The excitement rose in my stomach as we kept getting closer to the countryside. We had been in the city too long, too many people, too much traffic and too much noise. Just a few minutes later the fresh air of the green pastures filled my nostrils. The beautiful farmhouses loomed ahead of us their balconies filled with colorful and bright flowers, showing off their colorful splendor. I could hear the distant sound of cows mooing and sheep bleating. What amazed me was the clear blue sky, like a picture from an oil painting. The clouds like cotton candy in the sky, flawless. I strained my neck, glancing ahead seeing if I could catch the first glimpse of the Alps but I could only see the blurred outline of mountains. In the distance the first few sheep’s came into sight, their wool as soft and white as a fluffy cloud, grazing on the green grass. Healthy, brown cows greeted us with the ringing of their huge cowbells. I breathed in the fresh country air and let the warmth of the sun seep into my skin. In the air was a scent of milk and cheese.


After a while my mom said that we were almost there and I could already feel that we were getting closer to the Alps because the air was getting cooler. We were approaching the mysterious and serene woods, the smell changed to pine trees and damp wood and then the pine trees came into sight, tall and majestic. The road wound up higher and higher, little cozy huts scattered alongside the road. At the foot of the Alps we stopped and I breathed a sigh of awe and amazement. Compared to these huge mountains I felt so insignificant. The Alps stretched into the endless blue sky with patches of snow clinging to the sides of the mountains. The sun shone bright in the sky and reflected off the white snow. It seemed like the snow was sparkling like little crystals in the sun. It was breathtaking! I was bursting with eagerness to get to the top of the Alps. It seemed to me like a long time until I grabbed my mom’s hand and led her toward the direction of the cable car. Squeezing and dragging my mom against the mass of people I tried to get a place at the window. Then smoothly the cable car moved toward the gigantic Alps. Looking behind us people, cars and huts got smaller and smaller like little toys spread out in a scenery. We got to the top and the view was stunning, the mountains surrounding us stretched miles away. I felt like I was at the top of the world! The wind was blowing strongly and sent a chill through my body. Clouds were floating past us sometime hiding the scenery.

After a short walk on the rocky, narrow pathway we prepared to return when suddenly my ears caught the sound of the Alphorn. My eyes searched across the vastness of the panorama for the source of the music. My heart was touched by the melodious sound of a lone figure standing on the trail that wound up to the mountain, greeting those that were courageous enough to take on the challenge to conquer it. It was like a farewell especially for us as we needed to descend and return to the ordinary world. I will never forget this beautiful wonder of nature and all the impressions it gave me. The beauty of Switzerland with its majestic Alps will linger in my mind forever.