Swiss Miss: The Descent

After the proposal, and our lovely picnic lunch, we spent the rest of the day hiking above and around Murren. We got up into the mountains as far as an old, decrepit, boarded-up hostel, and then turned around. We hiked back down the trail, and then walked the path from Murren down to Gimmewald, which is an even tinier village tucked on the mountain underneath Murren. We saw lots of sheep, and I may or may not have yelled at random hikers that I just got engaged (don't judge).

We took a gondola back up to Murren, and then the multitude of transportation methods back down to Interlaken. Back in our hotel room at the Metropole (a huge cement block of a thing), we drank a bottle of wine while watching the sun set. I took a million pictures of my ring, and Mr. Candy Apple read.

We couldn't call our parents, because our phones didn't work in Switzerland, so after the bottle of wine, we made our way downstairs to access the hotel computer. We sent our parents a quick, tipsy message, which I cornily signed 'the future Mrs. Candy Apple.' Gag. We also changed our Facebook status, which of course made the engagement official.

Although we had both traveled in Europe before (and should therefore have known better), we were in a haze of love and engagement bliss (gag again), and completely forgot that everything closes early on Sundays in Europe. Like, everything. When we went out around, oh, 7pm, there was not a single restaurant that was open. We were splashing through the rain, I was giggling like a crazy person (Mr. Candy Apple tells me that apparently I hadn't stopped giggling all day, like a 6th grader with a date to the dance), attempting to find some sort of food - it was like a cheesy romantic comedy gone horribly, horribly wrong.

We finally found a teensy British pub hidden almost next-door to our hotel that appeared to be open. Let me tell you, this place was about the size of our tiny apartment in Cambridge. We grabbed a table (I of course was still gazing at my ring, and paid no attention to what was going on around me) just in time. Once we were seated and served our measly sandwiches, a hoarde of loud, obnoxious American students rolled in. Yes, they took up the entire pub. Yes, they were incredibly drunk and annoying. (This is what gives us a bad name in Europe, people!!) Anyway, we spent most of the meal talking to the British couple next to us who was on a road trip to some sort of car race in the South of France.

After that, we dashed across the street to our hotel and passed out, exhausted from the exciting day. A funicular ride up to Harder Kulm, amazing beer and bears in Bern, Lucerne, and puttering around Basel followed (including the most amazing macarons EVER). An amazing, memorable trip! We are so incredibly excited about getting married - I can't wait! Mostly, I am just glad that he really is as sure about our relationship as I am, and that we both are at the same point emotionally. I am so, so lucky to be marrying my best friend (that's three gags in one post!).

When you got engaged, how long did you wait to tell people? Did you, like me, scream it from the roof mountaintops, or did you wait and keep the good news to yourself for a while?

All photographs are my own

By the way - wondering about the titles to these posts? I told one of my authors that I got engaged in Switzerland, and he now calls me Swiss Miss. Excellent. 

Swiss Miss: The Apex

After some minor mishaps, including lost luggage, Mr. Candy Apple and I took the train to Basel, where Daddy and Step-Mom CA met us at the train station. We went on a hike to an old castle, which was awesome.

I love travelling, and I love the history in Europe! Everywhere you go there are super-old, crumbly buildings. Daddy CA was, of course, bursting to tell me. Since he frequently tells me what my Christmas gift is before I actually receive the gift, I am VERY impressed that he kept the secret. He was talking about weddings while we were hiking (of course), but I guess I wasn't paying attention. Mr. Candy Apple, on the other hand, was having a panic attack, worrying that I would suspect. Luckily, his then-girlfriend, now-fiance, is quite dense, and doesn't notice obvious signs.

On Sunday, May 9, 2010 (mother's day!), we woke up fairly early, packed a fabulous picnic lunch that included a nice bottle of Chateau-Neuf-de-Pape, grabbed our backpacks, and headed out on our scenic train ride to Interlaken. But not before Daddy CA gave me an unusually long hug, and said "You guys should just take your time! Stay two days! Maybe longer! Enjoy your time together! My beautiful daughter!" HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING?!

