Spain and Switzerland!

The rest of the time with the Idoates was magical. We were so blessed by being able to stay with them and get to know their wonderful family! Their daughter lives accross the street with 3 young kids that we just fell in love with. Poppi took us all around the little villages in the quaint rolling green hills. He showed us the house he was born in and took us to a convent where the nuns are not allowed to step outside the walls of the church. It was an incredible experience to see their simple and beautiful way of life!

They took us to their church and after grandpa bought all the kids patatas (potatoe chips) we all went for the day to San Sebastian. It is a little coastal town in the north of Spain. We walked the main strip along the ocean watching the sunset and riding the merry go round with the kids!

Because our eurail passes got stollen, we had to find the cheapest way to travel. The cheapest way to get to Zurich, Switzerland was to fly from Barcelona.... so we got on another bus and went to that horrible station that we have come regretably familiar with. We arrived in Switzerland where Mr Vandermeer picked us up! The Vandermeers are family friends of the Krzymowski (they were missionaries together in Equador years ago). We showed up at the house to a warm meal (alp macaroni) and swiss chocolates on our pillows!! We met their two sons, Fabian (who had just returned home to weeks ago from a year in Australia) and Sevrin, his younger brother who didn't speak much English, but still impressed us with his amazing break dancing skills!

We spent the rest of the evening on the trampoline (i thought of you, mo and canny) busting moves and getting put to shame by the triple flips we were being challenged with! The next morning Katrin (mrs. Vandermeer) took us into Zurich. We went to the main church and climbed the tower that overlooked the whole city. The river running through was spottless. They are not joking when they say Swiss people are very invironmentally friendly! The river flowing from lake Zurich through this huge city, and it was clear to the point that you could see the stones on the bottom!! We walked all around the town while she told us the history of Switzerland... about their christian origin and foundation. It is so fun being able to see a place with people that know it!

We sat in the World's richest square for a while. It is considered the richest plaza because it is surrounded by all the swiss banks and there are huge vaults under the plaza. Lots of rich people have accounts in Switzerland originally because of their honest system, also because they are independent and generally safe because of their neutrality (Katrin told us all of this). We then went to the all womens swimming hole that is right in the center of Zurich on the river. Back in the day that had swimming areas separated for men and women and just decided to keep it that way!! IT was so fun- they just had a square floating dock and the water from the river just rushed under it!! so doing laps in the pool was quite the challenge with the current and all!!

That night we hiked near their house to a restuarant on the top of a big hill that overlooks the Alps. We sat and ate traditional swiss meals as the setting sun cast an orange, red glow on the white-capped mountains!

We woke up early the next morning, had breakfast with Katrin, and then the four of us drove about an hour and a half to get to Grosser Mythen. We got out captivated by the rolling green hills speckled with swiss cows and the mountain jetting up from behind! The sound of the cow bells echoing only added to the magical scenery. There was a family climbing it the same time we were and they had a little, what looked like a 4 year old with them...we came to the conclusion that Swiss 4 year olds have the strength of American 30 year olds!

We had a picnic on top beneath a waving swiss flag- swiss chocolate for dessert of course!! The view was astounding. surrounded by white-capped peaks against a magnificently blue sky. The lake below was encased by the most vivid green hills that stood at the base of jagged the mountains!!

We reluctantly said goodbye to the Vandermeers the next morning and took the bus to the train station, only to realize that there was no way to get out of Switzerland by train for less that 250 swiss francs (which is about equal to the dollar). The train system in Switzerland is so good- their trains are so nice and reliable, but rediculously expensive. We stood at the station discussing our options, knowing full well that that train was not one of them. We tried everything...offered our police report as evidence that we did in fact get our eurails stollen from us.... nothing. So we decided to find internet to research any possible way to get out of Switzerland without having to starve to afford it. The ticket people at the train station assured us that there was no internet around, so we had no choice but to go back to the Vandermeers. The bus ride to their house was spent practicing what we were going to say when they open the door and we are standing there packs and all. IT was pretty embarrassing, but we had no where else to go.

