Day 8, 9 and 10
Home base - Bern, Switzerland
Day 8
It was Sunday on this Day 8 and we went to Langnau Mennonite Church
in the beautiful Emmental area - a Canton of Bern, to worship with the
congregation there.
Langnau is the oldest Mennonite Church in the World.
It began in 1530.
The really cool thing is that my dear friend Ruth
had been a Trainee with Mennonite Central Committee in
this area many years ago and this is where she attended church.
Not only that - her friend Ruth from here met her at the church and
they went off for dinner together - Ruth and Ruth!!!
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| A great reunion! |
We then took in the stunning views as we drove over the Emmental hills
to reach a typical Swiss homestead in Hinterhutten.
Here we heard about and saw a secret room in the barn that
once hid Anabaptists from their pursuers.
We also heard a powerful testimony from a descendant, Regulla, who
still lives on this very farm and has been instrumental in setting up
an amazing historical display.
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| Views from the bus window as we transferred to Wurzbrunnen Church |
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| Inside the church |
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| Lots of "Gerber" surnames in this area |
From this peaceful little church in the hills, we travelled
to the Trachselwald Castle where many captured Anabaptists were detained
before their sentencing!
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| The Castle Photographer!! |
Later that evening we were treated to an authentic
Swiss Fondue, a prelude to more cheesy dinners to come.
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| Say Cheese! I'm beginning to look tired or is it cheesy??? They say it's time to go home when you start looking like your passport picture! |
SO MUCH CHEESE!
We were in Switzerland after all.
Day 9
Monday morning we set out to discover the renowned UNESCO World Heritage town of Bern.
Anabaptists were exiled and persecuted.
There was simply too much to see and take in.
The clock tower
The cathedral
The bear park
The bridges and the Harbour
The turquoise Aare River
An amazing town walking tour led by our interesting and knowledgeable guides,
Troy and David!
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| Fabulous walking tour pictures taken by our Jen. |
Onto the bus once again for a drive to Thun to see the 12th Century Thun Castle.
Another enchanting, Disney like, castle.
We explored the displays, climbed the tower
and had a delicious Indian food lunch on the patio of a restaurant downtown.
There were warm blankets to keep us cozy while we ate.
Next we were driven to a Gondola Boarding Point in Erlenbach
Next we were driven to a Gondola Boarding Point in Erlenbach
to ride up to Chrindi to Stockhorn!
It was foggy but beautiful non-the-less ...
Erlenbach is where Jakob Ammann, founder of the Amish movement,
was baptised as a child in the Reformed Church there.
Ammann later joined the Mennonite Church and was rebaptized.
He then led a break-away group to form the Amish.
Amish is my heritage.
Up and away ...
Time for dinner and winding down from another fabulous day!
We giggled when the floppy drink menu on a stick came out.
Day 10
Our last day staying in Bern and heading to Zurich.
We were in for the time of our lives ...
The day started with a walking tour in Zurich and a visit to
the Conrad Grebel House.
Conrad Grebel is the name sake of our University College
where many of us on this tour work, worked and/or are associated with!
He was a key figure in Anabaptist history, baptized George Blaurock
in 1525 which was considered the first adult baptism associated with the
Reformation.
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| Conrad Grebel House |
David led us through the historical sites in Zurich.
Here we stood in front of another Conrad Grebel marker.
Grebel tour group picture opportunity!
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Truthfully, this was information overload for me.
I regretted not having studied and researched more on my own to
have a better understanding of this place along the Limmat River
where it all began!!
Perhaps now I must read Troy's book and appreciate what I have all
experienced here.
What a privilege to have him as one of our guides on this tour!
David led us through the streets of Zurich,
dodging construction workers and jack hammers.
Thankfully we had our "whisper system" earbuds on so that we could hear him.
He took it all in stride and carried on ...
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| Glimpses of THE GROSSMUNSTER church! This is where the tour will all come together for the "Courage to Love" Assembly. After the walking tour and exploring on our own along the Limmat River, we travelled to Einsiedeln Abbey at Kloster Einsiedeln for their 4 p.m. Vespers No pictures were allowed inside the Abbey but such an interesting experience.  Now it was time to settle into our very centrally located hotel and look forward to sharing our second huge feed of cheese. Raclette at Wallisser Kanne Raclette!!  Time for bed ... with tummies full of cheese once more. I may have lost you all by this point dear readers and I can't blame you - eek! Till next time ... final glorious days in Zurich and then home. |
Haha, I'm still chuckling at 'when you start to look like your passport picture, it's time to go home,'. That is a lot that you are taking in each day, yikes! You were well cared for on this tour!
ReplyDeleteSo much fun . . . and so much to see and learn! I can imagine that much of it was emotional as you considered the persecution that your ancestors endured in Christ's name.
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