The Life and Times of Ashley E... March Edition

March: what a month!

It started out warm, and sunny and then snowed. Apparently the locals say "March is the 'second start' of Winter in Switzerland"... which is just great; winter round two.

But beside the weather being a little cold and snowy, I have had an amazing time.

In the beginning of March I went with my new found travel buddy, Mirjam (she is Dutch) to the City of Luzern.



We first decide to go up to the great Mountain of Pilatus: the mountain of legend, saying that it is the final resting spot of Pontius Pilate, whose body is now guarded by Dragons that still live in the deepest part of the mountain to this day.

With thoughts of Dragons in our mind, and clouds all around, we headed up the mountain on the Gondolas. After about a 45 minute Gondola ride we reached it... the top. It was beautiful, and the heavy clouds just added to the mystery of the mountain. After taking the stairs to the magnificent cross standing at the peak of Pilatus, we headed back to the cafe for a little snack. Inside was the LARGEST PLAYABLE ALPHORN! I knew I wasn't in Midway anymore :)

After starting our way back down on the Gondolas we discovered a way to sled down the last part of the journey. Of course we couldn't pass up on this offer, so we grabbed these old school "sledges" (made of wood... and a little painful on the bum I do say). It was amazing! We rode down at full pace, swishing around corners, and dashing around bends. The scenery was beautiful, and after only about 3 wipe outs (thank goodness the ground was covered with snow, and soft) we made it to the bottom.

After the mountain experience we decided to go to the town of Luzern to Eat some of the local food (no... not Starbucks... real Swiss food: I got a sausage thing, with french fries... basically my perfect food) and then took a tour of the city. We saw the chapel bridge, and the lion on the mountain, and saw the other spectacular sites. Luzern is right on a lake, and the water is so clear you can see the bottom, even in the deepest part. It was a fantastic day, and as soon as 7 o'clock hit we headed home for free on the train (thanks to my nifty "free after 7" pass).




Other fun adventures in the month of March included my trip to Solothurn, Olten's sister city of sorts. It was just a fun city, full of Kebab shops, churches, and the continuation of the river Aare. It was a good time with my two roommates: Anni and Simone.

Another weekend my roommate Simone and I decided to go to the beautiful city of Zurich (and see more then just the airport!!). It was just spectacular: pictures and words don't do it justice. And not to mention the fabulous shopping... I actually saw Channel and Gucci! Of course I could not afford anything :(. But we ended up stopping at H & M, and I did buy a pretty nice scarf (it is the style here in Europe: everyone wears a scarf, I had to buy one to become fully European!)

And now... for the end of March, on the Easter Break I will be heading off to ITALY! That's right, land of Spaghetti and Pizza. I will add more as the situation develops, until then Ciao!

My Birthday Week

The week of my Birthday is always a special one. I am the sort of person who tends to make Birthdays a big deal... especially mine! If at home I would ask my brothers to do little tasks for me, and if there was any hint of opposition I would break out my trademark line "but... it's my birthday!". I was excited for later in the week when the day would actually come, at 2:27 in the morning, when I would turn 20 years old.

On Sunday my roommates and I decided to take a little stroll to some of the surrounding areas by Olten. We ended up finding our way along the Aarie River, to a town that many people dream about but few ever visit: the home of the Lindt Chocolate Factory. I kid you not, the whole town smelled of chocolate! Although the outward appearance could have fooled anyone into thinking it was just your average building, the aroma wafting through the streets left me and my roommates speechless. It was, alas, Sunday so the factory was closed, but knowing where its location was we promised to be back later in the week. The areas surrounding Olten were beautiful, and in Trimbach we saw sheep! (so very Swiss).

Monday I started my day going to school (fortunately my class does not start until 10 on Mondays, so I got a little sleep). After a day of lectures, I decided I wanted to go on a little adventure: see what the town of Olten was like. I ended up walking East and finding a beautiful, old cemetery on top of a hill. Reading some of the headstones I discovered that Swiss people must have a secret to long lives, because everyone of the dates I read said the person was just over 90 years old! I think its a mixture of the chocolate, cheese, and lazy lifestyle that keeps these folks going for so long...

On Tuesday I decided to go for a hike in the mountains next to my house: The Jura. Just about a half mile away was a nice little trail that took me to a rock climbing area. The wind was so strong, I felt like I was going to blow away, but the view from the top was just breath taking... you could see for miles, all the way to each little town, and the long rail road tracks that keep them together. I decided I wanted to press on, and go to the very top of the mountain, so after a little bit of scoping around I found a path that took me to the top. As I went up and up, I was getting more and more excited. There were bird houses (with what looked to me to be addresses!) and mushrooms, and flowers, and signs showing you the correct way. It seemed that you could reach anywhere on these back trails! As I finished out hiking the last leg of the journey, I noticed something shining at the top of the mountain... something I had not noticed before: it was a castle! I had inadvertently hiked to a castle in the Jura Mountains! How awesome is that?! A CASTLE!!

On Wednesday it was my actual birthday! I had to go to school, but it was alright because everyone wished me a happy birthday. I probably heard "Happy Birthday" in 9 different languages! After school my Finnish friends took me to a pub (Bini's), and after exchanging birthday stories, they gave me a gift of a necklace and a shirt that says "Keep on Smiling Every Day!" (they said as soon as they saw it, they knew I had to have it). After the pub I went home to my roommates, who had decorated the house with streamers and birthday banners. Then Mrs. Walther brought up a fantastic cake, with a marzipan pig on top! After a dinner of spaghetti (my favorite) and after eating about a million slices of the fantastic cake (and trying my very first marzipan... which I think is probably the best food ever created) I got to open my present from the roommates. Inside was a little children's beginning German book! It was so funny! They said "If little kids learn through this, you can too!" The sad thing is its true, the book has helped a lot with my basic vocabulary... Haha. All in all it was a fantastic day, and to top it all off I had become 20 years old, no longer a teenager, but an adult.

On Friday I decided that it was time to become brave, and start using the train system. After purchasing a half pass (which lets you ride for half the price of the regular ticket on any Swiss Train) and the after 7 pass (which lets you ride for free after 7 PM) I was ready to begin. I then boarded a train to Aarau, to try to locate my church. Armed with google maps driving directions, I left the banhof and walked East toward Rohr, where my church is located. This proved to be a more difficult task then I had planned, for the driving route to Rohr, and the walking route to Rohr are to completely different things! After about two hours, and a bus ride to the right location I finally found it: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was so happy! It was funny, the church looks just like one that would be in Utah, it gave me kind of a pang of happiness thinking that even so far away things look very similar.

On Saturday I had an invitation to spend the day with the family I had met on the plane on the way over to Switzerland. Of course, as luck would have it, the weather was the absolute worst it has been since I have arrived: it was raining cats and dogs, and the wind was just relentless. After a bit of a schedule change we decided to spend the day looking at the sites of Winterthur (where the family lives). It was very fun, and I got to see an old church with beautiful stained glass windows, a huge library, an art museum full of old Swiss Paintings, and of course, the Families house! They invited me to have dinner with them, a delicious Swiss meal called Raclette: which consists of melted cheese of every variety, potatoes, and an assortment of vegetables. Oh, it was so good! Later that evening I got to play Sing Star (a karaoke game) on the PlayStation that they had. It was good to play a video game again... I know Bridger would be proud.

As you can see I have been trying to do as much as I can in this little time I am afforded in the amazing land of the Swiss.

This is Ashley Bush, (now 20 years old!!) signing off :)