We spent the next 5 hours in their computer room calling whoever we could to get out of Switzerland. We looked on airlines, trainstaions all over Switzerland, we looked into buses, rental cars... EVERYTHING! We must have called 60 sum phone numbers (at least enough to run out of money on all 3 of our skype accounts plus some from the home phone) at one point Jenny unknowingly was on with a charter bus rental company and got offered a special deal on a limo- we considered it for a half second through our tears of laughter. Our nerves and patients were running thin when Hope had been transfered like 4 times to differnt train station and departments and had been quoted like 5 different prices for the same ticket. someone was about to transfer her again, and she insisted that there must be something he could do for her... she demanded... "who am i speaking with?" -boldly... a long pause,,, and then she sheepishly said "oh... this number is for if you want a job...ok... thank you." I have been so blessed to travel with girls that have fun in the most stressful of situations! We finally found a ticket to the swiss border that we could then get on a german train... which were much cheaper.

So we went back to the train station and went to Interlaken, Switzerland through Lucern. The train ride was unbelievable, weaving in and out of the mountains. Lakes and waterfalls.Churches whose steeples mimiced the jagged point of the mountains beyond. We arrived in the evening to pouring rain!! We splashed our way to our hostel!! IT was so fun! We were starved and found a pizza place that was open... thank goodness!

The next morning we woke up and walked to the market for breakfast- We bought yogurt... i was severely dissapointed to open it and find that it was plain, so i went back into the store to try and find the cheapest honey i could... i found some (it was a huge bottle for really cheap, and it tasted horrible) i realized like 10 minutes later that i could have just bought another flavor of yogurt for cheaper than the honey... and now we had a massive bottle of nasty honey!! oh well.

We walked back to the hostel... getting more and more excited... WE WERE GOING SKYDIVING!! the people picked us up, took us to the loading point- gave us literally a 2 minute instructional lesson on a patch of grass, suited us up in our criminal looking orange jump suits and took us away! Only 2 could go up in the helicopter at a time, so we drew pens... i got the blue one which meant i was diving with Damien, an Australian guy that was just as excited as i was. The two of us and our tandem divers rode up to the helicopter pad and got in. Beat (yes, Beat is the name of the man strapped to my back!) strapped me into his lap and off we went! My legs were hanging out of the helicopter and i thought i was going to die from frost bite it was so cold. We flew around for about 15 minutes over the Alps before we actually jumped. I can't describe what I saw in that short flight. It was absolutely unbelievable. Astounding beauty!! I was blessed by the opportunity to see such beauty!

Then it came time to jump. Damien went first- we shook hands and out he fell- it was so surreal to just see two bodies just fall out of an airplane... not but 2 seconds after they dissappeared from sight, Beat was nudging me, sliding me foreward. He instructed me to stand on the helicopters leg. I stood up and rolled backwards out of the helicopter!! It was phenominal. I cant describe the feeling! 45 second free fall from 14,000 feet. I remember my first conscious breath and how loud it was...!! It was unbelievable. Looking around during the free fall blew me away! I WAS FLYING THROUGH THE AIR OVER THE SWISS ALPS!! The lakes below surrounded by the mountains... i don't even know... it was just awesome!! I still cant believe we got to do it!

After the 45 seconds, the chute opened (good news) and Beat handed me the controls. We flipped around and spun...the 6 minutes ride to the bottom when way to fast! I landed, hugged and thanked Beat for keeping me alive and ran to meet the girls who were screaming!! They were next!

Watching them fall was unbelievable... You can barely see the plance when they actually jump. It is even hard to find them when their chutes first opened and that was after they had been free falling for 45 seconds!! I watched their specks grow until they landed safely and ran to hug me!! It was a crazy experience that i will cherish!

