Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Bieter/Burkert Picnic






My friend Ronnie and I have been talking about starting a family picnic day every Sunday where we go down to the lake with the kids where they can swim, play at the playground, throw the football and a frisbee, eat good food, and enjoy the scenery and company.

Well, today we made this day official by packing up all the food, snacks, and beverages and heading down to Lake Zug. Once there, we both lugged our coolers as well as my dog Charlie, three other bags, and my son in a stroller. I had to laugh at what we must have looked like to the Europeans around us. Once situated under the tree that had good visibility to the park and the lake, things became a little easier. We laid down the blankets, fed the kids, and let them play.

While the kids decided to jump into the lake which mind you is not quite ready for swimming, the parents spent time talking and laughing. Although we had a few stares primarily for our American coolers, the day was perfect. In fact, we met a couple who were recently ex-pats in Chicago and just moved back who readily pointed out that "they must be Americans because they have coolers." What I find interesting about this statement is that if Europeans had ice readily available, they would all come to the beach with coolers, but that is not the case. I lucked out with my apartment because it has an "American" sized refridgerator and freezer with an ice machine. Who would think that ice would be such a hot comodity.

Geno enjoyed playing with Bruno, Seamus, and Michael throwing the football and frisbee. He also enjoyed playing with his pail and shovel in the sand. He even made some friends at the park. He also however made some enemies of course too. He decided that he wanted the ball that these two Swiss kids were playing with, and walked over to them saying "Mine." The boy did not want to share his ball with Geno whatsoever, but his sister was more diplomatic, allowing Geno the ball and letting him kick it. At one point, however, Geno decided that he wanted the ball to himself, and started running away with the ball. How were they to know his unhealthy obsession with Winnie the Pooh? It was a Winnie the Pooh ball after all.

Coretta enjoyed playing at the park and pretend fishing with Michael. As well as playing with her brother when asked to. Even Charlie enjoyed running around chasing other dogs, birds, and trying his best to get at the chicken wings without being noticed. He did however get a chicken bone or two which Nick had to pry out of his mouth with brute force in fear that he would choke. He also took a dip in Lake Zug to cool off and actually jumped in a second time, he liked it so much. I must say that there are definitely worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon. Here's a short video of Charlie's swim in Lake Zug.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Coretta's recorder concert















Coretta had her recorder concert yesterday. She did a great job. Geno and I were lucky enough to be able to go. Each grade, both second and third, played music for an audience of parents. Although Geno had a hard time staying quiet at times, he also enjoyed dancing to the music as well as clapping at the end. Here is a video of her concert. Enjoy!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Black Forest Germany









Nick is the most thoughtful and loving man I know. He listens to me, he is there for me, and always does something to let me know how much he loves me. Case in point, planning a wonderful family vacation to the black forest in Germany. It was exactly what we needed. Perfect timing.

We haven´t had a family vacation within a year because our last experience in Italy with Geno was difficult. However, I believe that we are starting to turn a corner. Geno was a lot of fun and very adventurous on this trip, even when he had to miss his nap. The only difficult time was dinner time. Geno just doesn´t like to be fenced in. The beer garden was perfect because he could walk up and down the isles and climb on the picnic tables, and no one thought anything of it. He even slept through the night as long as Daddy tucked him in and cuddled him to sleep.

Our hotel apartment was gorgeous and scenic. Once we picked up our key, we drove up a couple of hills and we were there. There, on top of a hill that overlooks lake Titisee and endless forest. It was truly breathtaking. Coretta even made a couple friends that lived above us. When I walked in, I was pleasantly surprised with the decor and the space. That is something you get used to in most of Europe. Most hotels and apartments are economy small, however this place had two floors. The upstairs had a couch, chairs, dining room table as well as a walk out patio. The lower level was accessible by walking down this beautiful wood spiral staircase where there were even more beds and space. At night, it cooled off considerably since it was underground.

The first day, we decided to walk into the small village of Titisee and do some exploring. Once down there, we took a stroll down by the lake and followed it up to the old part where there was shopping and eating places. Coretta even tried bungee trampolining for he first time and loved it. That night we followed this up with a swim in the pool at the hotel. Here there was also a spa and sauna, and a wonderful area to sit and watch the kids. We were lucky enough to have the whole pool to ourselves.

The next morning we had our complimentary breakfast in the hotel which was a German style buffet with freshly squeezed fruit juices, coffee, smoked salmon, cheese, salami, eggs, bacon, croissants, homemade jams, granola, cereal, yogurt, and fruit. We then decided to drive into Freiburg for the afternoon. It was about a forty minute car ride with very scenic views. Once there, we parked, and decided to explore the old part which led us to the most amazing farmer´s market I have been to that sold not only fresh produce, meat, and flowers, but also several artisan booths with goods such as marbles, wooden toys, and jewelry. We then had lunch, and continued to explore our way to the University section of town where there were even more vendors selling merchandise. It is here that Nick bought a new wedding band and I bought a mother of pearl ring. That night, once we were back, Nick took the kids swimming.

