New Year's in Germany

The kids were so excited to sleep on the train and it was a new experience for Sandy and I as well. The space was very tight, but we got a better night sleep than we both expected. While in Germany, we purchased a three day travel pass, and visited Hamburg, Hanover, Bremen, and end up in Berlin on New Year’s Eve. We arrived around noon and the city was already jam packed with people who were getting ready to bring in the new year. We saw remnants of the Berlin Wall (constructed in 1961 and tore down in 1989) and “Checkpoint Charlie”, one of the 7 original checkpoints along the wall. As soon as it got dark, people started setting off their own purchased fireworks in driveways, parking lots, and the square in front of the train station. We made it back to Hamburg before the festivities really got started and watched the fireworks from the hotel room – the professional show and the numerous individuals shows made it look and sound like an hour long fireworks finale. The streets were completely littered the next day with the remnants of fireworks. As our feet were sore from all the walking over the past week, we decided to take it easy on our last day. We woke up late, had a nice long brunch at the hotel, and went to the train station and did some shopping. We killed time eating snacks here and there until it was time to hop on another night train back home to Zurich. It was a productive holiday as we were able to cross a number of cities off our list, but we greatly miss all the friends and family and are looking forward to getting back home (US and Mexico) for a visit in May.

Chirstmas in Paris

It was not a white Christmas in Europe, although we managed to have a pretty good time in Paris despite being without family. We spent the first couple of days with cousin Ale and her fiancé Vincent exploring Paris – we hit all the well known tourist sites – Eifel tour, Louvre, Pantheon, Jardin de Luxemburg, Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysees, and Madeline among others. On Christmas Eve morning, we explored the inside of the Louvre, seeing the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo (I must say JP asked about her arms), The Winged Victory of Samothrace, and other great pieces of art…. Italian, French, Greek, and Roman. As we had the kids with us, we got through approximately half of the museum in just over an hour – a landspeed record I am sure. We had a quiet Christmas Eve dinner with Ale and Vincent, but were missing the big Christmas Eve bash at John and Jackie’s. We were up bright and early Christmas morning to catch the TGV (high speed train - top speed on this trip was 201km/hr or about 120 mph) to Angers, where Vincent’s mother lives. We were greeted by Vincent’s mom, Marie, and his two sisters, Cecile and Sophie, who all worked hard to make us feel like we were at home. There was a blazing fire in the fireplace (Jim was named the CEO of the fireplace after demonstrating master skills), presents under the tree for all of us, and plenty of food and drinks. The Christmas feast was impressive. We started off with appetizers: shrimp and crab pates, salmon bites, cheese, and warm prunes stuffed with sausage (I know it sounds strange, but it was pretty tasty). We started our first course at the dinner table with fois gras and shrimp. The next course was oysters. The main course was turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and baked apple. Next was a course of various cheeses. Finally, there was a very traditional desert they call branch. It’s a cake decorated like a tree branch, with custard and frosting as filling. The whole dining experience lasted about 8 hours, concluding with decaf coffee and the opening of presents at about 10PM. We were up early again the next morning to visit a castle called Chambord. It is famous for its double staircase in the shape of a double helix (picture a strand of DNA) that was designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The following day we caught the train back to Paris and then the plane back to Basel, where we hopped on an overnight train to Hamburg, Germany.

Before Christmas

Sydney eating more chocolate!
JP on his new pj's sent by Grandma
The Singing Christmas Tree in downtown Zurich (those are kids forming a tree and they sing)
The Marlitram... yes! Santa drives it, you can ride with him if you are 4 or older

The last two weeks we have been preparing for our Christmas trip to Paris to visit my cousin Ale and Vincent and a New Years Eve trip to north Germany. We also received some toys from Santa on the 6th (followed the Swiss tradition this year) and visited St. Gallen (located northeast of Zurich).
We have also received beautiful and encouraging Christmas cards from family and friends; we thank you so much for keeping us in your hearts and prayers regardless of the distance. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year! And we will be in touch when we come back.

Getting ready for Christmas

This week we definitely got immersed in the Christmas spirit. Sandy did Christmas shopping that included Christmas tree, ornaments, and presents. It has been kind of hard not having a car but she managed OK dragging everything on the train which is located a block from the apartment. We also visited the Lindt chocolate factory where we got the traditional chocolate ornaments that you hang on the tree and eat after Christmas. Needless to say the kids outsmarted us and after hanging the first couple of chocolates, they realized you could actually eat them…. Let’s just say our tree looks pretty empty (See pictures).
We also attended our first office Christmas party, it was very nice to meet other people from work, and we saw Santa who handed out movie theater tickets.
This weekend we visited a small town called Zug (named derived from “Fischzug” meaning fish draught). We forgot the camera so you will not see any pictures from here.
For you who have asked us about Swiss traditions, here is a sample:
· There are three official languages: German, Italian, and French. However Swiss German (a dialect) is spoken in daily life in Zurich.
· Santa Claus comes on the 6th of December. He knocks on your door to deliver your presents, he does not come through the chimney (Important: naughty list applies here too)
· Christmas Eve is celebrated on the 24th and they celebrate Jesus’ birthday
· Bratwurst is the must usual street snack; you get it wrapped in a napkin and you also get a piece of bread on the side (you bite the bratwurst and then you bite the bread, not at the same time like you eat a hotdog)No Halloween nor Thanksgiving (our something similar) are celebrated here

