Diving and Threading

When we were able to get away from the toilet in our room we very much enjoyed two Egyptian specialties- scuba diving and threading.

Snapshot 1 (5-7-2014 8-09 PM) (2)

My take on scuba diving at Sharm El Sheikh:

  • Beautiful corals.
  • Really cool octopus that we watched change colors!
  • Great thorough instructors genuinely interested in helping you become a better diver- thanks Manzone at the Italian Dive Center!
  • Dive shops are typically cheaper than European and Us counterparts.
  • Inspite of strict environmental laws I observed significant signs of damage to the reefs, litter, broken corals, and sadly the most noticeable was the lack of prized sea turtles, sharks, and other wildlife that makes divers gitty with bragging rights.
  • In spite of high surface air temperatures the sea was still cold to me. I wore wetsuits the whole time- in contrast to the warm carribean waters that do not require wetsuits.
  • I still think diving in Belize was the most impressive reef to date (someday I will dive the great barrier reef).

Just in case you are really into hearing heavy breathing and watching us learn how to use the go pro camera enjoy the next 6.11 minutes

And what is threading you might be asking? It is a hair removal method that is popular all over the world and is simply done with a piece of thread. What made it so impressive was that a thorough job to the ears and back made Sparticus 15 years younger. I was so curious to learn that I bribed a spa clinician to teach me the secret- I did some practicing and it’s just not as easy as it looks. But here’s a quick video to show you how its done. Now go out and search your nearest large city for threading services, make an appointment for the man in your life, and watch a good grooming transform him in an hour. Worth noting that the more experience and practice the clinician has the faster and more precise the service will be (LOOK FOR EXPERIENCE). My friendly spa clinician promised the hair removal would last a year!? (Have you ever met a middle eastern salesman?)

Mothers Day 2014

breakfast in bed

So bear with me while I record some of my Mothersday treasures from a really good year (cause last year sucked!). I was treated like a queen for not just one day, but TWO!!! Well, yes I deserved it, of course, but the truth is that sometimes our children fight their way through our important day, and the spouse (if there is one) can sometimes forget about it, or perhaps (like Spartacus) go on business trips (as was the case last year) (this should be illegal!). Saturday morning Spartacus crawled out of bed early (sort of) and I could hear Coco’s little voice trying to be quite while they clatter bowls and used the mixer to create a delicious brunch of steamed asparagus with fresh lemon, topped with a perfectly cooked egg (yokes must run and no crispy overcooked whites), rosti (hash browns) and a fantastic HOMEMADE orange muffin. I was in heaven for a few munites and then the food disappeared off my fork lickety split! After the relaxing morning of breakfast in bed we rode bikes to a neighboring village for the craft market and then for a hike up the Burgenstock for fresh air and spectacular views.

burgenstock nase

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I was rewarded with lots of gifts and flowers (love peonies!). It was a perfect day, no rushing, no stress- and tired out, we chilled for the rest of the evening.

Now try not to be jealous over these homemade gifts. I linked some ideas for cute totes and homemade mothers day surprises in fridays post, but these are the swiss versions:) So all I am wondering is how long I have to keep a painted and bedazzled sequin, salt dough hanger with dangling coordinated paper cutouts on the walls of the flat. Because, hey, I got two of them (one for each day Coco attends spiel gruppe).

matching hangers

Homemade cards and a bouquet of paper flowers…

motherday card

more hommade paper crafts

… and a bouquet of real ones!

ahhh peonies

The centerpiece is an abstract design the roughly resembles the words (m) (o) (m) (spiral) (heart). I know you might be wondering where you can get one of these and the truth is that they are one of a kind treasures that can only be inspired by a mothers love:)

ABSTRACT CENTERPEICE

Hope you all had great celebrations too, everyone deserves to be loved this much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Mothers Day & Friday Links

 

Mary_Cassatt_-_Mother_and_Child_(The_Goodnight_Hug)This weekend is Mothersday- It’s super important- DONT FORGET IT! Pass along this post if you need to elicit a subtle reminder.

My mom raised 5 strong tempered children. I was the oldest and often try to take credit for my younger siblings successes since I helped raise them also; but the truth is, she (mom) was our beacon- she was the strongest force in our family. She taught us creativity, she taught us economy, she taught us how to work hard, and how important an education was, she showed us how important Heavenly Father was in her life and raised us with a knowledge of his love for us. My mom didn’t rush, but she didn’t waist time either. She taught us to give more effort than you have to. She taught us to endure to the end, and start over again tomorrow. She taught us to try harder to do better. She gave us the tools and foundation and freedom to make our own lives a success. She led by example. Thank you mom- I love you!

Heres a few links for the week, maybe some Mothers Day Shopping and DIY?

  1. Check out this idea for a mothers day tribute.
  2. I don’t care how old your kids are- moms need totes.
  3. I’m not a huge fan of kitchen clutter but this list of gadgets has me dreaming of opening a mothers day box full!
  4. Here is an adorable DIY Mothers Day letter.
  5. I would love one of these DIY gifts in my bathroom.
  6. Printable guild for those guys who don’t like guessing what will make you happy.

