Hello - we hope everyone is doing well. Where do I start? We've been on some incredible trips since the last update, and my parents came to visit again. Jill and I met my parents, uncle (David), aunt (Janet), and cousin (Tracey) in Switzerland, but we went a couple of days earlier and went snow skiing for the first time. We went up into the mountains in both Switzerland and across the border into France. Then we all came back to London for a few days, and finally up to Scotland. I know this is a very long update, but the trips were so amazing I had to do a lot of explaining – it’s worth the read though! Let's jump right to it.

Leysin, Switzerland (snow skiing in the Swiss Alps):
Neither one of us have ever been skiing before, so we figured why not learn in the Swiss Alps? It started snowing right as we were leaving London, so we were getting mentally prepared early. Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been to in our entire lives. The views started as soon as we were flying in – seeing the snow-covered mountains from the plane was awesome.

We actually flew into Geneva - it was 39 degrees and no snow was on the ground when we landed. We took a train to a town called Leysin – nice views of Lake Geneva and lots of vineyards along the mountains on the way. We stopped in Aigle and changed trains – more like a tram. But this was no ordinary tram – it seemed like it was for a few minutes as it winded through the streets, but then we stopped at the base of a huge mountain. The driver gets out, walks to the other end of the train, hooks it up to some kind of chain, gets back in on the other end, and we take off up the mountain. And it was fast and steep – we went WAY up – we were on that thing for about 30 minutes. Leysin is situated at an altitude of 1263 meters (4144 feet), and it’s the highest French-speaking village in Switzerland.

The view from our hotel balcony was spectacular, of course, being so high up in the mountains – beautiful mountain peaks as far as you could see. We arrived at night, so we went to a local restaurant and had some fondue, mussels, and fries. It was a very good Swiss meal - the Calanda Edelbrau beer was very good too! Ask the dog – a big black dog was hanging out under one of the tables while his owner had dinner – he got some snacks too. Why aren’t dogs allowed in restaurants in the US?

OK, so it’s time to learn how to ski. We got up the next morning and went to the slopes to have our lesson. We learned very quickly that walking up hills in snow boots is no easy task. We learned the basics pretty fast, and we spent the rest of the day skiing down the bunny slope.

The ski lift that takes you up to the top is actually just a cable with metal bars hanging off – you stand by the cable and grab one when you’re ready. Well, one of them was swinging back and forth as it came up behind me, and it nailed me right in the leg – my feet went right out from under me and I was laid out on my back in no time. Before I could get up, the next bar came along and caught one of my skis (they were up in the air as I was laid out on my back). So then it starts dragging me up the slope. I finally managed to get out of that situation, but Jill said it was a sight to see.

Other than that, I think I only fell about five times skiing that day – Jill only fell once, but I was skiing a little faster and more reckless ? The only way down the from the bunny slope mountain (other than walking all the way around) was to ski down the end of another run – and it was very steep and narrow with cliffs on the sides. We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to make the turn before we went over the cliff because it was so steep and narrow - and turning wasn’t our strongest skiing talent yet - but we made it.

We dressed way too warm for the nice weather that we got. It was so sunny that I got sunburned – and we ended up taking half of our clothes off while we skied. There was one person skiing in a short sleeve shirt – and we wished we were too!

Those of you who have been skiing before will understand what we mean when we say – wow, does a day of skiing wear you out! We’ve never been tired like this – we went to bed earlier than we have in years. But before that, we had some beef fondue for dinner, and I talked Jill into going up to a real ski run the next day instead of doing the bunny slope again.

So we got up the next day to do a real ski run - we thought the beginner levels were blue runs, but we have since learned that green runs are the easiest and the blues are the next level. So little did we know that we were totally skipping a level as we chose our blue run on the map (not to mention that the European ski run ratings are rumored to be more difficult than the US runs anyway). The map showed that we had to take a chair lift up, ski or walk over to another lift, and take it halfway up to ski the blue run. If we didn’t get off of that one in time, we would continue on up the mountain to a black run, and we certainly didn’t want that. Jill and I are both scared of heights, so we were already a little nervous as we got on the chair lift.

