Joyful Journey

We set out on this cloudy Saturday to hike the mountains above Walensee, a lake we had passed on our way to Innsbruck that was very picturesque. During the hike we learned that this area is refered to as "Heidiland." (We never saw Heidi or Goat Peter while hiking and the only cow bell we heard, other than close to town, was on the neck of a dog at the top of our hike. I think we're going to have to find one for Sydney!) The easiest way to reach the town of Amden, the point from which we were to begin hiking, is via train and then bus. The connections are wonderful, you get off the train and the bus is waiting right outside the station. Although we couldn't get a connection out of the main Zurich train station until 11:15, we were in town and ready to hike by 12:30. As the bus headed up from Walensee to the town of Amden, it became quite clear that our views on this day would not include much of the lake. By the time we had hiked just a few minutes up from the m...

When I initially posted photographs of town, I neglected to include one of my favorites, a photo of one of the signs welcoming you to the village. The sign posts are in most towns at the main roads leading into town. We have three. Each indicate the speed, the name of the village you are coming into as well as the wonderful flower display. (From the other direction the sign indicates the next town or the next major town and how many kilometers away it is located.) I am curious to see what happens when snow and freezing weather comes.

So, do you know what a sugar beet looks like? Neither did we! About a month ago, we began seeing large piles of "something" at the ends of many fields we ran or walked by. We hadn't recognized the tops of the plants before harvest and so they were no help when they were harvested. I thought maybe it was a turnip, but it just seemed too large. I ask a local and was told they were sugar carrots, and then she gave me the word in German. I checked out the dictionary and realized she meant sugar beets! She told me they were used for feed for animals as well as the production of sugar for human consumption. Of course the next step was a Google search which provided much useful information, such as the fact that both the root and the tops are used for feed for animals (the tops mixed with the leftover pulp that is part of the sugar production), while the beet itself is used for producing sugar. Companies are currently researching whether sugar beets can be used as a renew...

I met today for the first time with Manuela. She is my German tutor in exchange for my helping her with improving her English. Manuela is around Joel and Steven's age and cuts my hair. She asked last week if I would be willing to tutor her. What an answer to prayer! I had been praying for someone with whom to "swap" tutoring, but didn't know how I would find someone. But God knew! Anyway, as we met and chatted, she suggested that we go to a bookstore and look for a book for each of us. I had misunderstood her and thought she meant a library. We went and looked in the bookstore and found an appropriate book, and on trying to find the price, it appeared that it was available for "checkout." In asking, Manuela learned that it was only for sale, but that there was a library just down the street and the gal gave us the address. So off we went. Manuela had indicated that she didn't really enjoy reading, so I wasn't surprised that she didn't remember th...

Innsbruck is a beautiful old city spread out in the valley between two mountain ranges. We did not explore much of the city due to the "call of the mountains." Maybe if we return. Then again, I think we would head back into the mountains. The mountains never lose their appeal! The third day we hiked in an area called Muttereralm, which appears to be a newly opened ski area, which means new cable cars. On the way up to the hiking area, Bob mentioned that he felt much more comfortable in these cars than the "ancient ones we rode yesterday." Glad he didn't tell me that yesterday!! A view from the old section of town up toward the Alps on that side of the valley. We began the hike by taking the "Panoramaweg" that circled around this newly created lake. We discussed having lunch and calling it a day, but changed and mind and started hiking. Magnificent views of the opposite side of the valley (toward Nordpark.) I think I see a new oil painting hang...

The second day took us to the opposite side of the valley of Innsbruck (So named because the Inn River flows through the middle of town), to the area called Patscher Kofel, which was Innsbruck's Olympic mountain (2300 m) Again, you take a cable car to the top and from there are many hiking trails available. (Be sure to click on these photos to get a better view! The photo below is toward the area we had hiked the previous day.) Upon leaving the cable car, Bob noticed a TV tower on the mountain's summit and of course we headed that way. We first came to a small building which appeared to be a old lookout of some kind. complete with a stone tower. Above is the view from partway up this summit climb. Unfortunately, as we approached the top, the path became extremely steep. We endeavored to find an "alternate" way to the summit, but only encountered steeper and more difficult terrain. Eventually we decided that since we did not have the necessary ropes an...

