Our Trusty Steed

We've been asked to blog more on this mission, so here you go. We had a little over five months at home after our second mission to Switzerland. We had a great time visiting all of our children at least twice, plus other trips here and there. All together, we traveled 15,000 miles and slept in 20 different beds. This was the wonderful car that took us everywhere we wanted and needed to go, in comfort and in good time.

The Last Good-bye

This is our last view of Robert, Danielle, Jarrett and Liesl who came to the airport to see us off. We were all trying to be very brave. A few minutes later, we were swallowed up by the security checkpoint, which was an adventure, as always. After that, we were in the capable hands of Swiss International Airlines, and landed in Zurich 11 hours later. And we were officially off on our third mission to Bern, Switzerland.

The View out of our Window

Our first week in Switzerland, we stayed at the Temple Hostel. Our room was very small, and the bathroom was tiny, but we were on the third floor and our view was truly out of this world! The Hostel can sleep 152, in rooms that sleep from 2 to 6. There is a common kitchen in the basement, and an eating room with baskets lining two of the walls to keep food in, and refrigerator cases lining the other wall for people to use. Being there a whole week, we saw the traditions that the families visiting from Italy and France had developed. Many had tablecloths to put on the table while they ate. One night, a couple made a huge pot of soup and insisted that everyone have some. It was a wonderful, peaceful place to stay.

Elder and Sister Vogt

This is the couple from Heidelberg, Germany who served a six-month mission at the Bern Center while we were home visiting and having fun. Sister Vogt loves to make desserts, and they both really like to sing. We visited them in the apartment to catch up on what had happened in the last six months. At the end of our visit, they sang a "good-bye" song in German. Even though I didn't understand all the words, I teared up as they sang. They worked so hard, and I know it was hard for them to leave. After the singing, I caught this picture of them with the iPhone when they didn't know it. It's hard to believe that Elder Vogt turned 76 the day they left Bern.

Good-bye, Elder and Sister Vogt

On Saturday, November 16, promptly at 10 AM as promised (remember, they are German) the Vogts were packed and ready to leave. This meant we could move into the apartment, which was also cleaned to German standards--not a speck of dirt to be found anywhere. We could certainly take lessons from them on how to move out!

Dessert Buffet

This was the "spread" Sister Vogt put out for the "dessert" after Institute classes. This would be a hard act to follow, for sure. She had a Schwarzwald Torte, a Hazelnut Torte, Tiramisu, cookies (all homemade), brownies, a mousse-like chocolate pudding, sausages baked in a pastry dough, and chips and pretzels. I'm tired after just typing it all! I'm sure glad the students don't come just for the food. But they were spoiled, for sure, while she was here.

First Snow

It was nice of the weather to wait until we were settled in to have the first snowfall. You can see the leaves are still on the maple tree. The snow didn't stay too long, but without any sunshine, it is still pretty cold during the day. Add a little breeze, and it is downright nippy!

The List

In case you are wondering what we have been doing our first week, here is a picture of the list we have been working on. Almost everything is checked off, and now I can check off one more thing!