Cinque Terre, Italy and now Switzerland

Two of the most relaxing days I spent last week were spent in Cinque Terre, Italy along the Mediterranean Sea... Cinque Terre means 5 lands because it is made up of 5 villages along the coast, that have been built into the mountains. They have incredible trails linking the villages along the ocean front and hiking those was great exercise, had incredible views but also gave me an opportunity to meet some fun people hiking as well... I even met a teacher from Pheonix, Arizona who was super sweet! It was also a great opportunity to relax on the beach for a few days and watch the ocean and read... I am now working on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen which is addictive! [P.S. At the end of my trip I get to see where Jane Austen lived in Bath, England.... so excited!!! Ok, that was a sidebar!] So, my sister thought it was too funny that I decided to take a 2 day vacation from my vacation, but hey-- it can get pretty exhausting when you're sightseeing and walking nonstop for 2 weeks! So Cinque Terre was beautiful and worth the visit! I also have realized that I love the Italians-- they're warm and very laid back! I was sad to leave Italy even though the Alps were calling!
So on to Gimmewald, Switzerland, a small town of 100 on the side of Shilthorn mountain! The people are hardworking up here, taking care of their cattle, goats, and farms. They make their own cheeses and churn their own butter. They grown their own vegetables in the backyard gardens, and they milk their own cows. It's a beautiful, simple life here and staying here caused me to appreciate the great conveniences we have in Houston, being that the grocery store here is a 45 minute walk uphill, whereas it's normally just a 2 minute drive. The hiking here as been amazing and unbelievably scenic! The Alps are so much larger than I ever remembered and cause me to appreciate so much more all that God created for our enjoyment! I can't wait to share a couple of hiking pictures with you and will try to post them very shortly... sometimes it's difficult to get around the Swiss German instructions on the computer! =)
One quick, funny story from today: I started this morning extremely excited about a new hike I had discovered, but first, I had to get to the starting point. So I hiked down to the valley, then took the train up from the valley to Wengen (a small Swiss resort town on the side of Jungfraulich, which is the highest peak in Europe at more than 11,000 feet!) So, it's only 30 degrees Faehrenheit in Wengen and now I need to take this lift up in order to begin my hike-- I step off, being now just a few hundred feet farther up the mountain and I step into a snowblizzard! I could barely see my hand in front of my face! It was a white out! Wow! I was not prepared for this in my capris and long sleeved, polyester zip top! I saw large Japanese tour group geared up in their heavy parkas, snow boots, and hiking poles eagerly ready for their hike downhill and I was still standing in shock! I counldn't believe that it was a blizzard here being June! My guidebook never said anything about this! How could this be?! So needless to say, I decided not to spend the next 2 hours cold, wet and miserable on my afternoon hike and I headed back to the cable car lift. I spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the warm, quaint Wengen shops and Swiss chocolate! It did end up being a great afternoon after all! =)