Thursday, March 21, 2024
This morning we were up before the crack of dawn. The kids packed pretty quickly and quietly, and after a quick breakfast of yogurt and pre-cooked waffles, we were on the road.
It was a quick walk to the train station in Zollikofen, then a short train to Bern, and then the long train ride from Bern to Milano, Italy.
It was breathtakingly, achingly beautiful to travel by train through the Alps. Every time we turned a corner some incredible new sight fill my eyes. The Alps are different than any mountains I’ve ever seen. They are more jagged, more vertical. I can see why people keep coming back here once they have seen these views. A photographer could spend a lifetime just here, and never tire of new vistas.
On the train, we met a really cool American family, and we had a chance to visit with them for a bit. They were traveling with four teenagers and the grandparents. They travel a lot as a family. They travel instead of doing gifts. I think that’s awesome. They also know about Hillsdale College. The grandpa kept kind of winking at me and pumping his fist and whispering “Keep fighting!” And “You’re our only hope.”
Also on this train ride I finally finished Bashō’s Narrow Road to the Far North. I was particularly touched by the postscript, written by a friend of his:
In this little book of travel is included everything under the sky – not only that which is hoary and dry but also that which is young and colourful, not only that which is strong and imposing but also that which is feeble and ephemeral. As we turn every corner of the Narrow Road to the Deep North, we sometimes stand up unawares to applaud and we sometimes fall flat to resist the agonizing pains we feel in the depths of our hearts. There are also times when we feel like taking to the road ourselves, seizing the raincoat lying near by, or times when we feel like sitting down till our legs take root, enjoying the scene we picture before our eyes. Such is the beauty of this little book that it can be compared to the pearls which are said to be made by the weeping mermaids in the far-off sea. What a travel it is indeed that is recorded in this book, and what a man he is who experienced it.
It’s an ideal to aspire towards.
The Milan train station is incredible. It looks like one of the giant halls in the Louvre, only full of people and shops and trains. Ae ate deep fried pizza frita there.
From there it was another smooth ride to Vicenza.
In this city we are staying with Delwyn and Lisa. Delwyn is the uncle of Dachelle Luna -- who was in our Spanish branch in Cedar City. Although we had never met them, Delwyn and Lisa were awesome! They picked us up at the train station and drove us to their beautiful home. Lisa works on the military base here, but they live off-base. In the evening we ate authentic Italian pizza, played games with their daughter Lela, and then watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to prep for Venice tomorrow.
This was a good day.