Winter Weekends

I arrived back in Lausanne on the 8th of January, and my first two weekends were spent in the mountains (a place I’d stay all the time if I could, but I’ve got to see other parts of the continent too, and return to my room that just looks onto the mountains..). I’ve enjoyed taking refuge there, deeply breathing in the fresh air, and then losing my breath when I take in the spectacular landscapes that surround me. I had the opportunity to travel to the Matterhorn (Switzerland’s celebrity mountain), and also the Jungfrau region again.
Zermatt and Iglu-Dorf
Weekend One was spent entirely outside, as some friends and I decided to spend the night in an igloo village. I naively accepted this invitation without a second thought, but found it quite a challenge to warm up the cold sleeping bag (a special expedition sub-zero sack they provided) with a chilled body. Nevertheless, the night was a blast; we arrived at the igloo village after wandering around Zermatt for a while (another car-less town, but a hustle-bustle tourist destination, unlike Murren or Gimmelwald). It was a clear, crisp day, and I spent every other second glancing at the Matterhorn behind us framed perfectly by blue skies and wonderfully gracing us with a beautiful backdrop for all the night’s activities. Two guides who worked for the ice hotel/igloo company were in charge of the schedule of events, which was packed full, and perfect for keeping our minds off the cold and to keep us warm. We enjoyed a fondue dinner in the dining area with wood tables and ice benches covered with sheep’s wool, and then after a dip in the hot tub, we set out on a starlit snowshoeing hike in the area. When we returned, the guide asked (as he’s supposed to) if anyone wanted to go on another hike. I, of course, replied with a quick and ecstatic yes, but found that I was a minority in the group. A friend decided to go once more too, and we headed out again, this time to deeper snow, and a more challenging and enjoyable route. Equipped with my headlamp, I was ready to hike all night, but stargazing was still on my must-do list before I turned in for the night, and the guide was tired, so our snowshoeing, although short-lived, was over, but fun.
The stars were the brightest I’d ever seen in my life. Not only were we away from every city light, but we were in a mountain basin, a natural planetarium, sitting in the middle of a perfect demi-sphere chalked full of stars. This description falls far short of the view, and a camera would never be able to capture it either, but, I’d say that after 6 shooting stars, two planet identifications, and several constellation discoveries, I was pretty satisfied. The only sad thing was that it was just too cold to sit still and marvel at the sky all night, and I knew that I needed to get to bed, lest I be ill-prepared for the coming first week of school.
The next day arrived with snow clouds in the distance, and we realized how fortunate we were to have stayed in the igloo on a clear night. The night we chose was perfect because there was no wind, and the Matterhorn and stars were strikingly visible. After being handed little plastic shovels and instructed that breakfast was at the base of a blue squared run, we laughed our way down the hill, getting sprayed in the face as we attempted to control these squirrely little contraptions. This sled ride certainly was a great way to start the day, like an unexpected snow bath. We did survive, although some of my friends did walk away a little beaten up. Following breakfast, we descended the mountain on the Gornergrat-Bahn, and returned to Lausanne, pleased to be back inside, enjoying the radiator and warm duvet covers that night.
(If you would like to stay in an igloo some time if you ever visit Switzerland, the website for Iglu-Dorf is http://www.iglu-dorf.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1; I'd recommend it for a unconventional, "I'd like something out of the ordinary" place to stay)
Interlaken
The activity last weekend was night sledding with a group of 16 people from our Lausanne program. We hopped on the train Friday afternoon all eager to return to the Alps, and see what this night sledding event was all about. People had been talking about it forever, and when we finally reached the top of a mountain called Neiderhorn opposite the Jungfrau range, looking down on Brienzersee and Thunersee, outfitted with sleds (and of course with my headlamp again), we knew that the night was going to be a memorable one. The run itself was well-kept, not as well-lit as one might imagine, and certainly not well-monitored (we were sledding on a ski run with the people in charge only around to take care of the gondola taking us up the hill). After about 5 minutes downhill, I got the hang of steering and braking, a technique only perfected with strong heels and quick reflexes, and then was able to practice my newly honed skills the rest of the way down (total run time: 15 minutes). We had enough time to take one more run, since the gondola only came once every half an hour, but the second time was just as good, if not better, since we knew the trail, and had favorite sections that zipped through thick forests and curved around dim lanterns.

As for pictures, I've got a couple from the igloo, and some from last Friday, but, who goes sledding or snowshoeing with a camera besides my sister? (the bitter cold does a great job convincing you not to take off your gloves to take a picture too...not to mention dead and cold batteries..) Anyway, my photo album still is accessible with the link in the right-hand column on this page.
Well, that’s all for now, I’m on my way to London Thursday, so I’m anticipating a good musical, among other things, but you'll just have to wait for next week's post!

SAFE AND SOUND IN SWITZERLAND

Hello All! I'm happy to report I have returned from my voyages and excursions through France in December, and Switzerland in early January.


Wow. There are many stories, but I have chosen to record just one from each location here on this page. The rest will just have to wait until we meet again, and something reminds me of the time I was in France my sophomore year of college..


St-Remy-de-Provence, France
Two kilometers from a quiet town of 10,000 located 45 minutes south of Avignon four girlfriends met me to live in a small four-room flat for a week. Although it was the off-season, and we had St-Remy to ourselves, the grapevine adorned walls and curving cobblestoned streets still charmed us. My favorite memory from this area was a hike Jillian and I took in the Alpilles. The sky above us was a perfect combination of periwinkle and lavender-tinted clouds and deep blue, a wonderful backdrop to our activity. The mistral wind did, however, pick up, and chilled us a bit on our way back. I enjoyed cooking during this week, and even used some of the rosemary growing on our back porch! Someday I hope to return to Provence on a bike and see the blooming lavender fields as well as soak in the repose that the area just emanates.



