Remember the Alamo, but go to Rudy's.

Sleep in.  Work out.  Yogurt.  River Walk to the Alamo.

Skipping the boring stuff.

The Alamo is worth seeing, but, for some reason, doesn't have the reverence or draw that many other historical relics have had for me.  I think of San Chapelle or St. Paul's Cathedral.  These places felt special.  The Alamo not so much.  Not sure why.

The coolest thing at the Alamo, I thought, was the 4ft by 5ft model someone built depicting the final moments of the battle.  It sits in the gift shop.  Crazy good detail with thousands of tiny figures.  I wish I had taken a picture of it because I can't find a picture online.

From there we hopped on a sight-seeing bus tour.  This was my idea.  In my experience, these are a great way to get to see and learn about a city very quickly.  I was wrong.  A total flop.  There were large chunks of the tour when the driver just turned on some country music as filler - maybe there was nothing interesting to share.  We got off twice - the first time at some brewery that they transformed into a fake place with shops and music and condos.  Whatever.  The second time we got off for good at the Mexican Market.  We didn't even finish half of the bus tour.

The Mexican Market was great.  Lots of tent vendors selling stuff.  I love the artists in any place in the world that has any history or culture.  San Antonio, like Paris, has both.  And it was fun to talk to the painters and sculptors.

Goat.  Yum.

We had intended to eat at Rosario's, but the lame bus tour threw us off, so we ate at a place called Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery that is within the Mexican Market.  Janna and I shared the Chili Rellenos and the Cabrito (goat).  Both were delicious.  The Salsa was good too.  My mom ordered the Flautas, which were fantastic.  And the bakery at Mi Tierra is worth going to even if you don't eat at the restaurant.  Overall, we made the right move by getting off the bus when we did.

From there, we walked back to the hotel, stopping briefly at some of the basic sites - including the cathedral where Bowie and Crockett are buried.

The kids wanted to go swimming, so Janna and I left them with Juju and Lulu while we peeled off to go to the Buckhorn Saloon and Texas Ranger Museum.  There I ordered a delicious Saint Arnold's Root Beer from the bar and drank it as we roamed the museum.  This museum was fun and worth the visit.  It reminded me of the Como Zoo when compared to the Minnesota Zoo.  The Como Zoo is smaller and has all the animals you would want to see at a zoo.  The Buckhorn/Texas Ranger museum had guns and history lessons and pictures and thousands of taxidermy animals.  We weren't there more than an hour, which was plenty and right.

A gentle stroll back the hotel where Janna and I joined in the pool activities for a bit.

At about 7:30 we all walked back down the River Walk to a boat tour, which we had already paid for as a part of the bus tour.  The sun was setting and we weren't quite hungry yet for dinner due to our late lunch.  The River Walk boat tour was awesome.  Quick and fun.  The guide was funny and engaging.  The River Walk was buzzing as evening settled in and it was overtaken with lights and people.

We closed out our day by driving 25 minutes out of the city center up Hwy 10 to Rudy's.  A total dive BBQ joint on the outskirts of town.  Like any good BBQ, we stood in line and ordered our food directly from the carver.  Meat was placed on butcher paper and we were given a half loaf of wonder bread.  We tried everything again.  All but the Chopped Pork was awesome.  The Brisket was tender.  The Turkey, a bit dry but tasty.  The Chicken was outstanding, as was the Sausage.  I didn't love the ribs as much.  The Pork Rib was big and strong tasting.  The Baby Backs were decent, but not as tender as I have had.  I am being picky - overall, everything was delicious and excellent.  The sides were great too, especially the creamed corn and the peach cobbler.  Yum.  

Yeah.  Eating in a gas station.  LOVE IT.

Yo Ho Yo Ho. A Pirates Life for Me...

Plane.  Rental car.  Hotel.

Skipping the boring stuff, okay?

Juju met us at the hotel.  It is always fun to see my mom.  She is great with the girls and is always up for an adventure.  And this little Texas visit is going to be just that - an adventure…with lots of food.

