Ulrich Zwingli - Father of Swiss Reformation

Ulrich Zwingli was born in Wildhaus, in this house below, in 1484. Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli were born within 7 weeks of each other and were co-originators of the Protestant Reformation. Their reforming movements lead into Western Christendom, followed by other reformers such as Calvin and Bullinger. For them I am very grateful... for the movement of getting the Bible into the hands of the people and for starting the movement outwest. This is the house he was born in. We went inside and all over... all the wood was original! Very few things were restored. It was incredible!

Before they could make full sheets of glass, they would make windows like this...

This bed was TINY! No way I could fit in it. It was incredible to see how small people were. Also, the bedding is original. Stuffed with leaves for cushion and warmth.

Where he did a lot of his studying and translating.

More from Wildhaus

We spent four days in Wildhaus and eventhough it rained, we still found the time to go out and enjoy the area. As normal, there is a lot of quiet time to be expected 'Up at the Cabin', it is no different here in Switzerland. We played games, hiked, slept, sat by the fireplace, and I read a lot while Margrit did crossword puzzles and Kuno studied Spanish. He is determined - He was reading the dictionary! The picture below is a walk into town. The meadows were beautiful and I loved that we walked everywhere, no need to drive.

Knowing that Samira and I had a language conflict I made sure to bring the essentials for any two girls to bond no matter what the age or language.... hair accessories. I told Margrit to ask her if she would like me to do her hair like a princess the next morning before our hike. Well, she woke up bright and early and snuck into their room and asked when I was getting up! She sat very patiently while I did her hair and left it the whole time we were up there.

This is the view from their porch to the right. Each one of those peaks in the distant are loaded with trails. Yes, that is a ski lift going up the mountain. It connects to another, and another, and another. Their storage room next to my room downstairs was loaded with snowboards, snowshoes, skis, sleds, tubes, boots, you name it. They say I MUST come back in the winter. Twist my arm?

Their neighbor...

A simple lunch. We have a rhythm down. I help Margrit prepare whatever she needs and clean up as we go. Then I let her just sit and relax while I clean up everything afterwards. I get the impression this rarely happens to her, so I'm glad I can be of help. I would watch her sit on the couch and just smile, but not really knowing what to do with herself either. This meal was meat and noodles. Followed by their non-coffee version of well... coffee. Its a Caro drink and its warm and yummy. Happily consumed after every meal.

A walk into town....

The adorable houses that are everywhere. Every window has a flower box and every flower box is blooming and beautiful. Mainly geraniums which always make me think of my mom and Grandma.

As we hike through the mountains, its very common to walk upon cows, sheep, or goats grazing in the pastures. This was an old barn we came across and explored. It was kept very neat and tidy.

I will have to put a video of the cow bells in the background. The dingling and twingly in the far distance is a wonderful sound. Especially how it echoes off the mountains. You can see the cows in the background of this photo.

Wildhaus

We went to Wildhaus on Sunday night where their cabin... Swiss Chalet... is in the mountains just one hour away. It was a quick, beautiful, picturesque drive. The sun was close to setting and it slowly but surely melted into my most treasured time of the day. The moment before sunrise where everything is glowing.

We kept winding our way through these cute little towns, over bridges and up into the mountains. At one point we came around the bend and saw this majestic view of this mountain that took by breath away... a Geologists dream! If I may excuse myself in advance... but the anticlines and synclines of the various rock layers was amazing! My summer spent as a Geological Surveyor for my Professor came alive and I was reading the Geology, the faults, the dips, everything. I was in heaven! Look for yourself!

Now... on to Simon Ammann. A Gold Medal Olympian from the SLC and Vancouver Olympics in ski jumping. Here an excerpt from Wikipedia:

On February 13, 2010, competing in his fourth Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ammann won the gold medal in the Individual Normal Hill event. He became the first man in Olympic history to win gold medals in the Individual Normal Hill event in two Olympics. On February 20, 2010, he also won the gold medal in the Individual Large Hill event at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, thus becoming the first man to win gold medals in both individual ski jumping events in two Olympic games, as well as the most decorated Swiss Olympic athlete of all time. His first jump was 144 meters. His second jump was 138 meters.