Enjoy your weekend where ever in the world you are, and please remember your mom!

Potty talk

 

pool red sea and saudi arabia

*** Warning -This post contains loads of potty talk****

Not to be outdone by my friend Annie’s version of a spring break diarrhea post, I am adding one of my own. Our spring break was full of lots of travel and memories. We spent five days in Amsterdam and rushed home to pack and catch flights for Sharm El Sheikh Egypt. Sharm sits on the coast of the Red Sea just east of the Suez Canal and south of Mt. Sinia. Despite US state department warnings against travel, Sparticus, in his infante wisdom and love of scuba diving, decided we would be fine spending spring break there. And while we didn’t encounter any protest mobs or rapid gun fire, we were not exactly fine either.

big pool

We arrived after a brutal night at the airport in Ciro where our 7 hour layover ( inconveniently timed between 10 pm and 5am) left us all exhausted. We were so happy to be greeted with temperatures over 100 f! We gobbled up a big breakfast from the all-inclusive resort buffet, and were treated like royalty as they quickly prepared our room for an early checkin.

view of red sea and pool

We had lovely views of the beach in a comfortable a tastefully decorated room, two telephones, one oddly located next to the toilet (insert foreshadowing music here) and a huge picture window that flooded the bathroom with natural light (coincidentally providing the toilet seat with a fantastic view of the Red Sea).

view from toilet- see phone

view from the toilet out the the picture window- do you see the phone on the left?

view from back porch

view out the back porch of our room- you can see it from the toilet!

toilet

Here’s where we spent about 1/2 of our vacation- notice strategically situated telephone to call the on site Health Clinic.

health clinic

I flipped through the leather bound book on the long clean countertop, trying to absorb the resorts many activities and ammenities as I searched for the kids club info in hopes of some alone time by the pool later in the day. I noticed the pages dedicated to the onsite-health-clinic. And again seperate clinic advertising cards on the bathroom counter, “wow this place has it all- we will never have to leave the resort” I thought… you see where this is going. It didn’t take long for us to put the puzzle pieces in place and for the numerous culprits to infect our digestive system. The first 48 hours went something like this:

  1. Wake up and hit the buffet (fill body with amebias and the bad kind of digestive bacteria).
  2. Snorkeling or pool time with kiddos (likely complete with gulps of “who-knows-what’s-in-this-pool-water”).
  3. Back to said all inclusive buffet for more deliciously fresh fruits and salads (raw and not disinfected, likely carrying all matter of harmful digestive bacteria and parasites).
  4. Deposited kids in kids-club to avoid brutal afternoon heat and to aquire free “kids paper crafts” (which every one knows I love to store up and move around the world).
  5. Adults nap off the buffet and give our intestines time to gently marinate in germs.
  6. Off for a poolside drink mixed with questionable water source and collect kiddos who have been happily playing (swapping germs) with kids from 3 contents (lots of Russians, Brits and Egyptians).
  7. Early evenings meant more relaxing time near pool and another trip to the buffet.

After 48 hrs. We were becoming sick of the culinary offerings that cater to the palettes of the British & the Russians (imagine a lot of beets, potatoes, and some strange strange unidentifiable fish dishes). Symptoms of the Egyptian version of Montezuma’s revenge attacked Sparticus first who was finally just getting over a bad cold that kept him from enjoying Amsterdam to its fullest and from scuba diving for the first few days. On the night before our first scheduled boat dive he was up and down every half hour sort of re-living the Dumb and Dumber toilet scene.  I called at 5am to cancel the dive, feeling certain that he wasn’t going to be getting more than a few feet from the toilet seat that day. Diving rescheduled for the following morning, certain that this 24 hour bug would have run it’s course (insert foreshadowing music here). Only 24 hours later he was not completely better, but was complete empty and had not visited said buffett in 24 hrs. Advised by a pharmacy, and stocked up on “digestive antiseptic” we enjoyed a fantastic day of diving and lunch on the boat (which probably was fresh and free of disease, likely giving our intestines a reprieve from the resort food trough). We scheduled another trip. Exhausted we all went to bed early after another healthy dose of buffett food and beverages. That night was a replay of the Bridesmaids movie diareah scene- coco and I were added to the toilet rotation and with 3 people throwing up and suffering from diareah, sharing one toilet can be tricky and unpleasant! This feel-slightly-better, only to be attacked-again-whilst-trying-to-get-a-nights-sleep senario replayed itself right up to the bitter end, and has actually followed us home. Axel who after the first few days was left to his own snack-bar devises where food was concerned, insisted that his french fry/orange fanta diet seemed to be paying off- until the last 10 hours of our vacation. The bags were packed and everyone was tucked in for the night when he began to moan loudly and with all the drama he could muster threw up every 30 minutes until 5 am when I insisted we use a suppository (provided by the medical clinic -remember the advertisements plastered all over the room?) to stop the vomiting long enough to let the “digestive antiseptic” do it’s magic. We managed to make it on a morning flight and by the time we landed in Milan later that evening we were never so grateful to be back to cold cloudy Europe!

