small, car-free, and relatively un-touristy. Besides a hiking path, the only way to access Gimmelwald is the cable car. Gimmelwald is a hiker’s haven given its convenient access to many hiking trails. Since the weather was predicted to turn rainy in the afternoon, we decided to hike in the morning, and explore the small town of Gimmelwald in the afternoon.

We walked through town to the other side. Given that Gimmelwald only has one zig-zag street this did not take long. Soon we headed down a path that led through the Sefinen Valley, along a river, and ended at a dramatic bowl of glacier fields, known as Kilchbalm in German. Our guidebook said that the path took two hours and was very easy. We found out that this was not necessarily the case as we went along the trail. We went down for a bit, and then scrambled up a couple of steep slopes, then walked through a forest, going up and down all the way. Since we were so sore from hiking yesterday and Wednesday, this was especially painful. In terms of scenery though, the trail was ideal. Colorful wildflowers grew up on both sides of the path. Daisies, buttercups, and the Swiss version of Queen’s Lace, along with other beautiful flowers, fought for space.

Stopping for a little snack, we climbed down to the river a wee bit, where there were dry rocks on which we could sit. A beautiful surprise awaited us there – a large patch of small bright yellow flowers, shining up at the sky. Marveling at this beauty, we ate a couple of nuts and raisins, and then walked on. We soon crossed the river on a very skinny bridge that offered no obstacle on either side to keep someone from falling in. On either side of the bridge, though, was a stunning view. On one side, the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau loomed in the distance. At least that is what we were told. Mostly we saw peaks disappearing in the clouds and occasionally peeking out as the winds shifted. On the other side, was the river gorge leading to the glacier field, our final destination. On the way to the glacier field, we ran into a couple of muddy spots. One of these spots completely blocked the path. Ben, leading the way, went what turned out to be the worst way, and ended up with guck all around his shoes. I climbed down towards the river, skirted around the muddy spot, and came up with only a few blemishes.

All along the trail, waterfalls cascaded from above. Sometimes a trickle of water crossed our path and sometimes it was a flood. One waterfall thundered down on one side of the path and fell twenty feet on the other side. We stopped briefly on a little bridge over this waterfall to marvel at the artistic ways the water had carved the rocks. A variety of bowls and curved walls surrounded the flowing water. One rock face was worn down to its grain. It looked shiny and polished, the white veins shining through the sleek black rock.

At last we reached the end of our hike, a spectacular bowl of glacier fields. We actually counted about nine waterfalls coming down from the glacier, flowing into the icy cold river that felt so good when splashed on hands and faces. Finding a relatively shady spot, we sat down and ate lunch. This was by far the most picturesque lunch spot of our entire trip. Surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, wild flowers and a gushing stream, butterflies and bees, it was simply beautiful. After lunch, Lindsey dipped her feet in the icy cold water. Now we have another river to add to our “Waters We’ve Waded” blog. Soon we were on our way back, swirling through the forest. The return trip was much faster. Cooled by a nice breeze and the occasional drizzle, we retraced our steps seeing new marvels we had missed. All too soon we were back in Gimmelwald and went back to the gondola station to begin our Gimmelwald town walk.

Our first stop was a shelter on stilts made to store cheese while the cheese is aging. The stilts kept out mice. To understand this, and all of the walking tour, though, one must know a bit about the Swiss cow culture. Traditional Swiss cow farmers could not survive without government subsidies. The farmers in Gimmelwald usually own only about 15 – 20 cows. In the summer, the cows are taken up to pasture, and kept there for three months. There is always a special ceremony when the cows are taken to and from their high pastures. Dressed in traditional dress, the farmer and his family, strap huge decorative cowbells, weighing upward of 10 pounds, on their cows and parade them through town.

When in the high pastures, hired hands milk the cows every day, and make this milk into cheese, since the milk is hard to transport down the mountain in liquid form. The summer stables high in the Alps are actually called “alps”. The ceremonial cow bells are hung on the eves of these alps during the summer. Meanwhile, the farmers, not having to care for their cows anymore, spend the summer harvesting hay to feed the cows in winter. When summer is over, the cows are brought down from the high pastures back home where they enjoy this hay all winter long.

