May the Fourth be With You

I love my nerdy friend group!  On May Fourth a bunch of us met for dinner and then went a friend’s house to watch Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back.  I am admittedly not much of a Star Wars fan but the rest of the group was so it was fun to see everyone revel in one of their favorite movies.  It was also fun to say “May the Fourth be with you” all day.

New Mattress

Buying a new mattress was one of those very grown up purchases that we just kept pushing further and further down the priority list.  We moved into our house about five and half years ago.  In the process of buying furniture and moving in we obviously couldn’t afford to tackle everything we wanted to so we opted to take my parents offer and take two extra twin beds they had to push together to make a king sized bed.  This was really intended to be a short term plan.  We quickly found out as homeowners there is always something on the list to do next.  We found tackling the $50 or $100 items to be much more palatable so that is what we did. 

Finally this year we decided was the year of the new mattress.  We planned to make it a joint Christmas gift since it is such a large purchase but a fundraising opportunity for Kyle’s school came up and we decided to go ahead and bite the bullet.  Best. Decision. Ever!

After only a few nights on the new mattress it’s hard to imagine we spent so much time living with the mediocrity of our old twin mattresses.  It is always so wonderful not to have a bed butt crack!  Sometimes being a grown up is stressful but sometimes it’s wonderful, the new mattress definitely goes in the winning column!

Luzern

We debated a couple of options of where to spend our last day in Switzerland.  We considered Sion, Luzern, and Zurich.  Due to the lengthy train ride we ruled out Zurich.  Ultimately Luzern won out because of recommendations from friends who had been and raved about the famous Lion monument.  We arrived and were delighted that the sun was peeking out of the clouds.  We began our walk along Lake Luzern.  We admired the covered chapel bridge and the water tower which were both destroyed in a major fire but were quickly and masterfully rebuilt.  The city had a very charming old town which was full of delightful surprises like murals on the sides of building and intricate fountains.

 

After strolling through the old town we stopped for a quick lunch and then made our way to the Lion monument.  It did not disappoint.  A friend had said they were moved to tears when they first aw the statue.  I can completely understand why now.  The combination of the magnitude of the size of the carving and the mournfulness on the face of the lion is very moving.   The monument commemorates a group of soldiers who were ordered to protect the king in a hopeless battle and most of which lost their lives.  The statue is meant to pay tribute to the loyalty and commitment of those soldiers but also to the sadness of the loss of their lives in such a hopeless effort.  We spent a while just sitting on a bench admiring it and reflecting on how it made us feel. 

We finished out our visit to Luzern but walking to the top of the city and weaving our way back down on the city wall which surrounds half of the city.  The views were spectacular.  You can see several mountains and the picturesque town by the lake.  Also to my delight as we walked down we passed a small pasture with several wooly cows.  This excited me more than I should probably admit.  I think these cows are such cool animals; they look like a mix between a traditional cow and a yak.  I had been telling Kyle about them during our trip and I don’t think he really believed they existed until he saw them for himself.  After a small wooly cow photo shoot we made our way back to the train station so we could spend our last night with Anthony and Kim.  Luzern had a little bit of all of our favorite parts of the other cities we had visited.  There was water, mountains, history, charming cobblestone streets, and Swiss wildlife (swans, chicken ducks, and wooly cows)! 

That night we went to a lovely Italian pizzeria and gorged ourselves on salad, pizza, and gelato.  It was a perfect end to the trip.  It also confirmed our sentiment that we really want to try and go back to explore more of the country!

Geneva

This was one of the cities that I was the most excited about as we planned for the trip.  It was on the must visit list for me.  I was a little disappointed that the weather was a bit gloomy but we still enjoyed a wonderful day in the city.  Geneva is the international business hub in Switzerland and is home to some of the most acclaimed Swiss watchmaking companies.  It is also known for very high end shopping so we knew to plan for window shopping rather than actual shopping. 

After arriving we strolled along the lake and admired the Jet d’Eau, it’s a fountain that shoots 140m into the air and can be seen from up to 10 miles away.  It was an interesting twist on the more traditional fountains we had seen throughout other cities on our trip. 