And as a side note, once we were all in the car on the way home (3 hour drive) my civilized and house trained family spent a good 10 minutes trying to one-up each other on who crapped their drawers first, the most, last, etc. I’ve been accused of being a tight a*s before and this is one time, I am happy to say, it paid off, for the record– I did not crap my drawers.

view toward spa

Expat Reflections on Year 1

The year you loose…

Melissa Dalton-Bradford wrote a memoir called global mom where she is able to precisely describe some of the challenges about living and expat life. She says that we (expats) pick our poison.  “We asked for this life!  So I don’t want to be guilty of spitting out the poison that I picked. I shouldn’t be spitting it out or complaining that it’s bitter. I am thoroughly grateful for the experiences, the gifts of diversity and growth, but they have a whole list of costs that people wouldn’t understand, I don’t think, unless they really lived this globally nomadic lifestyle right along side me. “ Melissa and her family are career expats and she has lived at 16 addresses in 8 countries speaks 5 languages fluently over about a 20 year history, she is a pro at this nomadic life.  I felt a little relieved after reading some excerpts from the book that maybe you just don’t ever conquer it, maybe no matter how many times you move there is still a long upward climb and a long period of adjustment.

MDR writes “People in the international community know that you kind of write off the first year in a new country as an unpredictable and exceptionally demanding adjustment period. You’re just trying to figure out where in the heck the baking soda is. Is it anywhere in this country? And what is it called? And how can I find a doctor for my child? And how many times am I going to re-transcribe into a new language all of my children’s medical records? That alone takes a great deal of time, focus and effort.” 

I guess I am lucky to be living in Switzerland, here I don’t have to translate. The swiss are used to language differences and usually speak good english and a handful of other languages as well. But I totally agree that the first year is a wash. I’ve been married 18 years, have moved 22 times -6 times in the last 2 1/2 years and I know that it challenged me to the core. It feels like I waist so much time trying to get up to speed only to move again. International moves are in a league of there own. It is impossible to explain the anxiety I get knowing I need to visit the immigration office for some form, or the Swiss DMV for a new license. Everything is stressful and confusing- not unlike the American counterpart. Only in American I can read the signs, the forms, and I know how to ask for the supervisor. If I ever become fluent It will make life a little easier.

There are cost to expat living…

Melissa writes about a few of the cost to expat living: “ The core costs are related to community. I don’t have a continuous, long-standing community with me, and I have not had that kind of permanent, reliable, known support ever while raising my family.  When your life is going peachy and there are no speed bumps whatsoever–then you might not feel you need a strong community. You can breaststroke all by yourself. But when you are paddling upstream against currents like new cultures, new languages, new ways of doing everything, when life deals you whirlpools, it’s very difficult to navigate those without a stable, trusted community.” This resonates with me deeply. When we lived in Greenville South Carolina, Axel was 2, we moved away when he was 7 it was the most wonderful 5 years of stability we ever enjoyed. Coco was born a few blocks from our home at a birth house and slept in my bedroom from her first day on this earth. Greenville feels more like home than anywhere in the world, and we only lived there for 5 years.  I felt deeply connected to my community, I felt supported and safe. I still miss those people and often wish we could return to the comfort and security of that place. One of the reasons blogging is so important to me, particularly since I left Greenville, was to find a way to maintain relationship that mean so much to me. The digital world- while a weak substitute for real life- provides me some comfort, contact, reassurances and a sense of community that I would not otherwise experience.

One of the biggest challenges of the experience, and perhaps is true for all ex-pats, is a dilemma that’s hard to describe. It’s akin to having 1 foot in America and 1 foot in Switzerland all the time you feel a bit stretched. There are of course the little things like keeping in touch with families on different time zones and continents. There is the inaccessibility of some of our favorite foods, and finding creative ways to substitute them here. But mostly it’s a state of mind: trying to get the most out of this experience- really enjoy it every day and invest in a future, but knowing that it is not going to last forever, the investment is temporary . It’s a strange thing to make decisions based on only enough foresight to plan for about a year or so at a time. You don’t buy furniture for the long run you buy things that you can tolerate for a few years. You travel and do a lot because it’s a perk that won’t be around in a few years. You make friends but with the understanding that at some point it will become a long distance relationship that (at best) means FB likes and Christmas greetings.  I often feel helpless when confronted with problems but reassured  that eventually I’ll be gone and won’t have to deal with it anymore. No matter how beautiful this country is, no matter how many exciting travel perks there are, no matter how often friends back home remind me how lucky I am, I still look forward to the day you can return home and really get back to the business of getting on with life. You may be rolling your eyes but I miss PTA, teacher appreciation week, part time jobs, & Home Depot. It’s just a strange thing to be in/at a place trying to enjoy it and still waiting for it to be over. Not everyone would agree, not everyone struggles with just being in the moment with out thinking about tomorrow and how to best be strategically prepared for it. Expats are, after all lumped into a big category but with lots of different experiences and degrees of support. I sometimes envy the international school moms in their sorority, or the big cooperate expats with helpful HR departments. But in the end I just hope I made all the right moves one day at a time.