It didn't take us too long to dump our bags in our rooms at the Westin overlooking the Riverwalk.  We got changed into "summer clothes", as it was 94 degrees when we got off the plane!  Vitamin D feels so good.  Moisture returns to your skin the minute you hit the warm air.  Your nose opens up.  Sunglasses feel right.  There is no snow on the ground.  Why do we live in the vortex of the polar vortex?

Anyway, we had one goal - get food.  We were starving and, while there appeared to be some winning restaurants out there, we wanted to start with BBQ.  We had narrowed it down to two choices: Rudy's and The County Line.  Rudy's is rated much higher and seems more authentic.  The County Line looks the part, but is right on the River Walk and reeks of tourism.  And since Rudy's is a 20 minute drive away, and we wouldn't mind taking in the sun, heat and stretching of our legs, we decided to forgo our food-snobbery and eat on the River Walk.  To be honest, we kinda wanted to eat on the River Walk anyway.  I mean, touristy things are interesting to tourist for a reason.  And in San Antonio, you have exactly two things you MUST do (at least according to everyone I talked to).  What are they?  (c'mon.  you know them.)  The Alamo and the River Walk.

The County Line was a lot like Famous Daves in decor, but dirtier.  Lots of things hanging on the walls, crooked signs, and a menu of BBQ.  Everyone went a different direction with their food.  Shelby got the baked chicken.  Aubrey the Sausages.  Gillian the Baby Back Ribs.  Quinn the Kabobs.  Juju Baby Back Ribs.  And Janna and I got the 5 Meet Platter - Beef Rib, Pork Ribs, Brisket, Sausage, and Peppered Turkey.  Along with all that came Sweet Tea and Arnold Palmers.

The County Line is also known for their loaves of bread, which were pretty good.  But let's be honest, you could warm a loaf of Wonder Bread and, because it is warm, it would be awesome.  Warm bread = yum.  The salads, too, were decent.  But a good salad is a bad start to a BBQ joint, in my opinion.  Why would there be Caesar Salad in a BBQ restaurant?  Maybe I am naive.  I expect the waiter to say something like. "Um, we don't serve salad here." or  "You mean Cole Slaw?"

Anyway, we were still hungry by the time we got to the real food.  And... it disappointed.  The brisket was tough and the beef rib was fatty and flavorless.  The Turkey, however, was tender, but didn't have a strong taste.  The Baby Back Ribs were good but not great.  The sausage, however, was yummy.  The sides were decent, too.  Janna got the Black Eyed Peas.  I got baked beans (which tasted like the Black Eyed Peas) and Garlic Mashed potatoes.  Good and buttery, but needed a little more salt.

And I know I am going to probably have a problem with Texas sauces all week.  I just like a good sauce and Texas BBQ sauce is watery and not integral to the meal.  I wish it were.

The River Walk canal is narrow, with people eating at tables right up the the edge and not a stones throw from the other side.  Little bridges cross overhead everywhere. 

From there we got some ice cream at a little spot on the River Walk before strolling along the Walk back to our hotel.  The River Walk is really cool.  I have never been to San Antonio before and didn't know what to expect, so let me make the River Walk description very simple - it is the Pirates of the Caribbean (you know, the ride at Disneyland or DisneyWorld).  Seriously.  It is exactly the same, minus the pirates and the cannons.  There are boats going up and down this narrow canal (the river) - boats about the same size as Disney's boats and loaded with tourists.  The cement and stones go right to the canal's edge.  And the canal is maybe 20 feet across.  Plus there are little bridges going over the canal every block or so.  It is Pirates of the Caribbean to a tee.  If only there had been some barrels of rum, some stray dogs with jail keys in their mouths, and a couple of burning buildings, we could have sung the song all the way to the hotel.

Once back at the hotel, we went swimming until 10:30.  Temp at that point was still 82.  Boom!