Walking along the “main street”, we came to the “center of town”. An intersection of three small streets is surrounded by three buildings. The most important of these is the post office, an old-fashioned wooden building with the inscription (of course, in German), “Summer brings green, winter brings snow. The sun greets the day, the stars greet the night. This house will keep you warm. May God give us his blessings.” This sort of folk blessing is common. We wandered a bit more through Gimmelwald, passing wooden houses, cow pastures, cheese sheds, and water fountains flowing into troughs. The last stop was the fire station. Since the whole town is made of wood, the volunteer fire fighters are important. Gimmelwald has never had a terrible fire in its history, unlike most other mountain towns.

Our walk finished, we strolled back to the gondola station, stretching our sore muscles along the way. While waiting for the gondola, we played on a playground with a really long slide, swings, and a strange rope hanging from a bar. Not knowing quite what to do with this, I grabbed the bottom of the rope, and swung myself down the hill, letting my feet slide over the wet grass. This looked pretty dangerous, but it was actually really fun. As long as I held on to the rope, I would not fall, even though my back was close to the ground.

Soon the gondola came and we rode it back down to our car. Everyone in the gondola gasped as we left the alpine shelf of Gimmelwald and seemed to plummet down to the valley floor below. Stretched out below us was a glorious sight. The houses and cars looked like toys. Snaking through the valley was a clear, blue rushing river. We knew that river. We had hiked to where it began, fed by the glaciers of Kilchbalm.

On the way home, we stopped for groceries. One of the items my parents bought surprised me – pizza! Switzerland is very expensive. I thought we had decided that for the last week of our trip, we would eat pasta, and only pasta. That’s okay, because I love pasta. It’s sort of fun to try to make it interesting – mushrooms, garlic, bratwursts chopped up thinly. So when they bought pizza I was confused. However, once the delicious smell of the pizza reached me, I was happy for the change. Yet Lindsey still insists we will not eat pasta for a month after we get back. She’s sick of it. I happily said in response to her complaints, “Only six days more!” Once we headed to bed, I stayed awake, thinking about the now five days left before we go home.

Day 391 – Lake Luzern Region, Switzerland (by Lindsey)

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:05:18 +0100

The Events of Thursday, July 21, 2011

The soft, wrinkly waters of Lake Luzern, dimpled by the soft drizzle of rain, were swaying quietly in the breeze. I leaned back on my cushioned seat with a contented sigh. Finally, after a morning of chaos, I could sit and enjoy the day. On the way to Luzern, we had gotten caught in construction traffic and lost in the tunnels and criss-crossing Swiss motorways. We had rushed through the huge train station looking for the TI and then waited for what seemed like forever to purchase our boat tickets before rushing to the boat dock. Once we thought we were safely on the boat, with two minutes to spare, I discovered that I had forgotten my backpack in the TI. So, we ran off the boat after pulling Mom out of the ladies’ restroom. Just as Mom reached the gangplank the whistle bellowed and she jumped off. Then the boat pulled away.

I felt horrible because we had rushed all morning long trying to make the boat on the hour. Daddy and I raced back to the TI and there, just where I had left it, my backpack sat, slumped against the wall. Enormously relieved, we rejoined our family to wait for the next boat. While waiting we discussed all sorts of things that we want to do when we get home. And then we boarded the big boat, made our way to the back of the boat where there were bright salmon colored benches undercover (as it had been raining on and off all morning) and waited for the boat to depart.

While we were waiting, we started our lunch. Today’s lunch was a special Swiss lunch. We had a loaf of traditional Swiss braided bread called eirzopf. It was soft and tasted like sweet French bread. We also had a sampling of traditional Swiss cheeses. The first cheese was emmentaler, which tasted like the cheese that we call Swiss cheese in the States (the one with the holes). Then, we sampled le gruyére, which was hard, somewhat crumbly, and strong, but Abby and Caitlin’s favorite. The appenzeller cheese, which was supposed to be the most pungent of the Swiss cheeses, we actually found milder than the le gruyere. And last, we tried the tilsiter, which was my favorite, a soft, medium strong cheese. The rest of our meal consisted of juicy nectarines, crisp carrots, salty pretzel snacks, and rich butter cookies.

Halfway through our Swiss picnic, however, our satisfaction was shattered. The ticket lady came by. We had second class tickets and were in the first class outdoor area. Oops. So, we moved downstairs along with the people from the table next to us who were from England. The upstairs area was virtually empty and downstairs, the second class inside area was stuffy and crowded. So, we took our picnic to the outside benches lining the main cabin and ate. The fog drifted slowly over the mountains making a dazzling reflection on the blue waters of Lake Luzern.

