Raise Your Glass.

Today, our good friend, Megan Kinney is officially Megan Kinney, JD. Can't wait to toast this ridiculously huge life accomplishment with her, real-time, in a few days. She worked full-time, went to school full-time and finished up with SLU Law in just 3.5 years, while still making time for being awesome. Whatever the future holds, we're pretty darn confident, she's going to rock it.

Ode to the DLP

Today you are 24 weeks old. You weigh barely above 1 pound, but you've somehow tacked 14 pounds onto me. Thank you kindly. We saw the doctor again yesterday about you. We've seen you five times and have really been feeling you moving about for the past 4 weeks, but you get a bit shy when your father puts his hand on my belly. Although, you move around enough that sometimes, he can see you shake my stomach. For some god-forsaken reason, you really like to get frisky when I lay down for bed. No matter the time I lay down, you feel the urge to partake in a sadistic aerobics routine at my expense.

Your father & I know we are extremely blessed to have you, while simultaneously feeling scared shitless sometimes. We're pretty convinced our lives were damn near perfect before you & are sometimes a bit skeptical that you are going to make them even better. This will most certainly be the reality of it though.

Last time, at our 20 week appointment, Dr. Hammer showed us your femur on the scan. After the appointment, your father noted that it looked exceptionally long to him (on this, his first time seeing a baby femur). However, during our visit yesterday with Dr. Hammer, he did show us your femur again and made a comment that is was long. I asked if he was serious and he said, well, it's above average. This whole femur business is making your father extremely proud.

It's hard to take seriously discussing names for you, when you are so clearly the DLP. We're obviously excited to meet you someday, but for now, we're happy that day is not today.

As if everyone didn't already know where the gold is...

 

Last week Wednesday, 08:15. Wow.

Thanksgiving

 

Joe & I often wonder what our Swiss lives would be like without these guys in it. Last visit, Mags had gifts of baby blankets for both these lil dudes. I was all, 'what in the what? Why did you spend all that time making blankets for our friend's kids' and she said something I'll never forget, 'well, their your family here.'
So, next time you wonder, when are they ever going to move back? Don't blame us, blame these guys. Our happiness is somewhat nearly all their faults.

ClassAct.

 

It drives Mags crazy when we are at her house and Joe drinks straight out of the milk or Kefir, or sticks his fork in the dish rather than just serving himself another scoop. "JOSEPH!", I can just hear her now. The look that goes along with it could kill. However, this is one of those few rare things that annoys Mags, but doesn't phaze me. Our leftover Thanksgiving pumpkin cheesecake was consumed this way, bite by bite, fridge door open, as we each snuck random bites. And damn if that cheesecake didn't taste the absolute best straight out of the fridge, off a cold communal fork.

Holy Smokes Postman

 

Thanks to Megan, Mags&Nick, AuntMary&UncleSteve for braving the crazy international shipping charges and sending us lovely art, flowers, maternity clothes & food! Our house looks prettier & the DLP is looking a bit more fashionable (and definitely a bit bigger as Joe had some competition eating his treats this time;)

PSA: Karla's great!

Karla & I have been friends since my 16th birthday when she crashed my surprise Chili's birthday party. How far we've come since then and how much growing we've done. This year alone I saw Karla in Chicago for Papa's funeral and our big Scandinavian trip (where we ate the most delicious baked goods of all time, relaxed looking over fjords, forced her to take arduous bike rides, etc.). We visited Karla in London during her first weekend living there and wandered all around her new 'home.' All of us met up in Barcelona where Karla smashed a glass with her bare hands, and then, she came to Zurich to visit and celebrate Thanksgiving with us. It was during this past weekend, looking back over this year, how much fun we've had, how real the 3 of us all are together that it just hit me. Damn, we're so lucky to have her in our lives. There aren't many people who can attempt to talk Joe & I off a ledge when we're arguing about something asinine, be told "we don't need a cheerleader right now Karla," and just keep on rolling. Not many friends would not only come along with me to work, but completely rock it, making me look like a lame nanny because she's just so darn fun. I hope the DLP comes out rocking red hair, just because this girl wants it so bad. We're so happy she spent the past few months in London because we know how much our experience has shaped us, forced us to grow and move forward in ways we never expected. Here's to (selfishly) hoping the UK office wants her back someday for another stint cause we sure liked having her on this side of the pond for a while. As Nick said the other day when he was hanging up the phone, 'bye, love you too Karla!'

Kerzenziehen

 

Last week the kids & I spent every day making candles. It's a Swiss tradition which takes place a week or two before Advent starts (so everyone can make their handmade Advent candles). First, we all picked our wick width, then decided how long we wanted our candles to be. This year, Isadora no longer required my full attention & help, so I made a few candles as well. It's a painstakingly slow process. Everyone except Alice definitely got bored after about 10 minutes, but they found other ways (as seen above; hiding out under the candle cooling racks) to entertain themselves. I showed Karla the candles I made when she was here this weekend and she couldn't believe we started from scratch on them. It would be boring just explaining the process; the dipping, then waiting, dipping, then waiting. Add to it that you are surrounded by throngs of youths wielding hot wax while speaking SwissGerman in a stuffy community center-type room that smells of wax. And somehow, I still loved it.

European Sundays.

How the perspective has changed. When we first moved out here, both Joe & I really got annoyed by the fact that we couldn't DO anything on Sundays. We lamented about everything being shut for the day. It was terrible when guests came to visit, but what will we DO we'd think? It's incredible now how much we love that day. We spend it lazily, sometimes waking up at 10, going for hikes, drinking coffees, going to the gym, Skyping. It's wonderful shutting off for a day, reconnecting, and refreshing for the week ahead. Here we've just eaten a delicious brunch with friends and are going for a post-gorge stroll up in the woods with Bonnie, Reto & the lil Rubster (who you probably can't see pictured off to the left as she's a crazed ball of running, sniffing, puppy energy).

What did we sign up for?

 

Not even a banana could cheer Will up last weekend. But more banana makes everything better says Joe, as he attempts to shove the child's mouth so full of food, that he won't be able to cry anymore. Fail. Good thing we offered to watch him this weekend, overnight. Cause we're not flippin out enough about the DLP without an unhappy Will around to keep the reality check in full-tilt.

Crazyville, Pop. ?

 

The dog snuggled up to me the other day at work. She was literally half on top of me. The kids wanted to be close to the dog, so, this ensued. Some sort of wild child, calm dog, Liz and unsettled DLP wrestling, resituating, lounging event.

Barcelon

We met up for a soggy, fun-filled weekend with Karla in Barcelon. But, you say, I recall vaguely some other time you were in Barcelon. Oh, you mean April? Well, we can't get enough of Spanish culture, Spanish prices, and, oh yeah, Karla too! We didn't have a serious agenda. When I asked Joe the night before we left what he wanted to do, he said; "Honestly, I want to eat and drink." Aspirations met, check. I still have a love hate relationship with crowded bars, but they just feel different in Spain. Knowing that I'll have to wrestle for a spot is suddenly not so unpleasant when I see a counter laden with delicious foods, smell the glorious things the folks next to us are eating, and look at the price list;) Vino de verano -50% Fanta limon, 50% vino tinto, 100% awesome, doesn't hurt either...they look pretty too, about the most enjoyment I got out of them.