Finally

Walking up to the castle in Thun

Not that anyone was waiting on pins and needles, but I am finally sitting down (4:50 am, thank you, best sleep yet! since returning) to try to wrap up the last three days we had in Switzerland.  Truly, we were having so much fun and so tired at night, that blogging was about the last thing we had energy for.

a view of Thun from the Castle

Jeff, the girls and I wrapped up our trip with three last days in Montreux, where our friends live.  But before that, we had one last morning in the Berner Oberland and tried to make the most of it, it was hard to say goodbye.  We headed back down to Interlaken and put our bags in storage at the train station and made the snap decision on a rainy day to head to Thun, where we heard there was a castle! and we had promised Shelby at one point before our trip that she would see a castle.  And it was rainy and Interlaken Ost looked like a place we didn't want to wander in the rain.  So, we grabbed a train to Thun which is located on Thunersee and had about an hour to spare before our Golden Pass train left for Montreux.

We should have tickled him while
we had the chance

Thun was a lovely little town and I would for sure love to go back and explore it a little more (beautiful lake and bridges, lovely cobblestone, cute winding streets, etc), but we had only time to hike up quickly to the castle and meander quickly through it and then make it back to the station.  It was a castle, not much else, but had little displays of the history of the area and fantastic views of Thun and Thunersee.  The castle was cool, don't get me wrong, but what I really loved about Thun (which is a sad commentary on what makes me tick) was the little German pretzel shop that was in the train station.  We were hungry campers and Jeff acquired pretezles for all in about two minutes while the rest of us were panicking because the train had arrived and WE COULD NOT MISS IT!  I made the silly mistake of thanking Jeff for running all the way down, ordering six pretzels in English (we are still in German speaking Switzerland at this point), paying for them, running back up to our track and now arrived train by then asking, "Where's the mustard?"   Even Gillian pointed out how completely cruel that was.  Glad Jeff is a good sport, it only took him the first few bites to get over his disdain.  

Gillian practices her riding skills in the Castle

Let the reunion fun begin

We made it back in plenty of time to catch our reserved Golden Pass train to Montreux out of Interlaken Ost.  This train ride is supposed to be one of the top in terms of breathtaking views but, it was overcast that day and therefore, we got some pretty views, but clear skies would have sent it over the top.  Oh well, we were headed to Montreux to see the Homans and didn't care how we got there.

We arrived in Montreux and Matt took us to their beautiful home that overlooks vineyards, pastures and Lake Geneva, not to mention the gorgeous views of the pre-Alps.  Our kids had no interest in gazing out windows though, because there was a trampoline!!  And if they had had their druthers they would have jumped until the second we had to leave.  But, we did pull them away long enough to go on some hikes and visit Gruyere and Broc.

On the way to Chateau de Chillon,
a view of the artist

at Chateau de Chillon on Lake Geneva

Our respite before the downward wander

About those hikes:  The morning after we arrived, we went into Montreux and walked along Lake Geneva to the Chateau de Chillon viewing the blossoming trees, and amazing views once again of guess what, mountains (of which I never got tired).  It was a long walk and so much fun to see the girls scootering and laughing and having the best of fun with their friends.  Fun time as well to catch up a little and hear about the life the Homans have made in Switzerland.  We grabbed lunch at their home and then headed back out for our more adventurous hike to be ended with the reward of promised great Rosti in a little town just up the mountain from Montreux.  What a hike it was, words could not do it justice, but long story short, the kids won't remember much else about their trip to Switzerland 10 years from now because what happened was, we got lost.  In the forest.  On a slippery, wet, mountain.  For a long time (maybe 200 hours, I lost track...just kidding, it was only 50 hours).  Our first clue to the impending problems we would have on this hike should have been when the travel/hike  guide said, "there are no signs from the train station, but you cross the tracks and go left..."  We went left and then went up and over and then ended about 15 minutes later back at the train station.  Back to the drawing board.  We then hiked a pretty steep hill and at the top it was good times for all as we rested on the now closed chair lift, not knowing of course that we had an arduous time ahead.  After the chair lift, it was all guesswork (no signs that we saw) and a right was taken and into the deep woods we went and everyone (but me!) fell and got covered in some way in mud.  Gillian was disappointed that I didn't fall, so when we finally did get down the mountain, she promptly pushed me into a mud puddle...served me right.  We were wet, muddy and a little cold, truth be told, and doing our best to keep it together (the adults were, the kids were fine, of course, because they had just had a great adventure).  We finally walked to the little Rosti restaurant, got there at 5pm and were told that the restaurant doesn't open until 6:30, but they fed us hot chocolate and coffee with cream and we waited until the cook arrived and served us up some yummy food.  Alls well that ends well, right?  Fun day and good memories.

