Brunnen, Switzerland

I've been to Switzerland before.  Multiple times actually.  The first time was when my friends and I made a wrong turn (a missed exit, actually, if I remember correctly) on our way to Besançon, and ended up lost in Switzerland for about five hours.  A few weeks later, I was there during the Mad Dash about Europe.  Another time, I went for a boat ride down a river that has France on one side, Switzerland on the other, and we decided to picnic Swiss style that day.  So this certainly wasn't a first time experience.

And like many birthdays of the past, I decided to go somewhere for a few days.  This time, someone decided for me.  A church in the US offered a special retreat for Christians living and working in Europe...just to bless us for a few days as a small getaway...and it coincided exactly with my birthday.  What a special treat!  I had no idea when I signed up that (a) the week before and the weeks after would be so hard that I would need the getaway and (b) just how wonderful a setting it would be in.

I checked into the hotel and was stunned by the view from my balcony.  Honestly, not a single one of my photos did justice to how beautiful this place was.  I tried editing and even still...so not the same.

The day I arrived, I was still feeling a little too sick to go hiking, so I just wandered around town and took in the quiet, clean air, and tranquility.  I enjoyed catching up with my roommate for the week, who I hadn't seen since Greece last year.  We sat on our balcony and watched as the sunlight hit the mountain across the way as it set for the night.

The next morning I woke up to glorious fog and clouds.  To me, it was just dreamy.  I took the duvet cover off the bed and snuggled up under it out on the balcony while I drank my coffee and read my Bible.  

There is a touristy steam boat that travels around Lake Lucerne.  You could take it the left track, which had more views of mountains and small villages, or the right track which went to the city of Lucerne, or the full loop.  Roommie and I decided to take the left track and see the villages.  I figured: I live in a European city and I came on this retreat to get away from it...why would I want to go to another city while on my getaway?

I rarely take selfies anymore.  I figure: I know what I look like.  Others know what I look like...why not take photos of the places I am instead of me blocking the view of the places I am?  But anyway, I took one that day.  You know I love me some boats.  I was missing thecamelridingcowgirl, though.  Seemed weird to be there without her.

It was impossible to get a good photo with my camera.  Green hills, green water, white puffy cloud sky.

Little villages tucked all along the way in each valley.

Right about here was when I decided that Switzerland is my new favorite.  Pretty much the whole country looks like this.  The people are nice.  The chocolate is good.  The cheese is good.  There are sweet cows everywhere ringing their bells.  What's not to love?

I was deep in conversation on the way back to the town, and forgot to get up and take this picture, but my roommie did take it!  That's our hotel.  CRAZY!

The next morning, my birthday, I woke up to more awesome clouds.  My mom had contacted practically everyone I know and asked them to write me birthday cards and notes, which she mailed to the church, who gave them to me the night before my birthday.  So I sat on my balcony, again under the duvet, and read my cards while looking out at this:

I went out to lunch with a bunch of people, and then afterwards took a walk with one girl.  The clouds were beginning to break up...

And the sun was trying to come back out in the distance.

We went past the small port...

And headed towards the base of the mountain.  We passed this lovely house that I thought my mom would like:

And this lovely chalet that I would like:

And we followed the sound of cow bells until we finally spotted the cows up on the hill by the barn.  I had to zoom the lens pretty far to see them, but they are there!

Coming back to the hotel, the blue skies were breaking back out through the clouds.

The little bit of fall that I got to see:

And then great light and clouds and sunset!

My last view of the sunset before I headed in for dinner.

The final morning, I woke up to see the sunlight hitting the right set of mountains.  So beautiful!

I got a few door photos, of course!

Instead of taking the train home, as planned, I rode back in the car with friends.  We stopped in Interlaken to drop someone off at the train station there.  This is what the Jungfrau looked like that day:

It was amazing to me, because the last time I'd been there, it'd been grey and cloudy and had looked like this:

I do love Interlaken--there's so much to do there!  But it is very touristy.  And for this reason, I loved Brunnen...it was so sleepy and quiet and tucked away in the middle of nowhere.  I'd hoped to hike while there, but the little cold I had and then the rainy weather prevented it.  Oh well.  I still had a fabulous time, and am so thankful for the sweet retreat.

Switzerland is my favorite.