&...just a jaunt to switzerland.

 &...one of the lovely things about being in england right now is that jeremy and rochelle are just a hop and a skip away in switzerland. they live just outside of baden, which is just outside of zurich. so after an hour and a half flight i was in switzerland. fantastic. 

i like this europe thing.

heaven and hell at the münster of bern.

rochelle and i first went to bern. it was an glorious sunny day that seems all the more miraculous as spring begins to break through.

beehives on the floor in the front of the nave.

it is switzerland, so obviously a plethora of clocks.

 chess.

 who wouldn't be freaked out by any fairy story that involved a child eating ogre?

friday night j&r made raclette. my first experience. bubbling swiss cheesey goodness over potatoes. 

saturday j&r and i drove to lake lucerne. 

and the mountains. 

o the mountains.

we took a gondola up the mountain at egg berge....we were well prepared for all the snow. 

&....no. not at all.

we were all wearing trainers...not so good for all the snow. nevertheless it was lovely. (i suppose as long as we don't count the grouchy swiss woman who yelled at us because we just wanted to buy one order of 9 franc french fries to share. she also wouldn't let us retract out order.) 

I am a bit surprised that we didn't burst into the johnson family favorite mountain hymn--"mountain biking, mountain biking"--sung to the tune of all creatures of our god and king. i am currently singing just thinking about those mountains. 

 up the gondola over lake lucerne.

the one in which i look like the short one.

bacon skis anyone?

  

and then on to luzern--lovely lucerne.

the swiss towns all look quite similar, but all amazing. waterways, vibrant colors, ubiquitous charm.

thorvaldsen's sad swiss lion.

j&r. 

from the back you'd never guess she's just a few weeks away from having new baby tiny, right?

sunday i experienced church in german and i became very grateful that i moved to a country where i can speak the language. i also realized that switzerland is the first place i've been to in the last several years where i couldn't speak the language. english and spanish have served me well in a number of different countries, but spanish not so helpful in switzerland. and living in germany until i was four does not make german seem any the less alien. 
&....so who wants to teach me german?

sunday afternoon jeremy and i went to augusta raurica...roman ruins near basel.

&...on to basel.

basel münster.

tinguely fountain.

woman at the well.

i just missed fastnacht and the freaky masks, but saw the confetti remnants everywhere.

sunday night we had fondue for dinner. more fabulous cheesy goodness. jeremy and i discovered the magical almost dessert--good bread, cheese fondue, and just a bit of chocolate. 

monday rochelle and i took the train to zurich. 

fraumünster and the most amazing chagall windows. this is the outside.

no photographs inside was very distressing, but alas uncharacteristically i heeded the rules.

grossmünster....zwingli's home church during the reformation.

the crypt.

charlamagne founded the first church on this spot in the 8th century. 

 

zurich train station.

all in all a fantastic trip. thanks to j&r for being lovely hosts. 

&...we watched season 2 of SHERLOCK. it seems i'm required to share my addiction every chance i get.

&...p.s. one day i'll try to learn how to do more interesting (or even) things with the photograph layout. obviously that day is not today. i am accepting any and all hints. thank you.


&...p.p.s. switzerland is an hour later. you would think that might mean i'm going to bed earlier. you'd be wrong. evidently i come home and begin to go to bed two to three hours later. this cannot continue.