Rheinfall & Schwarzwald

Hoi, everyone!

Friday was an adventure day for David and I! We traveled up to northern Switzerland to take a peek at the largest waterfall in Europe--Rheinfall. Well let me tell you, if there is ever a shortage of water...we know where to go! The falls were gigantic and absolutely gorgeous. The immediate areas surrounding the falls were full of people...tourists everywhere! David was a little perturbed by the mobs of people not from the area..but I quickly assured him that I know JUST how he feels (*cough* snowbirds!), hehe. We walked around with the crowds for a few minutes, getting up close and personal with the falls. They had platforms that you could walk out on and practically be in the waterfall! As you look down and the mist from the gushing water sprayed your face, it was hard to fathom just how much water was constantly flowing from these falls. It was 450 feet wide and 75 feet tall! 
After seeing the falls up close, we decided to walk along the Rhine River for a little bit to get away from the busy scene. We walked on the riverbank, where the gushing water had turned into a still river. The water was clear, and looked so inviting. But, we dipped our feet in, and once again decided it was still too cold. We took a bridge to the other side and walked the entire circle around the falls, during which, we came across an ivy-covered bunker from WWII. While walking over the second bridge back to the original side, we were able to have a birds eye view of the falls. It was pretty incredible to me how something of such a large scale could be so peaceful. It reminds one of just how creative God is...and how He really is everywhere. We hiked back up to the starting point, managed to buy a couple $5.00 soft drinks (a bottle of coke....a $5 bottle of Coca-Cola....I hadn't really missed my $4 12-pack until this point!), then headed back to the car. 

David brought up the idea to go to Germany for lunch, just because we were already so close to the border--how awesome! So we drove up to Schwarzwald (The Black Forest). We crossed into Germany, and into the forest, which was pretty special for me, because some of my family history goes back to the Black Forest. We drove for a while through the winding roads underneath the tall, darker-tinted trees (I am not sure what it is about them that make them look darker, but it is true, and I am guessing that is why they call it the Black Forest.), and were joined by what seemed to be every biker in Europe. Motorcycles everywhere! Apparently this part of Germany is ideal for riding bikes. 
We ate on a terrace of a restaurant overlooking a beautiful lake. I had spaghetti and salad with a coke (three ice cubes this time--woo hoo!), and David had a delicious schnitzel. We saved room for black forest cake, of course, so that we could say we "ate black forest cake in the black forest", haha. But, tragically, they were all out!! :( So, we stopped at another little restaurant on our way back, because we had seen the cake advertised at that restaurant on our way in. We sat down, ordered, and were given the bad news once again--no black forest cake. It is okay though, because we drowned our sorrows in a delicious strawberry cake and soon were no longer so upset. :) 

On our drive home, we passed back into Switzerland and were greeted by colorful fields and a glowing sunset behind the trees. We were almost back home when we saw a sign with a pair of scissors and three flowers on it! What is this, you ask? David told me it was a field full of tulips where you could cut your own flowers. WHAT! So, obviously, we stopped. There was no one there tending to the field or supervising the customers...just the honor system--a jar for coins (.70 per flower) and some knives to cut the tulips. David and I both only had larger bills at the time, so I was about to accept the fact that we may have to go home flowerless, but then David, my knight and shining armor, found some coins in his car...just enough for a flower! :) So, I skipped down the rows of flowers, deciding exactly which one would be coming home with me, and came upon the perfect one--a bright pink tulip that had just started to bloom. It was the perfect one, and is now sitting in a vase beside me as we speak! It was such a simply cool experience!

It was a pretty crazy day...seeing the Rheinfall, hopping over to another country for lunch, and then cutting a flower from a field of tulips. :) These past few days, we have been relaxing in Winterthur. We biked to the city one day and had a "Kebab"--like a Turkish-influenced pita with pork, lettuce, tomatos, onions, etc. Then, BBQ'd at David's house with his brother Simon another day. Yesterday, for Easter, David and I made Raclette for dinner. Normally, it is unusual to eat Raclette during the warm months, but I had such a craving for it from the last time I was here, so we made it. It is melted cheese over potatoes, pickles, baby corn, onions, and ham (and whatever other toppings you might like)....sounds interesting, but SO delicious. Today and tomorrow we are getting ready to leave for PARIS!!! I feel like such a little girl, but seeing the Eiffel Tower...walking through the streets of Paris...is such a dream for me. 

