Ciao, Switzerland!

Grindelwald, Switzerland (The Alps!!!)

On January 28th, 2024, I stood at the top of a mountain in Zurich staring out at the Swiss Alps in the distance. The sun was setting over the hillsides and the snow capped mountains glistened as the bright blue sky turned navy. I was surrounded by smiling faces of familiar friends and new relationships, mesmerized by God’s clear sovereignty over the earth through His creation.

Since coming to know Christ, I often get extremely overwhelmed by the beauty of creation. I don’t know how I spent twenty years of my life thinking that the mountains, trees, lakes and plains were there by accident. My first international trip opened my eyes to how kind our Creator is to allow us glimpses of His power in artistry. Switzerland was unlike anything I had ever seen, and I praise God that I got to experience it first hand.

Flying into Basel, Switzerland was surreal. Walking through customs as a giddy American, I had no idea yet what I would experience over the next four days. Our AirBnB was located in Huningue, France, a cute little town right outside Basel. The first night was spent converting our USD to Euros and Swiss francs, and pulling all of my beginner French to the front of my brain. I reunited with friends and met a new one. Experiencing true fellowship in another country was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Day 1

Each day we had a rough itinerary that typically took us on a train ride out of Basel. We spent a day in Colmar, France where the live action Beauty and the Beast was filmed. In Colmar we took a boat ride up the canal and learned about the old city. Our tour guide Alex poked fun at our patriotism - I wouldn’t have expected anything less from our French friends. We sampled many chocolates, macaroons, and stumbled into the cutest tea shop I have ever seen. If you were to ask some of the other girls, this was one of the highlights from the trip. We toured an old Cathedral, enjoyed a beautiful lunch, and took lots of pictures.

Day 2

Our day trip to Zurich vies for top spot in my eyes. I had an apricot croissant to kick off my day, and knew that I was about to witness some of the most breathtaking views I had ever seen. We got to Zurich right on time to get on the tour bus we booked. Marcel was our guide, a man that loved his city so much that I couldn’t help but fall in love with it too. Marcel was full of fun facts, took us through the University District and through what he called “The Beverly Hills” of Zurich. At the top of the wealthy neighborhood we stopped and got our first clear view of the Alps. A place I never dreamed I would be able to see, truly a place I can’t believe I can say I have checked off. One of my dear friends was more excited than I was to see the mountains, which came as a shock to me as I am typically the token mountain friend. She had been dreaming of seeing the Alps for over a decade and the tears glistening in her eyes and the joy plastered on her face might have been the best part of the bus tour.

We then hopped on a Ferry across Lake Zurich to our final destination - the Lindt Chocolate Factory. By this point we had recruited a new friend to our group, an exchange student from Canada (we gravitated towards her American accent) who is studying abroad in France this semester. She took a solo weekend trip to Switzerland, and we had the privilege of spending the rest of the day with her. After the chocolate factory - a life changing experience - we headed downtown and perused shop after shop. We ordered chestnuts roasted on a fire from a little kiosk, the man had been working on his craft for over five decades. To finish off the packed day, we took a train to the top of the city, a little mountain resort with a beautiful lookout over the Alps for sunset. This is a moment I will never forget. There is so much joy written in creation. We tried taking photos, but it never does it justice. As the light fled, we stared out at the landscape, it felt like a painting coming to life, we stood and watched until all the light had left and the stars began to poke out.

Day 3

After Zurich, we spent the day at home base: Basel! The reason for our trip was to watch a friend in the international show West Side Story, so we hung out until it was time to get ready for the show. We went to the Basel Zoo, an immersive experience in a city that apparently doesn’t believe in fences between you and the American Buffalo. A trip to a local flower shop left us with two full bouquets for a fair price and individual roses as gifts from the employees. Before the show we grabbed pizza, then it was off to the theater! I am not well versed in Broadway shows, but I have to say the performance was spectacular. The best part followed the show, when our friend from Arkansas who orchestrated this trip got to surprise her actress friend! I did in fact tear up a little bit.

Day 4

Sometimes I write things down on my bucket list knowing it will be a complete gift from God if it were to ever happen. One of those things was skiing in the Swiss Alps. The day after the show, we took an early train to Grindelwald. We rented equipment and headed up the gondola. My eyes were glued out the window, water trapped in my tear ducts, thinking there was no way this could be a real place. I grew up with mountains, I went to school with mountains, but these ones were different. It felt like I had walked into a movie landscape set in a little Christmas town. The lakes and snow capped peaks were so incredibly perfect, everyone around us clearly prepped for a day in the snow.

We skied, I went for a hike (glorified walk, really), we paid to get into our locker at least six times, and got to read scripture at the lodge looking out at the most breathtaking views. I felt like I was living in a daydream and Grindelwald will have a special place in my heart forever.

Day 5

To be honest, the rest of the days I was pretty sick. But that has never (and prayerfully will never) slowed me down. Our next excursion was to Luzern, Switzerland. We were all pretty worn out this day so it was more of a leisurely day. We took a train to Luzern, and from there took a Ferry across the lake. We took a train up a mountain to a gondola where we got to enjoy more of God’s perfect creation (do you see a pattern?). On our way back, we had lunch on the Ferry, I had a Swiss sausage and a perfectly cooked roll, and we made our way back to the train.

Day 6

Our final day was spent experiencing Old Town Basel. This place is filled with rich history, beautiful buildings, and so many cute shops of all kinds. I bought a crocheted tote bag as my souvenir from the trip, walked around flower shops, and enjoyed a chai tea latte. After a couple hours of down time, we had our final dinner at a fondue restaurant up some cobblestone streets. We recapped our favorite memories from the trip and enjoyed our last few hours of fellowship before we would all go our separate ways in the morning. The night was capped with a glass of champagne to celebrate our time together.

My first international trip has set a high standard. I am always baffled by the geographic diversity wherever I travel, and I am always reminded of the witnessing opportunities Christians have with strangers in new places. But this trip was special because I was removed from all things familiar and got to sit, observe, and absorb a culture quite different from my own. If anything, this trip has lit a fire in me to see more of the Earth, to be a strong Gospel witness, and to not be afraid to go out of my comfort zone because there is far too much left on my bucket list to stop now.

To my sweet friends who I travelled with: I love you and am thankful for your spontaneity. The Lord has truly blessed me with unique friendships and one-of-a-kind memories through our trip to Switzerland. I pray that He continues to draw us to all the corners of this world, whether together or on our own. And I hope you liked being my models for the week!! Miss you already, can’t wait to give you each a hug someday soon.