So we’re on the lift, and it comes to a spot where others could get on – and as we looked up the mountain, all we saw was the top of the peak. So we thought we were on the wrong lift – the one that was going to go up to the black run. I tried to get off of it, but Jill was yelling at me saying that there was no place to exit – there was only a spot for others to get on. So we continue on up the mountain. We got very nervous since all we saw ahead was the top of the mountain – so we’re sitting there thinking that we’re heading up to a black run, and it’s so steep below us we are trying to figure out how in the heck we are going to get down.

Fortunately, the top of the mountain where the lift ended was indeed the place where we were supposed to be. We couldn’t see coming up the mountain, but behind this peak was another whole area with more peaks. The views were amazing – we were surrounded on all sides by beautiful mountain peaks of the Swiss Alps. So we’re on top of a mountain, but there are still larger mountains all around us – our blue ski run is halfway up one of them (go to the top for the black). Across from our run there’s a red run that starts at the top of another peak – and a snowboarding race course beside it. There was also a snowboarding half pipe between the runs. They all met in the middle at a snack bar – nice area to relax and hang out.

So we get up to the blue run (near the top of Tour di Ai, the tallest peak in Leysin at 2331 meters – 7648 feet), exit the ski lift ok, and then we look down the mountain – so much steeper than it looked from below. And to get to the main slope, you have to ski down a VERY steep decline – there’s no other way. So Jill goes first – and takes a nice spill – but before I could laugh, I was flat on my back too. Not a good start for either one of us. We managed to get up and take it slow – skiing from side to side – and we made it down the mountain. We took it slow the next time too, but the third time was a charm – we both went faster and neither one of us fell. I think it was at that moment that we became addicted. We had a blast - we skied that run for the rest of the day and had an absolutely fantastic time! Overall I fell about five times (including one at the bottom as I tried to stop real fast in front of Jill and spray her with snow), and Jill only fell once.

I almost forgot – Jill had chair lift trouble one time and managed to break her ski pole – and of course I gave her my poles, so I only used one for the rest of the day - good thing we had insurance! She only had one other chair lift incident – she missed it and had to take one by herself – normally not a big deal, but remember that she’s scared of those things – so she was freaking out the whole way up!

The snack bar was awesome – great place for a much needed break - incredible views – nice warm weather – it was almost like laying out at the beach – the sun was so bright against the white snow – it was so warm that we took our jackets off.

After we were nice and worn out, we took another chair lift up to La Kuklos (revolving restaurant located on the summit of the Berneuse – 2048 meters which is 6719 feet). As you can imagine, the views up there were spectacular. We saw a guy jump off of the mountain with a parachute – how crazy do you have to be to do that? From there, we took a gondola (enclosed 4-seater ski lift) back down to the bottom of the mountain – this was a very steep and scary ride for those who don’t like heights, trust me.

Well, our first ski trip was one to remember – and we absolutely loved it! We are already planning to go skiing every winter from now on. One other thing to note – the kids up there – they are incredible! They start so young – I can’t tell you how many 2-year olds (and I’m not exaggerating – ask Jill) came flying past us on the slopes – and they even went down the harder slopes! We may see some of them in the Olympics one day.

That’s it for Leysin – we took the train back down the mountain and on to Geneva that night where we met up with my parents, David, Janet, and Tracey. Talk about a long day – they flew from Birmingham to London, had a massive layover (don’t forget that they flew all night long and already lost a day), and then flew into Switzerland that night. Needless to say they were knackered!

Chamonix, France (Mont Blanc):
The next morning we all took a train to Martigny, where we got on the “Mont Blanc Express”. This train is named after the tallest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc, where it terminates. It starts in Switzerland and ends in France – the guide books said that our passports would be checked as we crossed the border, but we were never asked for them.