“…It (xpat living) would bless my family and generations to come.”-  Melissa Dalton-Bradford

In my late 20’s my expat life was more of a long vacation. After an exhausting day of work my husband and I sat down in a crowded apartment to discuss the dreaded task of listing our house (in another state) for sale. He suggested I just quit working and move to Europe leaving the stress behind. I was not in the mood for fantasies at it took me a few minutes to be convinced of his sincerity. Six weeks later I was arriving in Basel Switzerland on my first, first class flight… my first international flight… my first time leaving an english speaking country. I spent the next few years taking painting classes, dabbling in german classes, teaching cooking lessons, hiking, and vacation planning. Of course I remember that time fondly. But when we were offered the position in Switzerland last year, I had to take pause knowing that this time around it would be a very different kind of experience, and indeed it is.

Experiencing expat life as a “DINK” in my late 20’s was like a long adventure vacation. Dragging a family into this is a very different thing. I felt deeply certain and spiritually affirmed about our decision to come to Switzerland. I knew that our path would likely be uphill for a while and felt sure we could succeed with our efforts at conquering the language and other integration challenges. Moving to a foreign country and choosing to immerse in local culture sounds almost like preaching on a soapbox~ it is exactly the right thing to say and exactly the right attitude to have. If however, I had a company to pay for private school, if I had a choice to live closer to the big city full of other english speaking expats, if I had the money for 2 cars a bigger house and all the other luxuries that make our life more American – more normal- I probably would have caved-in and thrown in the integration towel after only a few months. I hope in the end it will have all paid off.  I have to believe that it will bless my family in ways I don’t presently imagine. In the end I know that my authentic and hard won experience will be one that helps me relate better to, and learn more from, the Swiss culture. Understanding that life is full of trade off’s is something I learned from the Swiss years ago in my first Expat life.

I am filled with hope that the struggles and sacrifices we face now will pay off in spades, particularly for my children. But there are concerns. I mention them on the blog from time to time -seeing your kids struggle is hard. Knowing that I am making these decisions to give them an “enriched life” when all they want is a “normal” life- thats hard.

To borrow the words from Melissa “In a perpetually interrupted life- I’m overcome by… concern– for my children because I don’t know how I could gather a group and I don’t even know where I would gather one. I don’t have twenty-five years or even ten years or even five years in one uninterrupted place so that people know my name or my family’s history. Who do my children have to champion them from year to year? I don’t have school faculty that has known them for three or four years and that knows their strengths and weaknesses and feels invested in them. We’re always the newcomers. I don’t have piano teachers and clarinet teachers and flute teachers that have been progressing with my child. We seem to always be reestablishing ourselves. And as anyone knows who has moved even from one home to another in one city, of from one city to another in the same state, in the same country, it takes a lot to reestablish oneself. If you then add to that the overlay of moving to a different country, culture, neighborhood, house, and a different school system, and a different church community, and above all to a different language, you can begin to imagine that it takes a long time and great deal of energy to get yourself up to speed”. I hope I have not mortgaged my children’s childhood to pay for my own retirement and dreams of travel.

A surprising benefit to living in Switzerland…

I hope I have laid out the reality that it is not always rosy, living in a foreign country and adapting to a new culture. At first I was very nervous about having to send Gabriel to school, having him walk out of my sight, if only for a few minutes, made me imagine every disastrous scenario possible. But we are lucky to live in such a safe place and I realized that there are lots of eyes on our children we live only a few blocks from school, and the children are all walking in at the same time which provides me with more reassurance. Some of my friends from the states will think I’m crazy, and for weeks I walked back-and-forth as close as I could to school to assure his safety. Now I have given him a watch I’ve helped to memorize his schedule, and everyone expects him to be on time. It’s incredibly liberating for both of us. I now realize that it has given him so much more confidence knowing that he can do things by himself and that freedom seems to have been a positive change. Sophia will start school in the fall and I will of course walk her back-and-forth for a while. If she didn’t have an older brother I think this would be a cause of great anxiety, but walking to school with Gabriel only the few blocks will be no big deal and I think it will be a fun time for both of them. Most parents will just expect their children to walk home for lunch and in the afternoon without any supervision. I know you must be shaking your head right now it is such a shock, but it’s really one of the wonderful perks that we have grown quite delighted with.

Things I miss the most…

One of the hardest things about living here is apartment lifestyle. We are only a few floors, but carrying groceries from the parking garage and up to our flat is more of a inconvenience then back home. Our flat is very close to the other building around us and there is a feeling that I am being watched all the time (it’s not just paranoia!). One of the things I miss the most is having a yard, I will never take one for granted again. The ability to spill out of the house any time of year, I have realized, is a valuable commodity, especially when living in small spaces. And finally having to share a laundry room can also be difficult especially when your neighbors can be a bit temperamental.

