Family Hike to Klewenalp and Beckenreid

Today after breakfast we got the kids ready, packed our backpack, and headed to the mountains for a day of hiking. We drove to the town of Beckenreid which is about thirty minutes away and then took the gondola up. Pretty cool that both of our kids' admission for the gondola was free, so it only cost Nick and I seventeen francs each.

Once to the top, we stopped to take in the panoramic views of the mountains and Lake Luzern, and then decided to try and find the hiking paths. Now in the summer, they actually have multiple playgrounds, a Marmot farm, and a petting zoo. Since this was the last official day of skiing, none of these areas were open yet, including the paved hiking paths. We planned for this knowing that we may not be able to take Geno in the stroller and he would have to walk as well. For his first hike, he did very well. The walk up is a whole nother story, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Once we made it to Tauberlin, we decided to sit down at one of the chalets and have lunch on the patio. Coretta and Geno opted for chicken nuggets and fries, Nick tried the steak, and I had Napoli spaghetti. This proved to be a challenge because Geno just couldn't sit still. He wanted to climb the chairs, stand on the chair, throw rocks, run down the mountain all by himself. This is really independent of him, until he falls over the cliff. You get the point. After lunch we began our hike back up to where the gondola is and Geno was exhausted. We were up 5240 feet and he was starting to feel the effects. Nick and I ( mostly Nick) took turns carrying him up the mountain and trying not to slip in the snow.

Once up, we decided to take the gondola down and explore the town of Beckenreid. Geno seemed content and did not put up any fight when trying to get him in the stroller, so we went down by the lake. Coretta bought some pastries at the bakery which she shared with her brother, and we took in the lake, mountain, and boats passing by. Geno especially liked the ducks and would say "Quack, Quack," as they would pass. After some time down by the lake, we decided it was time to drive home. In a matter of minutes both kids were fast asleep in the back seat. I have to say that this was a perfect family outing.

My 36th Birthday

Today was my 36th birthday. You know you are getting old when you can't remember your exact age and start counting. As soon as Coretta woke up, she was excited to give me my birthday presents that she picked out all on her own. She bought me cubic zirconia heart shaped earrings and a ring. When I tried the ring on, I could not get it passed my knuckle, so I put it on my pinky. Coretta's eyes welled up with tears, so I pushed and pushed until it went on. Needless to say, getting another year older doesn't phase me, but my daughter crying does. My finger began to turn a light purple red as the circulation in my right ring finger was lost. All day I have been trying to pry the ring off. I've tried icing it, warming it, using tape to make my finger smaller, lotion, and oil. Nothing works. Hopefully I will be able to have better luck tomorrow.

Nick surprised me and got our thirteen year old neighbor Katie to come over and babysit and he took me to dinner at the Waldorf Risch Hotel. Nick tried the seafood lasagna, Coretta had chicken strips and fries, and I opted for the pesto risoto. Afterwards we each had dessert ranging from banana splits, mango minestroni, and pancake cinnamon ice-cream.

Once we finished dinner, we decided to take a walk around the grounds of this hotel/restaurant. The views of the lake and mountains were amazing like most of Switzerland is.

Nick bought me a designer watch for my birthday and I loved it. Great presents, great food, great company. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family. What a great day to turn 36!

Another day older, wiser, and happier!

Our Weekend Away in Munich

This past weekend, Nick and I awoke at 5 am, and jumped on a bus at 6 am to start our journey to Munich, Germany for the Bob Dylan concert. We went with one other couple and had a great time. The train ride was about four and a half hours long and seemed to go by fairly quickly. There was one group that were definitely part of a bachelor's party. The bachelor was dressed like a women--dress, scarf, and he so graciously allowed me to take his picture.

Once in Germany, we picked up our 3 day pass that allows us to use any public transportation during our stay, and jumped onto the bus 123 to the Holiday Inn. Since it was too early to check in, we decided to check our bags and explore the city. We walked along the Leopoldstrasse and saw many souvenir shops, butcher shops, and historical monuments. For lunch, we decided to eat at the historic Hofbrauhaus. Luckily we were able to find a table, because the place was packed. The whole place has murals on the ceilings, live Bavarian music, and waitresses dressed like tavern fraus. We sipped beer, ate bavarian food, and enjoyed the atmosphere. Interestingly enough, one older man came in and sat next to us with his dog. Wouldn't see that happening in the United States. They even had what they called a Hunde Buffet for the dogs at our hotel.

