Dienstag!

I left of the last post saying that my host mom was taking me into Basel. Well, I lied. Sort of. We still went on a trip, it just wasn't to Basel. First my host mom took me to the store to get my picture taken for my bus pass and residency card. It was so cool because we did it in what looked like a photo booth that we find in the malls. And it was only 8 Swiss Francs for 4 photos, instead of $20 for 2 like back at home!

 After we took the photos, we went back to the apartment to get my host dad and then we drove to another small town to meet my fourth host dad who also happens to be the man in charge of the bus passes for all of the exchange students. He owns a stable and has lots of horses. They are so beautiful and I can't wait to ride them and spend time at the stable! He kept joking (or maybe not) that he can;t wait until I am able to help him clean out the stalls everyday!

This is one of the horses at the stable! 

And I swear, everything in Switzerland has a beautiful view of the mountains!

After leaving the stable we drove up into the mountains and stopped at an old castle so that I could look out and see the city of Solothurn below. It was breathtaking! Fields upon fields upon fields and then there was an area of old buildings and a river running below. Driving up the mountains is just as beautiful but it is also scary because the roads are so narrow! Whenever there was a car coming the other way, I got nervous because I didn't know how 2 cars were going to fit on the road. But they so - as long as both vehicles drive on the very edge! :)

The view from the castle overlooking Solothurn

After looking out we drove back down the mountain and went into the town of Solothurn and walked around. There are cobblestone streets and many old buildings and a cathedral under construction. There are lots of stores and they sell a variety of things. From restaurants, cafes and bars to H&M to an official Swiss Army store, everything is so much cooler because it is all "Swiss". 

We stopped at a small - but busy - outdoor restaurant and had a drink. I stood there looking at the beautiful sights while my host mom explained the history of everything to me - first in German, then in English! My host dad ran into someone he knew who was with a  girl from New York! It was awesome being able to speak English with someone from back home! :)

Looking out from where we were at the Restaurant 

After our small adventure in Solothurn, my family and I drove back into Harkingen where we live and went for dinner at a small, but beautiful, restaurant. My host sister, Nati, had just finished work, so she came to meet us for dinner. My younger host sister was at theatre practice so she couldn't join us. I had a tea after dinner while my host parents had coffee and man did drinking tea remind me of my mama! If you're reading this Mom, I love and miss you tons and can't even drink tea without think of you for goodness sake! 

And now I am back at the apartment getting ready for bed. I watched a little bit of TV with my host parents and studied my german phrase book - nerdy, I know. I couldn't wait until the morning to update all of you on my adventures of the day, so I am doing it quickly before I go to bed. I am still not fully adjusted to Swiss time. I think I belong somewhere between Ancaster and Switzerland because my body is operating on half Canadian time, half Swiss time - somewhere in the ocean! 

But it is getting late here and I should probably get some rest because who knows what tomorrow has in store for me! Both of my host parents are on vacation this week so I think we are going on another adventure tomorrow!

So for now, Gute nacht! 

Madi <3