About a month ago, it was ten years ago since I moved to Zurich and began the greatest adventure of my life, to date. I haven't visited in two years and have been eager to see friends again and visit some of my favorite places. So, given that, I organized some travel time with Sara (who currently lives in Berlin) and also some time visiting with my Swiss family. 
Upon arrival in Zurich, I was taken to the family's house for a few hours relaxation and catching up and then Beth, my American friend still living down the street, came by to take us to dinner. Both of the not-so-little-anymore girls do swim training so we were able to eat at the restaurant just over the pool and watch the training. (I should stop and say that the oldest girl isn't here now as she's doing a study abroad in the UK...I'm so sad to miss spending the time with her but I've spoken with her a bit and she seems to be really enjoying the time there and the experience.) While we ate, a real treat occurred...the outside wall opens up for the open air feeling in summer and when it opened is time there were four alphorn players standing there with instruments in tow to give a performance. They were of course arranged for some other reason but it felt as though they were there just to welcome me back...very special!
The next morning brought another treat for me, though expected this time - Sara's arrival! It has been over two years since my last Swiss adventure with Sara and Manda Mango and I have missed my friend so much. We talk regularly and try to stay "caught up" but there is just something missing when you don't see each other in person. It was a great reunion! She arrived at the airport and came for breakfast at the family's house before we started out on our planned adventure to the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Soon enough we were off...first a few house keeping things like buying me a SIM for cell service, stamps for the postcards we'd be sending, and of course we needed train/transportation passes! The Swiss public transportation is extremely efficient and has connections to almost everywhere but it is quite costly! It is a large expense for me, on this trip, second only to my airfare getting here. It took about half an hour to organize all that and soon we were on the train bound for Lauterbrunnen.
In the past, I've made two short trips through Lauterbrunnen but have never stayed there. What a lovely place! This is the valley of waterfalls...there are so many - 72, I think. Some of them run through the mountain...more on that in a later post.
When we first arrived, it took some time to find out accommodation. We'd booked a studio apartment through air bnb and the directions were very specific. When we attempted google maps we were sent in the wrong direction and, in the end, we had to call our hosts for help. The place was quite a bit out of town but for us we found it perfect. The nature was what we were there for, after all. We quickly put our things down, after finding our way there, and went out for a stroll through town to get our bearings. We familiarized ourselves with the town, found a bite to eat and then sat down for a planning session on what to see and do for the next 3.5 days...
More on those things in my next post. For now, hope you enjoy the photos.
Ciao,
LuLu
