The Goldman Family's blog

July 2010 - The Real Last Hurrah

 

Officially Swiss!

 

Before leaving Basel we knew that to become a real local we had to do a complete swim in the Rhine.  Last year Larry and Ken took a small dip in the river.  But they had yet to complete the full Basel swimming route (from one end of town to the other end).  Like everyone else, we threw our dry clothes in the requisite Schwimmen Tasche (a floatable waterproof bag) and we all jumped into the cool refreshing water on a hot 92° F day.  The current pulled us along in a surprisingly gentle manner past the cathedral, under the bridges and in view of the quaint city landscape.  Larry and Nina were able to manage the waters without any difficulties.  We were all having a ball.  Until…

 

Basel's Old Bridge over the Rhine

Even floating down the river requires some effort.  So for good measure, I suggested we take a break midway through our course.  We swam off to the nearest stopping point where Larry was the first to discover that we had landed right at a nude beach!  Maybe if we had stumbled upon bare breasted women he wouldn’t have been so anxious to leave.  But that wasn’t the case.  Since we were out on the Rhine to enjoy the full on European experience, I made Larry suffer through the sight of obese naked old men with all their parts unapologetically dangling in the sun – rolls, folds and all.  Larry couldn’t jump back in the river fast enough.  I guess you can say that now we have truly seen everything in Basel! 

Berlin – Kid Central

 

Ken and I were excited to explore Berlin, a city overflowing with rich history, art and cutting edge architecture.  But as usual, our ideas didn’t quite match up with those of Larry and Nina.  Yes, we squeezed in a little bit of culture.  But those memories take a back seat to what the kids consider the real highlights of Berlin.  For starters, Larry and Nina fulfilled their “lifelong dream” (actual quote from the kids) of rolling around in human sized hamster balls! 

 

Human Hamster Balls in Berlin - Who Knew!

If you ask the kids about the other significant parts of their Berlin vacation, don’t expect to hear about the Holocaust memorial and its eerie feeling (though you might get some animated feedback from Larry on its great climbing features); or the view from atop the ultra modern sleek Reichstag Dome (Nina will proudly tell you that she got us bumped up into the VIP line); or viewing a piece of the Berlin wall; or seeing the superb sculpture of Nefertiti in the Altes Museum; or passing through Brandenburger Gate; or the strikingly poignant bombed out Kaiser-Wilhelm Church that stands as a memorial in Breitscheidplatz. 

Nope.  They will tell you:  that the zoo has the most amazing nocturnal exhibit and the best playground; that the aquarium with its Aquadome elevator was worth the wait; that Madame Tussaud’s was not cheesy, but “awesome”; that mom and dad were mean because we didn’t buy anything in the fabulous toy section of KaDeWe department store (Nina will also point out mom’s cruel refusal to splurge on a $12 box of Pop Tarts in the food emporium); that swimming in the hotel pool was the best part of every day in Berlin; and that trampoline bungee jumping in Breitscheidplatz rocks.   

As for Berlin from a food perspective:  Larry never encountered a soft pretzel he didn’t like, Nina found herself in heaven with all the Dunkin Donuts chains spread across the city, I enjoyed many a currywurst, and Ken indulged in a local specialty - green beer!   Berlin offered something for everyone, even if it wasn’t the vacation Ken and I had originally envisioned.

 

Green Beer Time

 

Getting into the spirit of the World Cup

World Cup Fever

 

One of the benefits of living in Europe this year has been witnessing the passion and energy of soccer enthusiasts and the 2010 World Cup.  Everywhere we went televisions broadcast the games.  Some places set up special giant screens in town squares or at outdoor bars just for the occasion.  Any eating establishment that didn’t own a television during game time was doomed to be empty.  Country flags were displayed everywhere, fans of victorious teams ran around crazily yelling and celebrating, and soccer talk was welcome conversation just about anywhere. 

 

Larry and Nina inevitably caught World Cup fever.  In addition to watching the games, the kids fell prey to the biggest moneymaker since Pokemon cards.  The hot items for kids in Europe during World Cup season were Panini cards.  This year there were 638 sticker cards to collect that could be placed in an official sticker album.  Once kids filled their albums, they enjoyed endless bragging rights and the envy of their peers.  For weeks all we heard were the kids’ pleas for more Panini cards.  Larry and Nina eventually filled their book.  But they were way behind their classmates whose parents resorted to making trades in the school cafeteria after morning drop-offs.  And truth be told, I got sucked into making Panini deals for the kids too!  Another low point for mom.

 

Black, Red and Yellow World Cup Kitsch:  NOT Optional 

We were fortunate to be in Berlin when Germany beat Argentina in the second knockout round of the World Cup.  The excitement in town upon their country’s victory was pervasive and contagious.  Cars sped by honking their horns while people screamed out their windows.  Drunk, happy crowds passed by and bonded with anyone sporting German colors.  On our way to dinner, our cab driver enthusiastically zipped through the city streets in high spirits from Germany’s win.  I believe he was a bit too enthusiastic because, as he shouted out “Today anything is possible”, he flew right through a red light!  Maybe the cab driver believed a German soccer victory made him impervious to death, but I was not so convinced.   Nina loved that a local shopkeeper, also elated from the soccer match, showered us with free beads and discounts on all of our purchases.  I told the man, “I just can’t give you my money today.”  To which he just smiled and handed me another free item.  Thank you, Team Germany!

 

Go Germany!

 

Lagos, Portugal

Portugal

 

The first thing Larry and Nina do whenever we walk into a new hotel is race straight toward the brochure stands.  That way they can point out all the kid-friendly attractions of which we will likely be depriving them.  When we arrived in Portugal, the kids predictably waved their brochures at us for the waterpark, the zoo and the aquarium.  But Ken and I didn’t spend half a day traveling to the Algarve (Portugal’s southern coast) to sightsee.  We went there for one reason – the beaches.  Fortunately, sun, sand and water satisfy all of us.  Nina discovered shell paradise, Larry and Ken splashed in the waves and created a mini Mont St. Michel in the sand, Ken and I drank bottles of the refreshing Portuguese Vinho Verde (a slightly bubbly wine), we ate wonderful fresh seafood at beachside restaurants every evening without any al fresco disasters (my risk taking finally paid off – no creepy crawlies, bees or bold birds!) while the kids played in the sand, and I stuffed myself with creamy flaky custard tarts (pastel de nata) like the ones my Aunt Kitty used to buy from the Portuguese bakery in Jersey City.  When we weren’t lazing around on the beach, Nina and Larry spent all of their time in our condo’s rooftop Jacuzzi with the spectacular view of the ocean.  I think we’ve officially gone beyond spoiled (and I’m not just talking about the children).

 

 

Parental Love Has No Bounds

 

The sun and sea put us in such a great mood that we even broke down and rented a crazy paddleboat equipped with a twisty slide.  Though I nearly died of exhaustion trying to paddle the monstrous contraption against the wind and waves, I took satisfaction in watching Ken and Larry plunge into the icy cold Atlantic.  This was the second time we all got to hear Ken scream like a little girl during our European adventures!  Nina and I were no fools.  We opted to stay on board the whole time. 

 

Ready to Make Mom & Dad Work Hard on Vacation

City Time

Though we left the beach much to Larry and Nina’s disappointment, the kids eventually warmed up to the city sights of Lisbon.  Nina had had so much fun during our beach portion of the trip that she retracted her earlier ban against castles and allowed me to visit Castel São Jorge.  She immediately regretted that decision when she found herself trudging up the steep hills of the Alfama district in the summer heat.  But after a few snide remarks from Larry,  “Oh, great.  Another view.  Ooohh.  Ahhh.”  (Sarcasm from children.  Isn’t it precious?), everyone found their groove.  To Nina’s excitement, peacocks and cats roamed freely on the hilltop fortress; Larry got to climb tall towers; and I got my castle moment.  (Ken got to stand in line for tickets.)

 

Lisbon’s sidewalk mosaics, beautifully tiled buildings, its copy of the Golden Gate bridge and hilly streets that reminded us of San Francisco (and that going home was just around the corner), another al fresco dinner, more great art and architecture, a quick stop at a Ginjinha bar for a Portuguese syrupy berry liqueur, the breathtaking Monument of the Discoveries and Belem Tower along the Tagus River, and the easy going lazy summer evenings of the city made for a nice last European vacation.  For the kids, the crowning moment was dinner at the Hard Rock Café.   (To each his own they say.)

