Wendy Altschuler
The travel itinerary was focused on my interests
The moment I arrived in Engelberg, about an hour and 15 minutes from Zurich Airport and in the heart of Switzerland, I let out an audible sigh. As someone who grew up in Montana, with nature and wildlife all around, mountains have always felt like home to me — even in a town with a different language and culture. In this small hamlet of under 5,000 residents, I could breathe again.
With a long list of things I wanted to do, I began by making my way to the famous Benedictine Monastery, built in 1120, where monks still live and work.
Next, I bundled up and took a cable car to the top of Mount Titlis in the world’s first revolving cable car where, no matter what time of year it is, there’s only one season: winter.
I walked across the highest suspension bridge in Europe; wandered through the glacier cave, illuminated and still; sat on the glacier chairlift to snap photographs; and took my place in line to go sledding at Glacier Park, where a large tourist family laughed and tossed snowballs at each other, making me painfully miss my three boys at home.
My brood would have loved to play in the snow; I had to fight back feelings of lonesomeness.
The older I get, the more obsessed I get with longevity
Using my body fully has become a priority as I age, so that was a must for this trip. The next couple of days were filled with outdoorsy escapades, where I hiked on numerous paths full of trailside cheese stands, wildflower-dotted mountainsides, and mooing cows.
I felt butterflies in my stomach on the via ferrata, a thrilling climbing route that uses fixed steel cables, ladders, and other systems to safely help you navigate steep and rocky terrain. At the top, I felt powerful and itty bitty at the same time.
The rain poured down in sheets the day I went kayaking across Trüebsee Lake, an alpine loch at the foot of Titlis mountain, high above Engelberg, reached only by cable car or intrepid foot. With the lake completely to myself, I paddled around and surveyed the clouds as they seemed to pucker and blot out the mountains. The cacophony of sound was so great that I could only hear the shower and my own thoughts.
I closed my eyes, put one hand to my heart, and smiled.
I want my kids to see me as more than just a mom
There was no guilt, no desire to justify my choices; I simply felt delighted for making the resolution to take care of myself, for carving out time to celebrate who I am as an individual, separate from my kids.
I’m a whole being, and I was one before parenthood; I have my own curiosities and aspirations, and my identity includes much more than my cherished title of “mom.”
I want my children to see that I’m an adventure-seeking human who loves traveling, moving her body in nature, and learning about other cultures and destinations because that is exactly what I want for them.
A physical reset helped me to return home invigorated and appreciative.