The other really difficult challenge is Axels school, particularly attendance policy. Each canton is different and our canton seems to be on the more strict side of thinking. If you miss more than 2 days you must get a doctors note, and if you miss for any other reason you must write a letter to the school board to apply for a dispensation ahead of time. Dispensations are not liberally handed out (we got one for the last 2 days of school to travel to our homeland and celebrate our national holiday (July 4) with our kinsmen, but we were warned not to ask again- TWO FREAKEN DAYS~ SERIOUSLY?!). If you miss with out dispensation or doctors notes you are subject to penalties, usually in the form of hefty fines (I heard the going rate is 100 chf per day). We have only missed a day and a half since we have been living here (1 year) but travel offers frequently tempt me to test my boundaries; however fines would negate the savings and I acquiesce into compliance. By law children must attend school and I have a very hard time with the amount of control the school seems to have over our lives- it is a totally different way of thinking than where we are from in the states. Back home parents were encouraged to volunteer, visit, and participate in school activities and especially in volunteer capacities. I was involved and in-the-know regarding policy and school dynamics. Here it is off limits, very much controlled by the staff. I liked supporting and encouraging our teachers, I liked appreciation week and assisting them with needs that enriched my children’s lives. I missed being a partner where both sides are accountable to the other.

Things I don’t miss…

Im general there seems to be far less pressure to look like a supermodel, entertain like martha and decorate like architectural digest. Don’t get me wrong the Swiss on average have a far lower rate of obesity than does America. What I mean to say is their bodies are natural, they don’t stand-out in a way that makes me wonder what I am doing wrong or how certain perfect proportions are even possible. The swiss women (I see everyday) look like normal mothers struggling to get another day managed successfully. They aren’t having professional blowouts, or batting their new eyelash extensions or sporting elegant runway inspired outfits (thank you ladies). They are also not seemingly struggling with decorating a house that looks like the pages of a magazine. I think it’s fair to say that most Europeans (perhaps most of the world) live with far less personal space that we Americans. It may seem philanthropic but it’s simply not a choice. In our area only the most privileged are allowed spacious living quarters and here in Central Switzerland only the Uber-Riche enjoy single family homes… Oh how I miss a single family home. Fences make good neighbors. On the other hand I love planning family fun day (every saturday) with out ever a care to the long list of to-do’s that accompany home ownership. I will happily embrace it again but at least there is an upside for the trade off. Having new cities, languages, food and cultures all within a few hours drive makes for a great distraction from yard work and painting baseboards. I digress… I haven’t figured out why they aren’t the consumer obsessed, perfection obsessed, society that we seem to be?

A few things I love that make life better everyday…

Walking and biking are the normal way to get from here to there. And public transportation is always an option. We own a car and I can’t quite imagine getting along with out it here in rural Switzerland, but I know families who do not, and they are quite content. Walking and biking allows us to take a little more time to enjoy the stunning indescribable beauty that surrounds us every day.

Fresh food– The swiss are very picky about quality and this especially applies to food. Their patriotic about the bread and cheese (well deserved). The chocolate is of course top notch. And I truly believe that the produce always taste better here than back home. (As a side note it rots a lot faster too – does this suggest that our food is never ripe when picked and shipped so far from it source? Yes, I am an advocate of buying local and eating seasonally when possible).

Scenery – The views improve the quality of life. This may sound like a ridiculous statement but I assure you, that when you are able to see the views, especially on a sunny day you can’t help but love this place, love your life, and feel grateful for the opportunities.

Church bells – Switzerland’s relationship with time is as infamous as its watches. But hearing the bells ring is a pleasant little reminder to stay on track for example we have bells on the hour, half hour there are longer periods of ringing for different hours of the day. I haven’t figured out the pattern yet but I always no when preschool is starting, and ending, and strangely there seems to be a long bell ringing at 10:30 which says “Haus Frau’s make sure your lunch is starting to cook, the family will be arriving in one hour.”

Work atmosphere is 180 degrees different from states- less stress, less pressure to work long hours and devote you entire existence to your career and company. Spartacus rarely travels and is encouraged to get away from his desk at lunch, sometimes he comes home to eat with our family and frequently he uses the time to run or play squash.

Travel– The opportunity to live in Europe allows us to explore and savor each location in a much more enjoyable way than would be possible if we were just visiting for a few weeks. We justify the cost and take every opportunity to indulge. We have the rare opportunity to live closer to many cultures that heavily influenced our own, we have a greater opportunity to learn and understand the history of Western Civilization and to share it with our children. And because Europeans are huge travelers the cost of travel to more far away places like Asia are also easier, airlines tickets are cheaper, time changes are smaller, and time off is more abundant.

Feeling anonymous– I love (especially on the rare occasion I am actually alone) walking through crowded foreign cities or unfamiliar countrysides, soaking in all the waves of newness and smiling at the feeling of invisibility. Being surrounded and alone can be both liberating and lonely at the same time but I enjoy it either way.

Discovery– One advantage to living a life where you are constantly uprooting yourself is the opportunity for discovery and the delight that comes from being surprised by new treasures in your life- be it playgrounds in the Alps, long promenades along the lakes of Northern Italy, Sweet mouthfuls of juicy cherries from Provence or quirky phrases in other languages that completely accurately describe human experience but that don’t exist in English…. these are a few of my favorite things! 