 

Yeah, we like it here.

 

Europa Park

Europa Park

 

If Portugal was my last hurrah, then Europa Park was certainly Larry and Nina’s.  Last year the kids had so much fun at the German amusement park that we promised to return before moving back home.  This time we splurged for a room at the Vegas-like Colosseo Hotel right outside the park.  The kids and Ken enjoyed the indoor/outdoor pool at our Roman themed hotel, while I braved the adults-only clothing optional co-ed steam bath (Living in Europe has finally made me nonchalant to the sight of naked people).  The next day we got an early start at the amusement park and put in a full 10 hours of rides, arcades and attractions.   If the kids could describe heaven, they’d call it Europa Park.

 

 

Hanging out around Basel

A Fitting Send-Off

 

Our last day at Hirzbodenweg 94 turned out to be rather chaotic with house cleaners, inspections and a circus of people in and out of the place.  By the time we handed the keys over and pulled away from the house, my head was in a state of frenzy and shock.  It was anything but a quiet and calm departure from a place that held so many special and wonderful memories for the past nineteen months.  No one really had much time to think about goodbyes or to process the events of the day.  The kids were too excited to check out the hotel that would be home for the next two nights.  At dinner that evening, Larry made a speech and thanked us for bringing him to Switzerland and for all the great adventures we had.  The kids both admitted that they were going to miss Switzerland.  I finally felt vindicated for making the family move to Europe! 

 

We spent our last full day in Basel like tourists taking in the sights that we enjoyed most:  the Munster (cathedral), the farmers’ market in Marktplatz, a ferry ride on the Rhine, the colorful Rathaus, the flea market at Petersplatz, the street performers on Freiestrasse, slushies at the kiosk in Barfusserplatz, and a walk along the Rhine.  For our final dinner in Switzerland we ate schnitzel, fries and beer.  My favorite Swiss German meal!  

Our last day in Basel also happened to be the eve of Swiss National Day – the night when they have their biggest fireworks display of the year.  After a day of walking around the city, we could see the excitement building.  Fireworks, Swiss flags and patriotic kitsch lined every storefront sidewalk.  Food booths, outdoor bars, blaring music, games, trinket vendors and even kids’ rides filled the streets of town.  Tons of people were having fun and staking out their spots for the evening’s fireworks display.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to worry about where we would stand to watch the fireworks.  We had been invited to a party at a house right on the Rhine with a great view of the river and all the excitement.  With the music blaring and the crowds of people passing by, we took in the surreal moment behind our nice calm barricade.  It was our last night in Basel and there was a party, we imagined, just for us.  Then the music stopped and it was show time.   The fireworks did not disappoint and we had a front row view:  the Rhine, the Three Kings Hotel, the throngs of people lining the river and the town’s old bridge.  What a great finale to a wonderful adventure. 

 

Here's to a Memorable Adventure!

 

A Reminder of Home

All Good Things Must Come To An End

 

“Wonderful” does not adequately describe the experience of living in Switzerland.  For the past year and a half I lived out my dream: I traveled all over Europe, spoke (and butchered) different languages, ate new and interesting foods, enjoyed numerous cultural and artistic sites, made new friends (and bonded more with old ones), constantly learned new things, watched my kids get cultured, and had so many fantastic experiences.  I couldn’t have asked for anything more.   

 

Fourteen countries, 7 cross country flights, 4 long train rides, 3 death defying cab drivers (at least), 1 lost tooth, 5 speeding tickets (all Ken’s!), 1 flat tire, 1 swindled husband, 2 traumatic tram incidents with the kids, 3 al fresco dining disasters, 5 steps in poop, and countless communication gaps.  What have we learned from this experience?  We survived it all and had a blast.  

 

When the plane touched down in San Francisco on August 1^st, Larry and Nina clapped their hands in excitement.  They couldn’t contain their smiles and their happiness to be back in California.  When we reunited with friends and family after our long absence, life started to feel satisfyingly normal again.  In the end, there’s really no place like home. 

Bye Bye, Basel!

Excerpts from the Journals of Larry and Nina

A Piece of the Berlin Wall

During summer vacation I went to Berlin.  One day we went to the zoo.  After the zoo, we went to a platz next to a ruined church.  In the platz there was trampoline bungee jumping…There was a girl on the trampoline too.  Afterwards, she went up to us and said, “Speak English?”  We said yes and she gave us a piece of paper asking for money.  Mom yelled at her because she paid 5 euros to play on the trampoline then went asking for money.  Afterwards, I completed one of my life dreams by going into a hamster ball.  It is so fun.  I got in and I was floating on water.  I was falling all the time, but it was still fun.  Larry, July 5, 2010

 

During summer break I went to Salema, Portugal.  Salema is like probably the smallest town in the Algarve.  I liked it there because there’s a beach right near almost every restaurant.  While I was waiting for my food every night, I got to play on the beach.  Two nights I was a risk-taker because I [ate] a fish eye.  On the last night, Nina and I built a sand mountain…We met this British kid who helped.  That was my excellent time on Salema beach.   Larry July 19, 2010

 

Salema Beach is the Best!

During summer vacation I went to Lisbon.  One of my favorite restaurants is Hard Rock Café.  So when I found out there was one in Lisbon I begged to go…Before lunch we saw two things, the Padrão des Descobrimentos and the Torre de Belem.  They were really cool.   Larry July 20 2010

 

Monument of Discoveries in Belem

 

Portugal Rocks!

During my summer vacation we went to the nice hot Portugal.  Our hotel was more like a villa.  It had…a hot tub! a view! 2 floors!  It was great.  Dinner was yummy.  The seafood was really fresh at the Atlantic Ocean.  I found tons of shells!  I loved going on the paddleboat.  And you’ll never guess what was on it…a waterslide.  And boy was the water cold!  On our last day [in the Algarve] we went to Lagos.  They had big arched rocks that boats go through.  But at the beach I have to say that the water was not very pleasant.  I almost stepped on a dead fish head.  But other than that it was shell heaven.  And of course Portugal has American food, [whereas] Switzerland tries to avoid it as much as possible.  Nina July 19, 2010

 

 

The next day [of our Portugal vacation] we were off to Lisbon.  And of course there’s a Hard Rock Café there.  That means 2 things:  (1) we have to go; and (2) it means we’re not at a beach anymore.  And that means…we spend our last full day mostly at another castle…Out of all I don’t know what my favorite part was because I loved this vacation.  It was lots of fun for all of us and I want to do something like that again.  But I think I know Larry’s favorite part was the Hard Rock.  Nina July 20, 2010.

 

Life is Good

 Das Ende

 

June 2010

June was the month of good-byes and last hurrahs.  We still have all of July to enjoy Europe.  But with the end of school came the departure of friends and the realization that our own time here continues to rapidly tick away.  Staying close to home this month, we also got back to re-discovering the wealth of beauty and offerings of our temporary homeland and its environs.

At the top of Mt. Rigi

Rigi

If you want the quintessential Swiss experience, just head to the mountains.  Better and more unbelievable than a postcard, the scenery overwhelms even the most jaded traveler.  On the first sunny exquisite day of June we went to Mount Rigi near Lucern.   Our journey included a gondola ride up the mountain, a cogwheel train to the bottom, and a boat ride back to our starting point.  What a way to travel!

 

From the top of Mt. Rigi we gazed out at the typical scene of cottages clinging to the sides of mountains, cows and sheep grazing on hillsides with their jangling bells, church bells ringing, paragliders gently floating through the air, wildflowers blanketing the slopes, glistening teal colored lakes, and the snow-capped Alps looming off in the distance.  That’s the Switzerland people come from far away to see, and that’s the sight we were fortunate enough to experience in just a quick car ride from Basel. 

Lunch With a View

Weather Woes

Our gorgeous summery weather came to a crashing halt after Rigi.  For the next several weeks we suffered through rain and temperatures that felt more like fall, than late spring.  On a weekend trip to Lausanne, the weather was so dreary that we headed home early without any hesitation.  But during the last week of the month, summer arrived in full force.  After the long winter and spring, none of us will complain about the heat.  The kids have been jumping in fountains, taking in the great pools of Basel, and splashing in the numerous rivers around town.

Even Crazy Banana Hammock Fritz is back in all his glory:

Just be grateful I didn't show you his backside view

Do you think she's missing her brother?

