Switzerland Day 4 - Anabaptist Bridge, La Steiner and a Visit to Hélène

Our last day in Switzerland, we started at the Anabaptist Bridge.  This was the site where the Mennonites gathered to worship when they were under persecution. 

 This is the modern bridge built on the site of the old bridge.

 An inscription below commemorating the Anabaptists.

 Standing under the bridge, where the people gathered.

 There were many old carvings in the stone walls.

 Here you can see the date 1860.

 VIew of the site.

After visiting the Anabaptist bridge, just down the road we saw a sign for 'La Steiner', so we figured we better check it out!

 It ended up being a scenic hike for us, and there were some beautiful wild flowers along the way.

 We stopped to take some pictures :)

 And along the way picked up a few walking sticks...

 And a lovely assortment of wild flowers!

 After that, we drove to a hilltop where we were looking for another Anabaptist site, but were never really sure we found it.  Somewhere along here was another meeting point.

 We did enjoy the views, though!

This church was also an important part of the Anabaptist history.. unfortunately we didn't want to barge in during the middle of the wedding that was in process, so we just snapped a picture and kept going!

 We did find the place where they made the Tete de Moine cheese!  Yum!

 The monastery across the way.

And then our day and time in Switzerland ended in Orbe, a town just across the French border in Switzerland, about 80km NE of Geneva.  We went to the home of Hélène, a woman who lived with Kevin's grandparents (and thus was the 'sister' his Dad and brothers never had) for a few years of High School.  This is Hélène's house.

 And her outdoor wood stove.

 She fed us a great dinner on her lovely patio!

And her daughter, Patricia, and her family stopped by as well.  Patricia also lived with Kevin's uncle Mark for a few months in the 90's. 

 Hélène and her daughter, Patricia and her husband Alain and youngest son, Martin.

 

Once again, thank you, Hélène, for your hospitality!  It was wonderful to meet you and fun for Roy and Ruth to catch up.  It was also fun for Kevin to see Patricia again after so many years.  May God bless you for your continued generosity and kindness!

This was the end of our Switzerland trip, and after visiting we had a short 2 hour drive home.  It was a wonderful trip to Switzerland, filled with glimpses of the past and history of Kevin's family and the Anabaptist heritage.  So many wonderful memories traveling with Grandma and Grandpa as well!  The boys still love to play "Grandma packed her suitcase" sing, "The Bear went over the Mountain" (yeah, thanks for that one!  haha) and of course, they still beg for me to make babies out of their blankies, napkins, etc!  Such great memories!

The European adventures with Mom and Dad continue...