Halloween weekend 2002, a group of 8 girls met up with another similar group of fellas in Interlaken, Switzerland, at the tail end of their European fall break. Some paraglided, others rode horses, and a few even dove through the sky from a plane with a man attached to their body. It is not hard to fall in love with Switzerland--its romantic rivers that carve veins in between villages of quaint, delicate homes that map out valleys bordered by mountains of magnificence.
And so it is that I returned with another group of fellas and a few ladies. After an overnight train that dropped us off into the cozy town and an even cozier, crunker Balmer's hostel, Marc, Matt and I set off for a quick stroll up a hill. Turned out to be not so quick, strenuous, and a mountain. But to be outside hiking with weather pristine, skies the color of these photos, and good company is usually the formula for my perfect days. That afternoon we enjoyed a lunch from the local COOP, Matt, Allison, Allison, and Chris went skydiving (Brad and Tyne followed suit the next day), and after some rest we prepared for dinner. Being in Switzerland we thought fondue was the most appropriate dinner together, but after looking at a menu, we decided 49 bucks was a bit much. So our American appetites looked across the street and was drawn in by the smell of burgers, fries, and tackiness. I couldn't stop laughing at the irony of it all: my first time at the classy establishment was in..switzerland. Allison's club sandwich came with some kind of streamers on toothpicks, and the waitresses wore the same hideous nylon hose that resembled white plastic tubes on their legs. Amazingly entertaining...as was beating Chris in foosball and Matt in ping pong...don't mess. I gave Matt and his pipe company into the night under a cold starry black blackdropped sky.
After morning coffee and a newspaper read, our group (minus the 2 skydivers) went on our Gimmelwald adventure. And that it was. We hiked high enough for our lungs to hurt and snow to rest at our feet. The Jungfrau, also known as the Top of Europe, was our neighbor for our day's trip, and the faces of sheep and cow looked amused that we would even come into their presence. We took photos and meandered throughout the small roads where no cars ride and a few residents stride. Everything was right for a moment, and so it has been for the past few months. Moments of peace and truth, community and clarity. I am thankful for this time.
May God's kingdom come and his will be done. May his servants be given the strength to be imitators of his love and glory.
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