Switzerland

Greetings,

We have noticed that the time between postings has increased the longer we have been in Romania.  Many possible explanations for this, but mostly because we have been out and about.  This post will primarily be a travelogue of Switzerland.  Emanuel University was on break, so we spent ten days in this breathtaking country visiting Cheryl's relatives and celebrating the Easter holiday.  He is risen indeed!

Downtown Basel

We flew into Basel and were picked up by Susi and Silvano Cipolat.  Susi is the cousin of Cheryl's Mom who lived with Cheryl's family for one year in 1968.  They have been close ever since.  We had a light lunch in an outdoor cafe and then spent the rest of the day walking the streets of Basel.  We then drove to the Cipolat home in Marin, a town just outside of Neuchatel.

The next two days were a buzz of activity and lots of great food and drink.  We toured the city of Neuchatel, wandered through the grounds of the castle and church, walked the waterfront,

Celebrating Palm Sunday with Susi and Silvano 

In the marketplace in Neuchatel

Patti, Koko, and family

The rooftops of Murten viewed from the wall

toured the walled city of Murten, had a delightful chat with Susi's sister Brigit and her husband Pieter (sorry, but the spelling may not be correct), attended a worship service on Palm Sunday that was spoken in Italian, and visited with Cheryl's cousin Patti, her husband Koko, and their children.  Koko is from Bulgaria and they spent several years as missionaries in Sophia.  So, it was nice to swap Eastern European stories and experiences.  Since Neuchatel is in the western part of Switzerland, the predominant language is French.  Fortunately for us, all our relatives accommodated our lack of French by speaking impeccable English.  Even though I have a passable knowledge of Spanish, and a rudimentary knowledge of Romanian, one of my true regrets in life is not mastering at least two additional languages.  Knowing the language of another culture simply opens up a deeper understanding of the world that is not otherwise possible.

At lunch with Philippe and Nicole

Our view out the restaurant window

On Monday, we hopped on the train for the next leg of our journey.  Prior to arrival in Zermatt, we disembarked one hour into our trip in order to visit Philippe and Nicole Bovet in Lausanne.  Philippe is another cousin of Cheryl and although our time was brief, we had a wonderful afternoon engaging in interesting conversations over a great lunch of filet de perche at a cozy location by the lake.  We have a lot in common with the Bovets, which seems to stem from our similar "empty nester not ready for retirement" stage of life.  It was a joy to catch up with Philippe and Nicole as they played host to Cheryl, Nancy, Corrie and Erin for several days back in 1999 when our family was in Europe for one month.  Our girls still talk about their time at the Bovet chalet in the mountains overlooking Lake Geneva, their visit to Chateau de Chillon, and listening to the cowbells at night as they drifted off to sleep.  We hope we can reciprocate their hospitality when they come visit the States.

The scenery out our train during the trip to Zermatt is worth the price of the ticket.  Once you arrive in the valley town of Visp, it is a slow climb up to the "mile high" village of Zermatt.  We were met at the station by Felix.  He is the husband of Edith, a long time family friend who also stayed with Cheryl's family for several months during her younger years.

The Matterhorn from the town of Zermatt

On a hike with Edith and Felix

Edith has been living in Zermatt for over forty years, and most of these years have been as a professional tour guide.  So, you can imagine our new found knowledge of this place after spending three days in their care.  We were blessed with ideal weather and had clear views of the Matterhorn every day of our visit.  We were told this is quite rare and we felt that perhaps Cheryl and I had finally overcome our tendency of bringing wet and cloudy weather wherever we visit.  Zermatt is a place for skiing and hiking, and since we did not have our ski gear or clothing, we opted for the latter.  We spent one day traveling to the top of the Rothorn and then to the Gonergrat.  Spectacular views at over 10,000 feet.  We spent another day hiking to Zumsee while passing through several hamlets on the way.  Farmers would move to the hamlets higher up the mountains with their animals in the summer in order to graze in the green meadows.  The winter elements would force them back into town and thus establish the seasonal routines in these mountain areas.  All of the hiking made for large appetites.  Dinners consisted of local favorites cheese fondue or sausage.  And, even though Zermatt is just minutes from the Italian border, German is the language of the people.  We were often confused during our time in Switzerland.

The Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge) in Lucerne

On Thursday, we hopped on the train for the next leg of our journey.  Prior to arrival in St. Gallen, we disembarked in Lucerne for about three hours in order to eat some lunch, enjoy the views of the lake and surrounding mountains, and walk the city.  It is difficult for us to choose our favorite Swiss town.  The refrain "We could live here" seems to come out of our mouth after each visit.  Cheryl had visited this city three years ago during the London May term ( I remained in London) with Susi, Silvano, Edith, and Felix.  She knew I would love the feel of the place and she was "spot on."

The Gallusplatz in St. Gallen

Isa picked us up at the train station in St. Gallen.  Isa is also a cousin of Cheryl and is the daughter of Susi and Silvano and the sister of Patti and Terez.  We spent three days with her and her husband Markus.  What a treat.  We had last seen Isa in 1999, and she had also spent a day with us in Holland in 1997.  We had never met Markus.  We were able to both relax and enjoy some new experiences.  In spite of a snowstorm on Friday, we were able to visit the canton of Appenzell and sample the famous Appenzeller cheese.  We also toured the city of St. Gallen, drove around the sites on the shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance), stopped to see their sailboat, walked a park up above the town, pretended to be customers in their store, and mostly enjoyed the fellowship that can happen when two or more are gathered in His name.  Perhaps the highlight was being able to worship in their church on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  The services were in German, but we were able to have an English translator from Nashville.  We were also able to enjoy an afternoon tea with Markus' parents.  Fortunately, or unfortunately for them, we left enough things undone that we will have to plan a return visit.

Isa in her store

Out and about with Markus and Isa

 We returned to Susi and Silvano's on Sunday to enjoy yet another wonderful meal.  Sharing this meal with Terez made it an extra special treat.  We then flew out of Basel on Monday.  Cheryl and I usually bumble our way through Europe, but because of the gracious hospitality of our friends and relatives, this adventure was a lot smoother and stress free.  Our home in Romania patiently awaited our arrival and we quickly adjusted to life in a bit wilder, but no less beautiful country.

Pace,

Cheryl & Tom