Then we arrived at the famous flower clock which was beautiful and larger than I expected!  The area around the flower clock also had lots of beautiful statues and monuments to admire during our walk.  Our next stop was the Reformation Wall which is a very large and long wall commemorating the reformation movement.  In the center of the wall are statues of John Calvin, William Farel, Theodore Beza, and John Knox.  Along each side are inscriptions.  The whole piece is very beautiful and so unexpected to be in the center of such a metropolitan city.  The Wall is located on the grounds of the University of Geneva.  The four statues at the center were the men God used to establish biblical churches which in turn changed the world through the right preaching of the Gospel with all its implications by applying the Word of God to every aspect of life. (http://reformation.edu/colleges/pages/ref-wall.htm)

My favorite part of Geneva was the Patek Philippe museum.    My dad is a gemologist and I grew up hearing a lot about jewelry and watchmaking.  My dad has always admired the craftsmanship of Patek Philippe watches and the museum did not disappoint.  It walked through the history of Swiss watchmaking and had several hundred timepieces from the 1500’s through the 1800’s.  Then there was a whole floor dedicated to Patek Philippe pieces.  Their work is very detailed and takes about a year from start to finish for each piece.  The more complex creations took several years and were on the cutting edge of advancements in horology. 

We also enjoyed a lovely lunch at a café and strolled through the contemporary arts museum.  Geneva is also where Kyle picked up his Swiss army knife from the Victorinox store.  He was thrilled that he found one for such a great price and they even etched his name into the blade so it is a keepsake he will enjoy for a long time to come.  Geneva perhaps did not live up to the anticipation I had but we greatly enjoyed some of the attractions the city had to offer.  

 

Zermatt

This was our most anticipated day trip.  Early on in the planning of our trip Kyle mentioned that he wanted to see the Matterhorn.  It is a very iconic mountain peak in Switzerland probably most commonly known for being the symbol on the Toblerone packaging.  I did as I always do and began to research the area and tips on getting the best view of the peak.  It became immediately obvious to me in reading about Zermatt and the weather this time of year that it would be a challenge to actually see the peak.  Leading up the trip I checked the weather each day to try and determine which day we should make the trek to Zermatt.  The tourism website for the city offers webcam views but with the three hour train ride from Lausanne we couldn’t count on the visibility remaining the same by the time we arrived in the city.  After debating options we decided the clearest day in the forecast was Wednesday and that we’d take the risk with the partly cloudy forecast.  We got on an early train and took in the beautiful mountain views as we increased in elevation and got closer to Zermatt.  When we first arrived we were disappointed that the sky was completely cloudy.  It was so overcast we weren’t even entirely sure which direction to look in so we decided to ask someone in a local shop who assured us that once the skies cleared that we couldn’t miss it. 

We did not let ourselves get discouraged though and used the morning to explore the small but charming ski town.  It was fun to play around in the snow a little and watch the skiers come down the slopes.  Around 11 we decided to find a bench and just sit and wait on the weather.  Within thirty minutes the clouds began to part and we got our first glimpse of the Matterhorn.  We were thrilled!  We spent lots of time taking pictures and then took a small hike on a walking path at the edge of the town.

Feeling excited by our good fortune we decided to sit down and enjoy our picnic lunch from the CoOp.  That night a music festival was beginning so we enjoyed some acoustic music at a small stage outside of a café.  Then we found a nice shady patio to enjoy a local beer.  As we sat at the café Kyle looked up at one point and to our amazement the sky had cleared completely.  We rushed through the rest of our drinks and headed back to the overlook to take in the completely clear view of the Matterhorn.  Of course a million more pictures were taken.  We ended the afternoon in the Matterhorn museum which was a little lame but still had some interesting exhibits and then decided to start back on the long train ride back to Lausanne. 

Kyle’s Update: 

Zeeee Matterhorn! Today we spent the day in Zermatt, which is a good three hours away from Lausanne. The trip was well worth it. We did careful planning to try and get a good day to see the famous mountain and the planning turned out for the best. The town of Zermatt is quite picturesque as well and so quiet. It really is amazing to see all these mountains so close. As a bonus, they were having a music festival that started today, so we enjoyed some sweet German/American tunes as well.

Bern

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and is located in the German region of Switzerland.  The train ride was about two hours long but there were some beautiful views along the way.  This day was by far our worst weather day, it was gray and rainy the whole time we were in Bern.  Despite the weather the town is lovely.  There are fountains every few blocks and a beautiful clock tower in the heart of the city.  The city is well designed because most of the walkways are covered so we were able to stay out of the rain for most our time walking around the city.  The streets are lined with shops and restaurants that ranged from tourist shops to high end shopping and everything in between. 