Family Travel Minus One

 

Larry, lucky devil that he is, got to go on a four-day trip to Salzburg, Austria with the fifth and sixth graders from school.  With big brother gone, we promised Nina a fun-filled weekend with mom and dad to a place where Larry has never been (just to make things even in the world of competitive siblings).  Ken and I chose Montreux and Lausanne as our weekend getaway.  One problem:  the weather was downright dreary and cold.  The otherwise scenic and beautiful Lake Léman (Lake Geneva) and its surrounding mountains were obscured by fog and a never-ending gray sky. 

 

Good thing scenery made no difference to Nina.  The shops provided fun - rain or shine.  From her favorite Swiss toy store (Karl Franz Weber) to the expansive farmers’ markets lining almost every street in old town, Nina reveled in her brother-free weekend.  But it was the al fresco lunch in Montreux that highlighted the day.  As we were enjoying our meal, out of nowhere a small bird swooped down into my plate of spaghetti Bolognese and made off with a strand of pasta.  Why, oh why, have I not learned my lesson about dining outdoors? (See July 2009 blog)  At least the incident provided Nina with endless laughs.

Don't eat spaghetti outside!

Stopping at numerous playgrounds, seeing people “surfing” on the lake with paddles, and taking a nice walk along the perfectly manicured gardens along Lake Léman filled the rest of our day.  Little did Nina know that we were leading her to one of her most dreaded destinations.  Chateau de Chillon is a picturesque 12^th century castle built right on the lake.  It’s one of Switzerland’s proudest landmarks, and a sight I could not resist taking the family.  Though Nina loathed the idea of being dragged into another castle, she eventually warmed up to the place.  But first she made me promise that this would be our last castle.  I thought I was outsmarting her when I agreed, but Nina keenly added:  “in Europe!”  She’s getting too clever, and my tactics are obviously getting too old!

 Taking in the sights of Lausanne and Lake Geneva

 

Art Basel

Art Basel

 

Basel hosts the biggest art exhibition in the world every June.  Last year I missed out as I was still getting my bearings in our new town.  But this year there was no way I was going to let my opportunity to see Art Basel slip away.  Even if you’re not an art lover, the exhibition offers something for everyone.  I was swept into a whole other world as I took in the different works – some quirky and some truly moving creations.  Where else can one walk through a giant plastic vagina/birth canal, sit through a psychedelic light show, watch a video of a woman getting a little too comfortable with her guitar(!), or gaze at some beautiful pieces of artistic expression.  No wonder people from all over the world come to see Art Basel.  It is truly a unique experience.

 

 

Grandfather and Heidi

The Swiss I Will Miss

 

For months I spent a good deal of time preparing for our impending return to the states.  Getting coordinated with the movers, filling out the endless paperwork, and tending to numerous repatriation details made me realize that returning home is a lot more complicated than parting!  But leave it to the Swiss to make everything run like clockwork.  The movers arrived promptly every morning and carefully packed away our belongings.  Though I shouldn’t have been, I was surprised by the efficiency and pride the movers took in their work.  They certainly made moving look easy.

 

On the other hand, sometimes even the Swiss can mess up.  When that happens, they don’t take it too well.  Our temporary furniture arrived 90 minutes late due to the delivery truck breaking down.  The manager called with endless apologies.   I wasn’t upset by the delay.  These things happen.  But the rental company was so embarrassed by the situation that they offered to buy us dinner for the evening.  (If you’ve been following the blog, a typical family dinner in Switzerland is not cheap.) When I sent the company the bill, they didn’t even flinch.  Would that ever happen in the states?  I’m certainly going to miss that aspect of Swiss efficiency and order.

 

Ringing the Good-Bye Bell at School

Saying Good-bye

 

The kids have been longing to return home to California ever since their feet touched the ground in Switzerland 18 months ago.  All year long Ken and I listened to them expound the joys of life back in Berkeley.  On their final day at the international school (a place about which they complained incessantly), the realization of saying farewell to their classmates hit them.  Instead of shouting out yahoos to be done with that place, they both expressed sadness upon leaving.  I pointed out to Nina that she came a long way from her initial negativity and resistance to moving.  When I said that living in Switzerland ultimately turned out to be a good experience, in typical Nina fashion she sassed back, “No.  It’s all your fault I’m sad.  If you didn’t make me move here I wouldn’t have met all these people and I wouldn’t be sad to leave my new friends.”  Will that child ever let me win an argument?!

 

The Inseparable Foursome

Farewell to the Ponts

 

Goodbyes are part of the transient lifestyle of people living abroad.  Being part of that life, we didn’t come to Switzerland expecting to establish tight bonds with anyone.  But we found ourselves fortunate to do so.  The Ponts were our neighbors, our kids’ constant companions (and cohorts in mischief), expat support group, and fellow travel mates.  Their return to the states after a four-year run in Basel, was the hardest expat departure to deal with of all.  With the winding down of their time here, together we took in the last of the things we love most about Basel – walks through old town, sausages at the stands in Marktplatz, the public pools, the parks, trips to Alsace, Art Basel, and walking along the Rhine.  On our final night together we rode on Basel’s dinner tram, the Dante Schuggi.  Having schnitzel and champagne while riding around town on a vintage tram was the perfect send-off for both of us. 

 Dinner on the Tram

 

Time to Go

 

For my part, I actually feel ready to leave Europe.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’d jump at the chance for another 18 months here.  But given that we traveled to 13 countries, 25 major cities, and made countless local excursions throughout Switzerland, Alsace and the Black Forest, I finally feel satisfied.   I might even concede that I’ve seen enough castles to last me a long while.  I just hate it when the kids are right!

What a Place!

More June Moments

Miniature Golf

Alsace in Bloom

Lunch on the Rhine in Basel

Ken Braves the Pool Slide

Larry's Salzburg Trip

The End

May 2010

We’re heading into the home stretch of this website – that’s good and bad news.  The good news is we’re squeezing in a few more vacations.  The bad news is I’ve exhausted my creativity in these reports.  So, I’m going to repeat my “Top Five” lists.  It’s easier, and fits that “High Fidelity” male stereotype I readily admit to.

Church in Budapest

Top Five advantages of Hungary over other European countries we’ve visited:

   1.    The Hungarian forint currently trades at about 230 to the dollar.  What a relief when you realize that a 1000 forint souvenir is only about $4.50.  Best mental deal since the euro replaced the Italian lira.

   2.   Speaking of forints, you may remember that I was duped/swindled in Prague a few months back when a “moneychanger” gave me forints instead of Czech crowns.  Well, I finally got to use that money – taking some of the sting out of that earlier debacle.

   3.  Even better -- Budapest is really cheap!  We actually saw decent bars advertising draft beers for about a dollar.  Unfortunately, anytime we actually went to a restaurant (we didn’t hang out in bars) it cost $2 to $2.50 for a beer.  Still, that’s cheaper than what I remember in the states, and way cheaper than Switzerland, where I’m used to paying 6-7 bucks.

   4.   And while I’m on the topic of cheap (Mary’s topic – food; my topic – money), we didn’t get ripped off at the taxi stand at Ferihegy airport in Budapest.  The prices were posted, adhered to, less than half what it has cost me elsewhere (Athens, Rome), and even cheaper on the return.  Our Ghanian taxi driver was quite nice once Larry started talking soccer with him.

5.    The Hungarian language is related to very few others in Europe, or the rest of the world, besides Finnish and Estonian.  The advantage – I didn’t even have to pretend I had a clue about what anyone or any sign was trying to tell me.  Much less stressful for me.  Luckily, English is a widely-used second language there.

Budapest top five – Ken version

1.      Cheap and tasty beer! (I say this already, right?)

Cheers!

2.     Public transport.  Of course, I loved the cheap two-day family ticket - good for buses, trams and trains, all of which ran near our hotel.  But I was particularly fascinated with the four-line Budapest subway system.  The fourth line has been in construction for decades, and no one believes it will ever be opened.  The third line is your standard city subway.  The second is an ugly, hulking, metal tube leftover from the Stalin era.  But the first line, often referred to in the guidebooks as the “Lilliputian line”, and built at the turn of the 20^th century, runs tiny three car trains through a series of tiled Art-Nouveau marvel stations, chiming a little jingle as it reaches each stop. 

