On this holy weekend, the hills and countryside were alive with rejoicing – from alpenglow to edleweiss, and everything in between.

Natalia and I enjoyed a weekend driving from Luxembourg through Strasbourg and Colmar, France, to Engleberg, Switzerland, and back.

Engleberg gave us an epic Easter ski day we’ll never forget – a bluebird Sunday in the Swiss Alps following a snow storm earlier in the week. Tucked between rocky peaks, the steep slopes and long ski runs at Titlis presented us with the perfect challenge. Riding up on the silent, smoothly Swiss-engineered gondola, we started at the Titlis peak itself which is at 10,000 feet.

In the terraced garden at our Airbnb, on the cliffside in Engleberg, we witnessed a rare “bee hummingbird” – the smallest bird on the planet at no more than 2.5 inches. Other endemic species that we did not see include chambois, ibex, marmot, fox, and nuthatch.

Wishing us well on our journey back to Luxembourg were the bell chimes from Kloster Engleberg, the Benedictine Abbey and Monastery (which has guest rooms) reminds us that “In times when everything is becoming more hectic, it takes courage to become calmer.”