July 4, 2008
Happy BIrthday, Nicole! Happy Independence Day, everyone else (and Nicole too I guess)! Except no one here is celebrating. Go figure. We realized that we’re missing all the national holidays this year. We’re not in the US for the 4th; we’ll be home by the 14th so we won’t be able to celebrate Bastille Day in France, and the Swiss national holiday is August 1st so we won’t be around for that either. Maybe we should head down to Mexico for Cinco de Mayo next year (but that’s not really their Independence Day either). Can someone check on Canada for me?
Anyway, Liz had to work today so we slept in a little, and then we headed off to the Alps. When Becky and I were here eleven years ago, we visited a little town called Grindlewald that is in the middle of the Swiss Alps. We had gone to ice cave with a bunch of ice sculptures that had been carved into a glacier. It was awesome, and we were looking forward to taking the kids there. But when we got there, we learned that a lot of the glacier had melted, and they no longer had an ice cave. Darn Al Gore and his global warming.
So we took a little gondola up into the mountains and found an Alpine summer bobsled-type run for the kids. The pictures don’t do it justice because they’re from the beginning and end of the run, but the thing did move pretty fast with some crazy turns in it. I went once with Zac; Becky went with Alex, and then Alex and Zac went together. Katie was too young to go, and she was really upset about that. She was crying and screaming that she wanted to go. Two girls who were visiting from an Asian country got the biggest kick out of how much Katie wanted to go. They went over to the snack bar and bought her a popsicle to make her happy while she waited for Alex and Zac to finish their last run. It was very cute. There was also a trampoline and other play equipment for the kids at this little Alpine gondola station so even Katie had fun anyway.
That evening Liz had invited the local Mormon missionaries over for dinner so we got a chance to eat with them. It was cool to find out how the mission area has changed in the last fifteen years. And, of course, with Liz the conversation is always very lively.
2 comments:
OK, Pete; here's the deal. Canada Day is July 1st.
We have really enjoyed your trip and look forward to having you home soon.
Sid and Mary
Wow, the flashbacks just keep on coming...during the trip to stay with Kit and Bob and all, I traveled thru Switzerland with my mom for 2 days. We stayed in a guest chalet at the foot of the tram that went up to the Grindlewald! We went up to the ice caves, which were still there in 1965. I walked through them on crutches! It was SO amazing to see a glacier up close. It is really troubling, to say the least, to know that there isn't any more ice up there. Okay kids, get that education, and help us save our amazing planet!
Love, Amy
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