Our forest wandering

Perfecting our technique

The girls take in the Chocolate Factory, Cailler in Broc

The next day was rainy and cold and we decided to bite the bullet, so to speak, and hit Gruyere and Broc.  Gruyere is famous for...gruyere.  And Broc has a chocolate factory and gives tours...need I say more?  We went to Broc first because it was raining pretty hard and it may have been a mistake because after the tour they let you eat as much chocolate as you want, which turns out, on an empty stomach was not that much, we all felt sick when we left, but still managed to buy up more to stuff into our suitcases.  The rain was starting to let up and so we went to Gruyere next and explored that tiny little hamlet of a town, it was beautiful and had lots of little touristy shops and even a little creamery where the girls stood for quite a while watching the man there make cheese, even tasting some in process.  We were wet, though, and tired and chocolate-sick, so we decided to head back to their home so the kids could jump on the trampoline, of course.

watching the cheese making

We left so early the next morning for our flight back home that our last night there was filled with sad goodbyes and lots of hugs.  We miss having the Homans just around the corner from us back home, but made such fantastic memories with them in Switzerland, I do hope to return before they have to come back.

Pretty Gruyere

 There are of course millions of details that I skipped or missed when I write all of this but after 25 days of travel, a lot of experiences and life lessons have been crammed into my brain and heart.  I will reflect for years on the things I saw, the experiences I had and the people I encountered.  I will forever drink tea with mint leaves stuffed into it in memory of my time in Israel hopefully with the new sweet friends I made on that trip, treasure the time I had with Karen and her family and the renewed connections we made, and of course, the mountains of Switzerland will always be calling, having the Homans and Phil there was the icing on top of the cake. (Thanks to Karen, Phil and the Homans for the best times ever)  I feel blessed, I feel a new sense of hope  and feel renewed by it all.  What a gift.  Now we are back to real life and it is sweeter because of what was.  

The flight home, Aubrey sports her shiner...a gift from the trampoline

Jiggety Jig

Well, we are home sweet home and I just wanted to note it.  I will sit down and post the last three wonder-full days with the Homans in Montreux when I am not so braindead.  We have had so many jaw-dropping memories and the trip ended perfectly with our dear friends.

We arrived home today at 12:20pm and the kids just went to bed at 6pm after really struggling to stay awake.  I will try to make it an hour or two more...or make that a half hour or 10 minutes more.  I've got to get up from this computer because it is lulling me to sleep.

I will post properly tomorrow.

Thanks, Homans.

Happy Easter to all.

Gimmelwald

Hiking is easy with signage like this.

It is really hard to put into words the immenseness of the Berner Oberland region.  Picture our famous Yosemite valley with a village at the bottom (Lauterbrunnen).  Now imagine being able to get to the top of El Capitan and when you get there you see more villages (Wengen, Murren, Gimmelwald, etc.) and above them you see the Grand Tetons (Eiger, Munch, Jungfrau, etc.).  That is what this place is like. We are nestled in this enormous valley, guarded to our East and West by mostly sheer cliffs that go up for thousands of feet.  Everywhere that green grass can possibly grow there are farm houses and many more summer sheds/barns used by the dairy farmers throughout the grazing season.  This is farm country - in the valley and above the valley.

Waterfall season.

And what is interesting is that when you come here, despite the fact that tourists come here a lot, you feel fully integrated into a "native" community of farmers and country-folk.  Everyday Swiss working class life is all around - dairy farmers, cows, goats, sheep, hay, manure, split wood (everywhere!), and pristine little farms with these "outbuildings" all over the place.  In the US, we usually have a farmhouse (white) and then a barn (red) and then a silo (grey) and maybe another big shed (metal).  But in Switzerland, the farm houses and barns and sheds all look the same.  And they are distributed equally around the landscape.  Most of the buildings are only open in the summer to be used by the dairy farmers as they move their cattle up to higher and higher grass.

Farm sheds everywhere.

