Gimmelwald & the Mountain Hostel

From Bern we took a train to Interlacken West, a train to Interlacken Ost (east), a bus to the Gondola, and a 5 minute ride on the Gondola/cable car to arrive in Gimmelwald. When we arrived it was 9 p.m. so we couldn't see much. We walked about 100 feet to the hostel where the lady who runs it told us "the conditions." The four of us slept 4 across in the top row of the bunk beds in the girls room. Other rooms were family, boys, couples, and the honey-moon suite. To use the shower cost 1 franc for 5 minutes of water time. However, we all forgot towels and the hostel had none. You may ask, what did I use?? I used the long sleeve t-shirt I had worn the entire day during Bern. You just got to make due and I did. Also, Gimmelwald is a town of 100 people and no grocery store. I brought apples and granola bars for breakfast, thankfully. I think those were all the conditions, but it made for a memorable and fun stay. I rose to the occasion with creativity to make it through the weekend. We all fell asleep early because we were tired from our long day of travel.

I woke up at 7:30 a.m. and looked out the hostel window. The snow-capped Swiss Alps were staring me in the face. Our hostel was literally carved into the side of the mountain and we were surrounded by green grass and mountains. I took my shower (remember everything I went through to get clean), made hot tea, and sat on the picnic tables outside to read my Bible and journal. Once everyone had eaten breakfast and gotten ready, we went on hike #1 of the day. We opted for the 'children's trail' and walked for over an hour down the mountain seeing farm animals, small creeks and waterfalls, paragliders, small cabins, and other hikers. We decided to turn back because we were hungry for lunch. When we got back to the hostel, we split 2 cheese pizzas for the 4 of us followed by sharing a Swiss Chocolate bar and a few games of cards.

Next, we hiked to Murren which is the larger town about 50 minutes away. We took picture breaks because it was some steep hiking at times. Once we made it to Murren, we walked through shops and took in the town. We contemplated what it was like growing up in this environment. Some favorites on the hike included seeing the Edelweiss Hotel (reminded me of the Sound of Music), buying an Edelweiss patch for my AOII jacket, and talking to 2 American men. These guys were about 50 and were brother-in-laws. They are vacationing for 2 weeks and they were desperate to watch some college football. I gave them our hiking map because it was much better and I knew the way back. We even took our picture with them. I've noticed whenever I hear someone speaking English I am almost compelled to speak to them. It makes me not miss home as much. We got back to the hostel around 4, but kept walking around Gimmelwald. I had seen signs a few times that day saying "ring bell for Alpkasse" (swiss cheese). I figured, what the heck, you only get fresh swiss cheese once in your life. So I buzzed this cabin, and a woman stuck her head out the 2nd floor window. She came down and walked us across the street to this building. When she opened the door, it was a small room with shelves filled with the most amount of cheese I have ever seen! We got a little to take back to the hostel and used it in the pasta we made for dinner. Jessica and I sat and talked on the picnic tables sipping hot chocolate until the sun went down. We all went to sleep early again because we woke up at 5 a.m. to come home.

When I woke up early to take my shower, I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful, starry night sky I had ever seen. With no city lights, the stars were like spot lights. I still haven't decided if I like Gimmelwald better at night or during the day. Then, we rode the Gondola down to the bus, got on a train and headed home. I slept a little on the train, read a book, and worked on homework. Visiting Switzerland will probably be a highlight of my trip studying abroad.

"His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth..." Psalm 48: 1-2

Bern, Switzerland

On Friday morning, my alarm went off at 3:15 a.m....I turned it off and laid back down, bad idea. Jessica kindly buzzed my room at 3:55 (we were suppose to meet at 3:45). Luckily, my backpack was all ready to go and I just grabbed my tooth brush. The four of us (Jessica, Briona, Jennifer, and I) power-walked to the train station for 2 reasons: 1) the train departed at 4:43 and 2) it was still dark outside. We made it to the train station with 10 minutes to spare! The train ride included many transfers, but we arrived in Bern at 12:30 ready to hit the trail since we slept most of the way there. Our first stop, was at Starbucks where I ordered my first Mocha Frappuccino Light that I have had in months. I read the map and after a few minutes of walking we were at the Einstein Haus for a tour. I had no idea Einstein married and had children. Plus, he did his greatest work at the age of 27. Einstein's work also led to the GPS, which made me think of my brothers and hot air ballooning.

After the interesting tour, we kept walking to this viewing of Bears. Yes, bears. The city of Bern was named in 1191 from the first animal ever shot/killed which was a bear. Since the shooting of the bear, the town has kept bears for show. We didn't stay long before walking up this huge hill to a Rosegarten. The Rosegarten consisted of a green lawn with tons and tons of roses planted all along the sides. I spotted a table on the lawn where we sat and ate our packed pb&j sandwiches. The hill gave us a great view of Bern, too. We stayed long enough to take good pictures then continued with the most important event on our agenda: find Swiss chocolate!

I had to ask some store owners, but finally a lady told us on the other side of the clock tower is swiss chocolate. I bought a value pack of 5 to bring back as gifts for the family. With a very successful day in Bern, we loaded back on the train for Gimmelwald, which is a town located in the Swiss Alps!