Visit to Bern

This weekend was Sydney's turn for a haircut
JP working on his scooter
At the Christmas Market in Zurich
Bern
Bern
Bern

Visit to Luzerne

JP just had a haircut

Malaga, Marbella, and Gibraltar

Lunch at the pub
With the Apes at Gibraltar
JP feeding the ape
The rock looked from the south
The rock looked from the north east
JP doing "sand angels"
At the Alameda in Marbella
Syd at the beach

Malaga Cathedral






Malaga



We successfully completed our first expedition to Europe (outside Switzerland). They were five days full of activities and here is a short version of what we did.
1st day: we arrived in Malaga, the city was flooded due to the rain. We managed to get to the hotel and explore Benalmadena, where the hotel was located; finished the day with a dip in the pool.
2nd day: we explored Picasso’s (and Antonio Banderas’) birthplace, Malaga. We started at “Plaza de la Marina”, visited the Picasso museum, the cathedral and its museum, and had some “tapas” at a café next to the Roman Theater, among other things. We then went to the beach and swam at the pool.
3rd day: we explored Marbella, located some 70 km from Malaga; there we visited the “Plaza de los Naranjos” (Spanish for “Orange trees square”) where of course all the trees had beautiful oranges, the walls of the “Castillo Arabe”, walked around the “Paseo de la Alameda” where they have many interesting Dali’s sculptures, and finished the visit at the beach were the sand was beautifully fine.
4th day: we took a tour to Gibraltar. We visited the Rock of Gibraltar, located on a peninsula attached to Spain but governed by the UK. We went to the top of the rock were you can see Africa, feed the Apes (JP did) and visited the St. Michael’s caves, among other things. We also had lunch at a Pub and did some shopping.
5th day: we came back home.

The Uetliberg

Sydney taking a nap......

JP refusing to take one.

This week was somewhat busy. We managed to attend two English speaking playgroups, one indoor playground, two visits to the gym and our first play date with our new friend Carmen from Peru and her little son Maurizio. The weekend was quiet. We took a 20 minute train ride to Uetliberg Mountain; it is 871 meters above sea level and has a beautiful view of Lake Zurich and the Alps (when the sky is clear). While the train took us pretty high, we still had to push Sydney and sometimes JP on their double stroller (not an all-terrain stroller) on different hiking paths; it was tough but worth it. We stopped a couple of times to catch our breath and have snacks.

We also took some time to prepare for our first expedition to Europe (outside Switzerland) coming up this week (more details to come), and we also had a chance to see Paula, Jay, Chelsey and Dexter… through the internet, of course! It was great and we can hardly wait to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends using the same technology to keep in touch (and it’s free!). We love and miss you all!

Pumpkin farm

During the week, we went to a playgroup where JP and Sydney got some Halloween candy (no Reeses), JP got his first piece and simply sat down and devoured it, then he got the second piece and did the same, and so on; you guessed, too much sugar and no nap in the afternoon. The weather took a turn for the worse and turned cold and rainy, so on Saturday we went shopping for household items and groceries.



On Sunday, we had a half-day trip from Zurich to the pumpkin farm Jucker located about a half hour drive from Zurich heading southeast. They have traditional farm buildings, flowers everywhere, view over a lovely lake (see photo), lots of pumpkins, gourds, apples, Bratwursts (with sunflower seds inside, very tasty) and ice cream stands. Since it was raining, we couldn't play at the playground but it was still a lot of fun.

At home

Zurich, Rapperswil, and Lenzburg

Jim and JP at the Lenzburg castle

JP, Sydney and Sandy on the train at the Rapperswil zoo

JP and Sandy at Lindenhof, Zurich

Walking has become our primary mode of transportation. During our first two free weekends after getting settled in, we visited the childrens zoo in Rapperswil (located at the southern tip of lake Zurich), the Lenzburg Castle with its own moving dragon (located 30 mins west of Zurich city), and did several walking tours of Zurich city.

The weather has been very agreeable with little rain and temperatures in the upper 60's. The kids and I have been using the opportunity to explore the playgrounds in the area. We have also been exploring Zurich's various forms of public transportation (train, bus, tram) and took our first boat trip this weekend from Zurich city to our appartment in Oberrieden (we have a boat dock practically in our back yard); the kids are loving it!

Successful move (Back yard view)

After six days of buying furniture, light fixtures, toys and basics, puting everything together and unpacking eight suitcases, we are ready to move to our appartment tomorrow. The kids are doing great and Jim is ready to start his firts project on Monday. He is scheduled to take a trip to Munich in the following days to get his visa; we still don't know if we will all go. By the way, our phone number is 043 540 41 61