Switzerland Part 2: Jungfraujoch - The Top of Europe

Written by Jadon

Between our two rainy days in Zurich, we took a daylong bus tour to Jungfraujoch, and as I said in the last blog, this was the highlight of our trip to Switzerland. Because of the weather the day before and the forecast for the day after, we were very worried that our time in the Alps would be plagued by bad weather. But the closer we got to Jungfrau, the better the weather got! Our tour guide told us that this often happens because of the east/west alignment of the Alps and the wind movement in the area (primarily moving down from the north or up from the south). So it turned out that we had a perfect day in the mountains.

But what is Jungfrau, and what is Jungfraujoch?

Jungfrau is one of the tallest mountains in Europe. It is 4158 meters (13642 ft.) tall, and for comparison, Pikes Peak in Colorado—not the tallest mountain in America, but one of the best known—is 5530 ft. tall.

Jungfraujoch sits in a shallow valley between Jungfrau and its neighboring peak Mönch. It is the highest tourist accessible point in the Alps, and because of this, it is often called the Top of Europe. The Sphinx Observatory (Jungfraujoch’s highest point) has an elevation of 3454 meters or 11,333 ft. Of course, since Jungfraujoch is also a tourist location, there are stores, restaurants, a post office, outdoor walkways, and a Lindt chocolatier—it is Switzerland after all.

The map of our train journey up the mountain.

But anyway…Despite being stuck on a bus for a large portion of the day, the tour was fantastic. As mentioned before, the weather slowly got better and better as the day went on. What started as a gloomy, drizzly day slowly dried up, and then slowly got brighter and clearer. Each time our skilled bus driver navigated us around another bend in the mountain roads, the sun was shining just a little brighter. And each time we would get a new breathtaking vista to stare in awe at.

Just before we headed up into the first real mountain pass that our bus would drive through, we stopped at a viewpoint, overlooking the “moderate” hills and valleys we had just driven through. At this point the sun was just beginning to push the clouds away. Beneath us there was a long lake that stretched back around the green topped mountains and out of site. It was so beautiful.

We headed up into the pass and into the trees, and we only got glimpses through the branches of the view we had just had. And then without warning we broke through the other side, and the earth seemingly fell away, and across the narrow flat valley a wall of tree-covered slopes stretched up into the sunlight. The view before had been beautiful, but this was a redefinition of what height and depth and green could really mean. The forest still clung to our peripheral vision, but before us was the open sky, below us the lush valley, and, as though just beyond reach across the height, the verdant arms of another mountain stretched to enfold our entire view. And then it was gone. The road turned, and the bus took us back into the trees and down to the valley below. And I want to say it was the most _______ view I have ever seen, but I don’t know what word to use, and it wouldn’t sound good enough anyway. But maybe the word is resonant—that one perfect chord or sound or vibration that continues to echo and call to you. I could have sat for years drinking in that view, and perhaps it is good that that possibility was taken away.

Not long after our bus left the pass, we arrived in Interlaken. Interlaken is situated between two lakes—hence the name—and it sits in a flat expanse right at the foot of the mountains that our tour was taking us to. We had some time to get out and explore the city, but we wish we could have had more time to just sit and soak up the view. Near our bus stop, there was a huge meadow with benches on one side, and the feet of the frozen peaks on the other. It was one of our favorite spots on the trip, but we had to get back on the bus soon after arriving, and didn’t have much extra time to soak up the view.

Our bus then traveled on to Grindelwald, and up into the mountains proper. As much as Interlaken was at the foot of the mountains, Grindelwald was already climbing up the side. By the time we had gotten there our ears had popped two or three times, and the tips of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau were looming increasingly close above our heads. I think this is where we also realized what we were actually about to do. I know I said something like “Um. So we are going up there…” Here we also left the bus and boarded the first of two trains, and soon after leaving our train took us up into the snow.

View of the mountain range from Grindelwald

We switched trains at Kleine Scheidegg—which is basically at the top of a mountain itself, but only a 2061 meter one (Ha. Only.)—and the second train took us through a 45-50 minute tunnel that cuts through the core of the Monch and finally up to the Top of Europe.