So, until next time, Au Revoir!

Lovely Luzern

Okay...so I have missed a few days. Lots to catch up on! :)

We took this weekend pretty easy and stayed close to Winterthur. It is amazing how much natural beauty surrounds this city..and pretty much all over this country. From David's house, we can walk 5 minutes and be in a forest, or walk 5 minutes and get to the train station that takes you to Zurich. Talk about the best of both worlds! 

It is harder than one might think to keep track of which days we did what, but I will do my best. 

Thursday, we were on Spike (David's dog)-duty. Hehe. So, we drove with him to a trail along a river and walked for about an hour or so. He loves to play fetch. You could probably throw a whole tree and he would try to bring it back to you. The weather was pretty. It was a bit chilly still in the shade, but when the sun came out, it heated everything up. The trails along the river were lined with little yellow flowers...almost like they knew they were creating a beautiful border for the path. The trees were standing tall as ever and everything was starting to bloom. At one point, we came across a really neat chair carved out of a tree. It was so random.. but was the only thing in front of a tiny campfire. Almost like someone forgot their own chair, so they decided to carve themselves one.

Thursday night, we went up to David's friend, Beni's farm and had dinner. Beni showed us around the farm--the chickens, cows, horses, cats, and dogs. He and David jumped on the trampoline for a little bit, while Johannes and I threw a football (American football) around. Then we all played some ping pong for a while and just chilled.

Friday, David took me to a Thermal Bath. ---Talk about RELAXING. Holy cow. These baths are unlike any spa we have in America. It is a whole area devoted to giant hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and lounge chairs. This particular thermal bath was almost all white. There were huge pillars and high ceilings, making you feel like you are floating in a palace! (These are just two professional pics of the bath...I didn't take any because you weren't really allowed to take pics in there, but I wanted you to be able to see what it looks like) Each of the "baths" is a different temperature. So, we relaxed in some of the "normal" temperature pools for a little, then went into the steam room which was crazy! Everyone just sits there...but it was so dark in there..plus steam...plus extremely hot temperatures... I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to breathe! After a little bit, you get used to it though and it helps you feel refreshed! Then, it was on to the inside/outside bath! You get into the bath indoors, but then go through a little curtain, and -Poof!- you are outside--gazing at beautiful hillsides and mountains. Another cool part of the thermal baths are the side by side hot/cold ones--they are extreme opposites--one is absolutely freezing cold, and the other, burning hot! David pointed out that there was an order here that we had to follow-so, we spent a few minutes in the burning hot one, about froze our butts off during the 0.8 seconds that we were in the cold one, then.. over to the "hot towel" center, where the spa staff wrapped us in hot towels, and then upstairs we went to lounge in the chairs and just relax. How AWESOME. :) Finally, we finished off our evening in the baths by going in the biggest one with all kinds of jets that massage your entire body. I felt like jello walking out of there. Talk about feeling pampered! 
Mark my words- Thermal Baths. In America. ASAP.

But wait, we have to back track for just a minute here. I got pretty carried away with the thermal baths. On our way up there, we stopped in a quiet little town, Wesen, situated on a lake. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining, it was absolutely warm, but zero humidity. I "oohed" and "ahhed" at flowers (at which point I realized I was starting to turn into my mother, hehe) as we walked along the side of the lake. Then, we came to a nesting swan! She was so beautiful, and had made her nest in a little planter with a few shrubs and one tree. She had recently laid her eggs and was just peacefully sitting on them when we came upon her. I know people say those birds are mean, but part of me refuses to think they all have this nasty side, because she was sweet as could be. We got back in the car and drove a little further to a spot where you could hike a little bit. At one point, we stopped at an ancient guard post that was built a century before Christ! It was hard to fathom just how long ago that had been used and was still in tact today. We stood in awe in multiple places at the view of the bright blue lake sitting at the base of huge snow-topped mountains. It was breathtaking.

The rest of the weekend we kind of laid low and hung out. I caught David's cold so I have been fighting it off for a few days now. The warm weather is helping it go away though I think :) Monday night we went out to dinner in the city with David's Godfather. We ate on the terrace of a little Italian restaurant overlooking the streets of the city. Again, we were blessed with beautiful weather. I didn't even have to put my jacket on until around 9pm! The meal was delicious and we had a wonderful time. His Godfather speaks very good English, so I was able to contribute to the conversation a lot, which was quite refreshing. :) I am trying to keep up with my German though. I brought my German book and will be trying to study it more while putting it together with listening to everyone else talk around here to see if I can catch on quicker!

