the end...

The day after I returned from Switzerland and promptly was called with a job offer the next morning.


I have moved to the Seattle area in Washington State and finally unpacked my boxes for the first time in three and a half years in a new apartment!

I can certainly see how God has been cultivating a path in front of me in answer to prayers I prayed more than two years ago. Sometimes God does not answer those like we think He should. In this instance, the result of my waiting unveiled much more amazing life experiences than I could hope to attain.

Like my travels, my writing of this blog is coming to an end for the time being.

Ciao!

returning again

My trip to Switzerland was to finding a new job what a bachelorette party is to finding a husband. I had one last opportunity to enjoy some spontaneity. I had a difficult time getting on the plane on the way home leaving the fun behind.


My flights took me from Zürich to London very early, then to JFK, and finally to Seattle where I took the light rail downtown to have Sara pick me up. My time overseas was truly a whirlwind trip, but I am so happy I jumped at the opportunity and had a chance to explore another city.

touring with new friends

The quick trip gave me some unexpected sleep issues. I stayed awake all day long, but constantly woke up far too early in the morning. That meant I was up bright-eyed for my second full day in Switzerland, I decided to take a tour of Zürich and the surrounding area. We had a small group on our off-season touring bus which made for a fun group. And, I made two new friends, Nare and Mark.


The bus took us around the city where I had been the day before, but I certainly had a better understanding of the architecture and history after this round through the streets.

The Fraumünster Abbey is one of the oldest buildings in town, first constructed in 853 and added to over time. The original workers carved their 'signatures' (shapes representing themselves) into some of the stones near the entrance to the church. Inside, is some of the most beautifully unique stained glass I have seen. These windows were installed in 1970 by the artist, Marc Chagall.


Our tour also took us into the hills around Zurich. We took a tram to the top of a hill where we walked to a cafe for some warm beverages. The day was a bit cloudier than the first, but the view of Switzerland from our perch on the hill was still stunning.


And, my machiato (above) was fashioned beautifully in three different layers using that amazing alpine cows milk that they only have in Switzerland; the same milk they use in their amazing chocolate.


To end our tour, we took a ferry ride across Lake Zürich and a bus ride to our starting point. The sun came out as we cruised through the city and reflected glowing colors against the buildings.

I am becoming quite a fan of city tours. Not only have I learned a lot from participating, but I seem to always meet new people, and develop a better perspective and education on an area!

exploring zürich

Seeing as I met my friend on a business trip, I had most of my time in Zürich to run off on my own. Monday morning, I ran downstairs in the hotel to get my Starbucks latte (any hotel with a coffee shop below has something impressive going for it)!


I leisurely readied myself for the day and took off by train to the city center station where I started walking along the Limmat River toward Lake Zürich. The weather was phenomenal with sunny clear skies and people flocked outside on breaks and for lunches to drink coffee and nibble sandwiches along the riverbanks and lake shore.


The city is quaint and fairly quiet. The air is fresh, as is the water and the Swiss Alps frame the city scape. The Swiss are kind people and anything but ostentatious, although some in this town seem to have a bit of wealth behind their plain exterior. Zürich is known to be on the pricey side, but also consistently ranks at the top of the worlds best cities to live in.


Zürich was the center of the Swiss reformation and The Grossmünster may well represent the changing religious trends within the city. This church also seems to stand as the most identifiable feature along the Limmat River. Inside are some new and old stained glass art.


I arrived back at the hotel and went out for a fantastic fondue dinner at La Dezaley with my friend's colleagues. We had as much cheese, bread, fruit, and meat and dessert as we could eat and a great time experiencing a Swiss tradition! Unfortunately, chocolate fondue for dessert is not traditionally Swiss; the only disappointment of the evening.

sea-ord-mad-zrh

Friday I cashed in some frequent flier miles.

Early Saturday morning Sara dropped me off at SeaTac Airport.

Late Sunday morning I arrived in Zurich, Switzerland.

Cashing in so many miles for a four day trip was a bit of a difficult decision for me to make, but when I called the airline to book my ticket, the kind customer service representative found a way to save me 10K miles and upgrade my trip to Zurich to First/Business class.

If you ever intend to use the Madrid airport, be forewarned that the very modern and pleasant architecture hides massive terminals and tight connections. My flight from Chicago arrived late, giving me only about 45 minutes to make the next plane. And, of course, we landed at the very end of a terminal and my flight out left from the very end of another terminal that I had to take a train to get to and pass through E.U. customs on the way. I ran. Apparently my luggage did not.

I arrived in Zurich and my little suitcase did not.


The missing bag was temporarily forgotten when my friend arrived, though. We have now met up four times in four different cities.

We caught a taxi to the hotel, settled in a bit, and then started to explore and walk around the streets by the hotel.

debating vacation

If you could go on a `free` trip to Switzerland for four days to meet a friend, what would you do?

beautiful british columbia

I have been fairly poor at keeping my blog on track the last few months. Life is getting in the way!

My time back on the Pacific Coast has been very fruitful. I am accomplishing a lot, getting caught up with my mail, some appointments, many friends, and now I am in British Columbia, taking in all the Canadian excitement over the Olympics with my long time friend, Maria and her husband Colin. I am thrilled it worked out for me to be here! Maria and I made it downtown Vancouver two days while I was with them.


If you have watched any of the Olympic footage, you would notice the red mittens that have become a mark of these games. They started as the torchbearer's paraphernalia, and became trendy very quickly. I made sure I had my own pair, and sent some to my dual Canadian brother for his birthday, too!


The Canadian excitement in Vancouver is unbelievable; best represented by the flag on a hockey stick above. Even business people are wearing bits of red in their outfits. The weather feeds the excitement. A week of sunny weather is unprecedented in February in these parts, but certainly gets everyone outside and helps the tourism industry!


I wanted to make sure we saw the cauldron in Vancouver. It is impressive and looks like a campfire. We could smell the propane over a block away. One kind policeman was offering to take photos from inside the fence for tourists who could not get closer. Canadians are so friendly! I almost took him up, but like this photo with my zoom enough to keep the photography in my name!


Along with the warmer sunny temperatures, comes lots of crocuses, tons of green shoots in the ground, and even cherry blossoms; an early spring!

I am ready to find a new job, but have plenty planned to keep my mind busy and distracted until I am hired off somewhere. I am still day dreaming about cashing in my frequent flier miles and driving off to visit friends along the way.