As you can see from the photos, our one serious tourist attraction this trip was Casa Battlo. In April we passed on the house because Joe couldn't stomach the 18E admission, oh and R. Steves, doesn't even give it a passing mention in his section on Barcelon. Fail Rick Steves. Fail. This Gaudi house, commissioned as a private residence was an incredible view into architecture - the use of natural light, the innovative ways doors and railings were molded to fit perfectly into the hand, the brilliant blues, the fireplace built into a nook of ceramic to further conduct the heat. It was fascinating, a fact we all agreed on. No one ever mentioned again the cost of entering the site. A true indication that it was worthy.

Additional time was spent meandering, walking into shops and bars. There were two places, Ciudad Condal & Sagardi which we hit up twice during our short weekend. Sagardi is the place we originally discovered the vino de verano in April. It's a pinxto bar with little sammies sitting on platters all along the bar. The place has custom made Sagardi glassware, which is a bit thin. On the first trip there, Karla insisted she could 'crush a glass with her bare hand.' We joked about it and pretended to try to squeeze the glasses. However, when we returned, I egged her on a bit. Joe had just delivered my water and was waiting on his & Karla's drinks at the bar when I handed Karla my glass and said, let's see it. Not 10 seconds later, Karla was soaked in water, I'd just screamed in a bar, and she had a small cut on her thumb. Point taken. Don't mess with Karla.

Fohn.

 

Been having a great time with these lil guys lately, which is not all that hard to do when the days are like this. Can you see they have their arms around each other? LOVE. So, fohn is a Swiss German word for when it's warmer in the suburbs / mountains than it is in the city - as it was on this gorgeous day. Sadly, these days are seemingly a thing of the past, as we fell back an hour this weekend, so it's 5.16 pm here and already dark. At least I have another excuse for bedtime clocking in around 9.30 now...

Foggy, Rainy, Crisp...Fall's here

 

Although I can't say either of us are excited about it, cause fall quickly turns to winter here. It's dark when we wake up, and dark when we get home from work. You know the drill; it's the same situation the world over. At least the farmer up the street has gordes for sale again this year as lugging excessive amounts of squash from the grocery gets old quick. The only clear upside to this situation is rich foods (one of the few food areas the Swiss do well), such as our dinner tonight (please let Joe leave work before 9) Zürcher Geschnetzeltes. Bring on the baby cow in cream sauce, the soups, the raclettes and fondues, with a side of hibernation and weight gain.

Oktoberfest

We're 3 for 4 on Oktoberfest. And I honestly don't think it'll be our last. Joe tears up talking about Oktoberfest, so yeah, definitely sure we'll find a way to be back again. We ran into an Australian guy we talked to last year at Oktoberfest, 5.7 million people visit Oktoberfest each year & we talked to the same random dude two years in a row - and yes, he & his buddies come from Oz for Oktoberfest. That's how great it is.

Mags & Nick really enjoyed the festivities as well. It's an incredible environment, and that's coming from a sober girl. The most memorable moments were Nick-centered; 'two mass (German word for liter), no mas!' Note: this comment was made directly after he just drank 3 mass in the afternoon. And the ride home, Mags passed out before we even cleared Munich city limits, Nick singing 'the wheels on the bus go round and round,' (ala Abby), then passing out mid-verse, and Joe's head nodding as he tried to find a radio station....

Oh Zurich

Joe & I often go for walks in the neighborhood at night. It's something we always did in St. Louis and have carried on here in Zurich. We love commenting on the beautiful buildings, the gorgeous balconies, light fixtures and generally anything we can see as we look up into 2nd and 3rd story apartments. So, the other night, I made Joe stop to oggle some fabulous mahogany crown molding on the ceiling of a 2nd story apartment. We both gave a car that drove past a passing glance as we continued to stare at this gorgeous ceiling. As we turned to continue walking Joe said to me, 'you noticed that car that just drove past was a Bentley, right?' To which I responded, 'yeah, I noticed, but seriously, wasn't that ceiling amazing?' Yes people, we see that many ridiculous cars here that even a Bentley no longer catches our attention.

 

This is what 39chf gets you.
And, this is what $39 gets you in Merica. I rest my case.

You're 30, 30 years old!

 

30 years: accomodating changing tastes to drink tiny cups of coffee, despite the fact that he looks like he's drinking out of a child's tea set.

 

30 years: providing the maturity for him to choose my floral satchel for our hiking bag the other day, and then carrying it throughout the entire hike.

Happy Birfday bug, if the next ten are anywhere near as good as the past 10, we're going to be fairly unstoppable. Bring it 30s!

South Tyrol/SudTirol/Dolomites

We've heard a lot of good things about this area for a while now. It's just over the border into Italy, close to where Switzerland and Austria all intersect. It is a very common spot for Germans and all other German speakers to visit - 70% of the people in the area speak German, while 30% speak Italian and very few speak much English (our hotel did, but other than that, we mostly operated in German). The weather report predicted upwards of 80F everyday with sunshine. We packed shorts, t-shirts, tennies and jeans, and luckily, threw in our raincoats for good measure.

After a long line for the rental car, a serious wrangle with the multiple GPS systems, and a few U-turns we were on our way. One GPS told us just under 5 hours while the other a 7 hour drive. As you can imagine, the trip started out with a bit of angst. Then, Mags proceeded to read endless, essentially useless facts from her book 'Swiss Watching'. A typical start to family holidays! We stopped in a cute town outside Innsbruck, called Hals, and ate what turned out to be the first of far too many slightly disappointing and highly bacon-concentrated meals. We got back on the road and a few hours later, we'd arrived at our destination.

I debated between napping, eating caramel/cheese popcorn mix or joining Joe & Mags for a walk to a waterfall. I opted for the later and soon realized; I chose poorely. If a trickle-trackle is now considered a waterfall, than this was a serious waterfall. We strolled back to the hotel, grabbed Nick and headed out for dinner. Things near our hotel seemed to quiet down quick once the sunset. So, post-dinner was mostly spent in the hotel bar playing cards and calling it early.

The next day, we were in the car again to catch some more mountain views and stroll around the lake that's pictured. We thought part of the day could be spent hiking near some of the mountains pictured, but it soon became fairly obvious that we were woefully unprepared for the trails we'd expected to undertake. People had full-gear, including ropes, and the place we had wanted to visit was over 5 hours hike through rocky, shifty, steep-ness. Joe & Mags set about to explore a bit while Nick & I sat in the car and drank FantaLimon, played with our respective IPads and snacked. Pretty sure I chose wisely this time. Later in the day, we stopped for what turned out to be one of the best meals we had on the trip, at a place called (basically in English) BaconRestaurant. They seriously love their bacon in this part of the world. We watched with disgust as the man next to us tore into what was essentially a 3 inch thick hunk of smoked pig/cold bacon. It was not warm, not cooked (just smoked), not sliced. Just a big side of bacon before it meets the slicer and the fry-pan. I feel ill, just typing this out. Needless to say, we all stayed away from the bacon-centric part of the menu and managed to all find something suitable (even though we definitely didn't understand what we were ordering). Soon we arrived to the lake for our walk which turned out to be quite a popular attraction. There were tour buses and a man taking money for parking, a very un-European phenomenon.

