Dear Family,
Sorry this is a couple of days late. We just returned home Sunday after being gone for the past 5 1/2 days on our Visa Trip to Switzerland. Since it was our 50th Wedding Anniversary on the exact day we had to leave, it was an extra-special place to visit. It has always held such a special place in our hearts because of its beauty and wonderful people there. We were so blessed to have Jonathan and Ingrid Hung who live right outside of Zurich in the hills, with a beautiful view over the valley below. Jonathan was on a mission in Taiwan when my brother, Jerry, was there. He absolutely loves my dad and insisted we call my dad while we were there so he could talk to him. He said my dad was the one who helped him attend BYU in the States, which allowed him to meet his wife, Ingrid, who is from Switzerland when they both were waiting to get into General Conference in the Tabernacle. So, he feels he owes a great deal to my dad, and we were the recipients of my dad's generosity. He and Ingrid allowed us to stay there for two nights, cooked for us amazing 5-star meals, and showed us around Lucerne and interlachen. They just couldn't have been nicer or better hosts while we were in Switzerland! When we were in Lucerne, we were able to hear a street presentation put on by seven Alphorn players--an instrument originally used in the 15th Century to call back and forth across the valleys to each other! That was a real treat and one I had never experienced! I, also, had the "lucky?" experience of having bird -doo land on my head while there--on my 50th wedding anniversary. They say it is lucky! Hah!
Seriously, Jonathan and Ingrid could cook at a 5-star hotel. Every meal was made-from-scratch, taking much time to prepare, but absolutely delicious!!!
George's favorite thing to do was sit on their porch, overlooking the beautiful valley below, and listen to the birds and church bells. It was heavenly!
Interlachen--the meeting place of two lakes--was absolutely beautiful. We loved traveling through the mountains to get there where we saw waterfalls, grazing cows, and highway cameras that snap a picture even if you exceed the speed limit by one kilometer. A steep fine will be arriving to Jonathan by mail! We watched the para gliders (oh, how George wished he could have done that!) while having lunch in a beautiful outdoor cafe, visited a 1,250 year old church and saw an 18th century castle being restored.
The next morning, Jonathan and Ingrid took us to the train station where we were on our own! Seriously, you can travel anywhere in Europe with the wonderful rail system they have. It's not inexpensive like it used to be, but it is just a wonderful, quiet way to get from here to there.
We ended up in Bern, made one transfer and arrived at our destination in Zollikofen.
We checked into temple housing there--pretty barren, but adequate. There were lots of children who must have been there while their parents were attending the temple, so it wasn't the quietest of nights, not a lot of sleep with paper-thin walls, but at only $40 a night, who's complaining!
The Mormon Temple in Zollikofen is absolutely one of the most beautiful sights ever! It is surrounded by so many beautiful flowers and a huge lawn that didn't appear to have one weed! We attended a session that night in Italian--it brought tears to our eyes to be back in the temple again. You don't realize how much you miss the temple until you are away for awhile. The next morning, we attended another session in German. We certainly didn't mind the headphones--we are used to that every single Sunday we attend church.
We then headed for Bern--one of my all-time favorite small towns. With its open-air bear pit (for whom the city was named), over 100 fountains where you can drink the fresh mountain water, intriguing clock towers, medieval architecture dating back to the 12th century, sparkling river, chocolatiers, and even a St. Bernard thrown in--what's not to love?!
Our final day in Switzerland, we visited the Bern Rose Gardens where we saw hundreds of different kinds of blooming roses--which were just heavenly. We, also, visited the Bern Minster Cathedral which began in the 1400s and is the largest cathedral in Switzerland.
We, also, visited the Bern Minster Cathedral which began in the 1400s and is the largest cathedral in Switzerland.
We then boarded the train and went back to Lucerne where we saw a couple more old churches--one dating back to the 1200s, but one thing that was so special was seeing Bertal Thorvaldsen's, The Dying Lion Monument--carved right into the mountain. He, also, designed the Christus. This monument, which just break your heart looking at it, commemorates the heroism of the Swiss soldiers who died in 1792, attempting to protect the palace in Paris during the French Revolution.
We had fun visiting the farmer's market, and headed back to our hotel to pack things up to return to Moscow the next day.
So, as you can see, we had a perfect 50th Wedding Anniversary. The only thing missing was all of you! But, hopefully before we go home, you can all come to visit. We are just counting the days until Kent, Natalie, Ethan, Ella, Kevin, Hannah, and Kent and Natalie's friends (and our friends, too!), Jory and Kathy, come to visit. It is really getting crazy here! There are so many people everywhere you go and so much security! Monday, when we got back, a group of us Seniors went to the Moscow Zoo and took along a few of the new interns we have here, who are mostly from BYU--a couple from that other school to the north--hah! Anyway, they have come for various areas of interning, but most all of them served missions here and know the language. They are all so much fun!
