Switzerland - Day 4

Tuesday, July 26th

We packed up our things first thing in the morning and headed toward Bern to go to the temple. We have such good memories of the this temple from our year in France.

Of course, the girls have changed since then...

We did Swiss ancestors that day. They did a special session for us, and the temple president came and spoke to Tennie and Adele. The workers were all Italian (our favorite temple goers there), and we recognized a few of them, and they remembered us too.

Having stained my other church outfit, I was feeling pretty crusty on day three wearing these clothes!

We saw some yellow roses, the symbol of Geoff's mom Mesha!

We had wanted to stay in the temple housing, but due to nearby temple closures it was booked. We went in to see the cafeteria and laughed at some of the memories that happened there that I wrote about here .

We hit the road and headed past Lake Lucern (Oh how it was painful not to stop and spend a few days!), through the magnificent Swiss Alps and into Northern Italy. What a drive of non-stop, jaw-dropping beauty. We stopped at a small town fountain for clean, Swiss water.

We pulled into the Lake District as it was getting dark but just in time to take in the gorgeous views of Lake Como. We took a 10:00PM ferry to Bellagio and got more and more excited for our day in Italy as we wound up the tiny streets toward our charming Airbnb.

Switzerland - Day 3

Monday, July 25th

We woke up in beautiful SeeAlpSee, had a simple and delicious breakfast at the inn, and headed outside to enjoy a little more grandeur before heading down the mountain.

Gotta love Swiss firewood!

Remember, we're all in the same clothes with no jackets, really. It was a cool, misty morning.

The girls showed us where they did some skinny dipping the night before.

Tennie and Ceci took a little canoe out on the lake.

Geoff, Adele and I walked around the lake.

There were waterfalls everywhere. And then there was this little cabin with smoke coming out of it's chimney. Amazing.

We passed a little cow farm that had a homemade sign selling fresh butter. Seriously?! But it wouldn't make it through our day ahead so we had to pass. Fresh, Swiss butter right there from those cows on that mountain top. I could just taste the creaminess and deliciousness. They let us peek in their house. It was one room with a big bed with a curtain around it, a small kitchen and a table and chairs. There was a small cellar where they kept the butter. This looked like a scene out of the 1800s. My goodness it was lovely in its simplicity and freshness.

A little farther along was a farmer selling fresh milk. She sold us a water bottle full. Milked that morning. Tennie drank it all up.

Reluctantly, we headed back down the path, getting a little rained on as we went. Hikers going up in their hiking boots and gear looked at Adele and me in our flip flops and skirts like we were crazy.

We headed around the lake to the original Landis farm. Geoff's ancestors are Landis'. Many of the Landis family were imprisoned and/or beheaded during the Reformation. This original Landis farm has been owned by a Landis for 500 years.

The countryside was pure Switzerland.

We met the Landis five minutes before he left for the airport. He was so friendly, and promised to send family information, which he did a month after we got home. He sent family charts with names, birth places and birth dates, plus the family crest and several pictures.

We headed back to Zurich and arrived in the late afternoon. Tennie, Adele and Ceci really wanted to jump off the bridge again, but it was cold and had rained most of the day. They did it anyway.

While getting their nerve to jump off a little higher than they had before a hippy-looking, drunk man was watching. Finally he began walking toward them, and Tennie, worrying he might push them off, told him to back off. He got up on the rail and told them to, "jump in like this", and he jumped like a carrot into the water, fully dressed. He floated down the river as far as they could see. This man, whom they nicknamed Carrot, is a favorite memory for them of the trip. They thought it was so funny he jumped in.

Here they go!

And then we had the last night in our small, overstuffed room.

Switzerland - Day 2

Sunday, July 24th

After going to sacrament meeting at a German ward in Zurich, we headed around lake Zurich to Tauferhoehle (an Anabaptist cave) near Baeritswil. Early Reformers would secretly meet in this remote cave to avoid persecution, imprisonment or death.

Driving through Swiss countryside is a feast for the senses. It is really hard to look at it hard enough. This little trail to the cave outside of a small village didn't disappoint, although our pictures just can't capture it. It was a 20-minutes drive from Zurich, and apparently people came from miles and miles around to secretly meet here.

Seriously, can't you just taste the chocolate?

Here is the cave:

On our way out we ran into a group of Landis ancestors touring the area, and that is a family name we would be exploring the next day. This American group (Mennonites) was visiting many of the same sites that we were. Distant cousins, but cousins nonetheless!

Our next stop was Appenzell, a cute alpine village full of Swiss charm. Geoff's ancestor Conrad Hershey was born in the area in 1536 and lived there his whole life. This man was the first name Geoff found as he jumped into family history. 

Catching sleep whenever possible...

While in Appenzell we saw a tourist shop window with a poster about a nearby alpine lake called SeeAlpSee. Geoff really wanted to go there; no one else did. We were tired. Geoff suggested we just drive over there and maybe walk a bit up the trail. Adele and I were in flip flops and skirts. There was resistance. This wasn't on the itinerary and would throw things off. But, Geoff has a right to his desires (although I'm sure with four women in the house it is least considered) so we decided to do a little walk up the trail before heading home.

It was cool and threatened to rain as we started up.

Ceci got a little close to a cow and it gave her a little grumpy nod to back-off.

Tennie got a little too close too. Her face is the best.

It was unbelievably gorgeous in all directions. We decided we would have dinner at the little inn at the top and do the whole mile hike. This was a steep mile, but worth every step!

There were cows grazing the hillsides, clanking their bells as they went.

As we approached SeeAlpSee we saw the most incredible mountain, summer farm. Why can't pictures fully capture Switzerland? I don't know, but we tried anyway.

It is all so rustic and simple and fresh and natural and lovely.

At last we made it to the top. Truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

After a deliciously fresh and warming dinner we didn't want to leave and decided to depart from our scheduled itinerary and stay the night. It was $40 each and, because of the weather, we almost had the place to ourselves. We opted for the bunk room.

It felt like we were much farther than a mile out of civilization. It was other worldly. We determined to plan a 2-week hiking trip through the Alps, staying in little inns like this one along the way. One day...

At dusk, Tennie, Adele and Ceci decided they wanted to go skinny dipping. No one was around, and forget about the fact it was cold and they only had one set of clothing (and that set didn't include sweatshirts/jackets!), and a hand towel each. Geoff and I watched them leave through the small windows, delighting in their giggling and adventuresomeness. Once they disappeared around the corner into the trees we could hear their squealing and laughing. They came back so alive and fresh, and claimed it will be one of the best sister-memories of their lives.

A family sleep-over in SeeAlpSee is one for the record, possible the best memory of the trip. Good idea, Geoff!