The next day was nothing like earlier predicted forecast. Rainy Sundays don't often make for stellar days in Europe considering close to nothing will be open. We decided to get in the car anyways and head to a few towns about an hour from our hotel. A bike race was shutting down all the passes near our hotel, so we basically had to leave by 8am and couldn't return to the area until 3.30 or 4. We stopped in Castelrotto, had a coffee, then followed the masses leaving church to a hidden little brewery. Joe convinced us that a beer at 10am was a good idea, so we all finally went in. Turns out it was a really neat spot and a great time taking in some local traditions. We headed to another town, where we had lunch, the only thing to do in these places on Sundays - eat or drink! Next we wanted to head to 'the largest high Alpine meadow' in Europe (R. Steves told us about it). We all agreed that it would have probably been really cool if one could see past the fog, wasn't freezing, etc.

Then, a mistake, we listened to our GPS and instead of just back-tracking, we got on a small road, almost akin to a hiking path. Soon we were passing cows, a small small wooden bridge, and then, the road was unpaved, with a sheer drop on one side and curves, and forest and oh yeah, literally one lane. The GPS told us 6k's of this. We all took a deep breath and thought, okay, 4 miles, that's doable. We came out on the other side and the GPS told us to turn down a road which was literally a 60++ degree decline and less than one lane, both tires would not have fit on this 'road'. So, we ignored her and she came up with another route which we thought might just work. Again, curvy, twisting downwards, one lane, sheer drops. All of a sudden, the road is completely torn up and there is a huge machine. There is no way to turn around and we are flanked by steep hillside to the left and sheer drop on the other. The decision was to reverse back up, in the rain, on a road that barely fit our car, oh and did I mention, it was a curvyass road with sheer drops?! Joe got us out of it somehow and we were back to screwed, go down the 60++ degree incline 'road' or go back through unpaved roads to where we'd just come from, or ahhh, abandon the car? There was a lady walking up the 'road' the GPS was telling us to take. Mags insisted we speak to her. So, we did our best with German (she spoke French, Italian, German, etc.) but no English. She told us that the 'road' our GPS was telling us to take was in fact a hiking path and not intended for cars. She said all the time people were getting lost over there as GPS's were sending people into this tiny, 5 house hill town in an attempt to get back to the main road. She explained to us in German the way we needed to go (the last option we hadn't tried), where to turn, etc. and again reiterated, Not a Road. We were shaking, in need of cigars, or stiff beverages when we finally made it out (almost 2 hours later) of that horrendous driving experience. Joe was a champ through it all, while the Viggianos sweated and shaked like the wusses we apparently are. Then, the next day, our nerves still shattered from the drive the day before, we woke up to snow. We had to drive to Munich where liters of beer were awaiting us, but first, we had to get through the snow (on curvyass, sheer-dropping roads). 80F Saturday, wake up Monday to snow. Sure. Of course Sudtirol, we'll be back, just maybe not in this lifetime.

Mags & Nick, Swiss-time - Part I

As usual with my parents, Mom arrived about 5 days before Dad. She had a bit of a cold, so she did a shocking amount of sleeping at first! We went out for some nice lunches, went for a lot of different hikes - the one on the Zuriberg right above our house, one in Appenzell, one around a lake with Erin & Will, one by the zoo, etc. We took out pedalos (it's been total Indian summer almost all of September!), went to the pool with the kids I watch, ate some nice homemade dinners and closed out the season at Bauschanzl​i on my 30th. As the bar was closing for the summer season, they put out a big table of free drinks and food. There were mostly all older Swiss people in there, jostling for the food, and let me tell you, old people here tend to be more 'I'm going first and I don't care if I knock you down in the process' than the rest. Although, as you can imagine, Mags was in there jostling with the best of them. She came back to our table, smiling with her kill (roasted chicken, berries, wine), then her second take (more wine & dessert), and then, when she was definitely a bit tipsy from the beer we paid for & the free wine, she just found a guy to pour her yet another glass of free wine. Just stuck out her empty cup and smiled. Yeah, that's Mags for you! We met Joe by his office as we were all going out for dinner that evening and as he was walking up, we were all seriously cracking up, about what, I have no clue. But, he thought there was something on his face, or that his fly was open. I think it was more nerves to tell him he missed out on the last day of Bauschanzl​i (his fav), and that he missed a bunch of free drinks & food! Time in Switzerland definitely provided the best weather of their trip -- Sudtirol (snow) & Munich Oktoberfest (rain), coming soon!

CaterRing

 

Joe's holding a sleeping Will after he just got soaked by an 'epic tidal wave;).' In all seriousness, we rented what was called a cater ring (large circular hard plastic raft/boat) with a grill in the center last Saturday on Lake Zurich. We ended up having perfect weather and enjoyed slowly putzing along on our little craft; grilling, swimming, drinking, looking at an elderly man fishing with no clothes on, eating (despite what we'd just seen), etc. We really did hit a bit of current at one point and water soaked a few folks, including Will who was napping in his bouncy chair on the ground. Luckily, no one was too upset by it and we were able to check boating on the lake off the proverbial list.

 

This is so cute it makes me want to barf. I've just had my hair 'styled' (aka half pulled-out) for upwards of 10 minutes by an eight-year old and Arti's bony knees are definitely digging into my thigh.

Milkshakes, Markets, Mexican...

Just a few of the highlights from the past weekend. Most of which revolved around eating, drinking, shopping and strolling. A killer Oreo milkshake at GBK, a stroll through the National Gallery, some shopping in Covent Garden, a strong coffee at Monmouth Coffee, a delicious lunch at Wahaca Mexican Market, a few taxi rides, a drool-inducing, mind-reeling experience in a big, beautiful Whole Foods, a few Belgian beers at the Lowlander, a relaxed tapas dinner at Camino which is walkable from Karla's cute apartment, some more shopping at Spitalfields Market and a quick tourist jaunt by the crowds at the Tower of London, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster. We love Karla and all, but we might be justified in going back just for the food!

Eins, Zwei, Drei...

I guess by the third year, we're so comfortable, we just pass right by the move date with barely a glance. But, in talking to Amy last night on the Skype, she & Abby made me feel the weight of it. Babies have been born, grown into toddlers, are talking, blowing kisses, marking milestones. Joe says in some ways he feels like we are just getting started here. And somehow, I can understand that too.

So, here's to three years folks. Thanks for all the support, the visits, the Skyping. We'd be a ghost of what we are without it.

Summer's Over....

The kids and I went to the kinderzoo sometime way in the beginning of summer, back when it felt like the summer would never end and we had vacations galore in front of us. Now, the sun is setting earlier and earlier, and we're already getting a bit down about the prospect of winter here.
At least I can think back to this day fondly as school starts back up and everyone's feeling a bit more cranky...

Well, you said it Auto.

 

The top apartment in our building has been getting remodeled for the past 2-3 months. About a month ago, I peered out the window to see this guy, parked in our building's parking lot. The port-o-john out front, the banging, the big kitchen sink under the tree out in front of our house, the trash from some worker's lunch next to the front door, the banging, the smell of paint....well, I guess this car summed up how I feel about the building being under construction. Now, if only I'd seen the poor worker who rolls around in that car, it would have really made my day.

UK Visa, Check!

