Sono Andata in Svizzera!

The Sullivan family are friends from North Carolina who were fellow homeschoolers. David and I were in debate, CWIS, etc. together all through highschool and he is in the core group of my closest friends from childhood. His brother, Joel, is in culinary school in the states and is studying abroad in Switzerland for the summer. The family made a vacation out of it and have been touring France and Switzerland. Knowing they would only be a few hours away from me, I had to buy a ticket and meet up with them. I took a train up mid-morning on sunday and stayed until Monday evening. Because their flight was delayed, they did not arrive in Zermatt until late sunday night. However, we were able to spend all day monday together enjoying our beautiful surroundings. 

Train station in Visp. How gorgeous is that sky?!

Check out my train ride! 

I love how they make their houses fit the land rather than making the land fit their houses.

What a beautiful bridge. Looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. 

Seriously??

There are waterfalls EVERYWHERE. Speaking of water: I've never tasted better water in my life than the regular tap water in Zermatt. I filled my bottle up when I left and was so sad when it was gone. 

There are also fields of these beautiful wild flowers everywhere. Usually there are purples ones scattered as well but they apparently didn't make it in this picture. 

Finally in Zermatt!

Talk about a nice hostel! There was a really sweet girl named Wendy who shared the room with me. She is from Hong Kong but is now living in New York. I enjoyed talking with her quite a bit. 

No joke: this is the view from the window in my room! We had to climb a cliff to get to the hostel but it was well worth it.

We took an underground tram to the top of the mountain. We had to cheat since I had to leave that evening and the hike down was going to take several hours. This tram went straight up with solid rock all around it. 

Micah, the oldest Sullivan boy, and his wife, Laura. 

At the top. About to hike down. 

David thought the view was pretty sweet. 

Daniel is pretty cool. 

This mountain is one of the most famous in the Alps. It is extremely tall (over 14,000 feet) and uniquely stands alone. It lies on the boarder of the Swiss and Italian Alps but is the iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps. It was first climbed in 1865 (we saw the plaque of the man who first climbed it) and is one of the deadliest peaks in the Alps. Since it was first climbed in the 1800's, 500 people have died climbing it. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan

The air was amazingly crisp and fresh. I felt like a new person after sleeping all night with the windows open. My lungs definitely needed the break after being in the city. However, when we were hiking, the air smelled just like it does at the beach! My guess is all the minerals everywhere actually made the air salty smelling! The cool, strong breeze with the salty fresh air was just what the doctor ordered!

Another waterfall. 

Too many amazing pictures. Had to put one more up of the Matterhorn! 

Overlooking Zermatt. Almost back! 

Rebekah is amazing! What 9 year old girl has 20-something year old brothers who drag her around France and the mountains of Switzerland?!

One blonde-headed best friend of mine was thought of here and all the late, calorie-laden nights we have experienced together over the years. This was the first time I had seen anything Ben & Jerry's since I left. They would never allow it in the Land of Gelato where I currently reside. Nonetheless, there are many happy memories attached to half-baked and dublin mud-sliding!

This is the town of Zermatt. It is very quaint and they only allow electric cars. 

Amazing chocolate, cheese, brats, and pocket knives are and were found in this town! This is me loaded down with all my goodies! I was also carrying my bag to head to the train station...

I arrived back in Milan late that night and definitely struggled getting to language school the next morning! I am not sure what was worse: waking myself up or climbing the stairs of my school with very sore legs! I enjoyed seeing my friends, though I felt a bit of homesickness on the way back to Milan. I love my "new home" along with the wonderful people and new experiences I am having here. Having a clean break from the old and the new helped me not feel too homesick. However, this was the first time I have seen old friends from home since I have been here. As refreshing as it was to see them, I felt a little heart-tugging when I got back on the train.