Switzerland: Nature-Drenched and History-Stuffed
One week after Scott returned home from Morocco, we ran away to Switzerland together. The main point was to spend a little time in the temple after he had such a spiritual experience in trying to find the bodies of the two soldiers who were lost in the ocean (I wrote about this in the last blog post).
Friday, May 22nd: We drove 6 hours to get to our final destination, passing through Milan, Lugano, and Lake Lucerne along the way. Switzerland is calming and relaxing, with its beautiful and diverse landscapes. Alps with extreme heights, grassy farmlands as far as the eye can see, villages and chalets tucked up high on the steep mountain faces, unexpected waterfalls tumbling down from the craggy cliffs, and more cows than my younger sister could count on a road trip . . . ha ha.
We lucked out in finding the perfect AirBnB at the last minute, and it was a better price than the area hotels! We had the entire upstairs apartment to ourselves, with multiple bedrooms to choose from.
When we learned that there was a nice restaurant NEXT DOOR (how convenient), Elaine offered to walk over to make us a dinner reservation. The food was great, and the ambiance was nice too, since we were seated out in the garden area.
I ordered a bowl of creamy mushroom soup (their soup of the day). It was so good!
Saturday, May 23rd: While Italy was entering its first big heat wave of the summer (with temps between 90-95 F), Switzerland was having a heat wave of its own (with temps between 85-90). As we headed out for the day, we packed several things to help us navigate through the different phases that we had planned out.
First, we headed to the temple on the northern outskirts of Bern, which was only about 30 minutes away from our AirBnB.
Much of the drive was spent passing farm after farm: (10 seconds)
We parked next to a car that clearly belonged to a newlywed couple . . . XOXO There were white bows attached all the way around it. So cute.
We listened to the temple instruction with headsets on, as many others seated around us also needed. I noted a variety of languages were being used, when I happened to catch a glimpse of people's ordinance cards where a temple worker had noted at the top what language that person needed. Mine was marked with "EN" to indicate I was English speaking. (An ordinance card shows the name of the ancestor for whom we are going to the temple for that day. We perform sacred temple ordinances in their behalf, and then they are free to choose whether to accept or reject that ordinance in heaven - because we believe in the power of agency and to choose what you believe or not.)
I noted that some of the languages of the people seated around me were: Italian, French, German, and English. Scott sat next to a guy from Ukraine.
We sat in the Celestial Room for a long while, just feeling the peaceful spirit that is abundantly there in the House of the Lord.
While we stood next to our car afterwards and munched on the sandwiches we had packed, we noticed a small crowd gathered outside the front doors of the temple. I figured they were family and friends of the couple getting married, and yep. Soonish, the newly married couple emerged to the joy and delight of their loved ones, who gave a little cheer of celebration as they walked out. What a happy day!
We changed into shorts and heat-appropriate clothes in the temple patron housing building next to the temple, and then off we drove south to Thun, Switzerland. (only about 30 minutes) I had been to Thun before, back in 2021, as part of my month-long tour to see several ancestral sites across Western Europe. I had always hoped to go back again, and to share some of my favorite spots with Scott.
We parked near the Thun train station and then caught Bus #21 to head east along Lake Thun. Our plan was to go up the mountain via a funicular and cable car to Niederhorn, one of the tallest points in the area. I had gone up there in 2021 and it was absolutely spectacular!
Unfortunately, I didn't remember that when I came in 2021, I had also purchased a Swiss Pass for the 3 days I was in the country, which enabled me to travel freely on trains, buses, etc. and also gave me steep discounts on other things like museums, and the NIEDERHORN experience.
So when Scott and I stepped up to the counter to purchase our tickets to go up the mountain, the lady asked if we had any discounts or coupons, like the Swiss Pass. I said, "No . . ." Incredulous, she probed further, "You don't have ANY discounts or passes???" Sheepishly, I had to answer no a second time. Shocked, but still genuinely kind, she told us that it would be 130 euros for 2 round trip tickets. Mamma mia . . .
We knew we weren't intending to spend a whole lot of time up on the mountain, because we wanted to squeeze in a few other activities before dark. So it didn't make a lot of sense to spend that much money for less than an hour up there. We agreed to come back another time and to make sure we have a Swiss Pass set up in advance . . .
With a little time to kill while we waited for the ferry boat to arrive, we settled down to wait for about 45 minutes.
A vintage tour bus played a little horn-tooting-song as it came around the bend, announcing its approach. While I didn't get the horn toots, I did manage to scramble fast enough to get a quick video as it drove on by.
