A Tasty Trip

We took a tasty trip around Switzerland and our favorite stop was the Cailler Chocolate Factory. Do you recognize the chocolate chefs in this picture?

It was wonderful and finished with a very generous tasting counter. The best we can do to share the experience is to show you videos of those luscious chocolates. Enjoy!!!

Say "Cheese". Say "Chocolate". Say "Cookies"!

We spent an entire P-day nibbling our way around Switzerland. We visited three factories:
1) The Le Gruyere Cheese Factory in Gruyere in the French part of Switzerland. We have a new appreciation for the special Swiss meadow grass containing herbs and flowers that the cows turn in to uniquely flavored milk that is then made into luscious Gruyere cheese. We loved watching it being made!

2) The Cailler Chocolate Factory in Bulle. A mini Disneyland/Willy Wonka adventure through the history of chocolate followed by unlimited taste testing!!! Absolutely delightful and delicious!

3) The Kambly Cookie Factory in Trubschachen in the German part of Switzerland. What a great day we had riding the rails to three tasty destinations!

Blooms!

One of the awesome features of Spring is watching the flowers appear.

The gardeners have been busy planting the Spring flowers in the beds surrounding the temple. They plant blooms that can handle the ever-changing climate from freezing to warm. In two months these will be replaced with Summer plants.

There are Daffodils and Crocus (?Croci?) and these sweet Snow Drops popping up in expected and unexpected places. What a great tangible example of hope for better weather and the Promise of Spring.
And not to be outdone by Mother Nature, a few of us made these paper Dahlia blooms to put on our front doors.

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." 

-- Doug Larson

The Mail Carrier Cometh

"Die Post" is the name of national postal service in Switzerland.

 Is it any wonder that it is the country's second largest employer?! Who wouldn't want to deliver mail on these cool motor scooters!! Their motto is "Yellow in Motion". (Did you notice the McDonald's billboard in the back ground? The Grand Big Mac will cost you $7.90 just for the burger.)

Signs of Easter Day's Approach

 As they say in Switzerland...Ostertage (Easter Day) is on its way! Someone (who will remain nameless) made decorations to hang in our apartment lobby.

 LOTS of chocolate bunnies are for sale in the stores - all sizes, flavors, and varieties.

Foil covered eggs are also available in abundance.

And you can buy already colored hard-boiled eggs all year round. Easter is a big deal in Switzerland!!

It's A Small, Small World

It is amazing how many people we meet who know people we know....

The Steenbliks, Brock and Anne, were here on a youth temple trip from where they live in Saudi Arabia. They are the daughter-in-law and grandson of our dear GSM friends, LeGrande and Cindy. We were so thrilled to get a chance to chat and hug and laugh and shed happy tears with them.

That same evening we also bumped into the Swendsens who are serving a humanitarian mission in Serbia which is in the Adriatic North Mission where the Randalls (Beth's college roommate and her husband) are serving their mission as the Office Assistants. We had fun sharing our admiration of that hard-working, mission-serving couple (this is their 5th one)!!