The ride was beautiful, and I love traveling with Mr. Candy Apple. I distinctly remember thinking on the train hopefully we will be able to travel like this as a married couple, some day. When we got to Interlaken, we decided to check in at our hotel and drop off one of our backpacks before heading up to Murren. When we checked in, the woman referred to me as Mrs. Candy Apple, which at the time I thought was incredibly ironic and slightly sad, because I thought Mr. Candy Apple wasn't going to propose, since I "knew" he wasn't at the same place emotionally that I was. He, of course, must have been dying from holding his laughter in.

We got to our room and unpacked one of the backpacks. Now, I have a confession to make. Ever since I was little, I've been a bit of a snoop. I always found my Christmas presents early, because I hate surprises (sorry mom and dad!). It's a good thing Mr. Candy Apple knows me so well. I have to say this now - I really really was not expecting him to propose. However, I wanted him to propose - I kept thinking if he's ever going to propose, Murren would definitely be the perfect place. I just didn't think he would. At all. Even so, I needed to convince myself that he wasn't. I know it's horrible but, while he was in the bathroom, I might have done a quick reconnaissance of the backpack we were taking up to Murren. Maybe. I didn't find anything (OF COURSE, since he is smart and kept the ring nestled in that floss box!) which "confirmed" that he was not going to propose, and made me sad. But, as I said, I really wasn't expecting him to, so it didn't dampen my spirits too much. I was just excited to be out traveling and hiking around with him!

To get to Murren from Interlaken, you have to take a train, then a gondola, then another cogwheel train. It's a beautiful little trip, and it's so fun going up the mountain. We got up to the village, and it was a bit cloudy, so we decided to not go up to the Schilthorn, which is at the tip top of the mountain (side-note: Mr. Candy Apple had tried calling ahead to see if he could rent out one of the gondola compartments so that we could have it to ourselves while he proposed, but no dice). Instead, we decided hike up above Murren a bit and find a good place to eat our picnic, because it was around lunchtime and I was starving (and maybe a little cranky that he wasn't going to propose).

While we were in the village, we stopped and ducked into the adorable church (you can see the church in this post; a picture I actually took while abroad in 2005). Inside, I said a quick prayer, asking for Mr. Candy Apple to propose. I still didn't think it would happen at that point, but I really wanted it to! No harm in asking, right?

So, we got up above the village, and after some hiking noticed a perfect little bench perched alongside the trail, overlooking Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. We reached the bench (I was, of course, red-faced from hiking and may or many not have been breathing heavily. Totally sexy and composed), and dropped the backpack. Mr. Candy Apple somehow managed to get the ring out of the floss box without me noticing, put his arm around me, and, while I was taking in the beautiful view, got down on his knee in the mud and asked me to marry him. I believe the first words out of my mouth were "are you serious?!" I was just so surprised!! Of course after that, I said yes, and we enjoyed the perfect picnic lunch. It was really sunny and beautiful - we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather, and I couldn't have planned a more perfect proposal.

Did your fiance/ husband manage to surprise you with a proposal? Or did you see it coming? If you're like me and can't stand surprises, did you snoop around at all? Did you find the ring ahead of time?? I want stories!

All photographs are my own.

Swiss Miss: The Prelude

I suppose our engagement story goes back to the fall of 2009, when I realized decided I wanted to set my mind on marrying Mr. Candy Apple. Apparently around that time he also decided he wanted to marry me. Unlike me, however, he did not make me aware of his feelings. I was quite vocal about the fact that I was, indeed, ready to be a Mrs. On the contrary, being the sneaky son-of-a-gun that he is, once Mr. Candy Apple decided he was going to propose, he wanted me to be absolutely surprised when it happened. Which clearly meant he had to throw me off the scent and act completely non-committal for the next 8 months. Believe me, I was not pleased about this.

At the Nutcracker that winter. Please excuse the darkness/ blurryness

So, while he was telling me that he wasn't sure he wanted to get married, didn't want to settle down, etc. (seriously, not kidding!!), he was secretly designing my ring. I had at one point told him the style of ring I liked - blatantly dropping hints in the hopes that my supposedly unromantic boyfriend would eventually come around and decide to propose. If you know Mr. Candy Apple, he's the kind of guy who will research 551 various crock pots for hours before deciding on one - visiting forums, reading reviews, etc. He did the same thing with the ring, of course. He researched diamonds, learned about the 4 C's (I don't even know what those are), saved sketches of the ring on his computer, etc. At one point, his screen saver, which is set to show his "My Pictures" folder, came on while we were watching tv, and the picture of the ring came up. Luckily, he distracted me so I would look away, but I don't think I was paying attention anyway. He, on the other hand, had a mild heart attack.