Around 7 pm, we took a cab down to where Bob Dylan was playing. They were serving beers outside of the concert, so you could sip a beer while you waited in line. I found it interesting how civilized the crowd was. There was no pushing, no obnoxious behavior at all. Once to the front, the woman asked me to step to the side and open my purse. Once I did this, they confiscated my camera. I started to panic, because I didn't know if I would even get it back. Luckily, they gave me a ticket and was told to pick it up at the Kasse (ticket office) after the show. Once in, they had lots of different merchandise to buy. Nick bought a T-Shirt and a poster. The concert was great. Although Dylan always seems to play his old music in a different way, I enjoyed the new renditions with their bluesy/jazzy feel.

The next day, we met our friends for breakfast, and then decided to spend the remainder of the day in the University district where the English Gardens are located. Here we saw some really cool architecture and in the gardens themselves, many wonderful wooded paths. To my surprise, we even saw two naked men sunning themselves which I thankfully was warned about previously to coming there. There were lots of people relaxing and enjoying the sunny weather. We made our way over to the Chinese part of the park and sat at one of the beer gardens taking in yet another live Bavarian band, and then enjoyed walking along the lake watching all of the paddle boats going by. There was also two man band with a clarinet, guitar, and two microphones singing. You can view the video below.

By 4:30 Sunday, we jumped on our train and headed back to Switzerland. Great time in Munich. Thanks to Grandma Marilyn to agreeing to watch the kids!

Geno's Easter Basket from School

Today at school, Geno gave Mommy, Coretta, and Daddy the cutest little card. It was supposed to be his hand print, but there was no way that he was going to put paint on his hand, so another student helped him create it.

The teachers also handed him the cutest little Easter basket filled with beautiful chocolates. The only problem with the Easter basket created for him by his teachers, is that they didn't realize the kind of sweet tooth my son has. I could barely get into the parking lot without him having a melt down.

Here are some pictures of his card and wonderful basket.

Coretta and her new Hudora Scooter

Coretta has been getting an allowance for quite a while, and we never really seemed to monitor where her money was going. When we realized that most of her allowance was going to the buying of candy and sweets, we decided it was time to teach her the importance of saving.

She put her allowance in her piggy bank and kept a ledger and in no time at all raised 91 CHF and decided to buy a scooter. We decided that today we would drive into Zug and allow her to purchase one at Ochsner Sports in the Metalli. She never thought that through saving, you could purchase real, tangible things and has learned the value of money.

Doesn't she look happy?

Coretta's Poetry Recital

Coretta had a poetry recital today and Grandma Marilyn and I had the privilege to attend. When we got there, Coretta explained all of her poems that she had written in her book. They had to design a cover and have one illustration for each. She even typed them. She chose to share the one about titled Barnyard with the entire audience and did a great job. Each student went through and shared their poem which was also written on poster board. Afterwards the pianist played each child's national anthem, and as they heard it, they would stand up. The last thing was a song that the class sang together. Below is a video of it. Great job Coretta!


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Marilyn's Walk in Cham

Today our adventure was somewhat stalled due to the electrician coming here at 11 am, but we made the best of it. Instead of putting Geno down for a nap at noon, I decided to take Marilyn and Geno into Cham to walk around the lake, play at the park, and see the swans, birds, and ducks that tend to congregate along the lakeside.

Geno enjoyed the birds and trying to imitate their sounds as well as going up and down and up and down the twirly slide. Next time we will need to bring crackers or bread to feed them. If he lost sight of Grandma Marilyn, he would look for her until he found her. Very cute.

Marilyn even got into the child like spirit of things and jumped on one of the rocking horses as well. Although it was a less activity based day then the rest, it was still enjoyable to be outside in the fresh air.

Once back into Huenenberg, we stumbled upon a Claro Fair Trade store which was run by many women in the canton of Zug that donate their time to run the store. They had goods from all over the world and ranged from toys, jewelry, and food. Great find. We will definitely go back there when Geno is at school tomorrow. Here's the site: Claro Fair Trade