Here is a link to Coretta and my photo shoot in traditional German dress as well: PHOTO SHOOT

We then followed up our adventure with several hikes in the black forest. The fresh smell of wilderness and trees brought me back to our experiences in Minnesota on the North Shore and the Gunflint. A definite place that we will be returning to in years to come. Here´s a video of Coretta doing the bungee trampoline as well as a video of the live sidewalk entertainment in Freiburg.



Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Holiday in Hinterzarten Germany
















This week Nick planned a family trip to Hinterzarten, Germany that is located in the southern part of the Black Forest. We will be staying at a wonderful apartment in the heart of the black forest that includes breakfast buffet, indoor swimming pool, sauna, and several hiking paths in the area. It is close to the town of Freiburg as well as Europa Park (which is the Disneyland of Europe).

This specific vacation will focus on nature hikes, swimming, and relaxation. Even Charlie is coming with us. More to follow when we get back.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Nick´s Meetup Hike - Immensee to Vitznau


This past Sunday, Nick prepared for his first Meetup Hike with a group online that are hiking enthusiasts. It was run by a guy named Sven who sets up everything for them in advance. There were a total of twenty five people who came for this particular hike.

Nick was impressed with the knowledge and research that the organizer had and was able to see some quite beautiful views. They hiked about 18 kilometers that day and took a boat ride to Luzern. He came home around 7 pm and was actually sore the next day. I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday. Now I need to try one of these hikes as well.

Here is a link to some more pictures from his day located at Immensee to Vitznau Photos

International Day at ISZL

Last weekend we had the privilege to attend International Day at Coretta´s school. The students of the International School of Zug look forward to this all year.

They have international booths set up that offer native cuisine, drink, and dessert as well as several games and entertainment. This year there was food from Australia, Germany, Scandinavia, France, Switzerland, United States, Canada, Great Britian, and Mexico. Some of the games were the riding bull, the rock climbing wall, the carousel, as well as games like blowing a balloon up and exploding it to other relay races. They also highlighted several middle school rock bands playing covers from bands like Sound Garden and the Rolling Stones. They also had several traditional dances and the dancers from the school play Bugsy performed as well.

We went to the festival with the Burkert´s and Bargers taking public transportation the whole way. It was a clear sunny day. The only bad part of the day was that I saw several horse balloons in the air that had left the hands of some very sad kids. We arrived around 11.00 am and stayed until 3.00 pm.

It was a great time especially for the children. Here are some more photos from the day. Just click on the following link: ISZL photos

Monday, May 11, 2009

Mother's Day






Yesterday of course was Mother's Day and it was a beautiful day. Nick got up with the kids and they made me breakfast in bed. French toast and bananas. Yummy.Coretta bought me a beautiful plant and made homemade perfume for me, Geno made me a heart plaque to hang on the wall, and Nick gave me a bouquet of flowers. Later in the evening, we went for a two hour walk.

It was nice to spend time with my family. I love being a Mom more than they will ever know. To all the mothers out there, I hope you had a special day. I know I did.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Blues and Barbecue at the Bieter's








Last night, we had five families within the neighborhood come over (a total of 20 people) for a barbecue and blues music. All of the families live in Hunenberg and also send their children to the International School of Zug. The ages of kids that attended were 2 years old up to 13 years old.

Because we were hosting a party of this magnitude, I sent an email to all of the families asking that they bring something to share. The food was amazing. There was Swedish meatballs, shrimp cocktail, tomato/mozzarella salad, chips, barbecue ribs, chicken, chicken satay and peanut sauce, German potato salad, fruit, apple and chocolate tortes, pudding, beer, wine, and soda. Needless to say, no one left hungry.
I tried to set it up so that the kids would have space to play with toys, the wii, watch movies and the adults would also have space. I learned from the Halloween party that all rooms should be locked, so I did that and left age appropriate toys and games in the hallway. We had kids cooking, hammering, playing in a band, playing with cars, and even slaying wookies on the Wii. The kids were also able to spend time at the neighborhood park and roast marshmallows and make smores on the patio as well as eat ice cream sandwiches.

For the most part, the weather was great, but at one point the wind and rain picked up which caused me and some very helpful guests to grab all the plants and cushions and put them in the shed until it passed. Sadly, Nick and Bob spent time out there barbecuing the food in the rain. Neither really seemed to mind it, however.