Video here: (4 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/fAG5yVQn9XZLohrB6
You can hear the interesting dialect of the people sitting next to me at the dock: (16 seconds)
Finally, our boat arrived: (6 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/e4jczBF1b14Au3EP6
Tickets were 33 Swiss Francs apiece (similar to euros) for a one-way cruise back to Thun (in 2nd Class) 1st Class tickets were double the price and allowed you to be on the upper decks. If we had had the Swiss Pass, it would definitely have been much cheaper.
The water was unbelievably gorgeous . . . a mix of teal and turquoise.
Video as we did our first zig across the lake: (20 seconds)
Sailboats taking advantage of the breeze: (10 seconds)
And then, after he passed our boat entirely, he utilized the cross-breeze to whip around and cut across in the opposite direction: (10 seconds)
Each time we carefully saddled up to the next dock, the two crewmates on our side expertly tossed their separate nooses onto the deck posts and then tied us off in a matter of seconds so that passengers could either disembark or come on board at each stop.
It was fun watching this kite surfer gain some impressive speed while displaying his agility balancing on top of the constantly bobbing hydrofoil board . . .
Video here: (28 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/y7e7DarpdvWECJ5UA
Even though it was a hot day, I imagine that you would have needed some courage to be the first people to wade out further than thigh-depth this early in the season, especially when the snow just melted from the adjacent mountains a short time ago . . . But then maybe the Swiss are more hardy than most of us!
After a delightful 90-minute cruise on Lake Thun, we disembarked at the final stop which was also right next to where we parked at the train station. And just up the street was a Lebanese restaurant with - you guessed it - shawarma. And if you didn't already know this by now, shawarma is Scott's absolute favorite thing to eat in the entire world.
I ordered a chicken platter that included hummus and baba ganoush. The fries and the two pita triangles are hiding the bite-sized pieces of chicken underneath, ha ha. The chicken was a bit dry, but the hummus and baba ganoush helped out with that issue perfectly.
It was a holiday weekend for the Swiss, so we were lucky to find a restaurant that was actually open. Our host had warned us when we arrived on Friday that not only do all the stores close for Sundays, but that they would also close extra early on Saturday this time because of the Bank Holiday on Monday. While we enjoyed our dinner, we did some research on where we could pick up some groceries before everything closed for the remainder of our visit! Crazy to think that most stores were closing by 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday and that they wouldn't open back up until TUESDAY. We put a lot of trust in Google that one particular grocery store (closer to our AirBnB) would be open until 9:00 p.m. that night . . .
And then we went for a little explore in the Old Town (or Alstadt) part of Thun. The River Aare runs directly through the middle of town, draining from the NW corner of the Lake, which is also where our cruise ended. Along the river's course through Thun, there are traditional wooden bridges and old locks that have been put to new uses. One of the popular uses is for SURFING!!
Each person had their own style of maneuvering and getting up on their board . . .
Video #1: (15 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/TFhmG36JEzzdL21u9
Video #2: (25 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/KSpETq9kkSuZ9oxL8
Video #3: Oldest guy by far. (33 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/8GY1oBvTkmV9pMJD6
Video #4: This girl did an awesome job! (57 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/3X64JoejVzYRX79H7
We made our way through some side streets until we found the set of stairs that leads up toward the Castle . . .
Once we got up to the top of the stairs, we turned right to go see the old Stadtkirche Thun, or City Church. It was built in 1330 AD, with various add-ons up until 1738.
The west wall . . .
Video of the views from the church: (12 seconds)
Next, we walked west from the church toward Thun Castle . . .
Thun Castle, or Schloss Thun, was built between 1180 and 1190 AD by Duke Berthold V. It started out as a military stronghold and as a "show of power", but in later centuries it also served as a regional administrative center and a Bernese prison. Eventually, it found new purpose as a museum, where it now houses a grand collection of medieval artifacts and shares the history of the Thun area from the past 4,000 years.
There is a connection between Thun (and very likely Thun Castle) and my Mennonite ancestors, the Yoders. My 7th great grandmother was Veronica Frances Yoder (1680-1736). She was born in Ibersheim, Germany - a place to where many of the Swiss Mennonites fled when the opportunity for safety and refuge presented itself. (I wrote in depth about this last fall when I visited Ibersheim in October) She was also my immigrant ancestor because she sailed to America in 1717 with her husband, Michael Denlinger, and two of their young children. She spent the last years of her life in Lancaster County, PA.