The train ride was incredible – the views were outstanding – we rode all throughout the mountains and the tracks were right on the edge. There wasn’t any snow when we started off, but we saw plenty after about 30 minutes of climbing the mountain. We went through several nice quaint little villages along the way – lots of firewood outside of the houses so they can last through the winter while they’re snowed in. And the higher we got, the better the views of the surrounding mountain peaks.

The train stopped in Chamonix, France. This is a beautiful little town surrounded by mountains, including Mont Blanc (which means “White Mountain”). This is the tallest mountain in Europe at 4810 meters (15,780 feet). You can’t get to the top of it (by gondola or cable car at least), but you can go to a peak across from it for some spectacular views.

So we took a gondola up the mountain from Chamonix to Planpraz (2000 meters / 6562 feet). This gondola ride was so steep and went so high up the mountain, it really freaked Jill and me out. I will admit it – I was actually scared on that thing, and I wasn’t looking forward to riding it back down. Well, there was another problem – we still had another cable car to ride from this peak up to another peak – and there was a long way to fall if that thing broke. I’ve been saying that I’m scared of heights, but I always go up high for the views – I think I just realized that I have a fear of falling more than a fear of heights. Well, Jill and I decided not to take the next cable car over to the other peak – and luckily for my dad, that was his way out too – he stayed behind with us. So my mom, David, Janet, and Tracey all took the cable car across to Le Brevent while we stayed on Planpraz.

Now don’t get me wrong, Planpraz was awesome – the views were absolutely amazing! We had a great view of Mont Blanc and other surrounding snow-covered mountains and peaks. Chamonix looked so tiny from way up here – we were so high, the feeling we had is indescribable. There were lots of skiers on this peak as well – it’s gotta be one of the most beautiful places to ski in the world. But it’s also very dangerous – the runs are steep and skinny, and there are cliffs all over the place – avalanches can happen as well – there have already been 39 deaths there this year.

So Jill, my dad, and I are taking in the views on Planpraz when my mom comes back from Brevent by herself – she says that the cable car ride isn’t too scary and that the views are so awesome that we have to go. So I finally talk Jill into it, and my dad is up for it, so we go. We are packed in the cable car and we intentionally ride in the middle and look down at the floor – it’s way too scary too look out (although I looked out some on the way back after I gathered my courage).

We make it over to Brevent (2525 meters / 8284 feet high), and this is the part that I cannot possibly describe with words. I’ll just say that we have never seen anything like this in our entire lives – we were so high up and the views were unbelievable – breathtaking! I couldn’t get my mind off of that experience for days – that’s all I could think about. You’ll have to check out the pictures to see what I’m talking about, but even through those can only do so much – they just don’t show the heights and depths – there are so many steep drop-offs that you can’t see in the pictures. And like the Planpraz peak, there were plenty of skiers going down this peak as well.

We went back to our hotel in Geneva that night, and Jill and I went out to dinner with my mom and dad for a nice Swiss meal. We did the traditional Swiss thing – yodeling, cheese fondue, beef fondue, and chocolate fondue. Everything was delicious, including the Swiss beer called Feldschlosschen.

Golden Pass (through Interlaken to Murren, up to Birg and Schilthorn):
The next day we went to Montreux, where we changed to the “Golden Pass” train. This train is a scenic train, and the glass windows are huge that go up through most of the roof. We rode this train for four hours on our way to some other peaks, and at first we thought it would be too similar to our trip to Mont Blanc. But we quickly realized that it was very different and very unique.

We started off similarly, going way up the mountain and riding on the edge of the cliffs, but this train went through more mountainous countryside than the Mont Blanc Express. It was really cool to go way up in the mountains and find what was like a whole other world. We would climb over peaks and go down into valleys, and there would be lots of little villages all over the place. From the roads below, you can only see the outside peaks of the mountains – but once you got up and over those peaks, there would be so many more (and higher) than you can see from outside of the mountain range. I guess it makes sense that all of the huge peaks are deep in the mountains toward the middle.

