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