Win, Lose, and Cry...

...but don't throw yourself a lifetime pity party! 

I just finished watching Brazil win a ticket onto the next round of the World Cup, hence the title. I couldn't help but think that as much as big wins are fun to watch and celebrate along, there is always another side to the field where the losing team has to endure all that losing entails. It's times like these, watching the Chilean players crying on the field, I'm reminded that sometimes there really are no words to cheer someone up, but it's more about just being there for them and have them know that no matter how messed up life is at that very moment, you remain by their side. Exhibit A: I made sure to stay quiet back in Venice while I cleaned up Anne's hair after a pigeon left her a slimy surprise. Friends make sure the bird poop dries before flaking it off. My how close she and I have become. Alright, I'm working on about four hours of sleep and have an early morning tomorrow, so I'll keep my tangent in check and try to keep this entry short. 

 

Our last full day with the Scheuber family went by too quickly. We started the day off with Flavia and Alpine slides in a small town by hers. She is such a sweet girl; we listened to one of her mix CD's in the car and were happily surprised when we heard so much country music on it. The Alpine slides were fun, although I'll admit I didn't go as fast as Anne (or the other eleven-year-old boys with day passes). I'm so thankful we got a chance to hang out with Flavia, she spent her morning off with us. She works at a hospital, so I do appreciate her making time for us. 

We got back to the Scheuber home in time for lunch and in time for Flavia to get to work. Then we headed off to the other side of the sea, where Brigitte's mom lives. Brigitte and her daughter-in-law Adriana were our tour guides as we crossed over the calm waves and made our way to Gertrude's house. Once there, we spent quite a while dipping our toes in the water and talking to Gertrude. Being by the sea made me miss home and my time at the lake, either during a run where I get to think about nothing and just relax while my legs propel me forward or when I get treated to a picnic or walk (courtesy of SC). We had a picnic of our own when Gertrude brought out sweets and drinks for us. She is by far the coolest person I have met on my trip. Maybe I am biased to individuals of that generation, but I could have sat on her porch and talked to her for hours!

Back at the Scheuber's, our last family dinner included a variety of wursts, bell pepper and corn salad, as well as Swiss bread. I think I will miss bread from Europe the most out of all my meals here. It's so delicious, I can (and do) take as many slices as I can get away with. I'll miss having dinners with lovely families that I get to meet. I have gone to bed each night at the Scheuber's with a happy tummy and a happy heart, mostly because the love and laughter at their home is quiet contagious. After dinner, we walked to the top of the mountain where they live and we appreciated a nice evening view of Stans. I finally found a ledge to sit on, and although the quality is blurry given the time of day, I still think it's one of my best "ledges" yet. 

The next day we were picked up by Miryam, another of Anne's relatives. Her family has a cheese factory and also owns a specialty shop complete with regional products. She lives just a few minutes away by car, and she is our next host in Switzerland. She invited us up to one of the bigger mountain peaks in the area, the Stanserhorn. We took a tram up and then a very fancy gondola, which left me breathless as we quietly but rather quickly made our way up the nearly eight thousand feet climb to the top. I can't figure out how to add video to entries from my iPad, but it's a very complicated gondola and involves a lot of elements to make it work as seamlessly as it does. 

Once at the top, we walked around for a bit before heading back down. I'm not sure whether the ride down was even more impressive than the ride up the mountain. We made our way by train to the neighboring city of Luzern, where a cityfest was being held. Luzernerfest is a charity event to promote care for the less fortunate residents, and I was happy to walk around and enjoy all the music and yummy food the city had to offer. Being there reminded me of the music festival in Nice, but I'm glad to be back in the quiet town of Engelberg, where we will spend the night in Miryam's flat before heading off to another adventure tomorrow. I heard something about a chocolate factory, so I will definitely go to bed early tonight and be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning. 

Swiss chocolate, komm zu mir! 

  

Flavia was kind enough to spend her morning off with us! I really like how we are all smiles here. We had just seen the castle where Flavia wants to get married one day. Nele wanted a castle wedding, too, now that I think about it. I wonder if Anne wants a castle wedding now?

The metal slide which I flew over! Ok, maybe I was not going as fast as Anne. 

This is the way back up, before you head down on the ride of fun. 

At one point, the slide worker felt like he wanted to get to know Anne better, so he decided to ride in the car she was on. I really think they've hit it off. Kidding!!

Being the protective friend I am, I rode with her so that the ride attendant wouldn't ask her out during one of their romantic rides down the slide. 

Sisterhood of the traveling sunglasses, scarves, t-shirts, jeans, and burlap shoes. 

This map of the village reminds me of the one my dad and I made for my niece's birthday party. It's crazy how random things bring to mind my loved ones at home. 

This is the view from the car ferry. So calm. 

This is a little cabin right on the water. It had my name written all over it, can you guess why?

Anne with Adriana, who is having her baby in August. She's going to be such a great mama!

The traveling duo with our host mom, Brigitte Scheuber. She was a big part of my feeling right at home in Ennetmoos. You can just tell by her smile, she has such a loving heart!

Can you guess what we are getting ready to do? I was the newbie of the group, as I have only had one lesson and you can ask SC, but I don't think I was very good at it...

Flowers outside the home of Brigitte's mom, Gertrude, right by the lake. 

Cookies that Gertrude served us. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Gertrude, the loveliest woman in all of Altdorf, who also gets very upset at the youngsters across the lake with their loud music on the weekends. She has called the police on them, I'll have you know. Such a sassy lady, I only wish I can be as cool as her if I ever get to live as long as she has. 

This is our first adventure with Miryam, Anne's third or some other distanced cousin. Whatever the relationship here to Anne, she is really really nice. This is the little tram we took part of the way up the mountain. 

The second leg of our journey up the mountain was in this technological beauty. 

Notice how the signs in Switzerland point to locations in terms of how long it takes to get there, not in distance. 

On the way down. There are switch-backs you can take to hike up the mountain; we would rather take the fancy thing. 

#21stcenturytourist

I like the water fountains in Switzerland. They aren't that common around Europe, so I'm happy to see them here and make use of them. 

A little rain never hurt anyone, except Anne's hair. I promise she didn't wear it like this all day. 

 

I found Mexican food in Europe!

And was quickly disappointed. What is that in the picture??

Good thing I'm not in Europe for Mexican food. Here I give you, Älpermagronen and Rivella, a Swiss drink consisting of minerals that are only found in Switzerland. I'll take that over fajitas, danke.