The valleys were so large that after we climbed really high and went over a peak, the top was so big that we couldn’t even tell that we were so high up. It looked like we were on normal ground because as far as we could see was ground on our level – that and other mountains that were so tall they looked like they started from the ground we were on.

So that ride was beautiful as well, and the views were incredible even in a different way from our previous trip. There were so many ski runs and ski lifts along the way - that must be all that people do around there – how fun!

The Golden Pass train took us to Interlaken, and there we changed to a smaller train. We went up and down the mountains, and by the time we got to Lauterbrunnen, we were only 796 meters up (2612 feet). From there, we got on a very steep mountain train (funicular) that led up to Grutschalp. This train only consisted of one car, and it went straight up the mountain – it was so steep that the floor of this car was “stair-stepped” – otherwise you would fall to the back. This thing took us up 2264 more feet, to an altitude of 1486 meters (4875 feet). So imagine going up over 2000 feet straight up a mountain – we were basically connected to the side of the mountain and were pulled up it – I couldn’t stop thinking about us falling down the side of the mountain.

From Grutschalp, we took a cliff-top train to Murren – again, this thing was right on the edge of the cliffs – even more than any of the other trains we had been on, and the drop-offs were much steeper! Needless to say, this ride made us a little nervous.

Murren is 1650 meters (5413 feet) high, and it is a unique city because there are no cars on this mountain. It features a view of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains. Jill and I call this the “Venice of the mountains” – no cars, pretty isolated, and absolutely beautiful. Everywhere we went was high, but it’s very easy to tell that you’re high in Murren because the mountains have such steep drop-offs. As beautiful as this place is, Jill says that she could never live there (and I’m sure I couldn’t either). Just because it’s so remote – it’s not reachable by any road, and the population is only 450.

But apparently that wasn’t enough for us – we had to go even higher. So we go to catch a cable car, and as we are buying tickets in the station, we hear something familiar – coming out of the speakers, we hear “Sweet Home Alabama” – very interesting! We get on the cable car that goes up to Birg, which is 2676 meters (8780 feet) above sea level. And as if Jill wasn’t scared enough, a guy proceeds to tell her how one of the cables broke last year as we are riding up the mountain. He said he was trying to calm her nerves by telling her the cables had recently been replaced, but I don’t think it worked. Once again, incredible, indescribable views – you’ve just gotta see it in person. And finally, we take one more cable car to go even higher – to Schilthorn.

Schilthorn is 2970 meters (9744 feet), and it’s the highest part of the Alps in which we stood. Same as before, I cannot describe the amazing views that we saw that day – just beyond comprehension. We were so high that we were in the clouds and fog, and it was also snowing. This is the peak where the James Bond movie, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was filmed. This is also where the famous revolving restaurant resides – the Piz Gloria. It was the world’s first revolving mountaintop restaurant, and it provides the most unimpeded panoramic views of Switzerland.

And people ski from this peak as well – I don’t think there’s anywhere that people won’t ski. We could see lots of skiers from the cable car as we rode between the peaks – and I still don’t understand how they do it – there are so many steep cliffs and skinny runs, I don’t see how ore people don’t go flying off the mountain. We took the trains back to Geneva, stopping for a dinner break in Bern.

Geneva, Switzerland:
Even though we stayed in Geneva this whole time, we were always gone on excursions until our last day. So before we flew back to London, we spent the day touring around the most international city in the world – Geneva.

Unfortunately, the weather was not as good for us there. But this was actually the best day for bad weather because we wouldn’t have been able to see as much as we did if it was like this on the mountains. So we toured Geneva in the rain – but keep in mind that this rain is not like the thunderstorms back home – just a light rain that we could walk around in with our jackets and umbrellas. Too bad it never stopped though – we probably didn’t get the full feel of how beautiful Geneva really is due to this rain.

