"Sweet"zerland

On to my last Europe blog post and writing everything just brings back all the wonderful adventures and memories that took place in that awesome three weeks. All praises and glory to God who made this dream come true and kept us safe throughout the trip. It has always been my dream to visit Switzerland. To see the Swiss Alps with the lush green valleys and beautiful lake with my own eyes. So I was just so happy that we will be visiting this country during this trip. To be honest, i made little and last minute research on what to see and do around the city. I already spent too much time searching where to see the best view of the alps and so on that I want the other parts to be a surprise already. We landed in Zurich airport then took a train to the city of Lucerne which is our main hub. The train ride itself already got me so excited as we were welcomed by breathtaking views of the alps. After an hours and a half, we reached Lucerne and proceeded to our hotel. We stayed in Hotel Ibis Budget Lucerne, location is good, just 15 minute walk from the main station. We visited the tourist center to know more about the city since I made little research. We followed their suggested itinerary and went to explore the Old Town first, just a few minutes walk from the station. It was a no car zone and the place just feels like it was taken out of a fairy tale book. There was the wooden Chapel Bridge along the river Reuss with paintings that depicts the history of Lucerne. We walked around the area and soaked in all the beauty around us. As we walked, we discovered shopping alleys mostly selling clothes, souvenir stuffs and watches. On the other side of the river is Lake Lucerne where you'll see more of the alps! Everywhere you look is just so beautiful! After all the exploration, we decided to have an early dinner along the river Reuss. We had the best chicken in white cream sauce and yes pasta even in Switzerland! For our next day, we visited the Lion Monument which commemorates Swiss guards who died during the French revolution. We started the day quite early and took the complimentary bus for all tourist checked in the city. For the afternoon we visited Zurich and did a quick tour of the city. Our first stop was Lindenhof hill which gives a good view of the city. People were so chill, bringing their own drinks and snacks and just having a good time. We rode the boat to have a relaxing tour around the river area. We visited a church but it was already close by the time we got there. A half day tour around Zurich was definitely not enough, I didn't know what we were thinking! I guess this is what little research does. But anyways we still enjoyed our journey, a lot of walking definitely! We were so tired and almost knocked down in the train ride back to Lucerne. Took an early rest because tomorrow we're off to see more of the Swiss Alps in Grindelwald and I am sooo excited! The trip to Grindelwald takes around 2 hours and a half. From Lucerne we took a train to Interlaken Ost. We didn't mind the time as you'll be in awe of the impressive views! It was a full train and there was a cute dog sitted infront of us. After several stops a group of friends came in and sitted around us. They were a fun group. Was able to chat with a few of them and turns out one friend was celebrating a birthday and they're skiing in Zermatt. After several stops, we finally arrive in Interlaken Ost station. We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant there. I'm not sure why but after lunch I started feeling dizzy maybe a psychological effect knowing that we're already on high altitude? Thank God that I did feel better after a while. Before arrviving in Interlaken we passed by the stunning Lake Brienz and I wanted to go back so we took a bus that should bring us to Lake Brienz. We were told to get off in which stop but we forgot since it was so hard to pronounce. We then got off in the last stop since there wasn't really much choice! I'll never forget the feeling like we were feeling lost but in a good way. The way wasn't easy as the roads were really narrow and uphill. Turns out we arrived in Iseltwald and I was very happy to be there as it was one of the places I wanted to visit too! The views were mesmerizing, the color of the lake was like aqua bluish green and the alps were so near! We spent some time chilling at this place before my aunt and uncle who we were supposed to meet in Grindelwald picked us up, yey! It was our first time to ride the car they rented. It felt like a magical ride to Grindelwald as we were greeted by such impressive landscapes. We arrived at our hotel, Hotel Bernerhof and oh my gosh we had the best room ever, overlooking the alps! It was a dream come true! Since it was a good Friday we just roamed around the area for a while, decided on what to do the next day and had dinner. After much deliberation we decided to visit Jungfrauoch, the top of Europe! We had to take the long cut since one station was close. But it was okay since it means seeing more of the town's amazing landscape and scenery. We were in full battle gear by that I mean I wore nth layers of clothes ready for the cold as weather in Junfrauoch is negative! As expected, views on the way up is really amazing. We got to have lunch in Kleine Schneddig, a popular skiing place. The visit to Jungfrauoch is a one of a kind experience, we boarded a cogwheel train on the way up. Got to see the alps really upclose from the view deck and it was oh so freezing! I couldn't feel my hands and feet for a while! It was really windy up there, lots of tourist but a fun experience. The next day we opted to go around town. We hopped on a bus and just circled the area. Just appreciated the view and took some photos. We strolled along the store areas too and was able to purchase a watch I've been eyeing since from lucerne and a wallet. we had a late lunch near the station before going back to Lucerne. We finally tried the raclette and had the best porkchop in cream sauce ever! Said goodbye to the best cabin room ever and had one last look of the alps in front of us. It was also Easter Sunday and we tried for looking for a catholic church to celebrate Mass but there's usually one service in a day and it's around 8 to 9am only. We visited a church and said a prayer of thanks instead. Spent one more night in Lucerne before our Europe trip comes to an end. The praning me was again worried how to tranpost our heavy luggages. The train ride to Zurich Airport was full and we can't just leave our luggage at our sides. We were forced to put it up the overhead compartment good thing a kind man helped us. I was so anxious the entire trip because I knew he was getting off before us. I didn't know how to bring the luggage down by ourselves as it was really heavy. Thank God he helped us bring it down before he left for an earlier station. So that's much about our sweet Switzerland journey, a dream come true indeed. Thank you Jesus for this trip for sustaining, guiding and providing for us the entire trip. My heart is so full and happy. Hoping to see more of Europe someday again.