Awe Inspiring Switzerland

Hey Everyone!

So, last weekend, my friend Spencer and I took a trip to Switzerland. I was most excited to go because I was looking forward to seeing more of the countrysides of Europe, not just the big touristy cities. The beauty of this country blew me away! Seriously, if you are in Europe and get a chance to travel around, go here.

A small park in Zurich

Words to live by...

After a night of sleeping in the airport (or in my case, a night of re-reading Harry Potter 7), waiting for our 6am flight, we arrived in Zurich, one of the biggest cities of Switzerland. Even for being of the countries biggest, this city did not overwhelm me at all. It still had a comfortable element that I would attribute to small towns and villages. The architecture was absolutely amazing; there were a number of amazing churches, bridges, gardens, and more. We also walked down the Bahnhofstrasse, which is one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world (of course we didn't buy anything). After a few hour in Zurich, it was time for us to catch our train to Lucerne, where we would be staying for the weekend.

Some house in a small park we found

European money looks like candy (British Pound, Euro, Swiss Franc)

Lucerne is one of my favorite cities in the world. We spent some time touring around the local attractions. We saw the famous Chapel Bridge, which is the oldest wooden bridge in all of Europe. We also saw an amazing Lion sculpture (carved into the side of a cliff), several local churches, plenty of shopping streets, and also a set of towers and walls that used to enclose the city during the Roman era. Aside from the architectural beauty, Spencer and I loved the selection of Swiss cheeses and chocolates. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I didn't at least have a little bit of Swiss chocolate. Both the chocolate and the cheese were well worth the money we spent on them.

Clock tower from the Roman wall

The famous Lion sculpture

View from a hilltop in Lucerne

Chapel Bridge

This kind of God's creation was everywhere

A walk through the city

On our second day in Lucerne we decided to go for a hike in the mountains, even though it was raining. Despite the poor weather, the beauty of Switzerland beamed through the fog that day. I truly think the hike up Mount Pilatus is in my top 5 most beautiful places I've ever seen, a prime example of God's beauty.

We found this small park on our way up the mountain, I rode this zipline :)

On our last day we enjoyed both Lucerne and Zurich a little more, which included feeding the swans and ducks, eating lunch on the lake, and remarking on how everything in Switzerland costs ten times more than it does in the states (and that is no exaggeration). It quickly became time to go home, so we returned to the Zurich airport where I experienced the best example of Swiss kindness and generosity. A woman in the airport, working at a Swiss chocolate stand, was making fresh chocolate truffles from a chocolate fountain. As I stood there, drooling at the site of such a divine dessert, she offered me TWO free truffles, just because she wanted to let me try them. If you know me well, you know that such an offer will win my heart over in a second.

Swiss soda, it's really good!

Spencer feeding some cranky swans

Chocolate!

It has been another good week in Canterbury. I gave a 20 minute presentation last Friday in my Ancient Greek Religion class, so I was busy a lot of the week preparing for that. Now I am just enjoying the weekend and looking forward to whatever comes my way next.

Cheers!