Switzerland

Here I am once again stealing the Internet. I am sitting on the ground behind an apartment building a few yards away from the concert tent where they are performing tonight in Crans-Montana Switzerland. I think Park City/midway area were inspired by the resorts in Switzerland. The choir goes first and then the band for a 2 hour concert.

Today was a free morning. We got up and walked to a ski lift where we rode the tram up the mountain, figured out where we could take a 40 minute hike. I timed us and we were 55 with stops for pictures. The hike was a very narrow trail across the alps to another tram stop where we were trammed to the top, at the very top of the ski resort we played in the glacier and took two trams back to town, and walked 20 minutes to out hotel. We were the only ones to go on the whole adventure. I was the one to pick up the hiking map and ask 3 different workers... painters if we were going the right way. Janell, Nicole, Megan and I went. On the trail we met a couple coming from our destination. I asked how long... he said 2 hours. I said what?! It should be 10 minutes. He said for him it was but for Americans (He was from Zermot- tomorrow's destination)it was 2 hours, it was just around the bend. There was one spot we had to descend that had a lovely rope for us to use and it was much needed. We felt like we had the true adventure. Our group had 4 and a group of 8 followed us but their bus left earlier than ours so they had to skip the glacier.

We then went to a medieval castle along Lake Geneva where Lord Chillton wrote his famous castle dungeon poem. Truly cool to hear and see medieval traditions.... did you know that clinking glasses started in medieval times? They had metal cups and the liquid was supposed to spill into others cups so you knew the drink was safe, you wouldn't be poisoned. The fork was invented later so the fancy collars could get bigger and you could still eat. Hands are to be seen at all times in Europe while eating so your enemies can keep an eye on you and when you traveled you brought your own trunk which was your own chair so you literally sat on your jewels. Cool stuff. We then walked along Lake Geneva and had 1.5 hours to walk 40 min so Janell and I took our shoes off and sat at the lakes edge watching people swim.....We had our Switzerland concert in the evening with a fondue party. Here they invented fondue and it is just cheese and bread. Americans have made it fancy fyi.