Veronica was the daughter of Daniel Yoder, according to a Mennonite church record from Lancaster, PA. Unfortunately, there is no mother listed for Veronica on this same record - - only that she was the "daughter of Daniel".
Daniel Yoder was born in 1665, possibly in Ibersheim, Germany. But there is also the possibility that he was born in Steffisburg, which sits right next to Thun on the north. According to my research, the surname Yoder/Joder is the most prominent Amish-Mennonite surname that is tied to Steffisburg. Isn't that exciting?
Records show that two brothers, Jost and Niklaus Joder (pronounced like Yoder), fled Steffisburg during the height of the persecution in the Thun area in the late 1600's. There was also a cousin, Caspar Joder, who was closely associated with Jost and Niklaus. In fact, they were part of a massive clan of Joders/Yoders who lived on a farm in Steffisburg, called Ortbuhl Farm.
Around this same time, those who didn't believe in infant baptism, didn't want to swear any oaths to the state, and who practiced pacifism were all being hunted down. Known as Anabaptists more so than Mennonites, the Anabaptists were considered dangerous because they believed differently and so "radically" from the mainstream of society at that time. Consensus and commonality were crucial to a peaceful existence in those days. To suddenly be so different was considered a threat to the safety and wellbeing of the community.
Anabaptism was outlawed and thus the hunt began for any dissenters. The hunters were known as "Tauferjager". If caught, the accused would be imprisoned in the upper floors of Thun Castle under harsh conditions (i.e. no heat in the cells). They were held under these grueling circumstances until eventually they were executed, sent to the galleys, or permanently banished from Switzerland.
Some had initially fled to the Thun region from Zurich and its surrounding areas because persecution had been so harsh up north. They, too, were being executed or drowned for their beliefs. This may have included our Denlinger ancestors because they were from Hombrechtikon, which is a tiny community on the north-central edge of Lake Zurich. I stayed in Hombrechtikon in 2021 because I knew our ancestors lived there long ago, and I even walked 45 minutes each way just to see Dandlikerstrasse, or Dandliker Street, where they used to live. The name Dandliker later became Denlinger, as part of its "Americanization".
Sadly, those who fled the Zurich area hoping to find safety and refuge in Thun were greatly mistaken. Those who were not captured, jailed, or executed, looked for ways to exit - - but to where?
Zurich and Bern collaborated closely as they exchanged information to track down these "dissenters". Anyone captured in the Bernese Oberland was brought directly to local hubs, like Schloss Thun, for interrogation. The harshest period of crackdowns took place between the 1650s and 1670s.
The Yoder family had had enough, and decided to run away to Ibersheim, Germany once the appeal had been made for farmers to come spruce up the lands that had been destroyed during The Thirty Years War. With the promise of safety and refuge - and NO religious persecution - - this would have been an answer to their many prayers. They followed the Rhine River up north to get to Ibersheim. On Google Maps, it says that it takes 87 hours on foot, passing through Basel (Switz.), staying just east of Mulhouse and Colmar (France), and eventually passing through Strasbourg (France). What a journey that must have been . . .
We know Daniel Yoder was born in 1665, but we aren't sure if he was born in Steffisburg and then transported as a baby or toddler up to Ibersheim, or if he was born in Ibersheim once they all arrived. Either way, he likely didn't experience all the fear that his parents would have encountered, since most of his upbringing would have been in Ibersheim. He married there to (??) and their daughter, Veronica Frances Yoder, was born in Ibersheim. Life would have been relatively calm for several years in this farming community, but eventually they felt the need to push on one more time - to America.
As I mentioned earlier, Veronica had married Michael Denlinger in Ibersheim, and they traveled to America in 1717 with their young family. They settled in Lancaster County, PA and that is where they were also laid to rest a few decades later. Their daughter, Mary Denlinger, married Jacob Hockman Jr., and soon afterward they settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, which is where the bulk of their children were born.
Scott wasn't interested in taking a tour of the Thun Castle (A - we were pressed for time; and B - his attention span is spotty, ha ha). So instead we just hung out down below for a few minutes, looking at this probable WWI cannon and a few other items of interest. He knows his artillery, this guy. He narrowed it down to WWI based on a few pieces of its engineering. He did go to "War College" at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for 8 months several years ago, studying all the major conflicts that took place over many centuries and all that each one entailed. I love that he remembers all of this cool stuff. :)
The cannon was right underneath the tallest tower of the Castle: (5 seconds)
From here, we found a quiet little pathway that led back to the steep stairs to get us down to the Old Town area again. I liked this old painted "identifier" on the side of someone's house. Google Translate helped me with the phrase at the top: "Blessed is he who pursues business." (possibly Latin?)