The Old Time Metro

  3.   Buda and Pest.  We all know Budapest is actually two cities straddling the Danube, but it’s another thing to experience it firsthand.  Pest is the flat, commercial heart of the capital, and it was fun to walk, tram and train around.  But Buda rises above the Danube with its hilltop castles and cathedrals, and has an air of mystery and old-world charm that its modern counterpart lacks.  The kids even got to shoot arrows from a real bow up there.

Archery Time

  4.  A quiet dinner.    Budapest is quite large, and as we settled in, it opened its narrow streets to us to reveal endless quiet neighborhoods, parks and places of refuge hidden behind its network of large, bustling commercial boulevards.  Our last warm night, I was determined to find one such a neighborhood with a quiet terrace restaurant so we could sit out and enjoy the night.  I had a spot in mind, and although it didn’t pan out, we found another spot a few blocks away and enjoyed a lovely evening al fresco.  In a city reputed to cook all its meat to a crisp, Larry had the rarest steak I’ve seen in Europe so far.

  5.  Buda/Pest by night.  By the end of our trip, we had seen all the cool day views of Budapest along the Danube (the Hungarian Parliament, Castle Hill, etc.), but I still longed to see the city at night.  Following the quiet dinner on our last evening, we headed to the river for a stroll that did not disappoint.  The cafes and restaurants were crowded and bustling, live musical entertainment everywhere.  And the magnificently lit castles, cathedrals, bridges, and aforesaid parliament presented a nighttime river view of a caliber matched only by Paris.

Budapest at Night

Outdoor Market in City Park

      Budapest top five – Mary version (as imagined by Ken)

      1.  The food market.  Always a highlight for Mary on any European city tour, and Budapest’s did not disappoint.  Paprika and vegetables everywhere, and cured meats of many varieties.  Mary sought out the upper floors where the natives go to nosh, and found her heaven in langos, a fried bread available with all sorts of toppings (for her, cheese and crême fraiche).  My heaven was located nearby – a stand selling 30 different types of strudel; the winner being a savory potato strudel that was actually the best knish I’ve ever had.

     2.  Vaci Utca.  The main shopping street in Pest, leading to the food market, filled with (according to the guidebooks) overpriced restaurants and rip-off strip clubs (we can vouch for neither).  It did have some lovely shops, though (it must have, we seem to have strolled it at least three times), and it was there Mary found the only ceramic plate in the city that met her high standards.

      

     3.  The baths.  Budapest is apparently famous for its spas (news to me).  The hotel we stayed in had a beautiful one that Mary took full advantage of (kids not allowed, so I stayed with them).  We took in the sights at the Gellert baths with its beautiful art deco walls and atria.  Also, the family visited a more pedestrian version of a Budapest spa offered by the hotel as a consolation for the deprived children.  Personally, I don’t see what all the fuss is about.  For the kids, a pool is a pool.

Smiles in Budapest!

     4.  The outdoor stalls.  OK, it’s just more shopping, but Mary loved walking through the ones in Varosliget Castle, on Castle Hill, and the giant flea market in City Park with Nina, shopping for bargains, and local tchotchkes.

     5.  Budapest by night.  I think Mary shared my love of those moments strolling the Danube.  Someday I hope we’ll come back just the two of us.

Food, Glorious Food!

Budapest top five – kids’ version (as imagined by Dad)

      1.  The amusement park.  No surprises here.  Budapest, like Vienna, has its own permanent party for kids.  Larry and Nina had their favorite rides, Dad made several mistakes paid for by his stomach and head, and we managed to spend the better part of a day there.  I can’t say it was a true Hungarian experience, but it was fun.

The reason the kids went to Budapest

      2.  City Park.  When we weren’t at the amusement park on Sunday, we were exploring the surrounding parks, where the kids enjoyed playgrounds, flea markets (Larry and Nina bought football socks in preparation for FIFA 2010) and an odd treat --- a strange man directed us to a hidden field where he offered horse rides to the kids at reasonable rates.

Riding a Horse in City Park

           3.  Budapest underground.  Larry and Nina both loved the “cave church” – an actual church built into hillside caves.  But only Larry was brave enough to follow me down into the Labyrinth on Castle Hill, which were actual ancient passageways magically transformed into a new-agey joke.  Dark and wet, but still a joke.

          4.  Shopping.  Mary has turned the kids into shopping fiends.  Larry would not rest until he bought one of the seemingly ubiquitous “Hard Rock Cafe -- Budapest” shirts.  Too bad there is no Hard Rock Cafe in Budapest.

      5.  Budapest by night.  Even the kids were charmed.  The streets were bustling and the performers were out – we were all mesmerized by the man playing the glass bowls!

Top Five – Other things we did in May that weren’t in Budapest.

     1.   I think we did other things in May besides Budapest.  One high Five, of course, was Cinco de Mayo.  Someone in the family had a birthday with a five in it on that day as well.  But more importantly, it was a time to find the best place in Baselland for tacos and Coronas.  It turns out to be Restaurant San Pedro in Dornach, and although a burrito there cost 25 bucks, the food was decent, the Coronas were cold, and I was happy to share the day with the Ponts and the Harbin-McBrides.  The kids had fun, too.

     

Bones in the Church

      2.  We were lucky and honored to have more Cali friends visit in May – Hayley, Jason, Aidan and Eliott.  It gave me a chance to see some of the sights I’ve missed with the rest of the family – the glassworks outside Lucern being a highlight for me. I also got to show everyone a discovery of mine from a recent bike ride – a 9^th century church in France with some uncovered gravesites – bones intact!  We also loved our stroll to the old town, where an American street performer (he claimed to be Swiss) sang familiar tunes on a beater twelve-string and made balloon objects for all the kids.

      3.  Hayley and Jason’s visit, I think, also marked the beginning of the end for us – Jason being both our first and last visitor to our temporary home.  The visit also ended up being, in part, both a tour of and last visit to some of our favorite experiences here – Monkey Mountain, Riquewihr, Bergheim, Hergiswil, Landskron castle, Augusta Raurica and Pizzeria Romerhof,, the list goes on.  Hey, we had some fun here!

      

Climbing the Ruins in Landskron

4.  Vogelpark Steinen.  Yet another animal park the kids needed to be dragged to for a good time.  There appears to be an endless supply of these places in the area. Here we got both raptors (including an American eagle) and monkeys, zip lines, schnitzel and frites, and, of course, a cold beer for Dad.

      5.  Panini – Not the sandwich, but the company that makes World Cup trading stickers here in Europe.  The kids discovered them, and became obsessed.  I think I’ll let them tell you about it in their own words.

 

Hero Square

Excerpts from Larry's Journal

In Budapest there was an amusement park.  There was a castle fun house…I had so much fun.  Mom and dad are great parents.  May 26, 2010

On the last night [in Budapest] we went out.  It was amazing.  I could see bright lights, street performers and restaurants all around.  I could hear music and people babbling jibberish in Hungarian.  Before we walked around the city we had dinner at this place on the Pest side of the river.  It took a long time for the food to come but it was worth the wait.   May 27, 2010

Trampoline in the Park

Excerpt from Nina's Journal

During my trip to Budapest my favorite thing was the fun fair.  It was really fun!!!  One of my favorite rides was when I got to drive a mini racecar!!!  The best thing about that ride was that I only crashed one time!!!!!   May 26, 2010

Nina Behind the Wheel

More Moments

Wengen Ruins, Self Service Cider Stand, Mariastein Monastery and Grotto, Basel Street Performer, More Ruins!

Motorized Bikes at Vogelpark

Chairlift Zip Line

Eliot, Hayley, Jason and Aidan

The End

April 2010

In April we had more visitors, more Swiss adventures, and another vacation filled with surprises. 

 

Monkey Mountain

Kids – they’re all the same!

 

We were fortunate to share some of our Swiss experiences in April with our friends from California and their three kids.  And I was happy to discover that my children are not the only ones immune to the beauty and charm of castles…

 

I made the mistake of taking the children to Monkey Mountain on the first leg of our tour through Alsace.  Feeding popcorn to docile monkeys in the Vosges Mountains of France is a hard act to follow.  After experiencing that unparalleled excitement, mutiny arose when I announced our next destination, Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle.  No amount of bribery or coaxing would sway the kids from their determination to loathe the experience.  Outnumbered and verbally exhausted, we adults gave up trying to point out the more exciting château features to the angry mob.  There’s nothing worse than children joining forces to rebel against grown-ups.  What terrible parents we are for dragging our kids to France to see monkeys and a castle.