Avignon, France
Three girls left and Jillian and I set out on the rest of our tour of France. Our first stop was Avignon, where we both had our first French crepes. Nutella is by far my favorite filling. This city was dolled up for Christmas with lights all over (the best display of any city in our travels), and lots of Christmas shoppers scurrying everywhere. I enjoyed walking to the Palace of the Popes in the snow. It was the first and last snowfall of the entire trip. Living in Southern California sure makes me miss the exciting things about wintertime: the frequent snowfalls, the big fluffy snowflakes, and the sound of newly fallen snow underfoot.

Grenoble, France "Heart of the French Alps"
First of all, I disagree with the nickname of this city, a 500,000-person strong metropolis not exactly nestled in the Alps. If one were to use Grenoble as a starting point to enter the Alps, and find a chalet in the Chamonix valley, or even the little village of La Clusaz (where we visited in the end of December), then maybe it could be called "The Gateway to the French Alps" or something. Jillian and I arrived here, and after finding our hostel in a neighboring suburb (or which we discovered later, a marginal part of town..), we were pleased to find that our roommates were two American girls who had been studying in Sevilla, Spain for the semester and traveling just like we were. How fun it was to meet some new people, and have a variation in conversation and input and what we called "new blood" in our travels. They were a blast, and we all took off in egg-shaped pods up to an old military fortress one morning to look over the city and check out the Alps in the distance.
Colmar, France: A town tucked in Alsace, a German-influenced region
This place was cute with its half-timbered homes, Christmas tree-lined lanes, and flowing shallow canals. As we strolled around town, we smiled at the Christmas music sung in English playing over the loudspeakers, and smelled mulled wine and cooking waffles. It was the coldest here; the thermometer was stuck at -5 degrees Celsius, a bit chilly for meandering.

Paris!
This was our final destination as a traveling duo, and our first night was memorable, but not in the most "European" way: We arrived at the rented apartment in the 4th Arrondissement, Luxembourg stop on the RER B line, mounted the stairs, and sat down to enjoy a Pizza Hut Supreme pizza, marveled at the lit Eiffel Tower from our window, and listened to Celine Dion serenade us. After traipsing around the country, it was great to be in a spot which I had so anticipated and dreamed about.
A special memory from Paris, aside from the sidewalk reunion with my family on the 21st, was on the walk back from the Notre Dame on Christmas Eve. We all walked with linked arms and belted Christmas songs, just like we would do on any other Christmas Eve night. The only thing that was missing was the lighted candles at the end for Silent Night. It was a time that will remain in my memory for years to come: we realized that it didn't matter where we were for the holiday, but the fact that cherishing each others' company, and all back together celebrating God's infinite love for us in his son Jesus.


Normandy Day Trip
Although a distant drive away, we managed to get a glimpse of the beaches at Normandy during our time in France also. The beaches were gorgeous and the American Memorial Cemetery on the bluff above Omaha Beach was sobering, but important to see to better understand the sacrifice that those soldiers gave to ensure freedom in our lives today. The memorial at the entrance to the cemetery read this: "To these we owe the high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live." I would recommend that Normandy be done in three days or so, in order to see all the beaches, effectively soak in the meaning behind the attack that happened there, and to embrace the beauty of the area also.


La Clusaz, France: Ski Resort and Town a mountain range over from Chamonix
Christmas Day was spent on the train to La Clusaz, a town in the Haute Savoie region, where we were welcomed in a Bed & Breakfast (& Dinner) Chalet called L'Alpage with a five-course meal(complete with a local cheese plate and creme brulee for dessert). The next day was our opportunity to rip up the slopes, and although it was an intermediate mountain and we had difficulty finding challengin runs, my only 2007-2008 season ski day was satisfactory. I found it invigorating to make my way up a button lift to the summit of a jagged peak, from which I could peer down into an adjacent valley, or look over and see Mont Blanc in the distance. I enjoyed skiing all the way into the village past chalets and barns, and also wondering how many kilometers I skied, as the runs were really long and covered lots of ground.

Return to Lausanne
I showed the fam around my temporary hometown and introduced them to some important people in my life here. We had lunch with our faculty family, Mike, Carolyn and their two boys Jack and Michael. I especially liked taking my family to church at the Church of Christ in Lausanne, where my friends and I try to attend as often as possible, and have been able to get to know the pastor and his family with weekly dinners at their home. The city visit included a tour of my favorite spots when I'm in town like the Manora Restaurant, the Place de Milan (affectionately known as the Volcano Park, where I like to run), and a couple of places that we were led to in our first days here like the Cathedral and the waterfront. Brett decided to take a little dip in Lac Leman (Lake Geneva), and determined that it was too cold to swim still. (He slipped in and had to change before his clothes froze..oops!)


Ruti, a visit with the Jakobs and Honeggers
To complete the trip, we spent the last week in Ruti. After an enjoyable and fun-filled New Year's celebration, we visited Lucerne, and also saw an IMAX movie about the Alps, perfectly appropriate. The fourth of January served as my pre-birthday celebration, so we ice-skated, made dinner for 11, and just enjoyed each others' company. The fam left the 5th, I stuck around recovering from a little flu bug until the 8th, and then I took the train back to my place in Lausanne.


What a lineup of trips! I congratulate you if you're still reading at this point, thanks for being interested in my excursions. Be prepared for a new semester with a bigger proportion of traveling than studying, but that's just how it goes...