The Bike Ride

On Sunday a group of about 10 met for a long bike ride. John Griffin, the program director, is a huge bike rider and keeps a bike here. We decided to bike to a town about 2 hours away and stop for a snack. The town we stopped in hosts the all boys choir, who sings in The Dom every Sunday during the school year. I brought a pb & j sandwich with me and order Minestrone soup. Most everyone ordered cafe and coffee. After the break, it was another 2 hours home. Total, we biked about 14 miles at least. Needless to say, I was very sore that night.

I was amazed at all the bike paths around Regensburg. There was as many bikers on the paths as cars on the road, maybe more. We passed by small churches, farms, and other small towns. The temperature and weather were ideal for biking. When we got back, John had us over for dinner at his apartment. The Basile's made a pasta and so had John. I tasted pesto sauce for the first time and loved it. Juan, Jessica, and I stayed for the movie with John and the Basiles. We ate an entire pan of brownies while watching Cabaret. I had never even heard of the movie, but back in the day it won many oscars. This trip has been so unique because my teachers are as much my friends as the other students. We sat and talked about our lives so far and theirs. When I signed up for Germany, I thought traveling and living in another country would be the highlights, but now I am realizing the relationships and friends I've made are the best part.

Visiting the Monastery

The rain on Saturday did not dampen the Basiles, Briona, Kelsey, or I from traveling to the Monastery and Brewery. We met at the train station at 10 a.m. from a short train ride, bus ride, and boat ride to Weltenburg Abbey. The monastery dates back to about 620 and is the oldest monastery in Bavaria. We arrived hungry and immediately sat down to lunch. I ordered potato soup, better be safe than sorry with those German menus. In Germany it is normal to sit at long tables with several other groups. We sat down across from a couple from East Germany. They talked with us in English. They reminded us that this monastery and brewery is older than our country, which was weird to realize.

While we were eating, a couple came out of the church after getting married. They walked under an arch and these guns were shot in their honor. The flower girls and members of the wedding party were similar to the U.S. After the wedding exited, I got to see inside this church. It was stunning with all of the paintings and detailed architecture. I still am amazed every time I walk into a church here at all the detail. A couple asked us to take their picture in English and we discovered they were from Iowa. Lately, whenever I hear someone speaking in English, I feel the need to start a conversation with them.

To work off lunch, Kelsey and I hiked around the area and found a hill overlooking the monastery/brewery. From the hill, we could see the Donau River. Another church was on this hill and we went inside it, too. Around 3 we took a boat ride back to Kelheim. We sat at a cafe and ordered coffees and cake until the bus came. Kelsey and I split Apfel strudel, which was worth every calorie. I enjoy going places with the Basiles. Mr. Basile is my World Civ teacher while I am here.

After a long day, Briona, Kelsey, and I walked around the mall then went home to prepare for the day of bike riding next.

Reading, Walking, & a Melting Pot

The second week of classes ended, and I had my first 3 day weekend with plans to visit a Monastery and go for a bike ride. Friday I woke early again even without an alarm. My plan was to catch up on journaling then wander the city. I stepped out of my room to find a new roommate moving in next door. Her name is Marta and she is from Poland! I have one word to describe her: precious! We get along so great. I changed my plans and decided to spend the next 3 hours scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom while wearing pink rubber gloves. Since I now had a girl roommate, I could make signs designating a 'girls' bathroom and a 'boys' bathroom. The countries represented in this apartment alone are: Morocco, Albania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and America. We are officially a Melting Pot!

After all of the cleaning, I went on an hour walk to downtown and treated myself to dinner. I sat outside at an Italian restaurant in Haidplatz. I ordered a salad (not dressed), but the waitress gave me tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and a breadstick. Although, it was not what I expected, I still enjoyed it. I sat there for a hour outside reading a book and people watching. This semester has been very relaxing compared to the busy summer and previous semester.

Tour of The Dom

After classes last Thursday, the group met in front of The Dom for a tour. The tour guide began with the outside, describing all of the individual statues and symbolism. All I could think was thank goodness I will not be tested on this. The Dom took 250 years to construct and is the most important landmark of Regensburg. My two favorite parts of The Dom are the organ pipes (5,900 total-hanging on the ceiling by 4 ropes) and the smiling angel statue. The Dom was dedicated to St. Peter and has many statues of him. The Dom is in constant repair because of air pollution changing the color of the stones. The ceilings use to be painted with Biblical stories, but during one group's reign they decided churches should not have elaborate paint. Now The Dom is all grey inside, but is still very beautiful.

Culture Shock Meltdown

Up until last week, I had not experienced culture shock. However, my one occurrence came when my computer charger quit working. I found an Apple Store in downtown Regensburg, but it would cost 79 euro for a new one. Then the tears came. The typical insurance covered a new charger for the first year. I had purchases the Apple about 13 months ago exactly. Luckily, the man helping me spoke English, and after a few phone calls (and the question, "did your husband buy this for you?), we figured out I had the extra 3 years of insurance! A new charger would be here in 3 to 5 days. So, a week later, and I am back to blogging.