He is from Unterwasser which is two villages away from Wildhaus. This view is from the Müllers living room, looking directly onto the sight where Amman trained to be an Olympian. His name is all over the town with banners, flags, on hotels, stores, he's everywhere.

Mon repos.... French for my retreat, my relaxing place. They have an adorable little chalet they have named Mon Repos and that is exactly what it is. Small, quaint, and tucked on a vibrant green hillside. Lots of flowers and bright red shutters. Shutters are something that require an entire post for themselves... so you can fully appreciate their detail and personality!

A view looking into my room where I stayed. I had a seperate entrance or a small trap door from the center of their kitchen that dropped down into the lower level. I had old wooden shutters with a heart cut out of the center of them. Everything inside was wood and smelled delightful!

We hiked everyday that we were in Wildhaus (Wildhouse). The first day we went up towards the mountain in the picture above which is located behind the house. Their grandaughter Samira came with us to the cabin and she was adorable. We didn't speak the same language but could easily get along by playing games, making faces, and sneaking her chocolate. I knew she would get tired on our hike, so I packed some yummy chocolate in my bag. At one point she stopped and said she would go no further. I simply took out the bait... waived it in the air... and she took a bite!


More pictures to come!!!

A Walk Through the Woods.....

This blog got posted backwards so I'll start with what I did after the walk. I made Swiss bread with Margrit. She made this bread for Christmas for the missionaries while we were in Albania. It is so delicious. We had a big family lunch today after church and we made it for that. I wrote down everything and my favorite is when she said, 'I handful of this... or a handful of that!'

We also went swimming at their daughters house. It was a beautiful and very Modern looking house with an outdoor shower, BBQ and covered pool that was kinda like swimming in a greenhouse.











I went for a walk yesterday by myself through the woods behind the Müllers house. I was a little hesitant to go solo, but they encouraged me that I would be just fine, that it was completely safe. They gave me their cell phone just in case I got lost. I took off and just followed the trails as they criss-crossed. It didn't take long until I was completely captivated by the new beauty that surrounded me. A true Scientist at heart I was so fascinated at everything I saw. I stopped, would kneel down and get as close as I could to the different plants and flowers and yes even insects. I wanted to hear the woods so I took off my ear phones and listened to the breeze through the trees and all the different noises. Some slightly familiar, but very different all together. As if the crows even had an accent!

I noticed some different Birds of Prey that I so desperately wished I had my ID book and binocs with me! The clovers looked slightly more elegant and the squirrels were black! At first I had a hard time registering what was before my eyes! I soaked up everything! I went back to the house to grab my camera and then went back out again. I was passed by three people on horses out enjoying the woods... oh how I wish I was on a horse! I tried to capture with my camera just a few of the new sights. The small flower is no bigger than my thumbnail and the other plant with water droplets looked amazing. They glistened like tiny diamonds sprinkled throughout the plants along the trail. It was for lack of better words...magical.

Konstanz

We went to Konstanz, Germany the day after I arrived. It's only about 20 min away and I almost fell asleep in the car. The time change is killing me... still! It is an adorable little city right on the lake here that borders Switzerland and Germany. It was raining, but I like the rain and I didn't mind. People were still out and about, not like in Albania where everyone runs and hides from the rain! We walked around and looked at the intricate buildings, fountains, and statues. Buildings that were dated back to the 1300s. Kuno kept asking me if it looks anything like where I'm from! Not at all Kuno!

We tried German Ice Cream and it was yummy to my tummy! I loved the flowers outside the windows on most of the buildings and enjoyed seeing everyone mingle and hearing all the different languages.

Afterwards we went to do some shopping because it's cheaper in Germany. A whole cart full of new foods to try... LOVE IT!!! Eventhough Swiss Chocolate is so much better than German, we did get a little German chocolate to nibble on. And of course lots of sausage.. it's definitely a staple. I've had sausage everyday so far! One thing we DID NOT purchase was cheese! Cheese is much much better in Switzerland according to the experts. I didn't put up a fight that's for sure!