Today, we took a day trip to the lovely city of Luzern! It is a beautiful city surrounding the lake. We strolled through the busy streets and along the lake for a while. It was a market day in the city, so there were tons of little tents set up with people's homemade treasures that they have come to sell. Everything from farmers selling their vegetables or meat, to flower stands and little Easter trinkets. The city was buzzing with a springtime atmosphere and you guessed it--absolutely gorgeous weather again! It was lunchtime when we started walking along the lake, and workers and students from around the city all brought their boxed lunches and gathered along the shore to eat together. The lake was alive with paddle boats, sailboats, and canoers. We enjoyed a boat ride, taking in the beautiful scenery from all sides of the lake. Afterwards, we walked a little more around the city, stopped in for some chocolate (duh!), and headed back to Winterthur. 

Tonight, after dinner, I went with David's mom to church. They have evening services that last for 30 minutes each night this week up until Thursday, when they take Communion, leading into Good Friday and then Easter of course on Sunday. Each of the small services this week is just for singing, praying, and reflection on what Easter is all about. About 20 of us gathered in the small church in a semi circle and sang along with a flute, cello, and piano to songs in English, German, Spanish, and French. There were candles lit in the middle, and it was so simply beautiful.

That's all for now! :) Almost time for bed! Miss you all. <3

Burning Snowman, Burger King, and a Castle....

 
Monday was quite a day for the city of Zurich! All the employees in the city had the day off work to celebrate the anticipation of Spring and Summer. "Sechsilute" is a festival in the middle of the city, complete with parade, costumes, flowers, and a snowman burning at the stakes to complete the ceremony. Yes. You read right....a burning snowman. When David and I first arrived, it was hard to see anything but a giant mob of people, a few mylar balloons, and what look like carnival food tents. Then, we got closer to the circle. I lifted my camera high in the air, trying to catch a peek of what was going on...but all I got was a random arm here, random tree there. So, we decided to try to walk closer to the Lake to see if there would be a better view of the parade. Well, as we were about to cross the street, the parade started up again and the police stopped the pedestrians right where we were--so we got a front row view for a little bit! The parade was absolutely adorable. The participants were all dressed in 18th-century style clothing, and were throwing whole bouquets of flowers into the crowd! I caught two bunches of roses! It was like a cleaned-up version of Mardi Gras with FLOWERS! How sophisticated. 

Anyway, while I was thinking to myself just how I would be able to start this flower-throwing trend in America somehow....my thoughts were stopped suddenly as my "English-radar" went off--I heard "Man, that little girl look pah-issed" (In a very strong Southern Accent). I whipped around, and low and behold, it was a couple from North Carolina! David and I talked with them for a few minutes, and then went along our way..but I just thought, "Wow! In this giant mob of people, we end up right next to Americans. What a small world!" After we finally made it to the lake, the crowds were no smaller, so we walked around a bit, and found a spot to watch the snowman burning. The ceremony began promptly at 6pm. The costumed men on horses circled the giant tower of wood with an inflatable snowman on top as it went up in flames. The whole point of it was to symbolize the end of winter. I mean, where I come from, we take down the Christmas lights, and put away the snowman plates in the cabinet, buuuut.....I mean, why not put a bunch of fireworks in an inflatable snowman's head then light it on fire? Why didn't we think of that? Come on, America! :-P Just kidding.

It was actually really exciting to watch. Everyone anxiously watched the clocks, because depending on how long it takes for the fire to work it's way up to the snowman, it will decide whether the summer will be good or bad. It took 11 minutes to burn, and luckily, that means it will supposedly be a pretty good one! :) After the festival started to wind down, David and I took a little stroll around Zurich then headed home on the train (a real one again!) back to Winterthur. 

The next day, we got up and went to Burger King for lunch. Yes, Burger King. David had a craving for it, and if you know me, you know I didn't oppose. It was really tasty and hit the spot. Not to mention, it was decorated like a 50s diner with an American flag in a case and everything! However...the prices weren't so American. Normally you would pay, what? About 7 or 8 dollars for a meal? ....for David and I --we paid 30 Swiss Francs! 