We made our way to the Bern bear exhibit but the bears weren’t keen on the rain especially after recently awaking from hibernation so unfortunately we didn’t get to see them but it was neat to see their exhibit.  The overlook also gave us a great view of the water that runs around the whole town as a modern day moat.  The view was very idyllic even in the rain.  Our next stop was the Natural History Museum.  The museum was showcasing an exhibit for the Terra Cotta Army called Qin.  It was a well laid out exhibit and brought back very fond memories of my 2006 visit to China.  They did not allow pictures but we did purchase a terra cotta army figurine to display on our bookshelves at home.  He is a very nice keepsake and reminder for me of both trips.  After the Qin exhibit we moved to the second floor Einstein museum.  We both enjoyed the Einstein museum more than we expected.  The exhibit focused on his life and scientific accomplishments but also wove in his political involvement.  This was particularly fascinating as he was heavily involved in the politics around the Nazi movement in Germany and the US nuclear weapon development.  We spent about two hours weaving our way through the exhibit and thoroughly enjoyed it.

After the museum we grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to Lausanne.  While on the train ride the skies miraculously cleared and offered some beautiful views of Lac Leman.  As soon as we got off the train we rushed down to the lake to take in the views that had been obscured since our arrival by the clouds and fog in the basin of the lake.  Kim and Anthony assured us the lake offered beautiful views of the Alps but until the clouds cleared after the storm we hadn’t been able to see it for ourselves. 

Kyle’s Update:
So I couldn't help myself anymore; I had to add some photos. The one of Dale and I is from today out by Lac Leman with the French Alps in the background. Today is the first day that they've been really well visible. Another is from yesterday from the highest tower of the chateau as I promised yesterday. And finally the last photo is from today in Bern; it is the top of one of the many fountains in the city. It was a rainy day, but we made the most of it seeing the Qin Dynasty (Terracotta Army) exhibit and the museum dedicated to Einstein. Now those were cool! I promised Dale I wouldn't steal her thunder so she'll have many, many more pics when we get back on Sunday!

Montreaux

Monday was our first day on our own since Kim and Anthony had work.  Spending the first two days with them gave us the confidence we needed to navigate the trains and find our way around.  It was overcast and the sky was threatening to rain so we decided to stay closer to Lausanne and embarked on the quick 30 minute train ride to Montreaux.  Once we arrived we quickly found the tourism office and got instructions on how to navigate the town.  Our primary objective was to see the Chateau Chillion which had come highly recommended by several people before we left for our trip.  We decided to take the scenic walk around Lac Leman to get to the chateau.  This turned out to be a wonderful idea!  Along the lake there were several botanical exhibits including one based on Harry Potter, a monument to Freddie Mercury who spent the last few years of his life in Montreaux, lots of birds on the lake, and beautiful landscaping.  It was about a 45 minute walk but we highly enjoyed the sights along the way, much more interesting than the recommended bus ride from the tourism office. 

We were able to take several beautiful pictures of the Chateau from the path along the lake but once we arrived we marveled at how large the chateau is.  We spent more of the morning and early afternoon exploring all the rooms and courtyards of the chateau.  This tour offered a more authentic renovation which in our opinion more accurately reflected the architecture and decorating of that time in history.  Each room also gave the historical context of the people who inhabited the castle throughout time and how the room was used.  It was interesting to read about the drastic transitions during times of prosperity and times of war/conflict.  The view from the watch towers was beautiful!

After we left the chateau the rain began so started the walk back to the center of town to find a place to eat.  We found a place that was recommended in the Fodor’s guide to Switzerland and decided that it was meant to be.  It was an Italian restaurant and we highly enjoyed the lasagna and pizza that we ordered.  After lunch we stopped in CoOp to buy some local wine and found a lovely and reasonable bottle of Pinot Noir as well as a Chaselas.  Then we headed back to Lausanne and enjoyed a lovely and much needed nap before Kim returned from work. 

Kyle’s Update:
Explored Chateau Chillion in Montreaux today. By far one of the coolest medieval castles I've seen and was a bit cooler than the one we saw yesterday. I look forward to posting some shots from the top of the chateau. Honestly, one of the neatest items we ran into is a twelve foot bronze statue of Freddie Mercury they have facing the Lac Leman. It is pretty schweet.