Travelling to Europe and Arriving in Leysin

The trip to Europe was fairly uneventful...at least for me.  For Shannon Peterson, our Professor, it was a little more adventurous.  Every time we went through security she got put in the "sin bin" because they had to scan her wrist/finger brace thing.  Then when we got to the airport in Switzerland her bag was missing.  They have since found it and she will be getting it., but she had to wear the same clothes today.  Poor Shannon.

Once we got to the airport in Switzerland a bus took us to our hotel in Leysin.  It was amazing.  The road was so slim and the road was quite steep and had a lot of switch backs.  It was somewhat scary with such a little bus.  I am totally in love with the scenery.  As we drove we passed so many kinds of farms.  In America it seems a region grows all the same crops, but here I must have seen 12 different crops.

The hotel Bel Air is wonderful.  It is like a bed and breakfast.  And Dominique (spelling) has the same wonderful Swiss accent that my neighbor, Jenny Leonard, had when I was growing up.  I love it.

Right next door is the Gondola lift to the top of the mountain.  We went up it today and took a lot of pictures.  I have definite plans to mountain bike down the mountain later this week (with the hopes that my knee won't prevent me.)  Across the street is a place to rent mtn bikes.

Dinner last night was wonderful!  Squash soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and flan!  Then breakfast is wonderful too!  We had delicious meat, Swiss cheese (I know...all cheese here is Swiss, but it is similar to the kind we call Swiss cheese). and toast, fruit, hot cocoa, and OJ/Apple juice from a keg!

The local grocery store is called COOP (like co-op, not like a chicken coop).  I bought eggs, of course, but mostly because of what they looked like.  They are colored like Easter eggs.  I think they are hard-boiled.  I also bought some sandwich fixings.

Probably a $4,000 bike to ride down the mtn here.

I love the culture.  I don't know if it is just because I am from America or not, but I feel like we have no culture...or it is really lame or something.  The culture here just seems so rich and pleasant.