Flying solo in Switzerland...just the two of us.

All of our friends had scheduled departure times this morning, so we got up on our own schedule.  We probably should have slept in, but we woke early and were on the shuttle bus to the airport by 6:30.  Once we got there, we took a train and headed toward Fribourg.  It was foggy in Zurich, but the fog was lifting by the time the train reached Bern and from there on the weather was even better.  Part of the way we could even see the Alps in the distance, and they were probably 50 miles away from us at that point.

Now that we have spent a little time in German-speaking Switzerland we have managed to learn a few simple words.  However, today we spent time in the French-speaking portion of Switzerland.  For instance, we refer to a "track" a train comes in on.  The German word is "glais", and the French word is "voie".  We are trying to adjust.

The weather improved steadily with sunshine and bright blue skies. We visited the village of Fribourg which has a protected old town area with over 200 Gothic houses.  We took the walk the lady at the Tourist  Information office recommended.  

What she didn't tell us that they were having a street fair selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, fresh breads, and even crepes, on the street.  So, for lunch we ate delicious "street food".  One couple was selling authentic Swiss cowbells, and after much thought and discussion, I bought one.  I added it to my backpack (about 5 more pounds, I am guessing).  What WAS I thinking???

About 1:00 we left Fribourg for Gruyeres.  The train passed some absolutely beautiful countryside on the way.  The grass here is almost an emerald green with rolling hills of pastures and farmland.

Gruyeres, Switzerland is the village you need a picture of when teaching the Bible lesson about the city on a hill that can not be hidden.  It is a picture-perfect village like something out of a movie.  We toured the castle and viewed the garden from an upper window in the castle.

The ramparts and tower also remain, and the Swiss flag waves proudly in this beautiful town.

To make this visit perfect, four alphorn players appeared in the square and performed for us.

We left Gruyeres and took the train back to Bern, the capitol of Switzerland, and the town where we are going to spend the night and worship with the saints tomorrow.  We arrived in time to take a walk through the town.  We saw the House of Parliament for Switzerland, and the clock tower built in 1850.  We were there when the clock struck seven o'clock.  FYI:  Even though 7 PM is 15:00 using European time, the clocks strike just like our clocks do...seven times.  

We saw the Einstein house and the famous Bern Bear Park.  I took excellent photos of the bears.

"So where are your photos of these lovely places you described", you ask.  Where are the alphorn players and the Bern Bears?  Sadly, I accidentaly deleted all of my photos I took today when trying to put them in my i-Pad to do the blog tonight.  Frustration reigns!  Olen had taken only a few photos today since I was snapping wildly with my camera.  So, the only photos we have from this lovely day are the ones you see.  We promise to be more careful tomorrow.  So, don't give up on us.  Until tomorrow, when we will be more cautious about downloading/deleting photos...