Zurich, Switzerland

In order to squeeze in a good trip while Bethany was here we had to cram it into one of Jesse's "weekends"... which meant we literally packed up the car on a Monday morning, picked him up at work at 8am, and drove to Switzerland while the poor guy slept in the back with the Monkeys.

So Jesse and Sam snoozed on and off while Bethany and I ignored Lily's whining (a trip theme), rocked out to some of Bethany's trip mixes (another theme) and enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery I've driven through in my life!  Scary-but-fun-windy roads through green forests, castles perched atop tall hills overlooking gorgeous valleys, and adorable country villages tucked up near the rivers.

Five hours later we arrived in Zurich.  Airbnb.com came through for us again... our guestroom in Susan's home was just right for us.  Plenty of space for the five of us for two nights, a shared bathroom, and access to her kitchen!  It was within walking distance of a train station and we scooted right into Zurich's Old Town with no problem.

We meandered through the city streets, shared a big frozen yogurt treat, and checked out the Grossmünster church. Bethany told me about how Huldrych Zwingli was a pastor here during the Swiss Reformation.  While Martin Luther was in Germany changing the way the world would think of Christianity, Huldrych Zwingli was doing the same in Zurich.  I love learning more church history... it was neat to think about all the hard work those men put into bringing the written word of God to the common man.  So awesome.

We wanted to climb the tower to see the city from the top, but we got there an hour after closing time.  You'd think I would have learned by now to check opening hours!  Oops.

From the church we walked over the Limmat River and enjoyed one of our first glimpses of the mountains in the distance.  Bethany and I were giddy with excitement about our upcoming cable car tour of Mt. Titlis!  

Then we hiked a little ways up the hill to the city's main park, the Lindenhofplatz.  We enjoyed some beautiful panoramic views of the city, as well as a classic picnic dinner we'd brought with us from home... fresh bread, cheese, grapes, sausages, and wine.  Yum!  We also found a playground for the girls to enjoy for a while.

And that was our experience of Zurich!  Not nearly long enough to do the beautiful city justice... but still a delightful stop on our way to the mountains!