Sprechen Sie Englisch?

I went to Switzerland this weekend and it was incredible. It looked exactly like I pictured. Think alpine scenery dotted with red-roofed Swiss chalets and you'll be in Switzerland. Sara, Kylie, and I headed to Bern Friday morning and returned Sunday afternoon. The days in between were spent walking around Bern, trying not to look too shocked when people spoke to us in Swiss German, finding the Bern Switzerland temple, and traveling via train and bus to Guggisberg, a town of MAYBE 1,000 in the middle of no-where. It was perfect. Out of all the small towns in Switzerland, we chose to go to Guggisberg (aka Gberg) because Sara's last name is Guggisberg (and yes, her family does come from the town). It just happened to be Sara's 21st birthday yesterday when we were there which was quite fitting. While I didn't have any familial connection to Gberg, it was definitely my favorite part of the trip. Am I allowed to say it was better than the temple? In Gberg, we climbed Guggishorn and the view from the top was indescribable. I feel so much more comfortable in nature than I do anywhere else. Gimme some chacos, a path, and I'm a happy person.

Here are some things I learned in Switzerland:
1. Switzerland is EXPENSIVE. You'd think with all the banking it would be pretty cheap, but nope. We're talking 9 dollars for a sandwhich expensive. Ridiculous really.

2. I want to learn/re-learn German. Bern is in the German-speaking section of Switzerland so most of the signs were in Deutsch and most of the people spoke Deutsch. I took German for 2 years in junior high but when faced with a situation involving German, I remembered pathetically little of what I've learned. "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" was about the best I could muster. Kylie and Sara nominated me the German translator of the trip and I can't count the number of times they asked me "Hey Kirsten, how do you say ________ in German?" or "Hey Kirsten, what does _____ mean?" All of it was in jest, of course, but I still wish I could remember more!!! However, I was able to teach Sara how do say "Today is my birthday," "I am 21 years old," and "I come from Guggisberg." You occasionally heard French in Bern, and when I did, I was put at ease, which was somewhat of an odd feeling. Instead of looking for my native English, I was looking for French and felt comfortable when I found it. I still want to study some German though. My last name, afterall, is Siebach.

3. I want to go back to Switzerland and rent a car and hike EVERYWHERE.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Munster Cathedral

Inside Munster

Bern

Temple

Bus Ride to Gberg


Church in Gberg


View from Guggishorn