Then on Tuesday, we went to Gorky Park and Red Square, which was just impossible. There were so many policemen and so many searches, plus rain, we just finally went home. It was Russian Day, so everyone was off work for Monday and Tuesday, so that added to all the chaos, too. Hopefully, things will calm down a little after all the celebrating of the last two days, and it will be a little more manageable on the crowds.
I want to end by telling you about a girl we met on the plane going to Switzerland. The woman in about her 30s was Russian and appeared not to want to talk. Finally, she asked to get up from her seat near the window and if we would let her out. Funny, but that's how we got talking. She was actually from Rostov-n-don, and when she heard we were Mormons, she got very excited. She said she used to attend English classes there and got to know the people and was so excited about going back to visit there. I told her I didn't know if they were still offering English classes there (the government won't allow it--sad, but true-- I didn't tell her that), but she really wanted to know how she could go to the church there. She is a single mother with a 7-year-old child with special needs and teaches English classes in Rostov from home, is well-educated, but her husband left her when she was pregnant. She was going to visit her mother in Switzerland for a month while her former mother-in-law watched her son. I sent her name and e-mail address on to the mission president and also, sent her the address of the new mission home, which also houses the church there. It is a new building, so that's why she didn't know where it was, I guess. Anyway, slowly but surely, we try to reach out when we can. It is so difficult because we basically have to have them ask us before we can exchange any information at all, and we definitely can't teach except inside the church. I told her I want to keep in touch, which I'm still doing with the girl and her family we met on the Metro in Moscow a few months ago.
Well, time to close. We are really excited that Kyle's Russian Manager, Vlad, will be speaking to our Senior group this Tuesday. I am inviting so many people, because I want it to be a great experience for them, as well as Vald, I hope!
We send our love to all!
Gma
Sorry this is a couple of days late. We just returned home Sunday after being gone for the past 5 1/2 days on our Visa Trip to Switzerland. Since it was our 50th Wedding Anniversary on the exact day we had to leave, it was an extra-special place to visit. It has always held such a special place in our hearts because of its beauty and wonderful people there. We were so blessed to have Jonathan and Ingrid Hung who live right outside of Zurich in the hills, with a beautiful view over the valley below. Jonathan was on a mission in Taiwan when my brother, Jerry, was there. He absolutely loves my dad and insisted we call my dad while we were there so he could talk to him. He said my dad was the one who helped him attend BYU in the States, which allowed him to meet his wife, Ingrid, who is from Switzerland when they both were waiting to get into General Conference in the Tabernacle. So, he feels he owes a great deal to my dad, and we were the recipients of my dad's generosity. He and Ingrid allowed us to stay there for two nights, cooked for us amazing 5-star meals, and showed us around Lucerne and interlachen. They just couldn't have been nicer or better hosts while we were in Switzerland! When we were in Lucerne, we were able to hear a street presentation put on by seven Alphorn players--an instrument originally used in the 15th Century to call back and forth across the valleys to each other! That was a real treat and one I had never experienced! I, also, had the "lucky?" experience of having bird -doo land on my head while there--on my 50th wedding anniversary. They say it is lucky! Hah!
Interlachen--the meeting place of two lakes--was absolutely beautiful. We loved traveling through the mountains to get there where we saw waterfalls, grazing cows, and highway cameras that snap a picture even if you exceed the speed limit by one kilometer. A steep fine will be arriving to Jonathan by mail! We watched the para gliders (oh, how George wished he could have done that!) while having lunch in a beautiful outdoor cafe, visited a 1,250 year old church and saw an 18th century castle being restored.
Scherzligen Church - 1250 years old!
Schadau Castle - Built in the 1800s, presently being restored.
Jonathan and Ingrid just couldn't have been more gracious and wonderful to us during our two-day stay with them.
The Mormon Temple in Zollikofen is absolutely one of the most beautiful sights ever! It is surrounded by so many beautiful flowers and a huge lawn that didn't appear to have one weed! We attended a session that night in Italian--it brought tears to our eyes to be back in the temple again. You don't realize how much you miss the temple until you are away for awhile. The next morning, we attended another session in German. We certainly didn't mind the headphones--we are used to that every single Sunday we attend church.
We visited the Einstein House, where Albert Einstein and his wife lived, and where he developed his Theory of Relativity.
There are actually over 100 fountains in this small city where it is safe to drink the cool, sparkling mountain water.
Our final day in Switzerland, we visited the Bern Rose Gardens where we saw hundreds of different kinds of blooming roses--which were just heavenly. We, also, visited the Bern Minster Cathedral which began in the 1400s and is the largest cathedral in Switzerland.
We, also, visited the Bern Minster Cathedral which began in the 1400s and is the largest cathedral in Switzerland.
We had fun visiting the farmer's market, and headed back to our hotel to pack things up to return to Moscow the next day.
Walking past one of the "Seven Sisters" on our way to lunch.
Yes, we were back in Texas again!
Well, time to close. We are really excited that Kyle's Russian Manager, Vlad, will be speaking to our Senior group this Tuesday. I am inviting so many people, because I want it to be a great experience for them, as well as Vald, I hope!
We send our love to all!
Gma
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