It was a great day and I am learning a lot about cooking swiss foods from Margrit who is an EXCELLENT cook and gave me the nutrition I needed to make it through the last months of my mission which I will forever be grateful for!

Switzerland!!!!

I boarded the plane yesterday in DC after 3 hours of waiting in lines for luggage and security check points. I got to my seat, sat down, and instantly passed out. I woke up an hour and a half later in what I kinda wish was a dream. The plane was still on the tarmac, people were standing and talking all around me. We didnt end up leaving until 2 hours after our scheduled departure, which kinda confused things this morning as I arrived to Zürich. Which I'll touch on shortly. The plane ride was easy breezy. I sat next to a girl named Louiza, the art currator, from Copenhagen, she was a sweet girl. We were very similar. We ordered the same drinks and food, and even ate everything in the same order. I had to smile. Then there is Hans, this guy with crazy eyebrows that had been all over the world. We had an amazing conversation about life and what it means to live. I told him I quit my job and just travel and he says with this really thick accent, "Good for you!!! You get it!". It made me feel good, empowered and alive. He had been all over Africa, New Guinea, South America, Europe, and was just coming back from one of the most beautiful places on earth, "Northern Washington!". His words of "Get out there and fulfill your dreams echoed perfectly the movie Jake and I watched the last night I was in DC... 180 degrees South. It was so inspiring. I feel like my wings are beginning to stretch out wide.


This morning after finally making it to Baggage Claim... The Müllers were no where to be found. It was then the whole not having a phone, or email, or any idea what their car looked like, or their phone number... kinda made me laugh. So, I did what I could and just people watched. I absoluetly love that Europeans have fun and bright colored socks. It made me so happy! I waited for forever, started chatting to some guy from the US and then I saw it.. the adorable little figures waddling their way hastily to the waiting area. The waddle of two people I scurryed all over Albania with, dodging puddles and jumping over sink holes. I leaped over my luggage and yes... literally frolicked towards them. We were so happy and headed off on some direction, that they forgot where they parked. It was fun just being lost with them.

So far today I have taken a nap, gone for a swim, went to their daughters house for dinner and everyone was so sweet and welcoming. The Müllers house is old, with big doorways, a beautiful backyard and garden. No screens on the doors just a lace curtain and its raining right now and the temperature is perfect. Tomorrow we go to Germany and they already have plans to go to their cabin in the mountains this Sunday to go hiking. The town they live in is outside of Frauenfeld and the houses are so quaint and cozy... with reald shudders! Every house and building has real shudders! I told them how we just have them for decoration and they didnt understand why, they got a good chuckle out of the fact we screw our shudders open to the sides of our houses. Silly americans.

Ok, I need to go to bed. Ill upload some photos soon. Wont be able to post everyday, but will do what I can.

Swiss Chocolates to all and to all a GOOD NACHTE!!!!

Breakwater Inn - Cape Hatteras

Eastern Seaboard by Motorcycle

Just got back from the most amazing Motorcycle Trip up and down the Eastern Seaboard! 1,000 miles total and we only spent about $100 on gas! It was a great trip. We started in DC on Friday and it was so blasted HOT I didn't think I could go any longer! We went through Annapolis and towards Rehoboth Beach, Deleware. Then down the coast to Virginia Beach and on to the Outer Banks! Cape Hatteras was GORGEOUS as was the very very very long ferry ride to Ocracoke Island and Cedar Island. Our last night was spent outside of Morehed City, NC. We made it back to DC last night and were making good time until it POURED on us... No, rather it DUMPED!!! We had to stop under an overpass and we were soaked from head to toe. It took us a little longer to get back after that.

I will post more photos and explain a little more of the trip when I get back on a computer.... in SWITZERLAND!!!!!!! I'm heading to the airport now! So, goodbye USA and HELLO Margrit and Kuno.... and Soni! :o)