On our drive back to the AirBnB, we made it to the little grocery store in time before it closed, so hooray for that! We picked up some meat, fruit, and veggies to get us through until Monday.
Just around the corner from our lodging, I saw the cutest group of baby cows hanging out in their pen, so I asked Scott to pull over so I could run over and say hello.
Video: (12 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/e8ktsidPspqvBKLR9
Sunday, May 24th: There was a well-established Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in nearby Burgdorf, a place we hadn't been to before. Burgdorf is a super cute town, one that I would like to explore again next time we go up to Bern.
Bishop Wilson greeted us at the door, quickly ascertaining that we were English. He spoke excellent English himself. As we continued to visit with him for a few minutes, I noted that he had a special and distinct greeting for each child or youth that came through the door and into the church. Whether it was a fist bump, an elbow bump, or something more strategic, each of those kids knew that he cared about them. What a great way to make someone feel special each Sunday!
There was a young lady playing the harp for prelude music before the meeting began, and wow, what a treat. She clearly had been professionally trained. I could have watched her play for hours . . .
Prelude music: (10 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/dh5j3uUGZD8HWtvC9
Halfway through the meeting, she played an additional musical number on her harp. She explained (in Swiss-German) something about how she took a classical song that she knew So-and-So loved (a member of the congregation who had recently passed away) and then she made a few adaptations to it. I had a hard time with my translator thingy this time, it was too staticky for my liking and I couldn't turn it up any louder. After straining for half of the meeting, I finally just turned it off and just listened to the speakers in their native language.
I recorded her harp solo, but I did it discreetly by holding my phone pointed at my black dress instead of at her the whole time. You can still hear the music just fine, though.
Video: (5 min, 17 seconds) *The first 15 seconds or so, she was still getting ready.
As I sat listening without my translation device, I thought it would be fun to capture what Swiss-German actually sounds like. You're welcome. :)
Video (of my dress again) with audio of the last speaker: (1 min, 55 seconds)
It was only a 20 minute drive back to the house, so we went back to rest for a bit before heading out for an afternoon adventure. Our host had told us about a nature walk in the forest near Solothurn (pronounced like SoloTurn), where we could see an old hermitage chapel and the monk's house who cares for the chapel. (*Scott's ancestors came from the Solothurn area)
It was one of the most delightful walks we've ever been on, and it was only about 15-17 minutes' drive from our AirBnB. Known as the Verena Gorge Hermitage (or Verenaschlucht), the trail leads down to a centuries-old spiritual retreat.
What a cute and clever stack of firewood-meets-crafty . . .
St. Martin's Chapel was built in the 13th century, incorporated directly into the natural rock canopy. The Chapel is considered to be the oldest building in Solothurn.
Across the trail sits the Verena Chapel, established in the 1600s. Older chapels that have long since disappeared predate the current one, going back to the Middle Ages. I've included a broader perspective photo and a closer one below. The red steeple is so striking against the cliff and the foliage!
Next door to the Verena Chapel sits the cutest little cottage. This is where a resident caretaker-hermit lives and is funded by the local government of Solothurn. The resident monk position has been continuously funded by the city since at least 1588!! I love the landscaping and gardens he's built . . . You can tell a lot of love goes into the work here. Our AirBnB host said that when the monk is there, he will often give you a tour of his home and the old chapel next door. But since it was a big holiday weekend in Switzerland, we didn't even try. Plus there were a fair amount of crowds there, too, so we didn't want to press in and overwhelm anyone. Plus it was quite hot - even down in the gorge, so we decided to continue on down the trail.
There were a few rocks that were inscribed with a small tribute to someone from Solothurn who had contributed in some way - as a scientist, an educator, etc.
Video #1 on the trail: (12 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/prJKcTuoKu1w62Ni6
Video #2 on the trail: (15 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/jQoJ7PM9qfP8PefS7
We caught up to a family with younger kids who were racing their toy boats down the brooklet. How cute is that!?? What clever parents, for sure.
Video #1 of the boats: (4 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/eKdmXnfhJxymEARC7
Video #2 of the boats: (3 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/8E21YGzBVaDW4i1G7
Occasionally on the trail, we'd see a stained glass scene that was mounted in between two pillars, like this one. I liked this one the best, because it appeared to represent either angels - or Mary surrounded by angels, next to Jesus who was holding the Cross.
