A family tradition

We had so much fun last year at the Manti Pageant, that we thought we'd take advantage of the fact that we are staying in Utah for awhile and make this trip a new tradition.

 

We got up at the crack of dawn in order to make it in time for a session in the Manti Temple. If I had known how amazing this building was 3 years ago, we might have gotten married there. This is the first time we've been inside, and we just loved it. There's a special spirit in these pioneer temples, and it's wonderful to look at all the tiny details they made with no machinery or modern technology.

Me, Landon, Catherine and Jesse Stricklan

Landon of course had to show off the rocks.

After we left the temple, we met Cory and his friends at a nearby park for some real dutch-oven cooking! Mmmm...it was amazing. Thanks for lunch, Cory!

Left: Cory, Tim(?), Eric and his wife

Right: Landon, Jesse and Catherine

 The wind kicked up a little in the afternoon - so we had to weigh down our card game with rocks!

  After some rockin' games, we headed back to the temple for the pageant. I think it was even more fun this year, because we knew what to expect. We laughed at our favorite lines: "The arrow--So swift!"

 Cory, Landon, me, Catherine, Jesse

It never ceases to amaze me that protesters from all over the world feel it is necessary to travel to small towns like Palmyra and Manti to voice their opinions about our beliefs. It only serves to strengthen my testimony that the gospel is something special.

We had a blast with all of our friends. The only thing I was truly sorry we missed was the penny candy store in Ephriam. But we will hit it up another time. 

Goodbye, lovely Manti. We'll see you next year! 

Follow Your Feet

A few months ago, Landon was offered the opportunity to do a summer internship with one of his favorite professors studying ice cores from a glacier near the Matterhorn in Switzerland. It all happened very quickly, but we were given the option to delay his flight home, which allowed us to tour the country together for about the half the cost it would normally be. We have both been to Europe once and knew we wanted to go back together, but we had no idea it would be this soon! We have been incredibly fortunate to embark on so many adventures in just 3 years of marriage.

Landon left on May 11th, and we had to wait 3 WEEKS to see each other again. At the Zurich airport, baggage claim is inside security. There is a large Plexiglas wall between the baggage carousels and the outside world. Apparently, they thought it would be considerate to torture us further allow us to see each other sooner...

It was 9 days of pure bliss. Being together 24 hours a day, seeing whatever we wanted, hopping trains to this or that corner of Switzerland, scarfing all the chocolate we could eat, trying all 4 flavors of Magnum Bars, hiking in the alps, reminiscing about our individual trips to Europe, comparing Switzerland to other countries we've been too, and just generally soaking up the experience. 

Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

Zürich \ˈzu̇r-ik\

The wealthiest city in Europe

It rained so hard that day we felt like we were swimming!

 Landon's temporary land lady, Helen Rossler and her daughter Brigget. They took Landon into their home when his group finished their research early and he had to stay and wait for me. She is a classy lady, we had so much fun meeting her and hope to stay in touch!

Lauterbrunnen \lou´turbroonun\

The Valley of 72 Waterfalls

 A little hug for my Dad on his birthday! So awesome that we found this.

 Our hotel - this is the "college budget" room. :) 

We loved it actually, it was super nice, clean, and had a killer breakfast!

 My first experience with a real live clay tennis court! --

this is actually in Wengen, about a 10 minute train ride up the side of the mountains.

Ballenberg

"Switzerland as it used to be."

Brienz on our way there.

 So. Much. Fun.

Lausanne \loˈzan\

Capitale Olympique

 

For our third anniversary, Landon gave me the second best day of my entire life. He took me here:

To return the favor, I took him here:

Chateau d'Chillon

The French city of Evian (yep, like the water) is just across Lake Geneva.

Gimmelwald \'gim el va:ld\

"If Heaven isn't what it's cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald."

Trümmelbachfalle (Trummelbach Falls), on our way up the valley.

Ringgenberg 

Because castles should be explored.

Bern \ˈbɛɐn\ 

Federal City (Capital) 

The Swiss bank. I'm standing on half of the country's gold reserve.

Einstein's Apartment.

Murten \ˈmoor´tun\ 

The Swiss Alamo - but with a happy ending.

 Limestone from the Jura mountains - the origination of the Jurassic period.

 Rambling the ramparts of one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe...

 Site of the "Battle of Morat"

Avenches \AvANsh´\ 

The origin of Helvetica. No joke.

 

This tiny village used to be the great city of Aventicum, the Roman capital of Helvetica.

 

 

 The Roman amphitheater ruins. 

Bahnhof \ˈbaːnhoːf\ 

"Don't be foolish, you just follow your feet."

At 5:00 am, crazed photo faces can be excused.

Definitely an experience to remember, but hopefully not a once-in-a-lifetime one. Travel will always be important to us as we seek to understand other cultures, soak in history, and prove to ourselves that the Earth is round. That said, after wearing the same clothes for nine days, spending way too much money on food, and being cut off from the other awesome people in our lives, we're always happy to find our way home.