Sierra Morning

I was talking to my brother last night and he reminded me of some pictures from a trip that I took to Northern California late last summer to visit my dear friend Caitlin in Yosemite.  So I started digging around and found them!  On our way up to Yosemite, we did a quick hike into the Sierra's.  We experienced an incredible sunset on our way up into the mountains.

And then a sublime alpine Sabbath morning.  I love how morning light changes.

Switzerland Day Two : Murren

The first few pictures were taken on our train ride from Bern to Interlaken.  Then you see some pictures from our bus ride up into the Alps.  Then we took a cable car up to Murren, situated on the edge of some amazing rock cliffs facing some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.  We arrived in the height of spring, good for flowers but less people!  It was SO GREEN!

The rest of the pictures are from our afternoon/evening walk around Murren.  It was somewhat overcast but still incredible!

Our first view of the Eiger, covered partly in clouds.  To get a better understanding of this mountain, watch this video.

 Taken for my two Dads (Kurtz and Howe)   :)

 Beautiful wood

Switzerland Day One : Geneva to Bern

As many of you know, we just went to Switzerland and Italy for a bit of a break before diving into another year of school and work.  We were able to make the trip on the cheap (mostly) thanks to frequent flyer miles!  First we went to Switzerland and spent several days on the edge of the Alps.  It was the most peaceful and relaxing part of the trip.  Here are some pictures of our arrival and first day in Switzerland.

Due to a plane delay, we were unable to go directly to Interlaken as planned.  Instead, we stopped in Bern, the capital of Switzerland.  The train ride from Geneva to Bern was gorgeous.  For the first hour or so we skirted around Lake Geneva and then we headed off through farmlands and cow pastures, passing by small villages and towns.  It was my first "real" train ride and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Once we arrived in Bern, we proceeded to go through the process of something we later came to refer to as "Mary and Josephing".  We went from hostel to hostel, hoping to find a room.  What we came to find out was that there was a major soccer game happening that evening and all the hotels were packed with Koreans supporting their team.  Thanks to the generosity of one hostel secretary who called another place (that wasn't in our book) and secured the last room available, we were able to find a place to sleep that night.  God really worked it out because apparently that room had already been rented out but it was closing time and the people who were supposed to stay there had not shown up so they gave the room to us.  It sure is nice to have a place to lay your head!

For a capital city, Bern is a delightful town!  It still feels small and charming.  And thanks to the big soccer game, everyone was watching the soccer game instead of roaming the streets so we had a nice quiet evening walk to ourselves.  Here are some pictures of our walk around Bern looking for a place to stay.

The next morning we got up early and caught a trip to Interlaken, pictures coming soon!