Switzerland!

Howdy friends!

Well we've finally recovered from the trip-- we had a fantastic time in Europe and we are so grateful that cousin Michele was there to serve as our German translator and train schedule coordinator for the first portion of the Echols family vacation!

Switzerland was so picturesque. As we flew in to Zurich over the Alps, it really was breathtaking! While we waited on our luggage to arrive, Robert and Michelle took us on a walking tour of Zurich.

Once the baggage had arrived, we grabbed lunch and boarded the train for Zermatt and the Matterhorn. Since we'd been up for more than 24 hours at this point, we all crashed on the train trip!

Upon our arrival, we were very pleased to see that there was no cloud cover on the Matterhorn. Michele says that in all of her trips to Zermatt, she has never seen a clearer view of the mountain.

While we were across the pond, we tried to sample as much of the local cuisine as possible. Dinner in Zermatt consisted of Swiss cheese fondue and Rosti-- which is similar to hashbrows. You can get them with meats and veggies, and it was heaven! We also had to try their apfelstrudel.... and it was phenomenal as well!

We got to Saas Fe after the sun went down, so we had no idea what a beautiful place we were in. After the bus dropped us off, we took the hotel shuttle and crashed for the evening.

When I walked outside the next morning to get a glimpse of the mountain-- I couldn't believe how amazing the view was. The little village of Saas Fe is tucked away in the Swiss Alps and we were surrounded on all sides by the most beautiful mountains. The town itself is at an altitude of about 6,000 ft. and the ski area is at almost 12,000 ft. Dad, Will and I went skiing while Michele and Mom hit the tobogganing slopes nearby....

More apfel strudel and some shopping after the day on the slopes. Dad bought a Swiss cow bell to take home.... he thinks that Diana (my last show heifer) will look really good in it. I wonder how long it will take her to figure out that she doesn't want a 30 pound weight hanging from her neck?! We also had to have some chocolate-- their backeries had quite a variety of bon bons and I made sure to sample the best!

Next stop... Salzburg and the Sound of Music tour :)