A field trip and a hike

This past week, our third and fourth grade classes took a field trip to Ballenberg - near Interlaken - in Switzerland. For those that know Plymouth Plantation or Colonial Williamsburg

type places, this was the same idea, only Swiss! All of the regions of Switzerland are represented, and centuries-old homes all over the country about ready to be torn down were dismantled and rebuilt here. They have people working and farming as they did a years ago. It was a very fun trip for the kids, and since we're studying American Colonial times in our history classes, it was a great way for them to see how life was very different then! And the weather even cooperated for us - even though we left in the rain, after we passed through the Gottard Tunnel on our way north, the sun was out! So it ended up being a great day. I can't post pics with the kids, but here's some of the views we saw: Today, friends and fellow Elementary teachers encouraged us to get out of the apartment and asked us if we wanted to go hiking! It was a beautiful day after a few weeks of rain, rain, rain, so it was about time to get out there. San Salvatore, another mountain we've been hoping to get to the top of before we left, is the one with the big tower at the top. We took the funiculare up to the top - the steepest funiculare I've ever seen - and hiked back down. Here's the tower up close - it looks much bigger there!

There's a church on top of the mountain right next to the tower where you can see some pretty amazing views. Here's Lake Lugano, Monte Bre and Monte Boglia:

Another view of the lake from the top of the church: You could even see the campus. See the yellow building? That's the Palestra (gym). The one to the left of it is the dorm where I work, and our apartment is in the one that is sticking up into the patch of trees in the middle. San Abbondio:

What a great day for a hike - we were so glad to see the sun again!!! Almost at the end, we could see the tower in the background, where we began our hike.