The next day we took the train to Koln Germany... The cheapest we could find (which meant the we had to change 11 times- 11 trains in one day!!) Running to make connections- it was totally worth it, and we were well used to running for trains by now!!

We arrived in Odendorf at 1 am, where Kai, Barbaras youngest son (the only one we hadnt met picked us up at the station and took us home) Barbara insisted on making us food... she made 3 pizzas!! We chatted about KAis adventure is Australia (he just got back from traveling himself) while hope and i threw slices on eachothers plates while Barbara wasn't watching... we were so full, we couldnt eat anymore, and she always insists that we eat more!! She is wonderful!

The next morning we went to a classic car festival in Reinbach, a naboring village- we all rode bikes and watched the petti coat competition. it was hilarious, your stereotypical small town fair competition. All these women running around on stage in their 60s attire so proud to be on stage!! It was so fun to watch. We ended in Reinbach with our favorite gellato shop, where they shape the ice cream like meals... we got spaghetti! We rode back for a BBQ at their house! Barbara, Hope, Jen, and I danced around the living room to San Fransico- so fun!

The next day we went for a 55 km bike ride to Bonn! The scenery was awesome- we rode along the Rhine river and took a ferry accross it! It was pouring rain the majority of the time, but we didn't care- it was so much fun! It made me really appreciate riding... maybe one day i will bike accross germany! We went to the Haribo (gummy worm factory) in Bonn, where we sampled all of the different type of candy... not quite sure if that was ok by Haribo's standards, or by Barbaras... non the less, noone stopped us!! We then got back on the bikes and rode to the Birkenstock factory! It was amazing!! We took the bikes on a train back! We ended the night with playing cards and watching one of Barbara's favorite movies that was in German, with subtitles in French (real helpful) Kai translated every word... haha!! and when he would miss a sentence Barbara would scold!! I fell asleep... anyone surprised?!?

The next morning after a quick stop at the glass store in Reinbach, we took a train to PAris. We showed up at Helens house in the evening just in time for dinner (hellen in another family friend of the Kryzmowski's and Barbara) I didn't eat because i was pretty sick and tired, but the girls assured me that i didn't miss much with the duck liver paste that they could barely choak down!!

The next day we rode the train to the Eiffel tower... where our journey began. We started and ended our trip on the lawn of that tower! We sat and talked... remembering all the hilarious memories and crazy adventures that we had. I am so blessed by the experience that i had and the relationships that were deepend!!

We flew out of PAris the next day (we barely made the train to the airport... the ticket guy had to run out and wave to the conductor to hold the train...typical (we had to, it was only consistent with the rest of our trip)- Hope flew to London in the morning, and jenny and spent the rest of the time before our flight getting tax back and running from bombs.

There was a bomb threat!! Our plane was delayed by 3 and a half hours. There was unnattended lugage outside of our gate and so the teams came in and were yelling in French for us to get back. We scoped out a American guy who was taking charge and telling all those to back up! Jenny and i followed him, because if anyone was getting out of there alive, it was that guy and his wife! We spent the next 3 hours getting to know him- a chemistry teacher and ex-pilot- BINGO!! if worse came to worse, he could fly us home... though we were about ready to take a boat to america...! We met a couple older women who told us they had food, we kept them around!! We finally got on the plane where jenny and i settled in to watch the worst movie, we have ever seen in our entire lives (carolina... avoid it at all costs)- though that may not be too difficult. i would not be that surprise if Air India is the only Airline on earth that would play it! That and the Indian dancer Hellen who entertained us for 6 hours straight on the way over there! After the chicken curry, jen and i slept a bit... I stayed the night in Newark, NJ and Jenny continued on to New Mexico. Parting ways was really hard.

I took a flight the next morning to Denver, where my mom and dad picked me up. I am home now and enjoying time with the family... Europe was amazing... a blessing beyond words!

I have finally posted pictures on facebook... sorry i didn't do it throughout the trip! I hope you all have had awesome summers and I cant wait to see you each again!