It was clearly a great party and look forward to the next one.

Friday, May 8, 2009

My Garden Patio






This year, I wanted to try and make my patio very welcoming by adding flower, fruit, herb, and vegetable container gardens to the landscape. That is one thing that I miss back in Minnesota are my outdoor plants. After doing some research, I learned that almost anything can be grown in containers and thrive well. The list contained rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, green onions, peppers, lettuce, radishes, zucchini, cucumbers, and even trees (the dwarf variety).

I decided that I would plant some rhododendron's, azaleas, herbs (sage, thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, mint) as well as an olive bush. I thought that blueberry and raspberry bushes as well as an orange bush would be suited well on the patio with lots of direct sunlight as well as two tomato plants for cross pollination. So far, I have almost 50 tomatoes! I also planted beets, chives, peppers, and zucchini today.

So far, this is what my garden patio looks like. Who would have thought that you could create an inviting outdoor space without a yard. I can't wait to have my first barbecue party on Saturday. We will be hosting 20 people.

As some of you know, we were trying to grill on the patio last weekend when all of a sudden the grill burst into flames. Nick ran downstairs and started throwing water on it, but it would not go out. At this point, he asked that Geno, Charlie, and I leave while he tried to contain the fire. I decided to run over to my neighbor Ronnie's house and see if Ron was around to help. Sadly enough, we didn't even know the number to the fire station. Now I know, thanks to my friend Adrian which let me know the following:

You have to remember one number: 112. This number works from all over Europe, i.e. EU including Switzerland and other countries. 112 is the equivalent to 911 in the US and Canada. Over here, some cantons/regions/towns still have different call centers for Police, Fire Service, Ambulance, hence the various numbers (117, 118, 144). However, if you ... Read Moredial 112 in Switzerland you will always be connected to the police and they will pass you on to the corresponding service. In GSM cell phone networks, 112 works virtually all over the world. Apparently even in the US and Canada - you will be redirected to 911. BTW: a fire in Switzerland has inspired another band to write a classic song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jp3de50_d8 Hopefully this will not happen to any more expats and if so, they will be prepared.

I then called Nick from Ronnie's house to find out that it was contained. He said never again will he use a gas grill, hence I bought charcoal today.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Geno's First Speech Therapy Session


Today Geno had his first one on one speech therapy session and it went great. The total session lasted about an hour and a half and looked at his gross motor skills (cutting paper with a scissor, cutting playdough, using utensils, coloring, unscrewing caps, puzzles, taking marker tops off), to role play (such as brushing his hair, feeding the stuffed animal puppet, brushing someone's teeth, playing with trains and little people), to finding objects that are hidden.

At first Geno was very shy, but with a little prodding by the green puppet, he warmed up soon enough. Three more behavioral play sessions to go till we can sit down and have an individualized plan for Geno.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Live Dixieland Jazz in Hunenberg




Today we decided to meet the Burkert's and the Barger's for a little Dixieland Jazz, food, and conversation. We got there around 11:00, and as you walk into the tent, they had a red carpet laid out for the guests as they entered the tent. It cost 10 francs per adult and all the kids could enter free of charge. We were able to get a seat, order food, and have a beer or two as well. As the adults were in conversation, all of the kids, ages ranging from 2 to 10 were able to play, until around 1:00 pm when the napping time came where Geno and Josh needed to get home and lay down. Overall, it was a great day, until later around 5:00 pm.

Once home, Nick and I decided that we would grill chicken for supper. While lighting the grill, it started on fire and the whole thing started up in flames. Nick and I were unsure what to do. He got water and tried to douse the flame, but realized that until he shut the propane off it would continue. The fire started below by the tube connection to the propane tank and the actual grill. Nick told me to evacuate with Geno, while he tried to deal with the situation. I scooped Geno up, and out the door we went. I decided to walk over to the Burkert's and see if they were home and if they knew the number to the fire department. Sadly, they didn't either. After a few minutes, I called Nick back at home, just in case he was able to get the fire contained. He said that he did and that it was okay to come home. How scary. Scary that we ultimately could have burnt the apartment down, the grill could have exploded, and Nick could have had an accident. Not sure why, but I had this vision that he would end up disfigured by the flames. Horrible. Ronnie and I have both decided that it is pertinent that we post all of the emergency numbers in Hunenberg in case anything crazy like this happens again. All of you expats in Switzerland need to remember 112. This number will get you in touch with the police, fire station, and ambulance. It is just like 911 in the States. Unfortunate that it took an experience like this to find out the number though. Needles to say, Nick is thinking charcoal grills might be the new wave of the future.

The irony is that we are hosting a family barbecue next weekend.

Here's a short video of the Dixieland Jazz Band: