A SUMMER WITH MY SIBLINGS: Tunnels, Round-abouts, and Swiss Chocolate

Wow I can`t believe how fast the last few days have gone by. It`s crazy to think I only have a day and a half left in Switzerland. But anyway, let me tell you about everything I have done in the last two days. Yesterday Hugo and I travel for an hour by car to a town just outside of Basel, Switzerland to meet the parents of Rachel, my god-father`s wife. I had a blast with them. Her mother is a teacher for 5th grade students and her father just retired from working in an administration building for the town of Basel. It`s interesting that Rachel`s parents had/have the same type of jobs my parents have. Her mother had prepared snacks for us when we arrived and was excited to talk with me, but was nervous about her English. She hasd no reason to be nervous at all, because her English was amazing and very clear. I truly enjoyed talking with her. Her husband, on the other hand, only spoke French and German because he was born in Denmark. Although I thought it would be a challenge to talk with him, I was surprised how much we could understand each other with hand gestures and help of others to translate. After getting aquanted, Rachel`s parents traveled with me to Basel where they showed me many interesting sights. Rachel`s mom liked the Cathedral where dogs and cats could be brought in for the church service and I believe Erik, Rachel`s father, enjoyed the boat ride across the river. I also enjoyed the boat ride. String connected the boat to cable that was attached at one point on each side of the river. The current of the river was so strong that it helped to move the boat, but without the boat being attached to something the boat would simply float away. The ride only lasted 10 minutes, but I think it was one of the most exciting things I did while in Basel. After the ride, we were walking around and Rachel`s mom asked me if I liked chocolate. Of course I replied yes, because how can you not like chocolate while in Switzerland? She took me into this little shop that is famous for its chocolate and we ordered milk chocolate with hazelnuts and Erik ordered milk chocolate with red pepper. Now I thought Erik`s order was a little strange, but he let me try a few pieces and it was delicious. We sat down at a cafe and enjoyed a cup of coffee and indulged in some chocolate. Once we were through exploring Basel, we returned to Rachel`s parents house and Erik cooked us a meal. I discovered that Erik enjoys entertaining people because it gives him a chance to cook, which he is very good at. We had a tossed salad, beef, Swiss potatoes with herb cottage cheese, and gingerbread dessert Basel is famous for. Everything was so good and we enjoyed talking about Iowa and Switzerland. Erik even got out a map of the United States and I showed him where Sibley is located and where I go to school. It was amazing and I`m glad I had the opportunity to meet them. When we left, I even got the traditional good bye of a kiss on each cheek before I left. I can say I truly left like I belonged in Switzerland when I left.

Church were pets are allowed to attend the service.

Coloring Basel.

Riding the Boat Across the River.

UBS's (United Bank of Switxerland) Hammering Man.

Rachel's Parents

Today, I traveled to the city of Luzern with Hugo. The city of Luzern is only a few minutes away for the town I am staying, Kriens, but we had yet to visit it. Here, we visited the open-air markets. All of the vegetables, fruits, breads, and cheeses were to picture perfect that it was hard to notice anything else around me. Also, I could not believe the amount of flowers in the market, especially the sunflowers. They were beautiful and could be seen in almost every direction. Again we enjoyed a few more cathedrals and we were finally able to enjoy one of the most, probably the most, famous bridges in Switzerland. The Chapel Bridge goes over the Reuss River and has a tower that protected the city from approaching enemies. The bridge was covered with geraniums and contained many painting of Luzern`s history inside. It was sad to find out that part of the bridge had burned down in 1993, but it nice to see that they have rebuilt it and tried to save as many paintings as they could. Also, while in Luzern, we enjoyed a boat ride around the lake of Luzern. It contained so many beautiful views of the mountains and cities, it was difficult to capture in the pictures I took. Once we had seen the sights of Luzern, we headed back to Hugo`s house where we prepared a traditional meal of sausage and Swiss potatoes. It was very delicious and fulfilling that I think its time to fall into a food coma. So goodnight all and I hope to have pictures uploaded within a few days when I can get my iPad connected to the internet.

Cheers,
Katie

I suppose I owe an explination for the title of the post before I go though. It is known that Switzerland is known for its chocolate, watches, and cheese, but did you know almost anytime you get into a car and drive some where you will face thousands of tunnels and round-abouts. So for me, I think I will remember Switzerland for its tunnels, round-abouts, and chocolate. :)