live.laugh.love--the journey: Switzerland gives new meaning to "Winter Wonderland"

Skiing in the Swiss Alps, anyone? What a better weekend to end my European semester. 12 of us night trained it over to Gridelwald, Switzerland where we spent two full days marveling at the snow and enjoying the powder:) Our hostel was incredible, we saved a ton of money by buying an insane amount of pasta to make spaghetti.. making good use of the fully stocked kitchen at our lodge! We got to our hostel close to 10am Friday morning and were geared up and on the tram up to the slopes by 11. Friday visibility was rough, it was snowing a TON but no one could complain. It made Saturday all the more sweet when the snow that was fogging up our goggles was nicely on the ground creating the powder of a lifetime. Incredible. I use that word a lot when describing my weekend adventures, don't I? ;) Well it was.

We trained it all day back to cozy Salzburg on Sunday--everyone was feeling it. Sore, broken, back aches, and bruises. We were quite the scene! There was really not enough Advil to go around, all of us were dehydrated and our bodies were mad. I had a minor spill on our second day, Saturday. We were trying to get over to this other gondola to take it up to this crazy bowl but somewhere between point A and point B I end up EATING IT, (yard sale is an understatement..) skis and poles everywhere, goggles and hat off-- I felt like I was going to be Redlands new paraplegic. Yeahhhh. Only minor injuries, though. Face scratched--turning into a super cute burn looking mark across my cheek and my neck doesn't really turn left. I know my family is reading this and wondering who in the heck is writing this since I am the definition of a fair-weather skier. I go down runs at my own pace, focusing more on my form than bombing it down a given slope. No need to fear, family.. I was trying to follow boys on snowboards going MOCK-10. Lesson learned: I don't go that speed.

Needless to say, that was my last run in Switzerland. I am lucky it didn't happen Friday or I would NOT be a very happy camper!

Well, what I am going to do every Monday now that I don't have epic weekend adventures to write about?? I am going to miss these trips down the Monchsberg to get internet, buying a cappuccino and spilling my heart out on all the places I've fallen in love with. (*sigh*) I guess I am just going to have to go back to blogging about Redlands-- boring old Southern California, classes, and sorority life. Just kidddiinngggg. But seriously, this thing is going to be wayyyyy less entertaining sans ski trips to Switzerland and the Eiffel Tower.

I just took my last final earlier this morning-- my fall semester Junior year is officially over (academically speaking.) Weird? Yes. But nice. These next two days are dedicated to packing and saying all those goodbyes I don't want to say. The nice thing is even though all 30 of us will never be in this setting again, I can see all the smiling faces I've gotten used to everyday day at school, around campus, etc. A comforting thought.

Here are some pictures of Switzerland. Gorgeous Switzerland, snowy mountain sides, cozy ski nooks and all.