View of the Sphinx Observatory from where we switched trains

Close-up of the Sphinx Observatory

The altitude at Jungfraujoch is such that oxygen levels are 25-30% less than normal, and our guide cautioned us to walk slowly and breathe deeply. I’m not sure how much it affected us, but I know that some others on our tour had to sit down and rest for a while.

Of course the best part of Jungfraujoch is the observation deck, where you can actually walk outside and look back down. Or up. There is still a sizable chunk of mountain above you. And it is a magnificent view, although rather white due to the amount of snow and ice. Only after standing out on the observation deck in just above freezing temperatures, did we realize that the industrial steel web of flooring could be looked through. For the most part it is only a foot or two above solid rock. For the most part…

View from The "Top of Europe"

With Emily at the "Top of Europe"

And then, really not that long after, we got back on the long tunnel train and descended into the light rain we had outrun at the mountain pass hours before. The gloomy weather slowly overtook us, but our time at the top was so unexpectedly clear, we didn’t even mind.

Jungfraujoch was the destination and climax of the day, but there were so many breathtaking views on our drive/train ride in and around the mountains, that the actual destination was just one of many outstanding moments. From the ice blue and white glaciers at the top, to the hundreds of waterfalls cascading their way down the mountains from the melting snow at the top, Jungfraujoch was a trip we won’t forget. 

 To see more pictures from our trip in the Swiss Alps, click here!

Switzerland Part 1: Zurich

Written by Jadon

The first weekend in May, we had the opportunity to go to Zurich, Switzerland with our friend Emily, who was visiting from the States. While Zurich was nice, the highlight of the trip was Jungfraujoch—the highest (tourist) destination in Europe. But more on Jungfraujoch in the next blog.

Map of our flight from Prague to Zurich

 The weather during our two days in Zurich wasn’t the best—it rained almost the whole time—and it turned out that the first day was a national holiday and the second a Sunday, meaning that most shops were closed. But despite the rather deserted streets and the drizzle, we managed to have a good time.

Old Town Zurich street

  We ducked into three different churches during the day, not only to get a reprieve from the rain, but also just to see their stained glass and learn about their history.

The first church was Grossmünster. Grossmünster’s huge, metal front doors are separated into many small (8in) square panels, each of which tells a biblical story in one picture. The stained glass windows are also of note, because they are unlike any stained glass I have seen before. The only way to describe them is to say that instead of glass, the windows are made of many thinly cut rocks (think: geode or agate). The effect is quite similar to stained glass with a heavy geology display vibe. Grossmünster was also the starting place for the 16^th century reformer Ulrich Zwingli, and is now a Protestant church.

Door of Grossmunster Cathedral

Grossmunster Geode Stained Glass

The second church, just across the river, was Fraumünster. Most noteworthy about Fraumünster, is its stained glass. While the windows here are more similar to what we would expect from stained glass windows, they are still quite unique. And Fraumünster’s windows are breathtaking. Each is made with variants of one color, and shows pictures of biblical stories/character from one theme. So there is a Law window, a Christ window, a Zion window, and so forth. Both of these churches are major landmarks in Zurich, piercing the low skyline and standing opposite each other with only the river in between. Interesting since one is a Protestant and the other Catholic.

Three of the five stained glass pieces in Fraumunster Church

The third church, St. Peter’s, makes the list of places to visit in Zurich, because its steeple is home to the  largest clock face in Europe. St. Peter’s was also interesting, because, while the outside looked like a church, the inside did not. When you step through the front doors you are immediately surrounded by varnished wooden pillars, lavishly adorned, white walls, chandeliers, and a balcony that stretches almost all the way around the church. This leaves one with the unshakeable feeling that were the very moveable looking chairs absent, one would have just stepped into a splendid ballroom. Interestingly, the one place that remained unadorned was the area around and behind the pulpit, which was rough stone.

Inside St. Peter's Church

Outside St. Peter's - check out the giant clock face!

All three churches, in somewhat quick succession, made for a very interesting tour despite the rain. We also managed to find a cozy teashop, were able to eat at one of the oldest—technically the longest, most consistently open—vegetarian restaurants in Europe, and take a free cruise on Zurich’s lake, giving us our first view of the Alps. All in all, it was a great day.

Beautiful view from our short cruise.

To see more pictures from our trip to Zurich, click here!