So most of the buildings we pass on our wanderwegs (walks) are empty.  Since the snow has just melted, the farmers are just now getting prepared for the grazing season and the outbuildings are not being used.

After doing some laundry in town and walking around by the river for an hour, we made our way (via the gondola right next to our hotel) straight up from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp (not much there but for the gondola and train station).  I wish I had taken a picture, however, of Wengen, which sits opposite the valley from Grutschalp.  You can see it great from Grutschalp.  It is way up high off the floor of the valley surrounded by dairy farms.  It looks like it can barely fit between the high mountain cliffs behind it and the sheer valley cliffs in front of it.  But there is grass there.  And, therefore, a town.

Waiting for the Grutschalp gondola.

We were immediately on a train to Murren which is a cute ski town that was bustling with activity.  It began to drizzle when we were there (and continued to the rest of the day).  This meant that while we could see across the valley, we could see nothing beyond that.  Eiger, Munch, and Jungfrau where under clouds all day.  Too bad, because the views from this side of the valley are supposed to be insane.  Oh well, another good reason to come back.

Shelby in Murren

View of the Schwarz Monch from Gimmelwald

Murren, although it sits 3200 feet above Lauterbrunnen, stares at a massive black wall of granite across the valley.  The Swartz Monch rises at least 1500 feet above Murren and sits beside, but in front of, the Eiger.  Of course, we couldn't see the Eiger today, due to the clouds, but it was there.  The Swartz Monch was omnipresent and somewhat ominous - despite the fact that it sits far across the valley.  You feel a bit claustrophobic because of it - especially on a cloudy day.

Gimmelwald in the foreground.

Snow melting.

From there we made our way to a much less touristy town - Gimmelwald.  While the name sounds like something out of Harry Potter, it is really just a small Swiss farming town.  The famous travel writer Rick Steves wrote about Gimmelwald in one of his Switzerland books.  If not for that, this town would probably barely make the map.  But it was awesome and I want to come back.  We had hot cocoa in the only restaurant in town and were the only customers (probably all day).  After that we walked up a street.  The town was prepping for the grazing season - people milling around here and there.  We stopped at a house and bought some cheese from a woman who had a sign on her door.  She let us into her home where we tried some samples.  There were wheels of cheese curing on shelves in the basement of her house.  She probably sells some cheese throughout the year to some tourists, but I got the impression that this was a primary food source.  The whole experience felt like a story book.

Gimmelwald farm - right next to our hike.

Apart from the farmers and the restaurant, Gimmelwald has a gondola.  We hopped on that and made our way back to the valley floor to Stechelberg - some 1500 feet below.

Heading back to Lauterbrunnen.

From there we walked back to Lauterbrunnen, about an hour and a half away on foot.  Along the way we got to take it all in - the valley, the waterfalls spilling over the rock faces from thousands of feet up, and the river, flush with alp water, making its way from the valley of the alps to Interlaken downstream.

It was a wonderful day.  4 hours of walking in drizzle and never a single complaint from our kids.  They have grown accustomed to this way of travel.  If we are not on a beach or at our cabin, we are generally "on the go."  It is fun to see them spend time with each other.  No cell phones.  No internet (to speak of, anyway).  No soccer practices or homework.  Just laughing and fighting.  Aubrey caught up to me and Quinn on our final leg back to Lauterbrunnen.  She reached her hand into my pocket an grabbed my hand.  And then she reached over and held Quinn's hand.  We all walked down the path - in between the cliff walls and waterfalls of the Berner Oberland, with the sound of the rushing river beside us.  If this is anything like heaven, let me die today.

Heaven

Oh an Austrian Went Yodeling on a Mountain so High

Our Happy Place

We've all been singing this song since we got to Switzerland (don't ask Aubrey to sing it, she doesn't want to), but it has never been more appropriate than now as we've arrived in the Berner Oberland...or some might call it Heaven.  Every view is breathtaking, every spot song inspiring.