 

Yeah, this castle is really awful:

Who's that smiling?

Be specific, please.

In keeping with our evil parenting style, Ken and I decided to take Larry and Nina to a small zoo about 45 minutes away from Basel.  Nina did not like that plan at all.  She threw her usual fit, and gave us her best pouting and foot stomping in protest.  (Is this scenario getting old yet?)  Ken stressed out the whole drive there, regretting once more his decision to have another family adventure.  When we arrived at Siky Ranch, Nina immediately spotted the pony ride and started jumping for joy.  Her entire demeanor went from doom and gloom to sunny and bright.  Ken almost fell over in disbelief.  Could that be the same girl who had us convinced for the past 45 minutes that we were wrecking her entire childhood?  In her defense Nina responded, “Well you didn’t tell me there were going to be ponies!!”  Touché.

 

Ponies make everything better!

 

Schönach, Germany

Nuts for cuckoos

 

Just so you know, the kids are not always averse to going places.  On our trip to the Black Forest, Nina was a complete angel, a team player, a ball of sunshine if you will.  Of course that might have something to do with the fact that we were on a mission to buy her an authentic German cuckoo clock.  (I always thought they were Swiss, but apparently cuckoo clocks originated in the Black Forest.  There’s even a Cuckoo Clock Road that loops around the region where the clocks are made - Deutsch Uhrenstrasse.) 

 

We began our journey in Schönach where we took the kids to see the world’s largest (or so they say) cuckoo clock.  Triberg, just one town over, also boasted the world’s largest cuckoo clock.  It made no difference to the children.  They were ready to shop!  After getting a briefing on the ins and outs of cuckoo clocks from the patient shopkeeper (he knew a sale when he saw one), Nina gave us her criteria for the perfect clock:  an actual cuckoo that comes out the door, dancers, music, chains that you can pull (versus a battery-operated clock) and lots of decorations.  In other words, the more bells and whistles the better.  Here’s the winner:

Nina's Clock

Now, I should explain that authentic cuckoo clocks come in a range of prices.  Starting from “expensive” to “super expensive” to “you’ve got to be kidding me”.  We settled for expensive.  When we got the clock up on the wall and it chimed for the first time, Nina’s face positively lit up.   I turned to Ken and mused, “Isn’t that smile priceless?”  He shook his head and said, “No.  I know the exact price of that smile!” Well at least we have the happy memory of our day out in the Black Forest to offset the sting of the cuckoo’s pricetag.

 

World's Largest Cuckoo Clock (Maybe)

 

Here's where Ken left his mark.

Ken - Our Hero

 

Ken gets antsy if we’re not “doing something” every weekend.  We frittered away one recent Saturday just lounging around the house.  By early evening, I thought the opportunity for adventure had long passed.  But Ken had a plan brewing in his mind.  On our way out to dinner, Ken brought us to the small Swiss town of Bättwil where earlier that week he had volunteered with his co-workers to rebuild a playground fence for the community.  The kids beamed with pride at their dad’s handiwork.  The surrounding fields were in bloom with yellow flowers and cherry blossoms.   The sweet smell of grass and wildflowers permeated the air.  We were all thrilled that Ken had left his mark in this beautiful Swiss setting and that he shared it with us.  Better yet, he had led the kids to a playground. 

 

Landskron Ruins

Larry and Nina could have played all evening in the Bättwil Park, but that was just a pit stop on the way to part two of Ken’s agenda – hidden ruins across the border in the French town of Leymen.  Quietly tucked away on an obscure hillside, Landskron Castle greeted us with its half crumbled towers and imposing stone walls.  As I stood atop the magnificent old building, I eyed the many other châteaus visible in the area and I wondered if I’d ever get around to seeing them all before I leave Switzerland.  (If Nina has her way the answer will be a most definite No!)  Larry had fun climbing through windows meant for arrows, while Nina found the perfect opportunity to collect rocks.  Ken’s discovery offered something for everyone.

After our brief cultural outing, we popped back over the border into Switzerland for dinner outside the town of Hofstetten, where we dined at a hilltop restaurant overlooking the countryside.  Beer and schnitzel with a view!  Our Saturday had been officially saved.

 

 Landskron Ruins and Bättwil

Shopping along the Seine

I can do it too!

Ken isn’t the only one who can plan a good adventure.  The kids and I spent a long weekend in France with my Aunt Karen to visit Paris and Mont St. Michel.  Having just been in the city of lights a year ago, Larry and Nina knew exactly what they wanted to do.  Larry went to the catacombs with Aunt Karen to look at gruesome skulls and bones.  Meanwhile Nina and I answered the siren’s call of the shops along the Seine and St. Germain.  (These kids really know how to make the most of Paris!)  Though Larry also wanted to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, Aunt Karen and I came up with a better plan (for us that is).   Instead of milling through crowds and long ticket lines we convinced the kids to take in the view from Montparnasse Tower.  Larry appeared satisfied that he got to go to the top of something - especially when he learned that he was in the tallest building in Paris.   With our direct view of La Tour Eiffel and champagne in hand, we couldn’t think of a better way to begin our weekend.  Not too shabby for our first night. 

 

Will Aunt Karen ever travel with us again?

Magical Mont St. Michel

 

There’s no denying the beauty and magic of a place like Mont St. Michel.  Rising majestically out of the sea, it catches one’s eye immediately from afar.   I didn’t think the kids would take that much interest in the abbey or the mount.  I was basically dragging them off to the Normandy coast for my own enjoyment (though with kids, “enjoyment” might not accurately describe the traveling experience).    As soon as we entered the gates of Mont St. Michel, Larry’s and Nina’s jaws dropped open in astonishment:  “Shop! Restaurant! Shop! Restaurant! Shop!…We love this place!!”  Forget about the history and the amazing setting.  The barrage of souvenir stores lining the main street offered up enough pleasures to make the pilgrimage more than worthwhile for my children.  I never knew that light-up pens and foam swords were so integral to abbey life on the mount. 

 

What should we throw over next?

I believe that Mont St. Michel does possess some magical power because Larry and Nina seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves beyond the shopping and the food.  I was expecting a struggle as we headed to the abbey to take in the building’s remarkable architecture.  But the kids went along willingly.  Throwing objects off of the sides of tall structures never gets old.  Hey, as long as I could get my children interested in history, how could I complain?  Playing in the mud flats (thus making Aunt Karen a little nervous), collecting seashells, and watching the tide swoop in equally thrilled them.  Impressing an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old who are usually complaining about being bored.  Now that’s a miracle!

The Mount at Night

Nina Outside of Our Paris Hotel

Post Mont St. Michel Miracles

 

On the long ride back to Paris I was telling my aunt how I’m usually pretty unlucky when it comes to hotels and travel.  In Paris, just the day before, my room had no working air conditioning or windows that opened (and it was an abnormally hot April day).  On Mont St. Michel, my room was infested with ants (only my room).  So when we arrived back in Paris and I checked into my hotel, I was expecting more of the same.  Little did I know that the travel gods were finally on my side. 

 

At the check-in counter of Hotel Concorde Montparnasse the receptionist cheerfully announced that I had been randomly chosen as their “customer of the day.”   My perks included a free mini bar, a room with a view of the Eiffel Tower, free breakfast, champagne, and many other goodies.  Needless to say, the kids were overjoyed.  As soon as she heard the words “upgrade” and “free mini bar,” Nina (who had been happily bunking with my aunt for the past two nights) called out, “I’m sleeping with mommy!”  Aunt Karen who?

 

For two kids who are used to hearing me say, “Don’t touch a thing in there!”, the free mini bar was a real treat.  Nina ripped open a bag of M&M’s, downed a coke and exclaimed, “I’m living the dream!”  Yep, life was pretty good.  For me, the best part of our surprise upgrade was the view of the Eiffel Tower.  I had been harboring some guilt about not taking the kids there this trip.  And there we were looking out of our window with the tower directly within view.  When the twinkling light show started, we knew that we were the luckiest family in Paris that night.  

Excerpts from the Journals of Larry and Nina

 

Ballenberg

Yesterday I went to Ballenberg.  We went to a museum to show what it was like a long time ago in Switzerland.  We hammered nails into logs and we fed goats, bunnies, pigs and horses.  We went into old houses, old smoky houses, and old cold houses.  I think my favorite part was the animals.  