Czech Culture: Final Bell

Written by Brittany

Thursday, April 30 was the last day of school for our 4^th year (senior) students.

Though it was their last day of normal classes, it was not their final day of studying. The first week of May was the written portion of their final test, and this week has been the oral portion. After today, though, if all goes well, they are officially done with school!

But back to April 30.

The first three hours of our school day (7:45am-10:15am) were devoted to the “final bell” activities. We had no idea what to expect going into school that day, though we had heard a few descriptions of the day from some students & other teachers. The main thing we were told: wear clothes you don’t care about. That does not exactly make one confident about what is to come!

As the three of us (Emily was still with us, so she got to experience this too) approached school at 7:30am, we saw our students in crazy costumes with buckets of water, large squirt guns, perfume, and something that definitely smelled like vinegar. 

Some of our 4th year students in their costumes.

We, as teachers, were for the most part safe from getting too wet, though we definitely saw some younger students get soaked. We did get marked by many of the students with their class “names” (4A, 4B, etc.)

After making it into the school, we observed from the safety of the second floor windows. There were still many buckets of water and now many drenched younger students.

4th year students in the first floor windows - all other students getting soaked below them.

Ready with their buckets of water!

After this there was a school-wide trivia competition and eventually the 4^th year students had food (including delicious grilled pineapple!) for us to buy.

There is nothing really to compare this to in our US culture except perhaps a senior prank, but this was a bit too scheduled to be the same. It was a really interesting experience, & we look forward to seeing what the 3^rd year students do next year when it’s their turn. Hopefully they will be just as kind to their English conversation teachers!

Hot Air Ballooning

Written by Jadon

Many of our blog posts have been about places that we have been able to travel. But, not only have we had the chance to travel to many different cities throughout Europe, we have also had the opportunity to do many exciting things here in the Czech Republic. And one of those things was hot air ballooning.

Of course, you can take hot air balloon rides in the States as well, but floating above the Czech countryside was an added bonus. The fields were full of yellow wildflowers and a few deer. We started near a small castle atop a hill, and, for most of our flight, we could see the steeple of a church nestled among the once again green hills. And of course we had very pleasant weather, as one must for such an activity.

I (Jadon) also got the privilege of helping to unpack and repack the actual balloon, which is about like it sounds, though it is quite surprising how tightly the entire balloon (and basket) can be packed up. But along with that, I was also part of holding the deflated balloon open as the burners filled it up and lifted it into the air. That may not seem too exciting, but you probably haven’t stood within 3ft. of two 15ft. flamethrowers for 15 minutes trying to hold open a gigantic bag that just wants to drag you away…

 Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it was more intense than I was initially expecting.

Actually riding in the hot air balloon, however, was so much fun! It really was like floating. I knew the moment we left the ground, but when I looked down a few seconds later, I was very surprised at how high we already were. It was so very smooth. And surprisingly it wasn’t scary. Despite being so exposed so high above the ground, it was actually very relaxing and perfectly peaceful. In fact, it draws pretty close to dogsledding, which is probably my favorite activity ever.

 We really did have a wonderful time—and a safe and smooth landing thanks to our skilled pilot—and I would highly recommend taking a hot air balloon ride if you get the chance.

In the balloon with our friend Emily, who organized the trip for us!

 To see more pictures from our hot air balloon trip: click here!
  

Home for the Summer!

We are really excited to finally be able to tell you the dates we'll be back in the States this summer!
We'll be in the country for the month of July, splitting our time between Jadon's family in Olathe, Kansas and Brittany's family in Manteno, Illinois.

We will arrive in Kansas City late on Thursday, July 2, and we'll be there until Tuesday, July 14.

Then we'll be taking a 2-day mini-vacation in St. Louis.

We'll arrive in Manteno in the afternoon on Thursday, July 16, and we'll be there until we fly back to Prague in the evening on Monday, August 3. 

A lot of our weekends during that month are already filling up, but our weekdays should have a pretty free schedule. If you're in or near the area, we would love to see you for coffee or dinner or whatever! We will have a car, so we can also meet people places if we need to.

