My Italian Adventures...: August 2013

One of the advantages of living in Northern Italy is the travel opportunities we have. I've really enjoyed the few brief trips we've taken and last week we had the pleasure of going to Switzerland. Now, anyone who knows me well is aware that I'm not much of an outdoor girl but I have a special place in my heart for mountains. I spent much of my childhood in New Mexico and Colorado and as an adult I've spent time in the Smokey Mountains but nothing I've ever seen can compare to the spectacular mountains and valleys of Switzerland! It is an amazing place where God's glory is present in the snow capped peaks, the trees, flowers, waterfalls and the peaceful, green valleys.

Italy has it's own beauty. The Alps are visible from Italy and they are lovely but driving over the Swiss border you are transported into some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. I think our eyes and our "Wow's" got bigger around each curve and over every hill! I am blessed to be married to a man who understands my need to photograph such beauty and he obliged me by pulling over every 5 minutes. Interesting thing is, according to friends who have gone several times we didn't even take the most scenic route! I'm anxious to one day go back and take it.

One of the most unique experiences we had was taking driving onto a ferry train to take us through a long tunnel. The trip took about 15 minutes and was in total darkness. I'm just a little bit claustrophobic so the light at the end of that tunnel sure looked good!

Our first stop was the small, Alpine village of Gimmelwald. There is a hostel, a bed and breakfast and two small hotels there. The hotel we stayed in was very old and the rooms were tiny. With toilets and showers down the hall, it was one step above a hostel. The rest of the village is made up of quaint log cabins, farms complete with sheep, goats and cows, each wearing bells around their necks, all surrounded by breath-taking mountains and lush green valleys. It is a quiet, peaceful place that is only accessible by a gondola that goes up the mountain from the village of Stechelberg. One of my favorite activities was taking a morning walk in the cool, crisp air and listening to the music of the bells worn by all the farm animals. The next village up from there is called Murren and it has some wonderful hotels, restaurants and shops where we bought our Swiss cuckoo clock! (Mark has wanted one for years.)

We also took the opportunity to go paragliding! Mark brought up the idea to me before we went and my first response was, "No way!" Then, after we got there, I watched the paragliders and it looked like fun. In the end it was me who talked Mark into it! I think he wasn't so sure about the whole thing but then I told him he could just watch me do it. His response to that was, "No way are you doing it without me!" The result was the most exhilarating experience of my life! We took off from the hills above Murren at about 9000 feet and glided next to cliffs, waterfalls and over the valley of Stechelberg for about 15 - 20 minutes. I'm not altogether sure I would do it again, but I will never regret having done it the fist time! There is more to do in these villages and we're definitely going back. I may have just found my favorite place on earth.

The next leg of our journey took us to Luzern (Lucerne if you're not from Switzerland). It is a large, bustling city but it's old town is so charming and full of history. It has two beautiful old wooden bridges, built in the 14th century, that span the river (although one of them burned in 1993 and was rebuilt). Lake Luzern is huge and surrounded my mountains and almost everywhere you look there are swans (reportedly a gift from Louis XIV.) One of the restaurants we dined in is 400 years old and served wonderful German food. There are a ton of museums and churches and we didn't get to stay long enough to see everything but we did enjoy our visit there. Luzern may be on our list of places to go back to one day.

We still have many trips to take and many countries to see before this adventure ends but I think I will always have a special place in my heart for Switzerland. I thank God for allowing me to experience something so wonderful!

Auf Wiedersehen!
Flying high over Switzerland...