bern is beautiful

In 1983 the historic old town in the center of Bern became a UNESCO Heritage Site. It's not hard to see why. The city is also ranked among the top 10 cities in the world for quality of life.

The main reason our friend Evelyn took us to Bern was to see the Albert Anker exhibit in the art museum. Albert Anker was a 19th century painter and illustrator and has been called the "national painter" of Switzerland. The first picture I bought here 12 years ago I found in a second-hand Salvation Army store. It was a small print of an Albert Anker painting of a young girl. I have since collected several more prints of his original works, all in second-hand stores (except for the beautiful big print that Evelyn's husband, Manfred, gave us). I could not take pictures in the museum so this was the best I could do!





I loved this little guy's reaction to the fountains.

look who's visiting!

This is our dear friend, Bethany, who is visiting from the States for the weekend! Yes, you read correctly - she is here for the weekend! I saw her at the dorm last night for a few minutes and tonight she came for supper. What a blessing this young woman is to everyone she meets and she is a welcome addition to our family, that's for sure!

bern

Last Friday our dear Swiss friend, Evelyn, took us on an outing to Bern. It was a full and wonderful day! Our first stop was at the new bear "pit". Bern is famous for its bears and now they have a genuine top-notch Swiss quality place to romp and laze.

One of the less "rompish" poses....
This mother had quite the poses herself!


The view that the bears enjoy.
Loved this!


When we walked back here a few hours later this railing was lined with people watching the bears. It is quite the tourist attraction!

green

There are so many greens of Spring. The contrasts are so beautiful.

A whole field of freshly rolled up marshmallows!

senior girls' tea

Today was the day for the long-awaited tea to honour our female seniors. For the last several years the moms of the home students have organized this tea as a special celebration for the young women who are graduating.

I was on the organizing committee and I took on the job of fund-raising. We hosted the tea at a local "English Tea House" (actually the same place where Bethany will be working once her work permit is approved!).
It was really a lovely event. The day was bright and warm and we were able to sit outside to eat and enjoy each other's company.

After a short program and a time of blessing for the girls, there was lots of time for pictures, of course!
These are the seniors, dorm mom and resident assistants from the dorm where Howard and I sub each Thursday evening.
Katy's small group. The two young ladies on each end of the back row are the group leaders. They have invested so much into the lives of these girls and have been such a blessing to them and to us as parents. We are so thankful for them.
Rachel and Katy started grade 1 together and are two of the three "survivors" in this graduating class. Rachel and the other student have both missed two years out of the 12, however, Katy has been here for every year. She is this year's longevity winner.



Three moms with three girls who spend a lot of time together. These women are special friends to me and I will miss them.

door to door service

We get door to door mail delivery in Germany. These little yellow trucks zip around our town at top speed getting the mail out in record time. In the cities one can see lots of "mail" bikes and sometimes a scooter or motorbike. But one thing is always the same - the mailpeople are always in a BIG hurry and they move it!

Besides the regular mail, they also deliver packages that often have to be signed for. If the person is not home to receive the package...
...they go to the neighbour who will gladly perform that task and then deliver the package when the neighbour returns. We have been happy to do this for our neighbours many times.


Then the mailperson is off again...
...sorted letters in one hand with the other steering and working the gear shift. These are talented, multi-tasking people who take their job very seriously.