Day Fifty

Monday, 8/1

We decided to enjoy Lauterbrunnen and our lovely apartment for as long as possible, ignoring the fact that tomorrow we'll be on a plane headed home. (This valley has made us feel very much at home, in fact we find many similarities between it and our beloved Yosemite). We slept in to be roused by the church bells which hearlded two different weddings on this day. (Fun to see one bride hike up her long white gown while walking through the parking lot to reveal cotton leggings and tennis shoes, the only way to go when you are married in the Swiss Alps where the weather can change in a heart beat.) Speaking of the weather, today it is sunny with a slight cool breeze in the mountains, but as we boarded our train after grabbing a sandwich in the cafe, it got hotter and hotter as we descended into the cities. (Perhaps preparing us for the sweltering heat of Southern California in August!) Despite the stuffy train ride to Luzern (our transfer after Interlaken), we saw beautiful landscapes, more sea sized lakes, rushing creeks (churning white tinged with blue, the color of non-fat milk), and adorable community gardens with small greenhouses adjoining. The Swiss train schedule was impressively on time and we walked very swiftly to make our connections which seemed to zoom away from the station as soon as we were inside the sliding door. On the train to Zurich we munched on the last of our alpine cheese and sipped sparkling apple juice (it is hard to get anything without fizz here, your water and even your juice is most likely going to have some bubbles). Greg returned the Kindle to me so I could finish the final book of the Overlander series. (I am very close to being done and he wants to read it on the way home tomorrow). Very soon we were arriving in Zurich, Greg said it reminds him of the Hollywood Hills the way expensive looking houses perch on hillsides. Bidding farewell to our last train (sniff, sniff) we sook out our last city bus (good riddance, Greg and I agree they were the most difficult form of transportation, regardless of the city!) After a three minute walk from the station we found some bus stops, but not our bus stop. Greg inquired in one bus and the driver pointed us around the corner as he drove off. Greg stuck his head in another bus and asked the driver if this was the right direction. The driver responded brusquely, "Nein, nein!" and Greg barely escaped with his head as the doors speedily slammed shut and the bus zoomed away. (See, the Swiss really do take their punctuality seriously!) You might notice the driver spoke to Greg in German but we've had a mix of French, English and German in this country. You might be greeted "Guten Tag" and at the end of the meal receive a "Merci". This kind of a melding of cultures has been found in the food as well, while many sausages reflect the German, cheeses reflect the French and they throw in some Italian food just for good measure. Anyhow we did eventually find our bus and our hotel was just a two minute walk from our stop. Our airport hotel is in an industrial park. This hotel is also the picture of efficiency. They have a breakfast buffet and restaurant all in house, shuttles every thirty minutes to the airport (which is only ten minutes away), and very clean streamlined rooms, with everything a traveler needs. It will be the perfect place to shower up, repack and organize our luggage, and get easily to the airport in the morning. While our room has a degree of sterility about it there is a huge birch like tree outside our window casting leaf pattern shadows across our walls, imparting a sense of calm. We hope to be able to unwind here and reflect on fifty of the most incredible nights of our life spent traveling this amazing continent and to return home to share our adventures with all of our loved ones who we have missed so dearly. See you soon!