Before we moved, Bob had scheduled some vacation time for us in Innsbruck, Austria. We took 4 days to hike the Austrian Alps. Although we spent most of our times in the mountains, we did enjoy an "oompa-pa" band play in town at some ceremony involving the local firefighters (ah, that language barrier thing again!!) and wandered through the old town area. The photos will explain why we spent the majority of our time "up." The first day we took two cable cars up to an area called Nordpark. The second cable car brings you almost to the summit of this range of mountains. There is a trail ("Panoramaweg") that leads along a panoromic view of the area. However, we decided to return back to where the first cable car ends (about 3/4's of the way up the mountain) to hike back down to the valley floor. (The cable car from which we hiked down is in the next photo, lower right hand side.) It was almost hard to leave this area to hike! The views from e...

roundabouts (Thankfully I don't have to get used to driving them in different directions like Bob does when he goes to the UK!) no stop signs, just yields driving with 120 showing on the speedometer, and it's legal! no "right on red" (Thank you Lord for the reminder!!) lights that turn "red, yellow then green" as well as "green, yellow, red" hamburger that comes in a plastic bag and tomato paste that comes in a tube (so cool!) coins worth more than $1! The CHF 5 coin is about the equivalent of a $4 bill and no equivalent of 1 cent. Smallest is .05, so everything purchased ends in a multiple of 5! (Tax is "built in," so the price listed is exactly what you pay.) having most every store (including grocery stores) close by 8 p.m. at the latest and 4 p.m. on Saturdays putting trash only in specially purchased bags with the name of our town on them remembering to take grocery bags with you to to the store (did that in CA, but out of the hab...

Our second hike took us to the Luzern area to hike from Rigi Kulm to Rigi Scheidegg and our best view of the Alps since we moved. We began by taking the train to Art-Goldau and then taking the Rigi Kulm Bahn up to Rigi Kulm. We actually were planning to begin the hike differently, but we got to the Rigi Bahn just as it was getting ready to pull out of the station and so we rushed to purchase our tickets and mistakenly took it all the way to the top, rather then just up one stop where we were going to catch a cable car to Rigi Scheidegg. Oh well, you can hike it either direction. Don't you just love the idea of taking a train to the top of a mountain? We still managed to get in some good hiking between the two peaks, but it makes for a much easier day. According to the wanderweg signs it would take an additional 4 hours to hike to the summit. But the most amazing experience of the day was riding the train up the mountain side and watching this magnificent view of the Alps app...

Or "hiking paths" for the non-German reader! These sign postings are everywhere in Switzerland. Miles and miles of them. We even have one at each end of our street, as it is part of a wanderweg (singular, the "e" at the end here makes this word plural. That's your German lesson for today!) This allows me to walk two hours most days and as of yet, never hike along entirely the same route. I just follow the signs to a different town! The white portion indicates the elevation of where you are, the markers tell you approximately how long it should take you to hike to the indicated location and also lets you know if there is a train or a bus stop, or parking lot there. Some of them indicate if you can find a restaurant. (Much needed if there is not water available along the route.) I had learned the word wanderweg even before we moved (wander - hiker, weg - trail or path) as we had hiked while checking out the area before our move. As we hiked this trail...

We came to Switzerland fully intending to get in as much hiking on Saturdays and over vacations as possible. We didn't waste any time, figuring that we only had a few weeks before most of the hiking might be over for the fall. Our first hike was to the highest peak in the Kanton of Zurich, Schnebelhorn. Although it is not the Alps, it is still picturesque. We learned after reaching the top and beginning the trip down the other way (the route we took was a circular route), there is a restaurant as well as parking quite near the top and it appeared that a number of people drove there and hiked just the little ways up! Ah, but then you miss out on all the journey there. And it's not just the destination, is it? The journey along the way is just as important. As we hiked, we crossed through various cow pastures and the entire hike you could hear the sound of cows bells echoing through the valley. It may be Switzerland, not Austria, but the hills are still alive with the sound ...

This falls under the category of one of the great things about Switzerland. Self-service flowers. Take a five minute walk from my apartment and you come to the edge of a cornfield, where there is a "Blumen Garten!" At the end of every row is a stake that labels the flower in that row and tells you how much it is "per stick." Now tell me, isn't this one brilliant idea?! Our apartment has had continual flowers gracing the table. We've been surprised that the growing season is still active here. Not sure how long it will last, but we're enjoying it while it's here. Of course, I also have also found the self-serve fresh fruit and vegetables as well!