GLOBAL MOM a memoir by Melissa Dalton-Bradford from Michelle Lehnardt on Vimeo.

Thanks Global Mom for giving me words for my feelings and experiences!

Prominade in Locarno

_palm trees mountains and forget-me-nots

 We visited locarno Switzerland last week for a day of wonder and peace!

boats montage

prominade near marina with kinder

views of city montage

Locarno is located just to our south about an hour and a half away, just on the other side of the Gottard Pass. The Gottard can be a very problematic traffic risk, particularly this time of year when sun seekers are heading south at the slightest encouragement from weather apps. This was our excuse for packing a picnic, loading up the scooters for a day out in the sunshine.

how europeans spend weekends

how Europeans spend weekends

 Ticino is the Italian Canton in Switzerland so it feels like you have driven into another country but in reality it still benefits from Swiss organization, and Swiss standards of cleanliness, but unfortunately it adheres to swiss pricing as well! A pizza will run you at least 10-20 Euros and is intended to be eaten by one person.

playground montage

nautically themed playground complete with a trampoline and a ship.

In Locarno and along many of the lake front villages of Maggiore there is a long promenade usually lined with beautifully landscape park space, sometimes with playgrounds, swimming areas and almost always scattered with cafe’s. It is a perfect weekend escape to just let the children play while relaxing in the sunshine.

montage flowers locarno

2 cute weasles

Just to the east of Lake Maggiorre is Lake Lugano (maybe 1/2 hour distance) and again to the south and crossing the border to Italy (another 1/2 hour) is the more famous Lake Como (home to a Mr. George Clooney). If you like to visit castles Bellinzona has 3 and is situated perfectly between the two lakes (Maggiore and Lugano). Ascona is another village (smaller) worth a mention and is not far from Locarno. Their Lido (beach space) is quite nice and totally free of charge. From many of these villages you will also find places to rent small boats for an afternoon on the lake.

bike event

unicyle

check out the unicycle!

Unknowingly we arrived in town on the same day as the bike fest. Locarno blocks off the streets and people come for miles around to bicycle, roller blade and scooter their way through the streets. I want to make sure we bring the bikes next year (first weekend in April). It is a common sight to see Europeans enjoying their parkspaces on a sunny weekend; they lye in the sun reading books and snacking while the children play along side. We like to add in a couple of scoops of gelato for a perfect ending to the afternoon and as a reward for a long walk along the beautiful lake side promenade.

prominaden 3

prominade again

gilato montage

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the road in Amsterdam~Friday round up

Amsterdam

We are on the road to Amsterdam today, and I wanted to tell you hello! Europe is blooming and the sun is shinning and all ist gut!  This trip has long been on my to-do-list and finally the time has aligned perfectly with the weather and here we are. When I was a child my father would tell us little about his childhood (maybe he has the same memory I do?) and very little about living in Europe. He can recite a few german phrases and would tell us about the vacation his family took to The Netherlands. How post world war II Europe was struggling to re-build and the same luxurious accommodations were not available to them as are to us these days.  His family drove to Holland and could not find room in a hotel. A kind Inn keeper took them home and welcomed them with generous hospitality for the remainder of there short visit. The friendliness and kindness of Netherlanders is well known and we are happy to be doing a house swap this weekend with a nice family from North Amsterdam.

My father remembers visiting an island where people still wore wooden shoes and with reverence (not often a quality I used when talking about my father) remembers the fields, the vast fields of colorful tulips. So I send you a quick Happy Easter as I set out to relive his memories and with camera in hand I will try and photograph as much as I can to share with you (and him). In the mean time here are a few interesting links this week- and a video that has been making Facebook rounds but is sooo darn good I couldn’t help but post! 

 

Glamping in Malaysia for $61 a night including a “steamboat” dinner- anyone?

Have you ever been lucky enough to find a stylist that totally gets you? Or I should say… gets my hair’s desire to look cool? I miss you James Quinton!

I also  miss Costco! Here’s some big money saving tips -pricing de-coded!

While we are in Amsterdam we plan to visit church services for Easter Sunday, if you need a sweet reminder about why we celebrate Easter click here.

And here’s a funny but true video you will surely love.

How to make an Authentic Swiss Fondue

Last month our very authentic Swiss friends invited us for a very authentic Swiss fondue. This is not the “uncultured box brand” this is the real thing. I am sharing the recipe because I want to clarify any misnomers that Monterrey jack and cheddar are acceptable substitutions. My Swiss fondue miester (fondue boss) says that there can be no deviation in the recipe and that it is critical to use Swiss wine and Swiss cheese.

  1. Sparticus was assigned to cut the bread. The Fondue Miester says this is the most important job and that it is wise to always ask the guest to do it- here’s why. The cheese is the expensive part of the meal and if you cut the bread in big chunks then less cheese is used to coat it- there fore the host will look like a miser- or a cheap skate. If the bread is cut too small than the host looks like a show off. You see  there is a fine line to walk.

dave cuts bread

IMG_9310Our fondue Miester is pictures on the left. He put me to work grating cheese, measuring wine and listening carefully to the origins of the finest fondue products.