Did ya'll not notice the first thing listed under upcoming adventures? That's right, our good friend, and ninja blogger, Karla, will be working in London for the next 3 months. We've already booked our flight for her first full weekend in the City. I'm planning to pull out my handy child-friendly British accent, and spend a weekend full of hitting up markets, promenading (really?), eating, pubing.
If only you all could have seen the look on that girls face when she held her passport (which now includes a sparkly, brand-spanking new British visa) up to the Skype, you'd have thought she just opened a chocolate bar and found the last golden ticket...yeah, I mean, it makes sense, London really is as exciting as a giant candy factory full of OompaLoompas. And that, folks, is saying something.

I heart you Skype.

The amount to pay
Online Number, 12 month subscription $60.00
50% Discount $-30.00
0% VAT $0.00
Total $30.00

This is how much our Skype telephone number costs for, yes, you see that right, a year. (So, sorry everyone, you're just going to have to deal with the occasional feedback and weirdo echos). And, why do we get a 50% discount? Every year? I have no idea. Just don't change now that Microsoft shelled out 8.5billion for you, please Skype. I like you just the way you are.

Mountains, Cows, Just another weekend in Swiss Paradise.

This past weekend we celebrated Swiss National Day (yeah for Monday off) by taking to the mountains. We stayed Saturday night in Lauterbrunnen Valley, at the same hotel we stayed at 2 years ago with Mary & Ron, then stayed Sunday night by the Oeschinensee, which is above Kandersteg, where we stayed this past March with Mags. So, we were hitting up some highlights (before we give up our Swiss train pass and become pay as you go people for the first time since living here). We got really lucky with the weather considering it's been a pretty lame July here. Although, as you can see, we are still in jackets, long pants, etc. We did a lot of hiking. We ate a lot of, surprising for Switzerland, delicious food. We saw someone we recognized in Interlaken, then figured out how we knew the guy (he taught a few classes that we used to attend at our old gym location) --- man, is Switzerland a small place, or what?! We took a nap. We rented a row boat and we enjoyed some sunshine. All in all, a fantastic, relaxed weekend.

That Boy.

 

Artie brought home a portfolio from school last week. He proudly pulled this one out to give to me. He was so darn excited about it as I told him 'how brilliant it was' (I know, I know. My British voice). As he beamed at me, he said "are you going to show it to that boy of yours?" I said "what boy are you talking about Artie?" And, he said, still smiling, "Joe, of course." A week and a lot of time with the children later, and I'm still chuckling in my head, thinking about it...

Swiss Style Weekend

On Saturday we attended a wedding of our now German teacher/old neighbors in Rapperswil castle which is at other end of the Zurisee. The wedding was all in German, of course, and in a castle, duh. Who doesn't get married in a castle?! Our upstairs neighbors and their daughters were there. They are so freaking cute these girls. Joe is shown posing with the oldest one, Madea, after he hoisted her up on this giant bench that is outside the castle. She definitely enjoyed being taller than Joe! She's also one of the main people we practice our lame, suited for a 6-year old German. But, even she doesn't want to speak to us in high German. Recently, when she starting responding to a question in Swiss German, her mom reminded her to speak to us in high German and she rolled her eyes and sighed. I guess it starts early around here, the dislike of high German;) We teach her little phrases in English too & she always says 'bye-bye, bye-bye' to us when we end a conversation. She loves showing off her English!

We spent Sunday on Rigi, a mountain outside Luzern with Erin, Lach, Will and a bunch of our closest Swiss friends & wrastlers. Schwingen is a real Swiss, farmer, country event. The object of the wrastling is to pin your opponent to the ground with both shoulders down. The ways men twisted and contorted to avoid both shoulders touching was a sight to behold. One man did a headstand for nothing shy of 30 seconds while his opponent tried to knock him down. They wear what I would call a giant man diaper (also described as wrestling breeches, but take your pick) over their pants and this is where the opponent grabs and holds for the wrastling. And if you win, you get a steer. I mean seriously. So, like I said, it was country. People brought their own fondue pot, burner, cheese, etc. and were fonduing and taking shots at 11am. Other people paraded around in traditional garb with old fashioned cribs strapped to their backs & real live babies inside (maybe something about crossing over mountain passes in the olden days but that's just a guess). Men tossed Swiss flags in the air, while others raked the pits, a few others led goats or steer around, some few dudes cracked huge whips, oh, and those others who were wrastling (thank God these events did not all happen at the same time, although some did take place simultaneously). Basically, it was crazy person world, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

I just wanna love you...

 

 

 

I've been with these gorgeous little ladies a lot lately and we often go to a park near there house which also has animals. While there, I've seen horses doing it. Disturbing. And I've seen this. Baby goat kept coming up to Mama and nuzzling her. This is what Mama goat gave baby in return. Repeatedly. At first, very amusing. I mean really. Then, Mama kept rearing up and banging down. You probably can't see from the photos but baby has a broken horn on one side. So, I just want to say thanks for not head-butting me repeatedly as a child Mom!
PS - the girls were not phazed, at all. By either the horse, or the goat incidents.

And the winner is...

Good thing this little lady is coming to visit in Zurich in a few months, or I don't know how/when we would have been able to come good on our round of drinks. So, congrats Meaghan Wingard, we're looking forward to taking you & Will out for drinks in October. And thanks to everyone who voted and/or attempted to vote. Glad to know our writing is so indistinguishable. I'll have to start to ninja in guest writers and see if you all notice.

Game, Set, Match.

 

We have heard about this park literally since we moved to Zurich. For whatever reason, we never wandered up, never headed up the steep path to Lindenhof Park, until one day over Karla's visit. We sat down next to a free chess board and not a few minutes later, this Eastern European rocking a Hawiian shirt came up to challenge Joe to a game. The result is not something Joe would like me to discuss in detail here on the blog, but it was fun to be up there, get a slightly different view of the city and continue to experience things that are just a bit out of the norm. I mean, how often does an American play a Russian on a life-sized chess board while trying to communicate in German?

Scandinavia, take 2

Hi three (maybe 4) readers -- each section of this posting was written by one of the travelers. In the comments, take a stab at who (Joe, Karla or Liz) wrote which part. If you get them all right, then the next time we see you (no matter what country), beers are on us. Polling open for 48 hours.

Copenhagen & Oslo (1)

It has been well documented on this site that the Scandinavia trip scheduled for June 2010 was not meant to be, thus we looked ahead to June 2011. Looking back, giving ourselves an extra year to prepare was well worth it.

We met up Karla in Copenhagen and started our trip immediately with a quick trip to the De La Cour to drop off bags, enjoy a few adult beverages, decide a game plan for the remainder of the day, and lock our suitemates in the apartment for an unknown length of time. The weather was a bit overcast, but we walked around the city a bit only to stumble upon a festival of sorts, in which a band was playing directly out the side of a 18-wheeler semi. We had no idea what was going on, but beer was for sale, so, hey, we checked things out for a couple minutes. We ended up trying true authentic Denmark fare by stopping at the Mexican restaurant. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. At some point we stopped in at Christiania, the hippy town-within-a-town, which was established in the early 70s and is now completely self-governed. We’re not sure what the Copenhagenites think of their little hippy neighbors, but it was definitely an interesting concept.

The following day we took a canal tour, which allowed us to see the city from another vantage point. Some sights include the queen's ''sailboat'' (see pictures below), the opera house, Copenhagen’s famous (for no apparent reason) Little Mermaid and a church or two. We also checked out the National museum and the best part about that place, in my opinion (and the opinion of my fellow travelers), was the smell of the museum cafe. My favorite part of the day was having a beer with my other two traveling companions sitting along the NyHavn. A perfect 20 minutes enjoying the sunny afternoon only to get interrupted by a man looking to recycle our beer cans for us and in return getting the deposit. Ahhh, memories.