We don't know yet if we'll have access to regular phones while we're home, but we will have Facebook and email, so that will probably be the easiest way to contact us that month. Basically our communication will be the same as it is now :)

So, please send us emails (bhuddleston@teachbeyond.org OR jhuddleston@teachbeyond.org) or contact us on Facebook if you want to get together! We're really glad to have the opportunity to come home and can't wait to see everyone!!

Prayer Requests:
- Our senior students take the speaking section of their Maturita exams during the next week. They are, obviously, very stressed. Please pray for their peace as well as their ability to recall all the information they've learned.
- The week of the 25th we will have some American university students from CRU in our classrooms. The American students are already in Prague beginning their ministry and will be here for a little over a month, so please pray for their time here.
- Though it feels like school is ending, in reality, we still have 6 more weeks of teaching. So prayers for continued energy and focus in the classroom would be great.

Praises:
- Spring is finally here! We have had some beautiful weather and are very much enjoying it!
- The last three weekends we've been able to travel and see some beautiful parts of Europe. We feel very blessed to have these opportunities.
- Our friend Emily was here for 11 days, and it was a wonderful visit! We have another friend coming in a couple weeks. It's such a joy to have people from home come see us!

English Drama Club

Written by Brittany

I cannot believe it has already been a full month since our drama club performances! This spring is going so quickly.

It’s really difficult to put into words just how amazing being part of the English Drama Club was for us this year.

In high school, Jadon and I were both involved in drama at school, and last year I was given the opportunity to help Mrs. Eileen Kregor with the spring play at Herscher High School. So we didn’t go into this as total novices, but we also did not have very much experience as directors either.

Last June we were able to sit down with Laura Reynolds who had been a conversational English teacher at our school in Prauge 5 years ago. While she was here, Laura started the English Drama Club. As she told us about the opportunity we would have, we were really excited! We enjoy drama and knew it would be a great way to get to know some students on a more personal level. We had a lot of questions and some nerves, but overall we were excited. And that was the right emotion to have.

We had 18 students as part of EDC this year. What’s very interesting about this group is that some of them are our current students at Arabska and others are past graduates. So some of them have moved on to university but were members of EDC when they were in high school, and they come back to participate in it again. This was great because we had some students in their first year with EDC and others in their fifth!

EDC Members at the Christmas Party

We began meeting with the students in early October just playing improv and drama games. In January we had auditions for our play: The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon! Essentially it was a large mash-up featuring characters from many of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. So characters like Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, etc. were all there.

One of our posters, made by Jadon!

We worked on the play from the middle of January until mid-April when we had our performances. The rehearsals were a great experience, and we were weekly impressed with the students’ dedication and abilities. The play was a comedy, and we had students with fantastic comedic timing and a strong desire to make the audience laugh, which they certainly did!

The Enchantress & the Prince in Rapunzel's Tower

Our first performance was April 15, a Wednesday. We were worried that not many audience members would attend on a Wednesday evening, but as I sold tickets, I was amazed that we had 50 people in the audience! Thursday night there were 63 people, and then Friday night we had a full house with 131 people!

The students did a great job, and each night the audience seemed to really enjoy themselves. The play was a full 2 hours, which our students handled so well! They were able to keep the audience engaged and keep up their energy, while performing in English. As Jadon & I walked home each night, we could not stop talking about how proud & impressed we were.

The Princess (from the princess & the frog prince) with her father, the King

So while there were definitely overwhelmed and stressed moments as we tried to think through blocking, costumes, props, sets, programs, posters, tickets, concessions, etc., overall we absolutely loved the experience and cannot wait until we get to do it again next year!

And we must add: we could not have done this without the help of our EDC students. The students we had this year were fantastic. They worked so well together, and constantly were there to answer our questions and help us out. We were certainly blessed by this group!

The cast of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon! (plus 2 directors)

Istanbul Recap!

Written by Jadon

Over a month ago (April 1^st-5^th), Brittany and I had the opportunity to travel to Istanbul, Turkey during our school’s Easter holiday. If you have followed our story—or just our blog—from the beginning, you will remember that Turkey was our original destination of choice. So this was an interesting trip, not only for the wonderful tourist sites, but also as a reminder of the culture we had been heading toward. As it turns out, and always does, God knows what he is doing. As much as we enjoyed our vacation, which was a lot, we are both glad that we live and teach in the Czech Republic. And without his reshaping of our “perfectly constructed” plan last spring, we would not be here in Prague today.