We left Bern this morning and couldn't get out of there quick enough because it was supposedly the last sunny day we might have for a while and we wanted to get  a chance to see the Alps.  Our Swiss Rail pass covers all trains throughout Switzerland...except the lifts and cogwheel trains that make transportation in the Berner Oberland possible, so if one is going to pay the Francs, one wants to make sure it is worth the extra money.  So, anyway, we traveled out of Bern at 8:34 am this morning and settled in for a gorgeous ride arriving in Interlaken Ost station for a change over to Lauterbrunnen, which we will call home for the next two nights.  This area is the area whole amusement parks have tried to replicate, sharp cliffs, jagged snow capped  mountains soaring into the blue sky, partially obscured by wispy clouds, and traditional Swiss mountain chalets at every altitude.  It is indescribable, and frankly probably boring to hear about for someone who has never been here:  photos could never do it justice, I am just so glad we came.

The Swiss people are hard working, proud and orderly.  It is evident in every thing...their homes, their parks, their transportation systems.  Because of their mentality, a aura of peace blankets everywhere, and I for one, totally appreciate it.  Maybe because I love the calm, and I crave it on days at home when life is chaotic and overwhelming.  When someone tells me from now on to think of my happy place, it will more than likely be one of the lovely spaces we have been today.

The snowy way into Allmend

We got off the train in Lauterbrunnen, and literally dragged our bags and selves straight up a steep climb to our hotel.  The girls think it is the cat's meow, we have a large "family room" which is really like a small apartment.  I am pretty sure it hasn't been updated since the 1960's (and while there is a little kitchen area, the oven doesn't work), but it is roomy and right now I am sitting at a booth in the kitchen area comfortably typing this.

Starting our trek to Allemend

We didn't stay long at the hotel.  After dropping off our bags and then making a quick stop at the local grocery store for supplies, we hopped on a train up to Kleine Scheidegg for a view of the Eiger and Jungfrau.  We thought we might be able to hike from Wengen (4,180 ft) 3 hours to Kleine Scheidegg (6762 ft), and did make it about an hour before calling it quits because the snow was slushy, icy and hard to walk on, that's when we found the cogwheel train at Allmend and went to Kleine Scheidegg.

At Kleine Scheidegg, looking at the Eiger

A Toblerone for the masses at Grindelwald

After gazing at the lovely view up there, we decided to take the cogwheel back down (and when I say down, remember we are still in the Alps, down is totally relative) to Grindelwald where we walked around that cute touristy town for a bit and found a park, which of course, had a climbing wall...why not?

Just your regular Swiss view from
everywhere

From Grindelwald (3393 ft) we made our way on foot to Grund (3,096 ft) where we caught a lift to Mannlichen...about 35 minutes back up or over, whatever you want to call it (7,317 ft).  Gorgeous views up there!!  Then, we headed back down to Wengen by a steep descent gondola, spectacular!  Then, we ignored everyone's advice (they first looked at our shoes (tennis shoes) and then shook their heads), and descended by foot into Lauterbrunnen (2612 ft).  Woah, was that a steep downhill Wanderweg.  I asked Jeff what he thought the grade was on the way down and he guessed maybe 15%, I was thinking more like 90%.  Quinn, Gillian, and Aubrey of course ran down and Shelby humored her mom and dad (feeling every single one of our 40 years) and stayed with us, although at one point said, "Let me show you how to skip down a mountain."  We declined her offer and just watched her do it.  We got back to the hotel and sat on our balcony and took in the views from whence we came.

Shelby overcome with emotion inspired by the
beauty she sees...or something like that

On the lift to Mannlichen

In Mannlichen

On the way back to Lauterbrunnen

See one of the many waterfalls of Lauterbrunnen area over my
left shoulder, Lauterbrunnen below

Shelby demonstrating the down-mountain skip

We are, every one of us, a little sore, but loved every single view, every single spot and every single memory from today.  I am not sad that we didn't ski this trip, although it seemed like at times we were the only ones who were not, it has been great getting a view of the Alps with the kids by our wandering.  If it does't rain tomorrow, I might talk the girls into some sledging, but we lack snow pants, boots and snow jackets, which might stink...so, I guess we'll just have to come back another time.  The mountains will call us.  I know I said it before, but this peacefulness, which is such a polar opposite of the tension I felt in Israel (don't get me wrong, although the tension is there, it is part of the culture, just like the peace is part of the culture here), is such a perfect way to end my wanderings.