IMG_9320First combined the wine, cornstarch and spices and bring the pot to the stove for the melting. Once the cheese has been added the next step is easy but important. This assignement is likend to making rissoto- you must stir and stir with our distraction. There should be no scorched fondue! IMG_9325

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IMG_9332I stired and stired until it was creamy and then removed from heat and added the baking soda and stirred some more. We then poured in an ounce of kirsch cherry liquior. The liquor is supposed to make it more digestable and the alcohol is supposed to burn off. I have tried a few recipes and have choked on the taste of alcohol that ruins the fondue for me. A real fondue is not supposed to taste like that!!!

IMG_9337Our Fondue Mister says that if you can find vintage fondue plates like his, it will make your fondue taste better- I say any excuse to rummage through Brocantes and antique markets sounds like a good one to me!

vintage fondue plateson left:  Jean De la Fontaine – It cannot translate litteraly but the equivalent expression in English is “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”.

on right: “Nothing is better than a good fondue and a good glass of wine”. For the Swiss this bit of wisdom must rank equal to Jean De la Fontaine’s.

On a side note- unlike some of our favorite American cheese, Swiss cheeses do not seem to “melt” into a sauce by simply adding heat or milk. If you have ever tried you will have a big hard ball of white “cheese” sitting in a slightly orange pool of oil. It’s strange. The addition of an acidic liquid (wine) breaks the cheese down. I have seen recipes that allow for substitutions of apple cider- I have used a clarified cider from here that was not sweet- it seemed to work but it would not have been acceptable to our fondue mister!

Fondue recipe:
You will need 200 grams of cheese per person. This recipe is made to serve four.
800 grams of cheese –
1/3 Gruyere
1/3 Vacherin
1/3 Appenzeller
*if you live in Switzerland you can get this mix at migro pre-grated and premeasured!
 
  • 2 pieces of garlic
  • 1 1/4 cups (3.2 dl)  dry white wine (the Fondue Mister says Chasselas is the best but if you can only get french chardonay than it will be sufficient- He also says the wine is more important than the cheese, and that american white wine is to aeromatic).
  • a little nutmeg
  • pepper
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • baking soda ( a messerspsitze- which means the tip of a knife- good luck , it should be about a 1/4 teaspoon to the best of my estimations)
  • 1 oz. Kirsch
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
Mix the wine, lemon juice and crushed garlic with a pinch (to taste) of grated nutmeg, pepper and a 4 teaspoons of cornstarch. Stir these together and heat them until cornstarch is disolved on the stove but do not let it come to a boil. Add cheese to mixture and stir, stir, stir until smooth, finally just before serving add the knife tip of baking soda- this will cause it to foam ever-so-slightly as you stir it together. Adding the baking soda makes the mixture lighter. Finally add in the Kirsch, stir well and start dipping.

Mountain Playgrounds perfect for some fun and relaxation.

Near our house there are a few great mountain playgrounds with nearby restaurants and scenic hiking paths. All are accessible by public transportation, however if you prefer to take the car you can park at the lifts. A few on this list can even be reached with-out the gondola, just park your car nearby the playground and walk.

Our top 2 favorites are with in about 10-15 minutes from our flat in Ennetburgen.

Stockhutte– -is open from 8:30 to 12:00 / 13.00 – 17.30 clock / descent from Stockhütte 12.50 clock
Weekend-continuous operation.

buy a Gondola ticket:

  • adults are 18 chf- with 1/2 tax 9chf
  • kids are 9 chf -with Junior Card Free

We love stockhutte for many reasons, it’s close to our house, we enjoy renting the trotti-bikes, they have great walking paths, the kids can spend hours on the playground, and they have a large enclosed rabbit pin where you can go inside and play with the bunnies.

playground montage

TIP: If you aren’t from around here you and the kids might love trying some of our favorite Swiss soda’s. Try a Rivella- Blue or Red are the kids favorites (you don’t want to know what its made from), Beckenried’s Orangemost (orange soda made in a nearby village), and Apelshorle is my favorite because it’s made with real apple juice and is not terribly sweet. 

Wirzweli-is open from 7:40 until 6:20 and cable cars run every 20 minutes.

Buy a Gondola ticket:

  • adults are 18 chf- with 1/2 tax 9chf
  • kids are 9 chf -with Junior Card Free

playground

 Wirzweli has a fun playground with a large “tree” house, a pine cone slide contraption, teeter-toters and slides and all the normal trappings of a good playground, I wrote about it here. There are large grilling areas if you prefer to picnic and a restaurant if not.

  TIP: The ice-cream sundae’s at the restaurant are delicious and the kids are probably satisfied playing while you watch them from the deck of the restaurant. Lucky for me, my kids usually prefer a popsicle which is far less expensive. 

*also note -May 23  the lift and Playground open for the season (prior to that you can take a bus up to the restaurant and walking trails) There are usually plenty of parking places near the gondola and if you take the train there is a shuttle from the station to the gondola, or enjoy a short walk.