Flight path from Prague to Istanbul

 You might remember from geography class, but Turkey is one of the few countries in the world to be part two different continents. Although most of the country is considered to be Asia, the city of Istanbul bridges the Bosphorus (a waterway connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, which divides Asia and Europe). In short, part of Istanbul is in Asia, and part is in Europe. While most of our time was spent on the European side, thanks to a bus tour that crossed the Bosphorus Bridge, I have now been to Asia!! Though our bus nearly immediately drove back across the bridge and back into Europe, and we didn’t get out, so hopefully one day my feet will get go to Asia, not just my eyes… But it was fun nonetheless. Of course, Brittany spent a summer in China, so for her it was a 7 minute return to Asia.

On the highway, entering into Asia

Istanbul is a bustling city packed with history and things to see, and there are so many things to tell you about. From the massive Hagia Sophia and it’s intricate mosaics, to the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar. From Galata Tower high on the hill across the Golden Horn, to the tulips of the Topkapi Palace Gardens. And of course the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome near its gates. There are so many sites, and they are all so old and so interesting.  But let me just expound on just a few.

First: Apple Tea. Not only is Turkey known for Turkish delight and baklava, it is also known for its tea. Of course there are a ton of varieties—as a walk through the Egyptian Spice Market will quickly show you, but our favorite was the Apple Tea. It was delicious, and we tried to buy some to bring home, but as good as it is, it isn’t the same.

Delicious Turkish Apple Tea!

 Second: Fish Sandwiches. On a tip from a friend, we learned that in Istanbul you can buy fresh fish sandwiches from men on boats near the Golden Horn. Basically, the boat is the kitchen area, and customers walk up to the docked boat, order and pay, and then the food is passed from the boat, across the water, to the customer on the shore. We managed to find one such vendor, and despite the rain and the wind making the boat (kitchen) toss and turn like mad; we ordered our sandwich and managed to find a seat under an umbrella and a heat lamp on the very steady concrete shore! It was delicious. So, if you are ever in Istanbul...

In the back is the "kitchen" on the boat. The man handing Brittany the sandwich is on shore with us, so they pass it out to him once it's made.

Third: The Basilica Cistern. Probably our favorite site of all the great things we saw, the Basilica Cistern is a huge underground cistern that was built in A.D. 532. During the Middle Ages it was completely closed off and forgotten. As the story goes, an archeologist heard rumors that certain residents of the city were able to lower buckets into holes in their basement floors to draw fresh water. Some even claimed to have caught fish from these holes. Of course the archeologist couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by, and eventually discovered the lost cistern. Today the Basilica Cistern is mainly a tourist attraction, and tourists can descend the fifty some steps into the dimly lit, man-made cavern. It is about 210 ft. wide, 420 ft. long, and 27 ft. high, and is supported by 336 marble columns. If I understood correctly, when it was built, water could fill the cistern all the way to the top and it wouldn’t leak! (You’ll have to do the math to figure out how much water that would be.) Today, though, there are only a few lonely fish swimming in about 12 inches of water that rests beneath the walkways. Of course, since it’s a tourist site, there is an underground café, where we, of course, got some Apple Tea!

Brittany in the Basilica Cistern

Istanbul is filled with wonderful sites, stories, and food, and we have many other stories we could tell, but you will just have to ask us this summer. Or take a trip to Istanbul yourself!

Inside the Blue Mosque - We really loved our trip to Istanbul!

 

Prayer Request & Quick Update

Please join us today and this week as we pray for our senior students who will begin the written portion of their Maturita exams today.
The oral portion will take place the week of May 18. That is the part they seem to be more concerned about, so prayers for them for the next few weeks would be wonderful!

 Also.
We know we have been such delinquent bloggers the last 5 weeks. Things have been so busy!
And this next week will be very busy.
BUT!
After that, you will get many updates on things like:
Istanbul!
English Drama Club!
Emily's Visit!
Czech Culture: Final Bell!
Switzerland!
Salzburg for Brittany's Birthday!
Dates We'll be Home in the Summer!

So look forward to all that as we try to get caught up!
- J & B