All was well with the world when we heard some muffled music. Mom asked me if I was singing and I said that for once I was not. We looked around us and then peered through the windows into the boat’s second class dining hall. Inside the hall, at a table, sat ten Swiss women of varying ages, with their mouths in an O shape, yodeling. The beautiful, harmonic, throaty calls were mournful and emotional. The ladies all had serious faces and their lips stayed in that perpetual O shape. It was amazing and so beautiful to be in the midst of all the beautiful scenery and to hear that lovely, soft sound.

When the boat pulled into the dock at Vitznau, we donned our winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves and hopped ashore. We waited at the train station and then boarded the bright red cog wheel train to climb Mount Rigi. After the cog railway was built on Mount Washington in the U.S., the next system to be built was the very one we were riding. We were riding the first cog railway system in Europe. The view out the steamed windows was of fog, fog, and more fog. Though at first we were disappointed, we got our rewarding scenery later.

The train did not take us all the way to the top of the mountain however and when we reached the end of the track, we got off the train and set out on a trail to conquer the peak. Only 200 meters long, the steep trail reminded our muscles that they were sore from yesterday’s trek. Mommy and I tried all sorts of different ways of going up. Sideways, backwards, and frontwards, no matter which way we walked, our sore muscles creaked in protest.

Finally at Rigi Kulm, there was still a thick fog, but every now and then, the fog floated away, revealing a stunning view of Lake Luzern and the surrounding mountains. Past the protective wooden fence, far down the slope, we could see a huddle of sheep with bells around their necks. When the fog moved back in, the only way we knew that those sheep still existed was by the soft tinkling of their little bells. The climb down the trail was painful, but still fun.

We rode the train back down Mount Rigi, but this time we stopped halfway at Rigi Kaltbald. Here we hiked the suggested Rigi Känzell hike. The path first led to a small church, Felsenkapelle, which was built within the rocks. Inside the smell of burning candles and the warmth reminded me of Christmas. Exiting, we followed the trail along, dodging mud and puddles but enjoying the shelter of the tall evergreens and the sheer isolation. The end of the trail was a lookout point. There were signs telling us the names of all the different mountains, but we could see only the ones very close because of the fog. Again, when the fog cleared, we were dazzled with the luxurious blue of Lake Luzern and the rugged peaks and slopes.

As we started to hike down from the lookout point, it started to really rain. We paired up and walked down the trail under our well used umbrellas from Assisi, Italy. Mud and water splashed our legs and feet and we gave up on keeping clean. We rode the cable car down to the little town of Weggis (pronounced like Las Vegas). The views were tremendous and it was somewhat thrilling to be hanging in the air on a string, falling slowly down to earth.

Once we arrived, we discussed our situation. There were five minutes until the next boat to Luzern pulled away and the walk from the cable car station to the boat dock was supposed to take ten minutes. We started to walk quickly, then jog, and then run. Sprinting through the village, negotiating our way down slopes and stairs, Caitlin kept checking our GPS. Initially, according to our GPS, we weren’t going to make it. However, as we persevered, we were able to advance our estimated time of arrival. Finally, the boat dock was in sight. With the last of our energy, we sprinted to the gangplank and raced aboard. We had all made it in time and were very proud of ourselves.

The crew brought up the gangplank just after Mom had hopped aboard. Hot, sweaty, and breathing hard, we stripped off our multiple jackets and layers and enjoyed the cool breeze outside in T-shirts. The people around us must have thought we were crazy because everyone else was in heavy coats and scarves. Soon, it started to rain, however and the roof was not long enough to cover us, so we had to go inside. The only seats were by the engine which was very hot. Mom couldn’t stand the heat, so she went back outside and enjoyed the cool lake breezes. Soon we were docking back in Luzern. We had survived our journey. Limping slightly, we found our car and sank with grateful groans into the cushioned seats.

Once home, we changed into clean comfy clothes and Mom and I started a load of our dirty hiking clothes. We have done laundry almost daily since arriving in Switzerland. Then, we all helped make a deliciously warm meal of noodles, tomato sauce, and sausage, and veggies. For dessert, we blissfully sucked on chunks of silky-smooth Swiss chocolate. Then, we read in our cozy, wooden living room before heading to bed with sore muscles and aching limbs, but with fond and amusing memories.