Nina, April 19, 2010

 

Ballenberg was like the Ecomusée except bigger.  There were all these old houses.  There was a smokehouse which almost made me die.  There were tons of animals.  They were fun to feed.  There was a big saw that could kill me.  Max and I had the world’s best fries and didn’t share [any] with Nina and Harry. 

Larry, April 19, 2010

This weekend I went to Mont St. Michel.  One of my favorite parts was going to the beach [with] muddy sand.  One thing in Mont St. Michel is everywhere you turn you see a shop or a restaurant…I also loved watching the tide come in because there were big sand spots in the middle of the water and when the tides come in they disappear.  When the tide clears up they have a big machine that clears the sand away.  It’s fun to watch!  The bad thing is there are LOTS OF STAIRS!!  

Nina, May 2, 2010.

What a place!

This weekend Nina, mom, Aunt Karen, and I went to Mont St. Michel.  We were lucky because the hotel was right near the entrance to the mountain.  Apparently, tons of famous people have stayed there…The church was kind of small on the inside but gigantic on the outside.  But there was a lot more than just the church.  There were a bunch of other rooms and stairs.  You could’ve easily gotten lost.  If I had lived there, I wouldn’t really like it…At dinner we watched the tide come in and flood the mountain.  The tide got so high that the only way to get off the mountain was a secret passage.  Mom and I went through the passage at night without Aunt Karen and Nina.  We took pictures of the mount at night.  It was beautiful.  

Larry, May 2, 2010.

When I got back to Paris I felt happy [because] we got to our hotel and the man at the front desk said we won some lottery.  I was thinking, “What?”  The prize was we got a deluxe room on the top floor with a view of the Eiffel Tower and a free breakfast and minibar.  Nina and I were more excited than mom…After dinner we went back to the deluxe room.  The Eiffel Tower was lit up and the light show started.  It seemed even better than last time [I was in Paris]!  

Larry, May 3, 2010.

More Fun April Moments

Carousel with Harry & Max, Aquabasilea Wave Pool, Basel Traffic Park, 

Picnic in Germany, Ice Cream Break with the McNulty kids

 

The end!

March 2010

In March we enjoyed a few trips, prepared to say good-bye to the hot chestnut carts and glühwein stands, and welcomed in the spring (hello ice cream stands!).  It’s still brisk in Basel, but at least the snow is gone.  Mostly . . .

 

 

Speaking of insanity...

Q&A Time

 

In March, we went to the international school’s annual Quiz Night:  parents team up, drink a lot of alcohol and answer trivia questions in the name of fundraising.  Each team decorates their table, brings food and dons theme-based costumes.  One look at the elaborate décor and dress revealed the insanity of expats with way too much time on their hands.

 

Ken was not enthusiastic about attending the event, especially when he discovered that our team theme was “Après Ski”.  A night of fondue and raclette was his worst nightmare come true.  At least he didn’t have to dress up like a clown or a pirate!  Despite the stink of cheese assaulting Ken from both sides of the table, we both managed to have a great time.  Taking first place in the trivia competition made up for the smell.   A few drinks didn’t hurt either (not until the next morning, anyway). 

 

I often laugh at this strange expat world we’ve entered, but I have to admit that expats do like to have fun.  Good thing we’re leaving soon because it would only be a matter of time before we’d get sucked into dressing up like Oompa Loompas!  

Quiz time:

 

Larry's New Look

Q:  What’s the fastest way to age mom and dad 10 years?

A:  Knock your front tooth out!

 

A reminder:  Switzerland has very low safety standards.  Larry demonstrated this aptly when he slipped on the icy schoolyard and landed right on his teeth - his adult front teeth.  The school nurse called me, downplaying the situation: “Your son fell and chipped his tooth.”  Well, two teeth were indeed chipped.  But another one was a mere stub (which later crumbled entirely).  My heart sank.  What a way to end the snowy season in Basel.

 

Luckily, Larry got over the shock, sadness and pain faster than mom and dad.  Once we told him he looked like a hockey player, he was back to his goofy self.  In fact, Larry’s main concern seemed to be whether the dentist would give the okay for our family ski trip later that day.  (She did) 

 

 

On the Slopes of Nendaz

Q:  What do you do when you fall off your bike?

A: Get right back on again.

 

Taking this bit of advice, we headed straight to the Swiss resort, Nendaz, for the final ski trip of our Eurostay.   The kids were particularly excited because they had both been there for January ski camp.  Ken and I were somewhat less excited, still trying to get past our son’s temporary disfigurement.

 

We checked into our hotel and headed straight to a pizzeria where we sat beside a stuffed animal crane claw arcade machine.  After such a crazy day, we had to let the kids play the game.  Inevitably, they both failed after two attempts each.   Nina sat at the table disappointed and mopey even though we had warned her of the likely outcome.  As we were waiting for our food (and drinking some much-needed wine), a Swiss man stood up at the next table, studied the machine from all angles for a few minutes and put his franc in.  Nina watched him with her face pressed up against the glass.  The man won a fat pink pig on his first shot and instantly handed the prize to Nina saying,  “Have nice holidays in Switzerland.”  (Now I have the perfect reply when the kids say that the Swiss are mean.) Nina’s eyes lit up, Larry flashed his new gap-toothed smile, and Ken and I finally felt the heaviness lift from our hearts.  A surprisingly nice ending to an otherwise traumatic day.

 

The next morning the kids were excited to show us “their” Nendaz.  They led us to their favorite trails and acted as our personal tour guides.  Watching Larry and Nina ski with confidence and joy, Ken and I caught their enthusiasm.  The warm sunny slopes of Nendaz were a real treat. 

 

Look at Us Go!

 

 

Q:  Where can you meet a real-life desperate housewife?

A:  At lunch with stay-at-home expat moms.

 

I knew I entered a different world when I became a member of the expat community.  I’m often completely out of my element.  One minute I’m enjoying a little risotto and wine with some friends, the next minute I’m listening to someone shout out, “We should do a girls’ trip to St. Tropez!”  That’s not something I hear back in the real world.  You know, the world where people work and save money for their kids’ college tuition.  Last year some of the ladies went to Barcelona together, another time they went to Morocco.  Yes, it’s hard being an expat wife.  Now I know why Ken agreed to come here for only 18 months!

 

Fun with Friends

 

Baselworld

Q: Where in Basel can you get a glimpse of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”?

A:  Baselworld

 

For the past 30 or so years, Basel has hosted “Baselworld,” the largest international watch and jewelry trade fair in the world.  Over 2,000 exhibitors present their wares in sleek stylish “booths”, and by booths I mean:  giant wall fountains, exotic flower displays, intimate luxurious lounges designed for business deals, extravagant chandeliers, etc.  It’s not a tradeshow, it’s a peek into that world you only read about and watch on TV.  I got that impression even before I saw the actual merchandise.  Gems in colors and sizes I never knew existed, watches with so many functions they could walk out the door on their own, and necklaces big and bejeweled enough to weigh down an elephant.  Perhaps I exaggerate – but only slightly.

 

Help!

Q:  Who finds trouble wherever she goes?

A:  [hint:  it’s not Britney]

 

I’m a rule follower in general and I don’t like getting in trouble (Bite your tongue, Dad).  The truth is:  I follow rules because I always get caught when I don’t.  Whether it’s driving over the speed limit the one day I’m in a hurry, or sneaking an extra item in the 10 items or less line, I’ll get nabbed for my brazenness.  It never fails.  Lately my biggest problem:  my unknowing violations of the “No Photography” rule.  Last September I got scolded in the Sistine Chapel for taking a picture of the ceiling (even without a flash).  Trust me, you do not want to infuriate Vatican guards.   This month, I failed to see any signs indicating that photography was forbidden at Baselworld - nothing at the ticket counter, nothing at the entrances.  My friends were shooting away on their iPhones, journalists clicked their fancy numbers, I even saw people walking around with camcorders.  But who got in trouble?  Me!  And here’s the best part.  I snapped a picture of one of the ugliest, most ostentatious creations I had ever seen, just for fun.  The annoyed security guard hovered over me until I erased the forbidden photo from my camera.  No one cared about all the people taking pictures of the beautiful designs.  Apparently only makers of hideous jewelry are concerned with copyright infringement.  I eventually found the no photography sign:  at the very bottom of an exhibition directory.   It was so small it might as well have been written:  “No Photos, Please.”  Come on – I need a flashing neon sign!  Otherwise it doesn’t count.

