Adventure Part One

Thursday we spent the day on a tour of Gryon. The tour was wonderful and I now know something of the history of the village of Gryon and its people. The amazing part of the tour in my opinion was the guide. Mr. Middleman was our guide, and quite possibly one of the most brilliant people I've met. He teaches Philosophy at Kings College in New York City, but lives in and knows a great deal of Gryon. Mr. Middleman is also a preacher. I was privileged enough to speak with him about a couple things on the tour. I found the Church that he showed us, very interesting. It's tragic that such a beautiful place is actually only used a couple of times a month. There was actually scripture carved into the ceiling of the Church. Interestingly, because Gryon is in the Protestant part of Switzerland, the Protestant Church can ring its bells on the hour but the Catholic gets one little bell and is not given the ringing privilege. I hope to get to speak with Mr. Middleman again, hopefully for a longer period of time.
This morning, (Friday) we were honored to have a lesson from Mrs. Middleman, who was no disappointment with her knowledge. We discussed primarily a local author: C.F. Ramuz. She explained his very different view of life, death, and the Alps. It was a very interesting conversation with many different thoughts and opinions from the group. I would certainly love to meet with both Mr. and Mrs. Middleman again and have a discussion. I am so impressed with their intelligence and knowledge! Also, one of Mr. Middleman's students was named ADRIANNA! Can you believe that? It is spelled and pronounced the same as mine! Also, she just graduated with a degree in Philosophy! The irony!
Today we went to the city of Vevey, which was a nice change of pace from the quieter small towns on the mountain. It was fun adventuring through the city and figuring out the train schedule. I have also enjoyed attempting to pick up on the French language. Most people are very forgiving of my many failed attempts at their native tongue, but I am learning and find it rewarding when I "get it right". We walked along the lake this evening, and though it was rainy, it was beautiful and exciting all the same.
I hope to soon go rock climbing and paragliding, which I think will be great fun! I am so excited! Everything is an adventure here... and I can't stop taking pictures. My poor little Kodak is a trooper through it all (but it's only week one, cross your fingers for it)!
This concludes my first Swiss post, I'll write again soon. God Bless!