Day 390 – Faulensee and the Jungfrau Region, Switzerland (by Ben)

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:04:30 +0100

The Events of Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A year ago tomorrow (July 21, 2010), I was awakened at two o’clock to climb a fourteener in Colorado, a real Rocky Mountains experience. Today, we all woke up at 5:30 for a Swiss Alp experience: venturing to Jungfraujoch, the “Top of Europe” at 11,333 feet. Thanks to our diligent work last night, we were all prepared for a speedy departure this morning. Most of the food was already set out on the table and our backpacks were stuffed with the extra clothing we thought we might need. Hurriedly, we grabbed all our gear, checked to make sure none was missing, and drove to Lauterbrunnen.

At six in the morning, the roads were almost empty, and finding a parking spot was not a problem. We headed to the nearly empty train station and purchased our Good Morning tickets for Jungfraujoch. These ticket packages give us a cheaper fare if we take the first train up and leave by noon. Soon, we were piling aboard the 7:00 train to Kleine Scheidegg. As the train slowly chugged its way up the steep cog railway, the excitement grew. This was it: taking a train (a very special occasion for us) up to the top of the Alps! But then, a couple minutes into the ride, the train slowed and stopped. Outside a man ran by the train, and then we began to descend. The conductor came by and explained the problem, “the train wouldn’t go up” (such scientific terms!), so we were heading back down the slope to change trains.

Soon, we were again on our way, snacking on our breakfast. This time, we didn’t encounter any technical problems. Our warm breath steamed up the cool glass as we looked outside at the steep, stark alpine world around us. The skies were cloudy, and it soon began to rain. Since this was supposed to be a fair-weather activity, we were a bit disappointed. This would be nothing like the sunny, blue skies experience Mom and Dad enjoyed on their 1983 trip here. However, we decided to make the best of the circumstances and try to have as much fun as we could, despite the weather.

When we arrived at Kleine Scheidegg, we transferred to a train that would take us to the top. As we ran from car to car, we felt the cold sting of snowflakes against our warm skin. We were shocked: snow in July? The last time we had snow in July was…Crater Lake. When the train pulled away from the station, we watched the ground as the snow began to stick.

The train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch tunnels for miles and miles through the Alps. The tallest of the mountains in this area are the Eiger (13,026 ft), the Mönch (13,475 ft), and the Jungfrau (the tallest, at 13,642 ft). The peaks are named for an old legend recalling a monk (mönch) who protects a maiden (jungfrau) from the ogre (eiger). Our route took us through the Eiger, with two brief stops at panoramic terraces. Here, we could get a look at the wind and snow whirling outside and see a little bit of the notoriously dangerous North Face. From the Eismeer station, we tunneled under the Mönch and emerged at Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe.

A couple facts about the train route: the original idea came from the Mt. Washington Cog Railway (in New Hampshire). Soon, there was a craze for mountain-climbing trains in Switzerland, and there were petitions to build a train route all the way to the summit of the Jungfrau. From 1896-1912, tracks were laid from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch, the shoulder beneath the Jungfrau. The final stage, from Jungfraujoch to the summit, was never completed, due to WWI, financial troubles, and the fact that the summit was too small to hold a decent-sized building.

When we arrived at the top, we disembarked from the train and joined the hordes of Asian tour groups heading inside. The train station is at the center of the huge Jungfraujoch complex. Most of the attraction is built in the mountain, with a couple buildings jutting out from the edges of the cliffs. We headed first to the Ice Palace, a labyrinth of passageways tunneling through a glacier. Ice made the ceilings, walls, and floors. It was very cool (literally). The main loop showcased ice sculptures of polar bears, penguins, and seals. After seeing all the artwork, we went squeezing through narrow passageways, sliding across the floor, licking the walls (at least I did), and posing for photos. At last, we had explored every passageway, so we headed to the “Ice Gateway”.

Although we had tried to prepare for the weather, we were not prepared for what awaited us outside the doors. There was a weather board, telling us that the current temperature was -7°C (19.4°F) and the wind was steady at 50 km/h (31 mph). We put on all our layers, even our sunglasses to protect our eyes from the blowing snow, and headed outside. It was extremely windy, extremely cold, and extremely fun. We only stayed out a little while, but it was long enough to yell at each other, experience the thin air, and get snow in our tennis shoes and up our pants. Freezing cold, we hustled back inside. The experience was so thrilling for me that I went out again! When the weather is nice (above freezing with no clouds, snow, or wind), the ice gateway is the beginning of a path through the snow to a viewpoint called the Plateau. We had walked less than 15 feet of the path before we had to turn back! When Mom and Dad came 18 years ago, they didn’t get to experience this adventurous side of Jungfraujoch!