The three of us made it to Copenhagen without any transportation issues, so why would we even allow ourselves to think anything different would happen as we were trying to leave and make our way to Oslo. After waiting far too many minutes for the train to get its shit together, which quickly turned into the best hailing of taxis that town had ever seen, we finally arrived at the Copenhagen airport with about 25 minutes to check-in, check bags, get through security, and get on the plane. After seeing a sign that said GATE CLOSED, Karla promptly decided to slow down to a mere walk, while Liz perhaps sensing a glimmer of hope decided to book it like no other to the arrival gate, only to find that the gate was still accepting passengers,. Adding salt to the wound, several people arrived to the gate after we did juggling all sorts of Duty Free purchases, which was Joe's number one priority at the Copenhagen airport. Running through an airport is definitely an interesting experience, one I'm not eager to repeat. However, with that said, next time I see someone sprinting through an airport, I'm still going to chuckle a bit to myself thinking, ''sucks to be you".

After making it safely to the Oslo airport, Joe was able to FINALLY purchase a few items from Duty Free, which definitely served us well since alcohol in Norway was quite pricey. A quick trip to the grocery store and a subsequent dinner was later followed by a walk to Frogner Park, a huge sculpture park. The amazing thing about visiting Scandinavia during the summer months is that the day never seems to really turn into night. For me, visiting this park so late at night was the first real proof of the permanent sunsetting sky after about 10:30pm.

The following day we headed down to the waterfront to visit the Norwegian Resistance Museum, where we learned several interesting facts about how important a role Oslo played during World War II. None of those facts are coming to the forefront of my brain right now, but at the time, we each remembered at least one thing. Obviously money well spent. While in Oslo, we also stopped in the National Museum which had some Munch paintings, as well as a shoe-less, texting security guard. Classy. Too bad the line to get into the cafe was so long, otherwise we would have made a stop. The remaining part of our time in Oslo was spent either shopping or visiting the Viking museum (guess who went where!).

Fjords (2)

Joe picked up the rental car, a jazzy Prius named Bridget, the following morning and once all packed up, we were westbound on E16. After a few days of city touring, everyone was excited to get into the Norwegian countryside. The fjords of Norway didn’t disappoint. We arrived at Eplet B&B in Solvorn after a scenic drive from Oslo, including our first car ferry. Eplet was certainly the most memorable of our hotel stays. It combined a variety of actvities (vegetable picking, croquet golf, feeding the eco-grasscutters aka sheep, BBQ’ing, relaxing in the hammocks) with wonderful views, and it was a great base to explore the area.

Our first full day consisted of the glacier hike. Joe and Liz took to the mountain and Karla took a nice long nap. Our hiking guide was short on words and long on hiking. Fine for us. The whole group was roped in together for safety, but it didn’t seem all too safe to have inexperienced hikers all tied together. If Joe went over, Liz and the chick behind him were certainly coming with. No worries, though. No one has ever fallen and there weren’t many tough steps. Liz conquered her fear and went strong the whole way though. Great experience. Our evening activity consisted of invading the local midsummer party to roast marshmellows on the bonfire (pretty much fuelled by trash and waste). What we thought would be a nice way to meet some locals wasn’t received so well. We promptly scared everyone off. Awesome.

The second day we took advantage of the free bikes to make the 16 mile roundtrip ride to the Feigefossen waterfall. Highlights included a 0.5 mile ride through a pitch black tunnel (only moderately helpful mini flashlights provided), continuously dramatic views and the waterfall itself. We found that biking the hills of Norway to be a bit more challenging than the hills of Chicago, but all survived. We took advantage of the grill again and Joe had the opportunity to continue grill-mastering. Like a pig in shit with a beer in hand, view in front and meats grilling.

Our last day of fjording consisted of an overnight in Aurland. We decided to get a different perspective by staying in another town on the fjord, but there was no perspective to be consumed. We might have been the only ones staying at this cabin-like hotel. Felt a little Hitchcocky. Further, we were one week too early for troutfishing. So we finished off our Duty Free liquor (which served us well throughout Norway), got a good night’s sleep and headed off to Bergen in the AM.


Bergen & Stockholm (3)

I was told to expect a lot of tall, fair, beautiful people in Scandinavia, especially in Stockholm. So I was honestly a bit disappointed to find the people to be only marginally better looking than the Swiss. Again most everyone was fit, spoke English beautifully, but up there in the north they smiled too. What a long way a smile can go sometimes.

So it was days seven through ten of the trip and I think we were starting to grow a bit weary of it all. Our hotel in Bergen was bunk beds, dirty floors and a very smelly communal kitchen. Around town, despite its cute, very old town, were throngs of Asians walking around on guided blue tooth style tours. People were everywhere and we were all immediately a bit put off. Definitely the most memorable part of Bergen was the sitting in the sun (finally!) and the beautiful views from up the FUNicular (yes someone insisted on calling it that). Even now, not two weeks later, I couldn't tell you what else we really did there that would be worth mentioning.

Luckily Stockholm was another story. I can't say it was the most beautiful of the cities we visited but it's built on the water and has a cozy little tourist district/old town called Gamla Stan. We ate easily the largest and tastiest salad ever seen in Europe. It was delightful. We took a nice boat ride out to check out the archipelago and walked around a very small, wooded island. We dipped our toes in the water. We debated over what to eat until all reputable places were closed and we had to end up eating in a biker bar that also doubled as a casino (I'm sure our Swedish friends would question how we even found a biker bar in Stockholm, but we did. In addition, we ate there). The following day, we went to the Vasa museum which houses a huge war ship which took its maiden voyage in 1628 and promptly sunk….on the maiden voyage. It barely passed through the port before it sank and was later excavated and restored where it now sits in a temperature controlled museum. We don’t have A/C in offices, apartments or on public transport, but a giant boat gets it. Sure, cause that makes sense. We ate delicious, mad-huge muffins and drank at a delightful English pub with a huge range of beers on tap (unfortunately these events did not take place at the same time; we like to spread our gluttony out a bit). We had some intense conversations and some seriously dead-shit ones; we woke up in the middle of the night to pink skies and went to bed to dusky ones. All in all, a fabulous way to spend 10 days.

Stockholm & Bergen.

We started to get a bit goofy by this leg of the trip. I really cannot understand these people who can travel for month on end. 10 days and I was cashed.

We'll have some text up for all these places post-weekend I hope. Going to do it a bit different this time and each one of the travelers will take a section that is pictured. Let's see if you all can figure out who authored which piece when they are posted....

Fjords.

Sorry K! It was too great not to share...

Copenhagen & Oslo.

Our Holiday "Couplmance"

As many of you know, the Santorini portion of our week in Greece was planned with our friends Adam & Trish, who live in Zurich, and their friends Nikki & Neil, who live in Chicago, who we met for the first time on the Saturday before (at Trish's 30th birthday margarita celebration). Unfortunately, we found out in Mykonos that Trish was having some health concerns and she'd been advised by her doctor not to fly (darn conservative Swiss). So, last minute, Adam & Trish, the friendship link between the other two couples, had to bow out of the trip. Mostly, we were concerned for Trish, but found out mid-way through our Santorini stay that all was most likely completely fine. Sigh of relief.

