The Great Alpventure -Part 2: Summit Songs and Sky Fire
- Jan 19, 2017
- 3 min read
Esther and I started out the New Year by accidentally fulfilling all the New Year’s resolution stereotypes. For one, the Credo snack bar was abundant with delicious foods, but they all cost money, except for one large basket of free fruit. In a wild attempt to feel as though we were thrifty people in control of our finances, we hoarded as much fruit as possible in our room and for once in my life something healthy was my primary snack. In keeping with the accidental resolution theme, we also found ourselves taking many a hike, and getting more exercise than could possibly be good for us.
We took our first hike on New Year’s Day. We bundled up warmly, thinking we would be fighting for our lives against the frigid mountain air, but it ended up being a lovely day, and consequently we almost died of heat stroke. It was a very pleasant hike, with lots of pine trees and incredible mountains. At one point it got so steep that we had to climb up some rough-hewn wooden ladders to reach the bit where it plateaued out, which felt quite daring and quest like. When we got to the top, we took a moment to rest and enjoy the view. Someone had set up a cross on the edge of the peak, and when we looked down to the lake below it was covered by a thick sheet of clouds. Then one of the guys who’d gone on the hike pulled a penny whistle out of his backpack and began playing the Shire song from Lord of the Rings. He did not explain himself. I guess sometimes a man’s just gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Once everyone was gathered, we all sang some worship songs. There is something so amazing about meeting Christians from other countries. I love in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when Dumbledore says, “Differences of habit and language are nothing if our aims are the same and our hearts are open.” Perhaps I shouldn’t be using wizard quotes to prove my spiritual point, but that’s exactly how I feel. Wherever I go in this world, I’m unified with people who, however different from me culturally, worship the same God as me, and that’s the kind of thought that makes me go all warm and wobbly and start crying because we all know I have no control over my tear ducts. There I was, surrounded by new people, all singing about the same Jesus on top of a mountain in the Swiss Alps. What is my life?
That night the city of Interlaken put on a fireworks display, and we all walked down into town to watch. Apparently the shortest route involved cutting through a large forest. In the dark.
So, we were walking through the woods late at night. No-one was around and our phones were dead. Out of the corners of our eyes, we saw him:
Shia LaBeouf.
Kidding. If you didn’t get it, I can’t possibly explain it to you. Just go to Youtube, type in “Shia LaBeouf live” and watch the magic unfold. Right, back to the story.
We were not alone, and our phones were not dead, and we safely traversed the wood and made it into town to see the fireworks. It. Was. Lit. (pun intended). They were some of the best fireworks I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to Disney World. You know how most fireworks shows sort of ebb and flow? Like, they set off a few at a time with a gentle sort of lull in between spurts? Not so with the Swiss. They pulled out all the stops. It was a constant string of sky-glitter explosions and magic, to the point where towards the end there was a dense cloud of smoke hovering over the earth. There was music and everything, including one set of fireworks accompanied by My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, which Esther I joined in on with great enthusiasm. One of the good things that’s happening to me as I grow older is that my excitement about fireworks grows exponentially every year I’m alive. I can’t get enough of them. But, now, dear readers, I am afraid that I you have had enough of me for one session (see that excellent segue I just did) and I must conclude. Next up on The Great Alpventure: The Ski Blog.
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