All I can say about the end of the trail is that what goes down, must also come up . . . We started the trail by DESCENDING into the gorge, so it was inevitable that by the end of the loop we would need to ASCEND back up to the top. Huff and puff, huff and puff . . . ha ha
At the small grocery store the previous night, Scott grabbed some ice cream bars that we stashed in the freezer at the AirBnB. They came in super handy by the time we got back from our hike.
I found a book series in the living room that was written by our AirBnB host, Elaine. I started reading the first one and then I couldn't put it down for the rest of the afternoon. It was a very sad tale, the true story of her abusive childhood in Southern England. Even though it was difficult to learn all of those horrible details that she had to endure as a little girl (being beaten, clawed, starved, neglected, assaulted, etc.), she was able to weave some light into her dark story in the form of a few people that she met along the way, and even a horse.
The horse was named High and Mighty and was a rescue himself, being cared for by a family that lived not too far away from Elaine. She would slip out of the house and go visit him as often as she dared, sometimes stealing a couple of apples from someone's orchard on the way (one for herself and one for the horse). She recognized immediately that he, too, had scars of his own from previous owners. She felt that they had a spiritual connection and that he was the only one who truly understood her own pain and offered the calm reassurances that she so desperately needed. I cried a few times by the time I finished the book later that evening.
Scott and I took a leisurely stroll after we ate our supper, wandering around the neighborhood in a giant loop past houses and farms and fields of grain.
We got to see those baby calves for a second time, too. Scott encountered a very licky calf . . . Ewwww.
Video here: (6 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xm9W6dBabuyWEKSK6
Giant fields of wheat . . .
We saw what looked like a possible shortcut back to the street where we were staying. Scott was a lot more confident about it than I was, so off he trudged ahead of me. Obviously to prove that he was right, ha ha.
He told me that these fields reminded him of all the summers he spent moving irrigation pipes in Rexburg, Idaho as a teenage boy. He'd get up at 6:00 a.m. to move them all to a new location, and then return 12 hours later to move them again. That's some good old-fashioned hard work for a boy.
The shortcut tragically ended in the middle of the fields. Not wanting to turn around and go back the way we came, Scott charged on ahead, tromping a narrow footpath for me to follow in his footsteps, as the wheat stalks came up almost to my hips by this point. What a guy. But I do love him no matter what.
As we approached the house once again, we met up with Elaine, who was taking their very energetic Terrier puppy for an evening walk. I told her I had finished reading the first book and asked if I could hug her. She happily accepted my hug and we talked for another several minutes while the puppy soon settled down and sat patiently on the sidewalk. I told her I was just so impressed and amazed that she had made it through so much trauma and still somehow had a smile that could light up any room. She said that she discovered early on in her life that if she could make someone smile or laugh, then that made her feel really good inside.
She is still very tender all these years later, and while raising 3 teenaged daughters of her own, too. For example, she shared with me that when her oldest daughter was heading out with friends that weekend, she gave her mom and hug and said, "Love you!" Elaine broke down into tears from just hearing those words, as if they were shocking to her that someone would actually love her - and then to say it out loud, too! I guess there's a lesson in that . . . don't ever miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them. You may never know how much they needed to hear it.
What an amazing miracle Elaine is. As we stood outside talking, I noted some scars on her body that I hadn't noticed before reading that book . . . She is the sweetest, kindest woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes and a ready smile that quickly puts you at ease. But she's also gone through things that NOBODY should ever have to go through in this life. I couldn't help but think about Jesus and His Atonement in our behalf. He didn't just suffer for our sins, He also suffered everything - EVERYTHING - that we would ever have to go through . . . WHY? So that He could know how to help us. He needed to feel what we would feel so that He could lift us up, bind our wounds, dry our tears, and heal the pain that we suffer through. He, and He alone, can make us whole again. THIS is why I love Him so much. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for all the things that Elaine had to endure, and all the things that each one of us has had to endure. Because He loves us that much.
Monday, May 25th: The drive home to Vicenza was uneventful, even though it felt like a really long day. After we crossed the border into Italy and started having to pay tolls again, I had Scott take a picture of this cute little vintage car in the lane next to ours.
Just a few final things to share . . .
I'll tell more about these sweet sister missionaries in my next post. We had them over for dinner before Sister Tenney (on the far right) left to go home at the end of her mission. We will sure miss her! But Sister Vitale is pretty much my new daughter now. :) More on that to come . . .
Comments
Post a Comment