Bern Munster Cathedral and iceskating

So I really have to confess that I overdramatized in my last post.  Sure, I wish that somehow Scotty could have beamed me to Utah for Lindsay’s wedding, and I was a little sad when I saw the pictures, but really, I didn’t dwell too much on missing it.  How could I when some friends helped me to have a terrifically sensational two days.  First on Wednesday, my friend Kathrin brought her daughter Melinda to my house to watch the kids while she and I took the train in to Bern.  Basically she’s the awesomest person in the world. 

I can’t remember what this building was—but I think it was some sort of government building. Then we went to the Munster Cathedral. 

“The unique Bern Münster dates from 1421. Looking a bit like a great Gothic rocket, this former cathedral boasts the tallest spire in the country. It also shelters some important medieval art, including painted sculptures over the portal and fine stained glass windows.”

“The most exceptional feature of Bern's Münster is the magnificent depiction of the Last Judgment over the main portal, which contains more than 200 carved wood and stone figures. Justice occupies the center, flanked by angels and the Wise and Foolish Virgins. Above is the Archangel Michael, with a sword and scales. The saved are on the left and the damned are on the right. Such a significant survival of religious images is rare in Protestant Switzerland, but apparently the graphic depictions of salvation and damnation appealed enough to the Reformers to spare it from destruction.”

   

Gargoyles are awesome.   

“The Münster's 100m (300-foot) bell tower is the highest in Switzerland and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. The tower's viewing platform provides a panoramic view of the Bernese Alps, the old town, Bern's bridges, and the Aare River. Getting there costs a small admission charge and a spiral climb up 254 narrow stone steps.”

 

“The Münster's 10.5-ton bell was cast in 1611 and is the largest in Switzerland. You may wish to plan your tower climb around its resounding ringing!” 

So we WERE there when they rang the bells, and we ran down the REALLY narrow spiral stairs to right next to the bells, and of course had to cover our ears when we were that close, but it was sooo awesome to feel the enormous vibrations in our chests and bodies.  Really amazing.I really like this door, and think maybe when we build a house I’ll put one in just like it.

This is the ceiling.  I tried to take a close up but it didn’t turn out, but there are statues at each intersection of the lattice. Then we just walked around window-shopping and smelling.  I had to go into one of the chocolate shops and it was awesome.  I couldn’t even buy anything because there was simply too much—impossible to decide on any one thing.   But later I did buy this little cheese-pie thingee (can’t remember what it was really called) and it was delish.

   

So anyhow, I got to spend a wonderful day in the city seeing the sights, tasting the tastes, smelling the chocolate, and visiting with a wonderful friend.  It was GRRRReat!  Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take any pictures of her and me, so we’ll have to go back and do it all again and get a picture of us.  Darn it.  :)

Just as a random note, remember how I said the cars are small here.  Some are very VERY small.  This one I like to call a raindrop car, but it’s really called a Twike.  If you’re at all interested in cars, you should go to twike.com and see them.  (Brett made me.)  One kind can be pedal-powered, but the other kind runs on a battery I think.  Very eco-friendly and all that jazz.  Guess how much one of these little babies cost?  I’ll tell you.  $16,000.  Wow. Then the next day, my friend Melinda came over to hang out with me because she’s has a holiday from school and she’s awesome like that.  We took Jethro and went into Bern and went iceskating (thanks to Brett who came home because he was feeling sick and then watched the other kids for me).  :)  It was so fun.

It was the coldest day of the last two weeks though, of course.  But we had fun anyway.  I told Melinda my sister was getting married that very day and that since I wasn’t there with the rest of my family she had to be my surrogate sister.  She said she’d be honored.  Yeah, she’s pretty much the most wonderful girl in the world.

 

Then Melinda and I took the train to another friend’s house where we had a movie and snacks with some of the girls in the ward.  I don’t know how I suddenly somehow became cool enough to hang out with teenagers, but I’m glad I am (or that they’re nice enough to tolerate me ;) ) because they are awesome.  (And I mean that when I say it—I used to think the worst calling in the world would be Young Womens, but here I think I would have an awesome time!)  When I left to go home at 9:30 or so, Melinda and Talitha walked me to the bus stop and it was grand.  They are funny and fun and I felt so light-hearted.  And I looked around me in the darkness and thought, I can’t believe I’m really in Switzerland.