Climbing the Alps

Life has been busy! It’s great; we have so many opportunities to learn and enjoy God’s wonderful creation. We have also been able to form really great friendships here already.

I just finished my book report paper so I am now able to do some more writing. Today is beautiful and sunny and we have already had a few awesome lectures. We are enjoying the sunshine and the cool autumn breeze. We have a lot to share about the last few weeks.

On the last Saturday in September we got to head out on a trip to the Swiss Alps. We hiked up a particular mountain called Ebenalp near Santis. We stopped at Seealpsee for a lunch break and to take in the view of the lake and the majestic mountains. Then we continued up to the peak of Ebenalp.

The beginning of the hike reminded me a bit of hiking in BC. There were many steps and it was very forested with peaceful streams cascading down the mountain. Eventually we got to a hilly plateau with several Swiss cottages along the path. Apparently there is a Swiss man who lives in one of these cottages during the summer and makes his own cheese there. It’s the real deal.

After we had our break at the lake we started up a series of switchbacks. We came to a giant rock face on the side of which there was a small restaurant. We also passed a small open-air church in a cave along the edge. The trail took us through another cave and up to the peak of the mountain. There was an incredible view from the top of all the Swiss farmland below spread across what looked like rolling hills, but were probably mountains. We could even see as far as the Bodensee.

We have also really enjoyed building relationships and spending time going out for “kaffee trinken”. There are a few cafes around that we like to go to. There’s a bakery just about across the street that is lovely. On a nice day we also like to go for a walk to Café Hopker where they have a beautiful outdoor patio and garden. They also serve so many different kinds of cake there which they are famous for.

For my birthday, October 3, we got a day off for the holiday and we were able to go on a daytrip to Stuttgart. We enjoyed the train ride and got to participate in the holiday festivities in the city. Some streets were closed and they were filled with people. We bought some Käsespätzle from a street vendor and listened to an alphorn performance. We stopped on our way back to school for some french-fry pizza at a local restaurant.

We started community groups which we refer to as k-groups. We were voted leaders for our k-group and have since been dubbed Momma and Poppa Bennett.

It has also been cool to experience God at work in our community. Our friend and k-group friend from Korea was recruited into the military only a week after he had arrived. We all prayed that he would be able to stay with us for the year. He got a call and happily announced that he was able to stay. He also shared with us the amazing story of how God was working behind the scenes. We would be happy to share the story with you personally, but in the end our friend was not only granted the 6 month extension that he applied for, but instead was granted 5 years off of military service before he will go serve. The Lord is good!

We have been having a great time and learning so much! We hope that you are able to see God doing awesome things back at home as well!

Much love from both of us!