Joe & I were definitely questioning how this was all going to go down. I mean, we'd known each other all of 5 hours and were now going to share a "compound"/villa/house. It was pretty evident we were all going to get along just fine when Nikki started talking about how our villa was 'definitely nicer than Osama's compound' and I refuted that I'm pretty sure 'I'd rather have all those wives to do things for me.' Then, we proceeded to make one of the most chaotic grocery store runs I've ever had, with Neil stating 'he always gets in trouble for buying the wrong crackers' and Joe pushing for an All-Bran purchase. Not an hour after we arrived, we were sitting on our rooftop, drinking wine & beer, eating cheese, soft sausage (another immediate joke), the 'right' crackers and generally carrying on. When we finally went to bed at 2am that night, we'd danced (well Nikki & I had, sort of), the boys had drank 'microwaved, watered-down Jack Daniels shots', enjoyed other 'value' beverages, we'd biffed high-fives, fallen down, and generally were more than comfortable with each other.

The next morning, in an attempt to shake off some of the hangover, and to show Neil just 'what there was to do around here,' the other 3 voted we hike to Oia. I dragged myself along as well. Not 5 minutes after we got on the path, Neil started saying he was 'already negative calories,' and we were joined by a dog who hiked with us the whole way to Oia (no small task as it was a 2-hour hike, it was sort of hot and we all probably were oozing booze out of our pores -- so we smelled). Sidenote, a dog joined last time we were in Santorini, but this was definitely a different dog. No one was really feeling this whole dog following us thing. Some negative things were said about 'blue' (the name we eventually came up with, after considering 'tequila oven mitt'). Neil was seriously concerned blue was going to jump out of nowhere and attack his jugular. By the end of the hike though, we were all pretty attached to blue and certainly impressed with the distance we'd walked (it was hazy so our starting point looked even further away). The afternoon was spent napping poolside.

That night, Thursday, we'd booked a table in Ammoudi Bay (200 steps below the town of Oia). Joe & I both thought I'd be fine to wear my wedge sandals as it's paved in town. We arrived to the steps, I walked down about 10 steps and realized I was going to eat it big time, or I was going to take off my shoes. Off with the shoes it was. There were a lot of people lining the path to watch the sunset, so I got some looks. However, about 130 steps down, we started to encounter some shit on the path. Then, we encountered a charging herd of donkeys, which was combo the funniest/scariest experience of our lives. There was a Greek man sitting on one of the donkeys yelling at us "other side, get to the other side" as donkeys rushed by us. Only Nikki ran to the other side, the rest of us just pushed our bodies against the low stone wall and prayed a donkey didn't buck us over the side and down the cliff, or in my case, step on my bare feet. A small group of people were witness to this event and the man said in broken English as we walked by with my shoes in my hand, dodging donkey shit on the ground, "keeping your shoes clean?" Unfortunately, the further down we got, the more donkey business there was on the ground and I resorted to tip-toe dodging. It was one of those experiences that clearly exemplifies my classiness. And, my now good friend, Nikki, got lots of photographic evidence of the experience. Dinner paled in comparison to the walk to get to it.

The next day, Friday, was our private sailing tour! It was an incredible experience on a beautiful little sail boat. Captain Ted and Danny (from Lombard, IL peoples -- he did not know Bielendas, I asked) were awesome and seeing the island from our net over the ocean was incredible. The endless white wine, delicious food, fabulous scenery and fun peoples made for a day that will not soon be forgotten. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that Joe & I went back the next day, on a larger boat, for another tour and another great time.

We also hit up Sigalas Winery, ate some more fabulous food overlooking the stunning caldera, spilled beer all over white pants, played more Eucher, talked with a pretty awesome oldie, napped poolside, loved life. Then, suddenly it was Saturday night, post-dinner. The last day always comes too fast and it certainly was the case for this trip. We had such a fabulous time, that yet again, we are already plotting a return. Plus, the fact that we spent more than half the trip with such awesome folks (who remember, we just met) shifted the dynamic a bit. You know how traveling can really bring out the worst in people sometimes? Well, lucky for us, it seemed to do just the opposite. And, lucky for us, our new friends are Chicagoans, so we've added a few more people to the list to visit next time we are in town!

Mykonos, GR Round 1

We left for Mykonos early. Like before even Nick wakes up early. I'm pretty sure Joe was still drunk from the night before (we'd celebrated our friends 30th birthday) and Joe had made margaritas (there's two tequila bottles in our recycling, if that is any indication). So, we set 4 alarms and woke up just fine. The flight to Mykonos was pleasant and by 10.30 we were there! Arrived to the hotel, got an 'upgraded' room and soon after, we set off for the beach, Platis Gialos. There are basically all these little coves along the coast where the water is calm, stunning hues of blues and greens that you can see straight through all the way to the bottom. Every beach has chairs for rent (or in the low-season, just buy a drink!). We were still low-season so could get a chair on every beach we visited: Elia, Paradise, Panormos, Platis Gialos. Joe really got used to those beds and even made the comment, no more laying on the sand for him!;)

One day we rented a car and tooled around the island, checking out many of the beaches listed above, ate lunch at a secluded spot down a dirt road where you could choose fresh fish from the fisherman who caught it that morning. Most importantly, we set out to see a few monasteries (because we are so religious) in a town called Ano Mera. We happened upon a small monastery with a bunch of cars parked outside so we stopped off and had a look in. Through the open door we could hear a myriad of loud female voices. Joe said "I am not going in there, it sounds like a bunch of Greek women, yelling at each other." I jumped in and left Joe outside the door. When I emerged a few minutes later, there were 2 or 3 middle-aged Greek women surrounding him, indicating he should go upstairs "for cake and coffee." He was laughing and said we're not going up there. But, Greek women are insistent and a few minutes later we were seated in a small, dark, crowded room where women shoved food endlessly into Joe's hands (all the while ignoring me) and chattering to us in Greek. The most histerical moment of the whole experience was a woman putting together a plate of food for Joe, then turning her head as she pushed it towards him. Then, the moment he took a piece off the plate, she immediately replaced it with another pastry.

Luckily we knew the nicety words and were able to employ them with the women. The one woman who spoke English well told us that it was a feast day and that the monastery only opens twice a year for such celebrations. It was one of those moments when you give in to the randomness of life and the small, odd joys that an open-mind allows. The generosity and hospitality towards us, and our ability to accept it shows me how far we've come since we moved here. Honestly, we would have been far to uncomfortable 3 or even 2 years ago to walk up those steps into that loud, chaotic room. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

We also visited the sacred site of Apollo's birthplace, Delos, which is forgettable and quite frankly, I'm already trying to. It's one of the most important sites of Greek antiquity but, as most of you know, I have a hard time appreciating crowds (and there were throngs of them). That, and the site has not been reconstructed whatsoever, so mostly you look at half walls, get scratched by thorns and weeds, then look at some pillars, a bit of rubble here, there, everywhere and it just makes imagining a bit challenging. Joe would say 'he's glad he saw it' so even he didn't give it rave reviews.

Mykonos was really nice, not necessarily a place we were return to, but we ate some lovely food, most notably the steamed mussels at Joanna Nikos, enjoyed our post-meal Ouzos (cinammon was the best) and relaxed in the sun. Really, how can it get better than that? Oh, yeah....Santorini up next.