Moonrise over Jungfrau - circa 2005

When my dad gave us a trip to Switzerland to visit him in Basel as our Christmas present, Mr. Candy Apple knew right away that was where he wanted to propose. So, he set about planning a little getaway for just the two of us.

 Jungfrau - circa 2005

We had both visited the little alpine town of Murren (separately) during our respective study-abroad experiences, and absolutely fell in love with it. It's a teensy town perched high up in the alps on the side of a mountain, and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. We decided to go do some hiking in Murren the day after we arrived in Switzerland, and spend the night down in Interlaken. I clearly thought it was my idea to visit Murren again, but looking back on it, I'm pretty sure Mr. Candy Apple planted the idea in my mind (Inception-style, perhaps?).

 Paragliders in Murren - circa 2005

 Church in Murren - circa 2005

Mr. Candy Apple called my dad up on Skype about a month before the trip - on the weekend of my birthday, actually, while I was out of town at a conference! Of course he said yes, not that there was ever any doubt. Mr. Candy Apple told my mom the week before we left, and she kept the secret! She did call me a few times before we left, which made Mr. Candy Apple nervous that I would know something was up, but it didn't strike me as out of the ordinary, since we talk every day.

Swiss Alps - circa 2005

He received the ring in the mail about a week before we left, and kept it in a floss box tucked inside his old Blackberry box. Yes, you heard me. A floss box. As in, a small container used to hold dental floss. He knows I'm super nosy, and didn't want me stumbling upon a ring box in our teensy apartment. Isn't he smart? When we left for Switzerland, he kept the ring, safely secured in the floss box with some tissue to cushion it, in his carry-on suitcase. When we got to the airport, the woman made him check the bag because she thought it was too long for the overhead compartment, causing him to be suddenly very concerned about his toiletries. At this point, you may be thinking how dense I am not to notice the signs, but 1. he had done a dang good job of convincing me that he wasn't ready to get married, and 2. I would have wanted to keep my toiletries with me on the plane too! I was probably a bit frazzled at that point, trying to argue with the airline lady to let him carry his bag on, and didn't even notice him taking the toiletries out anyway.

It was a good thing that he took the ring out, because when we landed in Zurich, they had lost Mr. Candy Apple's luggage. He was cool as a cucumber, knowing that the ring was safe in the floss box in his pocket. I, meanwhile, was freaking out about his lost luggage. Thankfully, they found his bag, and we were on our way.

 Unpacking at my dad's place in Switzerland - May 2010

Did you both decide "it's time to get married" at the same time, or was one person ready before the other? Did your significant other keep the ring hidden in a particularly funny way?

All images are my own, either from 2005 or 2010

.magical land.

.switzerland, that is.

round two of blogging about the best trip ever! get ready for a long post. lots of pictures coming your way! from the day after the proposal (yay!). interlaken, trip up the funicular to harder kulm, train ride to bern. baby bears. a fiance. it was a good day.

view from our hotel room, looking out towards thuner see

thuner see

me from the hotel room

alpine water! and fiance! yay!

brienzer see, from harder kulm. we had to take a funicular up a beautiful steep, high mountain. it was awesome

thunder see, from harder kulm

my amazing fiance. isn't he cute?

train ride from interlaken to bern

there were some crazy, fantastic statues at the top of fountains all over bern. this one has a man eating his children.

bern clock

bern is so lovely

baby bears in bern!

mmm. fabulous beers by the bears in bern. try saying that one ten times fast

sorry, had to sneak another ring shot in here. even though my hand is dry. and my fingers look like nubbins. i'm just going through ring withdrawls - we had to send it in for resizing.

beautiful bern. love the wisteria

i am the happiest, luckiest girl in the world.

.cheers.