This past week we took a little vacation to Switzerland. Normally we plan vacations months in advance, but God put this opportunity in our laps a few weeks ago. We found cheap flights and a friend here had friends there that we stayed with. So we were able to take a great vacation for very little. That's a perk to living here, because there are flights on discount airlines to Europe for very cheap. So here are pics from our week in Switzerland.
Owen is reading up on airplane safety. He has become quite the flyer and is so well behaved on the plane and really loves it.
By the time we got on the train to take us from Basal to Bern, we were all pretty tired. Owen crashed out in his stroller and slept during the hour train ride.
While he slept, we ate our first meal- Cheese and a Pretzel, yummy
Here is the house we stayed in. The family we stayed with had a studio apartment behind their house that we stayed in. It was so nice and the family was so generous. They even invited us to eat with them every night for dinner, so we got to eat really delicious tradition Swiss meals. It was awesome!
Overlooking Bern, the capital of Switzerland
Owen felt compelled to brush the snow off the entire length of this ledge. All week Owen was happy as long as he was touching snow.
We went inside this old cathedral. Owen and Ryan had fun playing hide and seek in the pews. We climbed the 46 meter bell tower and had a great view from the top. Owen loved climbing the "castel tower".
I'd love to see my mom play this massive organ.
My mature husband
We weren't there 24 hours before we had built a great snowman named Frosty.
One day we got up early and drove into the Alps. Bern is on the German/French side of the country. So we decided to check out the Italian side. We drove to a little town called Airolo. It was a quiet little town that had great skiing and sledding hills.
We drove through several tunnels that went right through the mountains. It was crazy because no matter how long the tunnel was, the weather was always different on the other side.
Owen watched videos during the 2 hr. ride.
Here we are changing into our snow clothes.
Owen left a snow angel everywhere we went.
The best part about this sledding hill was that they had a machine to pull you back up the hill. So we just sat on our sleds and let the rope pull us back up the hill for another thrilling ride down the hill. It was a blast!
This is how we roll in the snow!
On the way home, we stopped in Lucerne to walk around and eat dinner.
Ryan bought a Swiss Army Knife for Owen with his name on it. Of course he won't be using it for several more years, but it's a cool souvenir.
We ate real Italian pizza with ham and bacon on it. (Gotta get our pork fix when we can).
It started snowing like crazy as we were walking back to our car. We got wet, but it was beautiful!
The lady that we stayed with, Steffi, made us a delicious Swiss Sunday Morning Bread. She gave me the recipe and in the pic she is showing me how to braid the dough.
One day our friend took us to a cheese factory to see how they make all the yummy cheese. It was fun to see and the drive there was gorgeous.
That evening we ate fondue with our friend Marianne. All I can say is yummmmmmmy!
Our last day we went to Gurten Hill which overlooks all of Bern. We took a train that went straight up the hill. At the top, we sledded, played in the snow playground and ate lunch in the mansion.
This meltdown is just a reminder that vacationing with a 2 1/2 year old is not always the easiest thing, but I am so proud of Owen for being so flexible and always being up for an adventure.
This was a great vacation. It was nice to get out of the big city and enjoy the fresh air and fun winter weather. Our Swiss friends that we met were so generous and kind and we really enjoyed exploring the country and culture.
His first Berenstain Bears book. I love reading to Owen and seeing him discover and enjoy the same stories and adventures that I read as a child.
Making and decorating heart cookies. I promise we don't give away the cookies that Owen has licked and manhandled. 
Here's the little plate of cookies I took to some of our friends and neighbors. I wrote 1 Corinthians 13 on a Valentine's Day Card.
This is just a cute picture of Owen sleeping tonight.