After BK, we headed up to Kyburg where there is a REAL castle that was first mentioned back in 1027! We walked through the rooms, dungeons, kitchens, torture chambers, courtyards, and chapel. It was absolutely beautiful. The old beds were so little--the Swiss must have been pretty short back in the day. We tried on "Medieval Robes" and tried to lift old cannon balls off little platforms, but they were crazy heavy! We also climbed up one of the towers into a room where the "Iron Maiden" was kept. It was pretty creepy to see, so we didn't stay for long in that room. There were books, and shoes, and other items on display to help us visualize what that people that used to live there looked like. When you looked out the castle windows, you could see for miles. When my family visited Europe when I was 15, I didn't find the whole castle and museum thing to be very cool....maybe it means that I have grown up or something, because it is starting to become more and more interesting! :)

Today, we got up early, went with David's mom to meet his Godparents for coffee, and then went shopping in a new mall they just got in Winterthur. I am telling you...we NEED an H&M in Sarasota soon...NEED one! :-P  Now we are all just hanging out and relaxing at home for the night. Hope everyone's week is going well! <3

It begins!

Gruetzi from Switzerland!

I landed in Zurich earlier today and already had a pretty productive day. It is becoming more productive right now as I write my first post already since I'm the oddball who is stuck in a different time zone and is wide awake while everyone else is sleeping. What makes no sense whatsoever is that I slept very little on the plane over, missed a whole night's sleep and am STILL AWAKE! Ahh. My eyes have that tired-yellowish tint to them with nice dark circles underneath to complement. Given, I did fall asleep multiple times this afternoon while trying not to, and am now realizing the consequences of that. 

Let's see, the trip over wasn't too bad, actually, just long of course. On the long-haul flight we were served dinner, the lights turned out for about 4 hours, then turned back on again and we were served breakfast. I would just like to point out that I was served a mini dill pickle with my breakfast! Weird, I know, but freaking awesome! I met a nice older gentleman from Austria on the long flight, and was so proud of myself when I was able to ask him where he was from and recognize the city all in German! :) The second flight, the short-haul, I had the whole row to myself! Too bad it was practically the duration of one of those island hopper flights you take in Hawaii. :(

My love greeted me at the airport with a red rose and a sweet kiss! We then headed back to his hometown of Winterthur---about 20 minutes outside of Zurich. His family welcomed me back with arms wide open for hugs, and his animals were cute as always. After a short nap, we all took a walk to enjoy the weather. I hear later in the week it is supposed to get a little chillier, but today, it was absolutely beautiful. Believe it or not--they actually have this green stuff called grass underneath those snowy white layers of winter! We walked the trails in the countryside, basking in the sun and taking in the views of the green fields and flowers that are starting to bloom.  We even passed a farm today that had set out a wheel barrow full of bulbs for anyone to take and plant in their own gardens-for free! The sounds as we took our little stroll were made up of birds chirping, the bells worn around goats necks ringing as they walk, and David's dog, Spike, visiting with other sheepdogs as we passed various farms. The brooks are babbling, kids are grilling sausages by campfires in the forest, and everyone seems to have a little pep in their step now that the temperatures have risen a bit. The flowers are everywhere--tulips, daffodils, honeysuckles, daisies, and more. They are so pretty it is almost like they are smiling at you... comforting for someone who is, yes, already a little homesick.

The church bells outside the window and up the hill just chimed to notify the quiet town that it is now 10:15. So, I am going to try to force myself to fall asleep and get used to this time zone. Thank you all for your sweet well wishes today on Facebook and e-mail! :) More adventures to come soon!

Guet nacht!

Starting to pack, because......

 

 Now, I know what you all are thinking-- "She wants me to follow her blog, and all she is going to do is put up pictures of how many days are left until she goes somewhere?..Wow, real interesting." 

Au contraire. One of my friends told me about this really cool website (Picnik.com) that lets you do stuff like that ^ to your pictures. Needless to say, I've been pretty addicted to it since then. 

But, have no fear. The real posts start VERY SOON!!!!! AS IN 3 DAYS!!! AHH!

(slightly freaking out about how little time I have to finish my to-do list before I leave.) 

And call me psychic, but I think I know what you are thinking again-- 

"So why don't you stop blogging/facebooking/picniking and go get things done, Brittany!"

Good idea.

Stay tuned. :)