Valdereeeee, valderahhh..my knapsack on my back.

Halb und halb (half and half)

The Wanderweg, ingrained into Swiss Culture.
The wandering way.

Ok, my brain is really struggling to differentiate German and English.  Don't get me wrong I am not a natural speaker and would never claim to be fluent or even close, but because I haven't spoken German since 1994 more than a random word or two, my brain is constantly trying to translate everything...what people around me saying, and what I might want to say to our waiter, our hotel reception desk clerk, or Phil...No wonder why I am dead tired every night!  My brain is Kaputt!  So, it is half and half for me, Shelby actually asked me to STOP saying gut (sounds like goot) for everything (means good, a handy word, it turns out).

Lake Luzern, with Mt. Pilatus in the background

The Lion Monument

Believe it or not, that is not actually what I wanted to write about at this juncture of my day #19 of this travel adventure I am on.  Having Jeff and the girls here has sure re-invigorated me and being in Switzerland is the perfect way to end this odyssey.  There is really nothing so far to dislike about Switzerland.  Everywhere I look, there is something beautiful to look at.  As far as I can tell, even the motor homes parked behind the local factory in any town have one of the greatest views in the world.  We have now traveled half the country by train and it is a shame to do anything but look out the window as each place is lovely.  Israel was beautiful in many ways, too, but it lacked the neat pure beauty of Switzerland.  I am glad to end the last few days here, I feel refreshed and renewed.

This morning, we spent some time wandering around Luzern on our own and buying chocolate, of course.  We also "had" to visit the Lion Monument, which was pretty, but full of tourist groups.  We weren't in a hurry to get to Bern, we had heard that Bern only offered about a half day of interest.  I am glad we got one last look at Luzern, it wasn't as informational without Phil, but his enthusiasm sure is infectious, I love that city.  Surrounded by mountains (the Pre-Alps, as Phil told us), it is breathtaking from every angle.  I would go back in a heartbeat.

In front of the Swiss Parliament Bldg, just next to the Swiss Bank

The Bern symbol, a Bear

We arrived after about an hour train ride into Bern and felt as if we had been transported to an entirely different country.  Where Luzern is clean and open, Bern feels cosmopolitan and dirtier.  But, not Paris dirty, of course, we ARE in Switzerland, duh.  Quinn especially bristled at first as we arrived with all our bags and trudged up the street to find our hotel...she said, "People seem shifty here."  She is not a city girl, I guess.  Our hotel as well is older and feels a little like a Pension, which doesn't hold the charm for the girls that it might for someone used to some other place than a modern American hotel.  I like it, it has funny angles and we are all in the same room, it is almost like an attic.

Bern's famous clock tower

Einstein lived here

Anyway, we were happy to leave our hotel and explore Bern and subsequently fall in love with it as well.  It doesn't take long to find the Aare River and then walk along seeing the many pretty sights.  I love the walking culture of this country, it is so easy to find a path and it almost seems like the pedestrians are king here, cars stop, busses even for anyone walking across a street (it doesn't mean you don't have to look, of course, especially we must watch for the silent trams that glide through every city in Switzerland, they DON'T stop).  We walked for about four hours (the girls are such troopers) and stopped in shops here and there, saw the location of Einstein's apartment, saw the many beautiful fountains that dot this city (from which you can fill your water bottle and drink up), watched the beautiful clock do it's little thing, and even went to visit the bears for which Bern is known.

Contemplating the ever beautiful view, never tired of it at all

We finished our day with a yummy dinner at an Italian restaurant near our hotel and again, because the waiter spoke no English, I had to do my little brain translation dance and get everyone the food and drink they needed plus answer the questions the waiter asked (do you want your food at the same time?, does the one who ordered the calzone want the egg included??, etc...)  Mabye I should stay another month and I think I will not be so half and half.  Although, Jeff asked me today if I remembered what home looks like and I told him, it is wherever he is...He took that to mean I couldn't find our house if I tried.  I know I could, but I am not tired of any of this yet, it is a huge blessing to be able to do this, and I am trying to savor it all, it will probably never happen again.