Our next stop was the Sphinx, the highest viewpoint in Europe, at 11,760 ft. After the quick elevator ride up, we looked outside, through snow-covered windows, to see swirling snow. Occasionally, a mini-avalanche would send snow crashing down off the roof. We sat on the benches inside to enjoy part two of breakfast: Bircher Muesli. It is a Swiss specialty of dried fruits and oats soaked in fruit juices mixed with fruit yogurt. It tasted good, but the texture was almost unbearable for some. Caitlin loved it‼ When we had completed our meal, we headed outside to the viewing platform. This side of the mountain was less windy than the Plateau, but there was still zero visibility. We managed to endure the thin, cold air long enough to take a family photo, look around, and throw a couple snowballs.

After taking the elevator back down, we weren’t sure what to do next. We had wanted to play in the snow on the mountainside, but the snow area was closed due to avalanche danger. We had seen signs for the informative film, so we headed in that direction. Soon after we entered, the lights went down, the curtains closed, and music began. The music played and played and played, but no images showed on the screen. After the music ended, Mom and then Dad headed out to find an employee to help. They told some staff, who radioed for the right repair man. While we waited for him, the music played a couple more times. Lindsey and Abby tried to improve their interpretive dance skills, but they were better comedians than dancers. Maybe the thin air was getting to them and making them loopy!

Finally, the guy arrived, turned on the projector, and started the show. At last, stunning photos, showing the stunning views from Jungfraujoch in good weather, accompanied the now-familiar music. When the show ended, we headed down the train station and took the noon train down to Kleine Scheidegg. This was the starting point of our hike, but we wanted to have lunch first. Luckily, we found a picnic table sheltered from the rain, and enjoyed our lunch. As we ate, some friendly goats from a nearby field wandered over to say hello and beg for food. After the meal, we weren’t completely sure that we wanted to hike down. By this point, freezing rain had subsided to an occasional drizzle, and the clouds were beginning to dissipate. Since Mom and Dad have such fond memories of their last hike from Kleine Scheidegg to Lauterbrunnen, we decided at least to try.

Here in Switzerland, the hiking trails are called wanderweg, literally “wandering way”. This trail was the epitome: a meandering path through pastures and fields of flowers. It really made me believe that the journey to get somewhere is sometimes just as important, if not more, than the destination itself. Due to the rain, the path was a bit muddy, but it didn’t matter too much. Clouds sometimes covered almost everything around us until the wind blew them on by. We managed to get a glimpse of the rocks, snow covered mountain sides, the valleys, and the waterfalls during these brief interludes of clarity. But then the clouds blew back over, covering the scenery above the valley, and we focused on the scenery we could see: the small purple bell-like flowers, the steep hills, the cows munching near the side of the path. Whenever these cows moved, their bells echoed throughout the valley. I wonder how they can stand the constant noise whenever they move their heads.

When we reached the first rail station we pondered taking the train the rest of the way down, but we decided to hike on, even though the road was suddenly extremely muddy. A little while later, we reached some benches perched atop a hill. Mom recalled that she and Dad ate lunch there during their last trip to Switzerland, so we paused for a quick dessert. Right nearby were five huge but friendly cows, who decided it would be fun to come toward us and check out these strange Americans.

Continuing on, we headed down toward Wengen. The weather gradually cleared, so we could see up and down the entire valley. At one point, we could almost see the peaks of the Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau. As we hiked on it was clear that, although slower, hiking this route was much more rewarding than taking the train. Soon, we reached Wengen, two thirds of the way between Kleine Scheidegg and Lauterbrunnen. The weather was almost sunny, but we were starting to get sore, so we decided to take the train the remainder of the way. Back in Lauterbrunnen, we picked up our car and drove back to Faulensee.

All of us were wet, cold, muddy, and exhausted from our exciting day. Until dinner, we showered, read, blogged, and relaxed. Mom washed a load of very dirty jeans. At a little past six, we gathered around the table to enjoy a meal of pasta. Then we continued our restful evening before heading to bed.