  

Prague's Town Hall Clock

Q:  Where does one go, after Norway, to learn some valuable lessons?

A:  The Czech Republic

 

Prague is a beautiful city, full of amazing architecture and great shopping.  For me, it was also a place to reaffirm that I cannot master languages.  After three full days there I still couldn’t remember how to say thank you in Czech.  Even Ken was at a loss.  Nina discovered a new favorite snack – Trdlos (lightly spiced pastry dough, coiled around metal cylinders, brushed with butter, cooked rotisserie-style over coals or gas, then rolled in sugar and cinnamon).   Wowzers!  Larry learned that he does not like gulash, but soft pretzels rock.  Ken, however, had a few lessons to learn.

 

Lesson one:  trust no one.  On our first day in Prague Ken got swindled out of a goodly sum of euros not five minutes of leaving our hotel.   He thought he found a guy who wanted to trade his Czech money for euros on the black market.  He subsequently realized he had received Hungarian florints, not Czech korunas (Ken says check the exchange rates yourself to see how badly he did).  Larry and Nina certainly learned a valuable lesson about not talking to people off the street, and Ken beat himself up over the incident for hours. 

 

Lesson two:  watch where you step in Prague – I had already told my family about Prague’s reputation for poop-filled streets, but Larry and Ken both stepped in it anyway.  Didn’t we already learn that in our previous travels?   As Ken pointed out, Prague is a city where what you want to do is look up [at the beautiful architecture], but what you need to do is keep your eyes to the ground.  Okay, maybe we’ll let him slide on that one.  The buildings are very beautiful.

 

Lesson three:  check your country’s driving rules in advance.  Driving out of the Czech Republic, Ken was struck in his Achilles’ heel once again – his wallet.  The police pulled him over for . . . driving without headlights on during the day! (mandatory in many European countries)  What’s another 500 koruna (30 bucks) at that point?

 

The Train Restaurant

Don’t think that we’d look back on our trip with anything less than fond memories, though.  We loved Prague.  The Easter Market was always in full swing with music, street food and trinket stalls.  We visited one of the most impressive cathedrals I’ve ever seen (and I’ve been to quite a few over the last 15 months).  The toy museum; a palace; a lookout tower; a mirror maze; souvenir shopping (or as Nina calls it, “total money dominating day!”); frogs in the pond at Petrín Hill; playgrounds; gargoyles dripping rain on the kids' heads; a restaurant where our drinks were delivered by model trains; pastel-colored, bubble-topped buildings that made me feel like I was wandering in a candy jar - that’s the Prague we’ll remember always. 

Here Come the Drinks!

Viennese Pastry Time

Q:  What sign indicates you’re traveling too much?

A:  A spring snowstorm

 

After Prague we drove to Vienna where we suffered dreary weather, but enjoyed more beautiful architecture, palaces, good food, playgrounds, another Easter market, and an amusement park.  Our last stop was going to be Innsbruck to break up the long trip back to Basel.  We left a finally-sunny Vienna, but a few hours down the road the weather turned dreary and cold.  We pulled into Innsbruck with thick chunks of snow falling, the stark Austrian alps totally obscured by heavy fog, and decided to skip our last destination.  Larry and Nina were not so secretly relieved to go home (we had pushed them to their limit with charming towns and beautiful old churches).  Though we didn’t get to see Innsbruck, we covered more than enough ground during our travels to satisfy my “got to see it all” need.  I’m just hoping that I don’t encounter any more snow for a very long time!

 

Frank Gehry's "Dancing Building"

Excerpts form the Journals of Larry and Nina

 

This spring break I went to Prague in the Czech Republic.   The Tyn church was really cool because it was right next to [our] hotel and it looked like the Red Queen’s Castle from Alice in Wonderland…The Dancing Building looked a little more like it was cut open than it was dancing.  But at least when you go next to it, it looks like it’s dancing a little.    

Larry on March 31, 2010

 

This spring break I also went to Wien a.k.a. Vienna.  I ate dinner in Vienna’s best restaurant called Schweizerhaus.  After dinner we went to the 100 year old ferris wheel.  It was kind of slow, but there was a good view of Vienna.  Then I went on the ride called Dizzy Mouse with dad.  Afterwards I went to bed and woke up the next morning to have a good day.  

Larry on April 3, 2010

 

Schweizerhaus Biergarten

Riesenrad (Ferris Wheel)

Hedge Maze at Schonbrunn

When I got [to Prague], within the first 5 minutes dad got ripped off!! How?  He gave some guy euros for korunas but the guy gave him Hungarian money instead!! There was a big Easter Market where I saw these eggs that got hollowed out and then got painted.  Some of them even had lace or holes!  One more bonus thing was this amazing [snack] called Trdlo!  It was sweet and soft.  

Nina on March 31, 2010

Shopping for Easter Eggs

Eating a Yummy Trdlo

Learning to Make Strudel

The End

February 2010

We saved up all our energy this month for our trip Norway.  The following is Ken's take on the experience.

The Reason We Went to Norway

5 things my kids taught me in Norway

1.  There are 7-11’s in Norway.  Lots of 7-11’s.  We saw many of them.  The kids wanted to go in all of them.  They wanted to spend money in all of them.  Nothing is cheap in a Norwegian 7-11.  Nothing is cheap in any store in Norway.

 

2.  The northernmost 7-11 in the world is in Tromsø, Norway.  Of course, the kids had to go inside.  A Snapple costs almost six bucks there. (bonus convenience store lesson:  “Polser” is Norwegian for hot dog.  Narvesen, Norway’s own version of 7-11, sells a polser-shaped hamburger.)

 

Nina in Oslo

3.  A pile of snow higher than your head is a bigger attraction for kids than just about anything else in Oslo.  Believe me.  You can jump off of it, slide down it, throw snowballs from or toward it.  Mostly you can ignore your parents indefinitely while on it.

 

4.  Knowing virtually nothing about 20^th century rock’n’roll, kids are nevertheless inexplicably drawn to Hard Rock Cafés.  That said, and even at Norwegian prices, the Oslo Hard Rock Café burger put to shame just about any other food item that has tried to pass itself off as a hamburger in Switzerland to date.

 

...maybe not that impervious to cold

5.  Kids are impervious to cold outside – at least if there is snow to play in.  We hit Norway during a period that even the Norwegians claimed was as cold as any in the last twenty years.  Luckily we traveled only in the “temperate” coastal areas where the worst we experienced was minus 20 degrees in Trondheim.  (That’s Celsius.  It sounds more impressive to report the cold in Celsius.  With heat waves, it backfires:  “Oh my god, we almost died of heat stroke in London last year – it was 38 degrees!”).  In Trondheim, even the kids didn’t dawdle outside.  Everywhere else, Daddy pined for a balaclava while the kids wanted to stay out all night and throw snow down each others’ clothes.

 

Cruisin'

Trondheim

5 things I loved and learned about the Hurtigruten, man.

 

1.  Hurtigruten is the Norwegian coastal steamer line that has cruised the fjords since the 1890’s from Bergen, north across the Arctic Circle to Tromsø, around the Nordkapp at 71 degrees latitude to Kirkenes and back in eleven days, with many stops along the way.  We boarded the MS Trollfjord, the biggest and newest ship of the line, in Trondheim and steamed to Tromsø in about 50 hours.  It was the first cruise ship experience for the Goldman family, and we did not expect to enjoy it as much as we did.

 

Nina in front of the MS Trollfjord

2.  The food on the ship was way better than this picky eater could have hoped for. I was expecting to have to eat the dreaded lutefisk, salted cod (“clipfish”) and creamed herring for a week.  Instead, we had breakfast and lunch buffets, and gourmet three-course dinners.  The lunch highlight was seeing the kids enjoy reindeer cold cuts.  Dinners featured local trout that tasted like mild salmon, and local salmon that tasted even better than that.  I don’t like salmon as a rule, but I’d eat it anytime in Norway or Scotland.

 

3.  A great Hurtigruten experience was available without going outside topdeck – the side views from the restaurants, library and lounges were gorgeous, and the ship had a two-floor panorama room at the bow for the full experience.  But the ship also featured two outdoor hot tubs that bubbled away on the snowy, frigid topdeck.  Mary was the first to brave her way from the door to the tub, and sat there toasty warm as the snow fell around her.  When the kids and I heard about that, we couldn’t wait to follow.   Later that night we all followed the trail Mary blazed, and had a blast.