"They're American."

We were in Barcelona for a long weekend in April (ages ago now). We were at the Gaudi park when we passed by a couple and I overheard the man say to his lady-friend, 'they're American.' For some reason, I felt outraged that someone would "peg" us as Americans. We live in Europe now dammit. We were even dressed like we lived in Europe (not frequently the case). So, how could this guy pick us out of the crowd as Americans? I blamed Joe's height. Honestly.
Then, I got to thinking about this Travel & Leisure January 2009 edition ;) article I read a while back. It's about tourist traps, places that attract throngs of people (even us Americans) and our attitudes about them. I've felt the exact same way the author has, that popularity or the presence of throngs of tourists somehow detracts from the authenticity of the place. Of course, greatness attracts a crowd. Now sometimes, simply a crowd attracts a crowd and all there is to see is a person in white face, trapped in an invisible box...but I digress. The article wraps up by pointing out a staggering fact; 'considering that only 28% of Americans have passports, you sort of have to hand it to anyone who leaves home in the first place, no matter how often they show up in your photos...'
We're part of that lucky 28% that takes full advantage of our American passport & the doors it has opened for us. So, here's to you stranger man from the Gaudi park, we'll be seeing a lot more tourists like you in the upcoming month, so just get ready for this American couple (who sometimes look a bit Euro) to be part of the throngs right along with you.

Lil of This, Lil of That

Easter came & went, blurrr. What happened to that relaxed feeling? That 'ah' we have a few days off together in a row kind of feeling? Psha. Easter really was wonderful, Joe took a few days off, we did some laying by the lake in the sun, pedaling on a lil pedal boat, eating delicious, lakeside meals with fabulously funny friends, stocking up on firewood (sure it was April), enjoying time with friends in an amazing parental pad in Locarno, visiting some Roman ruins in Avenches and watched some pretty decent beach volleyball along Lake Murten. Yeah Switzerland, this spring rules, keep it up, will you?

Switzerland has the habit of making a fairly well-adjusted (debatable, I know), fairly financially stable girl feel like Cinderella (pre-fairy godmother). We joined a couple, one American, one Swiss at an insanely nice, expensive lakeside restaurant on Lake Zurich one night over Easter weekend. We spent most of dinner watching gorgeous, fabulously rich people pull up to the lakeside restaurant in their glistening, beautiful mahogany boats. We, on the other hand, changed on the train ride to the town (we were in swimsuits from the pedal boating) in the dirty train bathroom. From the train station, we walked the rest of the way to the restaurant. I got a blister.

Ann & Peter just topped off our visitor season in style. It was really really fun to have them here, despite the fact that the weather was just so-so and there isn't a ton of stuff to do in Zurich, we still found a way. Fridays way was mostly of the liquid form as it was Joe's last day of EY celebration! Ann & Pete really got on with Joe's Swiss co-workers and were completely mingling the entire night. I guess they are like kryptonite to the Swiss' usual stodgy, keep to myself attitude.

So, since Joe had a last day at EY, clearly that naturally leads to a first day at UBS. Heyoh, he's halfway through the week and all seems to be going smoothly. He'll have to hop on here & share some typical Swiss tidbits. As for me, I'm suddenly working more than full-time. A family I was helping out with about once per month now needs me twice per week! (only temporarily) Luckily, the twins are super relaxed -- they still take naps, know what that means? Twice a week, Liz takes naps too! Only real snafu thus far happened tonight. The girls were helping me unload the dishwasher and one got in the way of the other -- let's just say someone got stabbed in the back of the head with a fork (don't even think of bringing it up MK, Don't.)

Vier Jahre!

Really, that's all? It's only been four years?
It's hard to remember life before Joe. Impossible to imagine life without him now.
Sure, he drives me crazy. Crazy I tell you. I'm sure he won't hesitate to admit I have the same effect on him every so often (probably many of you reading this won't hesitate to second that).
So, four years ago, when you all bore witness to us two kids pledging our lives to each other, I never imagined it could be better than that moment. How could we ever feel more than that day when it seemed our whole lives were stretching out before us? But now that we are living that reality, it's so much better than the promise of it. I'm still caught off guard sometimes by how much stronger, united, and loving we are today than we were four years ago.
Here's to many, many more years of growing together, driving each other crazy, loving life, cherishing each other. ML Joe.

Say It Aint' So.

As if anyone out there would be shocked by the fact that my all-time favorite Italian chain, OG, doesn't really have a cooking school in Tuscany....wait until you see the first line of this article. It just makes me giggle thinking about the OG even serving sangria, let alone accidentally serving it to a child.

Weekend in Barcelona.

We never really get over how glamorous it sounds to take a weekend in another country. Just an hour flight and bam, totally different culture, relaxed style, people selling art on the street, wine with lunch, dinner at 9 (and we were super early). It was so delicious, so relaxing, now, such a distant, fleeting, feeling.

Heard at Work.

Where do they get it from? Really. Where?

The scene: Eldest child (C) is home for a month for school holidays. She is 8, lives in England most of the year, and therefore, operates monetarily in pounds.
C: I got 45pounds for my birthday. I'm going to save it as I don't need any more toys
Me: That is wonderful. Fabulous idea, what are you going to save up for?
C: For when I get older, I'll need it for things like income tax and my drivers license.
Yes people, her income tax. Joe would be a big fan.

The scene: At the dinner table, some light pop music playing on the radio.
A (5 yo): Who sings this song?
Me: I have no idea.
I (3 yo): Jack Johnson
Me: Did you just say Jack Johnson, or maybe Michael Jackson?
I (3 yo): Yes, Jack Johnson.
For the record, it was not Jack Johnson, but honestly you are 3. I heard of Jack Johnson first when I was 20.

The scene: Same evening, still at the dinner table. We are on a music kick.
A (5 yo): How many Beatles are still alive?
Me: At least 1, I know McCartney is still alive.
A (5 yo): No, 2 are alive, 2 are dead.
Me: So, why did you even ask me if you knew the answer?
Dudes, I just googled this & he's correct. Everyone loves being bested by a five year old, right?

And You Think Viggianos Are Intense

We do not even hold a candle to these Italian Mammas. As Nick said in response to this WSJ article, "I guess I need to find a way to ship ribs & Polish sausage to Europe now." He's not going to let a bunch of 90+ year old Italian women show him up; or is he? (I egg on only for potential personal gain;)
Seriously though people, this is taking the whole culture of food to a whole nother level. I just wish I was on that level.

AwesomeSauce

Most of Kate & Jared's visit out was spent in Zermatt, throwing ourselves up snow-covered mountains. It was clear, sunny and warm everyday we were there & we definitely took advantage of it. Some of us even ended up severly sunburnt, despite the application of sunblock. Go figure. Snow-shoeing is definitely a hit with us Midwesterners, esp. when you have the Matternhorn in view the entire hike!
We couldn't be luckier to get on so well with our siblings; to have similar interests, views, travel styles, etc. It's always so easy to pick right up where we left off, despite infrequent calls and thousands of miles. Thanks for picking up our slack while we're away guys, for undertaking annoying layovers & sprinting through airports to get here. We'll get you back.

The Silver Lining.