 

Three more favorites are with in about 15-25 minutes from our flat in Ennetburgen.

Seelisburg– is open from 8:30 until 6:30 during warm weather.

Seelisburg can be reached by car, or bus from the stans train station. It is a senic drive. Lake Seelisberg is between the mountains and is filled with stunning turquoise water. There is a playground, BBQ place, Kiosk, Beach Volleyball and toilets. You can rent deck chairs and rowboats. There is also a Camping site which you can use if you decide to stay:). I think there is a small entrance fee of about 4.50 vhf adults and a few franks for kids, they also have a family deal that with 2 paying adults and kids are free.

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Bruni– is open from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm may 24- Oct. 19, and from Oct 19-Nov 23 8:20am -5:00 pm- cable cars run every 20 minutes. Park in the large lot in Engleburg next to the Gondola, or take the train to Engleburg and walk or bus to gondola.

Buy a Gondola ticket:

  • adults are 18 chf- with 1/2 tax 9chf
  • kids are 9 chf -with Junior Card Free

trampolin at bruni

climbing wall at bruni

There are lots of kid oriented activities at Bruni other than just the playground. I wrote about it here. My family loves the summer time toboggan run that reaches speeds of 40 km per hour and is 660 meters long. Click on the link for pricing and details.

Spielplatz Grotzenwäldli– is open from 7:40 until 6:20 . The snow is usually melted by May and thru October.

Getting there:
Spielplatz Grotzenwäldli
Horbisstrasse
6390 Engelberg
Tel. 041 637 15 58
There is some parking near by, but limited and be prepared to walk.  If you decide to take the senic train ride to Engleburg you can ask their about public transportation options, or enjoy the easy walk up to the park, roads are not usually high traffic and on a nice day the mountain views are stunning.

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coco on bridge

The Park is one of the more unique and delightful in the area, I wrote more about it here. It’s kiddie heaven! Lots of room for playing, with a little lake to navigate rafts on (rafts are provided-just borrow from the dock- no fee), suspension bridges to cross, towers to climb… There are grill pits for those who want to still the hunger they’ve worked up being outdoors. This playground has a lot to offer, and the kids are sure to love it!

Tip : Pack a swimsuit in the summer necessarily (or change clothes ) a , because only about 50 cm deep lake will your kids guaranteed to dropped fountains entice .

* also note: The Robinson playground Grotzenwäldli is privately maintained and exemplary maintained. The necessary expenditure is financed by donations. It is therefore requested to make a small contribution in the respective point for the barbecue wood used .

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TIP: Its also worth noting the the senic train that runs between Luzern and Engelburg offers a kids “scavenger hunt” promotion from June- October. You simply have to pick up a form (available at the train station, before boarding the train) and fill in the answers along the way. You only have to have a handful of answers correct to redeem the prize and it applies to trips taken originating in Luzern, Hergiswill, Stans, Dallenwill and other stops along the way. The prize last year was a treasure chest filled with lots of goodies from stickers to chocolates!

Wirzwelli ~Rotobahn, Playground, Ice-Cream, Oh MY!

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Wierszweli is a little area above the nearby village of Dallenwil.

hang glider 2

swiss farmer views

It’s specially targeted to families with winter-time activities like snowshoeing and lots of easy kid friendly ski areas. In the summer it’s playground, rotobahn (also called toboggan) and ice cream make it a virtual kid’s paradise. You can reach Wertzwelli by gondola except for the few weeks of early spring when all the ski resorts are under-construction in preparation for summer time activities. During that time Wirzwelli is still open for late spring snowshoeing and early spring hiking depending on how warm the weather has been and can be reached by a small bus that travels up the mountain. For details on how to get there by public transport check with the SBB. Or taking a car to the lift is also very easy and it usually has ample parking. Rates for the Gondola are:

  • Adults roundtrip is 21.60 chf (with halbtax  10.80)
  • Childern over 6 are 10.80 vhf (with Junior card free)

Gondola travels up daily – every 20 minutes at the following times:
07:40 -12:00 & 13:00 -18:20

wirzweli lift

When visiting Wirtzwelli our favorite thing is the playground and Rotobahn. Since the Rotobahn is kind of pricey and my kids would be happy to ride on it all day long, I have to buy a multi trip ticket for each of them and when its all used up we spend the rest of the time watching the bunny rabbits or playing at the “spielplatz”.

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amanda and gabriel going up

 

rodobahn mom and soph2__There is a large “tree” house, a pine cone slide contraption, teeter-totters and slides and all the normal trappings of a good playground. There are large grilling areas if you prefer to picnic and a restaurant if you don’t want to worry about preparing and schleping the food. All swiss restaurants are both good and expensive so be prepared even if it masquerades as a casual little hole-in-the -wall, the prices are sure to be steep- thus the prevalence of the grills and picnic area everywhere in Switzerland. I can vouch for the ice cream sundaes they are a nice treat and big enough to share, but when you are finished you might just wish you had eaten it all by yourself. 

rotobahn madman

rotobahn madman

playground

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