The Jet d’Eau is a giant fountain that shoots out of Lake Geneva, and it’s the symbol of the city. The water shoots out at 125mph, up 460 feet, and forces500 liters out of the nozzle per second. Cathedrale St-Pierre is in the heart of Old Town – building began in 1160 and completed 72 years later. Jill and I climbed the stairs to the top to get a bird’s eye view of the city.

There were lots of good souvenirs for sale all over the place – Swiss Army watches (all kinds of watches really), cuckoo clocks, and Swiss chocolate – delicious! And of course the infamous Swiss Army knife – the first Swiss army knife appeared in 1891, and the soldiers were given 50,000 a year. The knives have evolved since then, and now you can find spoons, forks, compasses, and even emergency surgical equipment. We saw “the biggest Swiss Army knife in the world” as well as one with a USB memory stick. After touring Geneva, we opened a few Swiss bank accounts and then headed back to London.

London, England:
I got back into work while Jill and my parents toured around London. Remember that they came here last year, so they just went to a few places that they missed last time. They went to the Museum of Natural History and Kensington Palace, and my dad went to the British Museum and Tower of London (again) while Jill and my mom shopped. Mom, dad, David, Janet, and Tracey all went on a day tour to Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle as well.

We took my parents to our favorite steak restaurant - remember that they ate at the one in Paris with us last time they visited – they must have liked it too! We showed them a good Spanish restaurant as well, but they said that it was just “ok”. We took them to an Indian restaurant last time, and my mom didn’t like that one either – I guess I’m 0 for 2 on showing her good ethnic food. Next time I better stick to hamburgers and hotdogs.

Edinburgh, Scotland:
As if we hadn’t had enough traveling already, we all took a train to Scotland during the last weekend they were here. We dropped them off at Edinburgh Castle, and Jill and I shopped around while they did the tour. We had a nice Scottish dinner that night, then started walking down the Royal Mile the next day (after I ate a full Scottish breakfast – minus the black pudding).

We did all of the main Edinburgh sights – Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, Calton Hill, etc. They decided not to climb the mountain (Arthur’s Seat) – I guess they had enough mountains for one trip. I tried a new brew – Innis & Gunn – Edinburgh ale aged in oak barrels traditionally used to mature malt whiskey – very tasty. Speaking of beer, I had a Strongbow for the first time (it’s a brand of cider originating in England) – if you like ciders, this is a good one!

Closing:
Well, that about does it – again, sorry it’s so long, but we had a lot of stuff to say and a lot of things to describe. My mom and dad had a great time, and I'm really glad we got to experience Switzerland together. And I really enjoyed the time we spent together as well as the conversations we had on our long train journeys. Unfortunately, they said that this would be their last trip to Europe - I think the jetlag is a little tough on them. But I'm trying to talk them into going to Italy, even if it's after we have moved back to the US - but they are hesitant to go anywhere like that without their amazing tour guide, Jill. Jill did an outstanding job on putting this trip together - she had all of the details figured out, and believe me, there were lots of details for a trip like this - think about how many different trains and cable cars we went on. We got to do everything we wanted to do and we all had such a great time! And David, Janet, and Tracey - we really enjoyed spending our time with you guys too! Tracey, we're glad that your first trip over here was such a great one - now you just need to talk Clay into coming over.

So how did everyone do in their March Madness brackets? How about me you ask? I actually won the thing – and I have no idea how since I didn’t watch one single basketball game this entire season. I guess that’s why I won – if I had watched I would have picked those who should have won like everyone else did.

Please check out the pictures (Leysin, Chamonix, Golden Pass, Geneva, Scotland) – they are some of the best we have ever taken – Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been to, and if you ever get a chance to go, we definitely recommend it. Shae and Billy will be here tomorrow – have a safe flight! We can’t wait until you get here! Until next time, everyone take care and God bless you all!