These girls are it. It was so much fun to spend some time with my little (&big) cousins (and all of you all) while I was home. As my Dad said, "Just thinking about Abby makes me feel better."

Thank you to Ann, Karla & Megan (who commuted quite a long way) to support me & my family at Papa's service. I can't express how lucky I am to have friends like them, I'm looking forward to many many more years & only hope I can be as good a friend to them as they are to me.

P Frank.

 

I was so lucky to have this guy in my life for my first 29 years. He loved me unconditionally, in a way I never expect to be loved again. Papa Frank was awesome, with his relentless questioning all year long, 'when will I see you again?, I know, I know, Christmas.' Entire emails written in the subject line when I was away at college. His online biography, one post stating - "We landed in the Philippines. Ray Lotto sunk in the sand." That was the entire post. Despite questioning, I still am unclear about what exactly happened to Ray Lotto.
Thanks to my parents and my husband who supported me in returning to Chicago while he was still kicking it so I could tell him another few times, "I love you too much."

"Your Mom is Called Maggie, She is my Best Friend."

Says Isadora, who clearly loved the Mags. She's still talking about her visit today. And, I loved having her -- esp as she did come to work with me!;) Not many jobs one can pull 'bring their Mom to work' day *(twice). The weather was perfect, in fact, perhaps too perfect as a lot of the winter sports were thwarted due to warm temps and big sunshine. We did get a chance to snow shoe, cross-country ski & winter walk during our weekend in Kandersteg, a place we all dug & would definitely return to. We did lots of walks and hikes, along the Zuriberg & the Zurisee, in Liechtenstein, with Erin & Will along the River Reuss (I just looked that up, I didn't know what it was called until right now), ate Sternen (Mags first time, how we overlooked it on other trips I have no idea) and Hiltl (the oldest veggie restaurant in Europe), and generally enjoyed having lowkey time together. So, even though Isadora thinks Mags is her best friend, I think I'd like to make a claim as well (as long as she refrains from nagging;)

Where Art Thou March?

I cannot believe we are just days away from a new month, a new season has arrived and is treating us well here in Zurich & I have a lot of catching up to do on this guy. It's been a busy, emotional, exciting, busy month, so here goes, chronologically as always.

Zurich, Anthony Style

It was fabulous to have my cousin Anthony & his friend George stay with us for a long weekend. After Anth left, I realized he was our first member of my extended family to visit, from either side of the family. (Hallo people?) I hadn't seen him in over 2 years, so we had some serious catching up to do. Although we don't keep up with each other (I sound super old using that phrase) when we are apart, we get on famously when we are together. It's so refreshing to be able to speak honestly about our family, our lives, our plans for the future. George probably knows more about us now than he ever expected. In a lot of ways, I do too. Joe & I were so glad to have them here, to allow them to glimpse a bit into our lives here, and to kick off the visitor season!

Prost Biznatches!

 

(Please note, one of those delicious Moscatos is for me!) Joe's just been offered a great position at UBS (of recent fame in Switzerland for this, as discussed by Joe's favorite publication) Now almost a week later from the original phone offer, as I revise this post, there are still details to be sorted out, but I could not be more happy and proud of Joe. It's going to be a big change for both of us, think normal working hours (Joe beating me home from work some nights, what! what!), new challenges, fun times! It also means a bit more time for you all to get your acts together & come out for a visit (or come again) as Joe is definitely going to commit a few years to this new position. I'm definitely looking forward to us both being happy at work, what a novelty. -

Family of Four, Cinquecento Style

 

There's been a lot of discussion in the Viggiano household about new cars. So, I'd just like to take this opportunity to suggest this guy. It's family friendly with it's back bench seat (seriously people, this little peanut has seating for 4 -- although how one folds themselves in & then back out of the back seat, I have no clue) & if you decide on this, you know your car will be safe from us Duchek's ever asking to borrow it again (unless, instead of sleeping right now, Joe is practicing folding himself in half). Plus, it's just sitting on the mechanic's lot right next to our house for you to check out on your next visit over. Waiting, wishing for someone to love it. And how could you not, it's quintessential Italian.
PS - Also note the color of our house, the children came over here about 5 months ago & still talk about the fact that: "YOUR HOUSE IS PINK!!!" Although technically, it's more coral, they can't get over how cool a pink'ish' house is.

Hikes, Darts, Babies in Bars....Just Your Typical Swiss Weekend

The past week has been full of days like these pictured, lots of sunshine, clear skies and warmer temps. We've been taking full advantage and getting out for lots of hikes/walks in the hills and along the lake. It's never ceases to amaze me the way people come out in droves here when it's a nice (even sometimes just okay) day. The lake front, the walking paths, all full of people strolling, running, chatting, drinking coffee, just enjoying a beautiful day. This is one of those small, charming things about Zurich that makes me feel so darn fond of the place. I think people just seem content to be sitting lakeside, or strolling arm in arm with a partner or friend. It's a feeling I've never had in other places, it's the face to the sun, eyes closed, 'I love this moment' aura that people give off. They don't give it off often, nor will that direct that contentment outside of themselves, but, just seeing people enjoying simple joys is so refreshing.
Another simple pleasure involved beers & burgers in a dingy American pub, complete with bar games, just the right level of competitiveness and babies sleeping in their pram.

Laax (The Mountain Kind).

We took a spontaneous trip out to Laax with Erin, Lach & Will this past Saturday and brrr was it a harsh difference from last weekend's hike. Joe & I began our snow shoe hike in pure overcast, snowy conditions. Basically, we were both thinking 'fthis, I don't even have my snow shoes on yet & I can't feel my fingers, we should just stay in the lodge with Lach & Will.' Then, we got a bit lost. Luckily though, we'd headed up a hill & could then see where we missed our trail. We got back on the right course, hiked up a bit more, and then, hallelujah we passed through the cloud line, the chorus of angels sang, the sun beat down. We wondered how we could have forgotten sunscreen. Oh right, it's pure overcast down there. It was so peaceful out there with the trail almost exclusively to ourselves, the tips of the mountains just peaking out over the cloud line, the vibrant sun, oh sun, how I love you so.

When we first moved here & we were just being exposed to the "Swiss MOUNTAIN experience," I thought the people taking their lunches outside in winter, in the mountains, or sitting in those little chairs, faces to the sun, were a bit, well, off. Why not go inside, warm up a bit? Now we're right there with them, like some crazy, deluded sun-bathers, freezing their asses off, faced directly towards the sun like it's emitting something much more powerful than mere rays of light.

Did you say hiking, in January!?

Last weekend and the preceding week we had a burst of mild, warmish January weather. Most of the snow on the nearby mountains melted, Swiss people freaked out, I rejoiced and all was right and fine with the world. Then, this week happened and the weekend's adventures required snow shoes to hike, but I'll get to it another post. Last Sunday, after strapping the baby to Dad, we proceeded to ascend a few 4-500m, for lunch. It was a gorgeous spot with perfect mountain views and a bunch of old Swiss people who were oogling and questioning about Will. Never have so many old Swiss people smiled in my general direction rather than trying to push me over to get on/off the tram first. It was quiet refreshing. And as Joe & I are the resident 'German speakers' from the group, we had to field all the questions. One being, 'eine Maedchen?' Well, considering the kid is wearing all blue, no, no he's not a girl. It was a sunny, warm way to spend a Sunday and I quite liked it.