Easter

Well easter is now over and plenty of chocolate consumed.So apart form eating chocolate, which seems a rather universal event on easter, what is a Swiss Easter really like?Well I woke up at 7:30 (and this is a considerable sleep in, from my usual 5:50 awakening). I then got ready for church. My host family were not going to church so I went with a Canadian Exchange student who lives in the village next to me, Justine.But before I went to Church I went upstairs and was greeted by the most amazing easter breakfast I have ever seen.The table had 5 nests on it, one for each member of the family. In these nests was a selection of easter chocolates and a decorated boiled egg with our names on it. On our place mats there was a bread bunny that my host mum had made our of Zopf (Sunday bread). There was also a egg candle in a egg up and a easter egg napkin.As the centrepieces of the table my host Mum had created another easter nest and filled it with little china bunnies. There was also a nest made out of the left over Zopf, and this was filled with easter eggs. We all tucked down and started eating our breakfast. When it came time to eat our boiled eggs I saw the strangest thing..............In Switzerland at eater when you open your boiled egg you have a duel. You place your egg in your hand with the pointy end upwards, your opponent does the same. You then bang your eggs together until one of the eggs cracks, you then do the same again to th other side of the eggs. Who ever has an egg with the least broken sides wins.I tired this duel with my host mum, however it must have been her years of egg bashing experience that gave her the advantage as I came off second best, with two cracked ends to show for it.After breakfast went went off to church. I met Justine at the train station and we walked together to church. The church we went to was a small church in my village. We went in and sat down and waited for it to start. We gave each other an easter egg, and then watched the church slowly fill with heaps of families and older people. The Church service was very nice with lots of songs and a solo from a member of the church. I think the sermon must have been good, however the slight problem that it was all in German and even the names of God and Jesus are diffrentent ...I didn't really understand it. After Church I walked Justine back to the train station and then walked home. When I arrived home we just relaxed for a while. ate some chocolate and then decided ot go on a walk.Olivia had alot of study to do so didn't join us, so the rest of the Family and I went off on a walk on the bergs around my village. We drove the car up to the top and then went walking along a lovely track with lots of great views to a small restaurant. I must say I still have not compleatly become used to the idea of having restaurants on tops of mountains or on the side of the track of a bush walk. However I am not one to complain as it is rather civil to be able to have a meal relax your legs and then continue on your way.The restaurant we stopped at was lovely. They had an easter basket on each table and cow bells hanging from the wall. Thisrestaurant was also special as one of the Old presidents form Switzerland used to visit if often when he went for walks, so his picture hangs proudly on the wall.I had the biggest Meringue I have ever seen. It was just huge. It towered over the plate and took me a good 20 minutes to eat just half of it. However my family were all hungry so finished off the side I couldn't eat. We then left the restaurant and made our way back to the car. When we had almost reached the car we saw a sign that said 'neiderbipp 2 hours'. So after a quick family disucsion we decided that we would walk off our lunch and walk the way home, and then come up with the other car and collect the car later. So off we went of a two hour bush walk home. This walk was lovely through all of the mountain side, It was also rather pleasant as it was mostly all down hill. The view of my village was so sweet as it all looked like a little model train viallge. Once home we put up or feet and relaxed..