 

Hot tubbing on deck!

4.  The ship advertised a cheesy sounding  “Crossing the Arctic Circle” ceremony topdeck one morning.  King Neptune arrived at the appointed hour to welcome us to his icy realm and baptize us.  The baptism consisted of a ladle of ice down the back, and the kids, amazingly enough, lined up to get theirs.  They seemed to take it well, and I followed them, assuming the air was so cold that the ice would just pass through, leaving me unscathed.  In fact it was a ladle of ice water, and I screamed like a little girl.  Of course, grown-ups received a compensatory shot of cloudberry liqueur.  I can’t explain why the kids did it, except to echo them and say “it rocked!”.

5.  The monochromatic world of the Hurtigruten in winter is as beautiful as the pictures I’d seen of the colorful fjords in summer.  The fjords in winter are majestic and imposing.  Huge, craggy mountains, towered above us, and sometimes loomed ghostlike in the misty distance.  Tiny towns, with their typical houses in red, mustard or green, were scattered haphazardly on the tiniest coastal flatlands occasionally wedged between the cliffs.  Lighthouses appeared in the middle of absolutely nowhere.  Late one night, we reached the mouth of the Trollfjord, too narrow for the steamer to navigate in winter, but the ship shined its beacons on the entrance to the fjord as it rotated its way back to open waters.  It was a truly otherwordly experience.

Outside the National Gallery

5 Things I’m unlikely to experience again outside of Norway

 

1.  Seeing Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” in Oslo’s National Gallery.  Yes, it was stolen years ago.  Yes, it was damaged.  We can affirm that it’s back and doing fine, thank you.  The kids enjoyed it.

 

2.  Drinking cranberry wine out of a handmade ice cup.  One night at 10 pm the ship made a one-hour layover in Svolvær.  Signs in port directed us 100 m along the dockside to “Magic Ice”, where we entered a dark and cold warehouse with “world-class” ice sculptures and somewhat incongruous new-age music.  The bar served drinks in upside-down-pyramidal cups made of ice.  Everything tastes ten times better in an ice cup.  I only wish I’d ordered a martini – I don’t know when I’ll get another opportunity like that.  Another otherwordly experience.

Cheers at the Ice Bar

3.  We saw three actual Viking ships at the Vikingskiphuset.  They are long, black and sleek, and you can’t see real ones anywhere else.

Viking Ship

4.  While the world watched four-man bobsledding in Vancouver, we were being driven on four-man dogsleds through the icy tundra night.  The sight of nine or ten huskies bounding and bouncing across the moonlit snow, occasionally pooping mid-bound, is memorable.

 

Off We Go!

5.  Eating bidos, the traditional wedding dish of the Sami people, in front of an open fire in a lavvo.  Bidos is reindeer stew, and we all loved it, although the kids also roasted polsers-on-a-stick.  The Sami are a people whom we would have once called Lapps, except we now know that is a “derogatory term”, although I’m not sure why.  A lavvo is a Sami tent with an opening at the top (for the smoke).

 

Five highlights “hunting the light”

 

1.  “Hunting the Light” (i.e., the Northern Lights) was the Hurtigruten winter “theme”.  In Norway, the Aurora Borealis can only be seen above the Arctic Circle, which we crossed early on the second day of our cruise (see ceremony above).  Our family spent much of that evening (some of us into the early morning hours) scanning the skies for a glimpse of something.  The night scenery was beautiful, but no lights.

 

Dogsledding

 

2.  We heard conflicting facts about the Lights – one could see them here but not there, in towns, not in towns, best between 6 pm and midnight, best between midnight and 6 am.  Who knew?  A few things were certain as we steamed into Tromsø:  we needed clear skies for a view, and even if we got a clear night the odds were still not in our favor.  And we had only one night left, as the next day we were scheduled to fly back to Oslo, below the magic Circle

Snowy Fjords

3.  We spent a nervous afternoon in town – the skies were partially cloudy, but we knew by then that the weather changed by the hour.  We were scheduled to spend that evening out in the countryside for our dogsledding and Sami dinner, so we knew we were giving ourselves the best possible odds for a view.

 

 

4.  We left the town center at 6, after dark, for the wilderness center and the dogsleds.  We drove out past the city lights and into the snowy fjords, but still no lights.  We took the dogsled ride:  the husky drivers told us they had seen lights the night before around 7 pm, but by 8 pm the ride was over and still nothing.  We visited the 300 huskies on site, went in the tent for dinner, back out for some tobogganing, and back inside for coffee and cake.  Still nothing.  The guide told us the dogs sometimes bark when they see the lights.  Then the dogs started barking.  Still no lights.  It was 9:55 and the bus was leaving for town at 10.  The kids went outside, the dogs started barking, the kids started yelling, and there was this greenish glow in the sky.  It didn’t seem like much, but our hosts confirmed that indeed, we had a sighting.  A fantastic last-minute climax to a perfect day.

5.  We rode the bus back to town, excitedly peering out windows, imagining (or not) that we were still seeing lights.  Back at the hotel we wandered down to the harbor, and the show continued.  This time it really looked like shimmering, falling curtains of green light.  Mary took these pictures that actually capture some of the magic, but nothing could really capture that magical hour that felt like a gift from on high to confirm that this had been one of the truly memorable vacations of a lifetime.

 

What a trip!

 

"Norway Rocks!"

Excerpts from the Journals of Larry and Nina

 

I just came back from my amazing journey in Norway and I think you should know how cool it is to see the Northern Lights.  Well, it’s like a rainbow forming in the sky, slowly coming and going, or a silent flowing firework.  It seems like it is a rainbow in real life and like a big cloud in a picture.  But once you see it, it’s there for a minute and changes the next.  When you see it you feel like it will always be there; but before you know it, there will be nothing there but the sky.  When I saw it I felt as if I had done everything there is to do in Norway.  I think it might even have been the happiest moment of all to see the Northern Lights. 

Nina on February 28, 2010

 

Larry, Max, Harry & Nina in the Lavvo

I was in Norway for one week and it is already my 2^nd favorite country!  My favorite part was Tromsø. The best stuff happened when we got to the dogsledding place. First we got to see all the dogs. There were about 300 dogs… When we started [dogsledding] I was very excited. I was probably the first Goldman to go on a dogsled ride.  It made me feel happy because I had never been on a dogsled before and the experience was awesome. I thought I would never go on a dogsled in my life but I did.  When we got off we got to meet little puppies. The treat was that we got to hold them too. Then we had a Sami dinner in a Sami lavvo. A lavvo is like a tent in the Sami tribe. We had reindeer stew and hot dogs. After dinner we went sledding. One of the dogs kept stealing our sleds. It was weird and funny. When the sledding was over, we warmed up in the lavvo. We went outside to check for the Northern Lights!!!  Of course we saw them.  They were awesomly awesome. When we took enough pictures, we took a bus back to the hotel. We saw the lights there too! It was so awesome I wanted to live in Norway.  I was sad when I had to sleep. But then I was happy because I got to have a sleepover with Max. When I fell asleep, I fell asleep happy. 

Larry on February 28, 2010

More Highlights

Good times with Max and Harry

Tromso Polaria

Trondheim Cathedral

Ice Sculpture in Oslo

Traveling Companions - Angela & Joe

Tromso

The End

January 2010

Ken missed out on some great moments in Switzerland this month due to work travels.  Not to worry, he enjoyed quite a few too.  As for me, I took advantage of the quiet streets and the post holiday calmness.   Like a true local, I didn’t let a little snow slow me down or prevent me from exploring Basel’s many museums and hidden treasures.  I even got better at keeping pace with the incredibly fit Swiss.  Now I can actually overtake the old ladies walking up the steep hills around town!  Though they still have one over on me when it comes to biking...

Swiss "Big Bird"

Rivalry, Swiss Style

 

Since the 14^th century, Basel has been a city divided into two parts - Grossbasel (Greater Basel) on the left bank with its medieval old town and bustling markets; and Kleinbasel (Lesser Basel) on the right bank, an eclectic working class  neighborhood.   The incorporation of Kleinbasel into the more prosperous Grossbasel created some tension and competition between the two sides of town back in feudal days.

 

Today the rivalry continues, albeit playfully and with restraint, in Kleinbasel’s annual Vogel Gryff festival.  Every January the district’s traditional carnival figures go to the middle of the town’s bridge and perform dances with their backs in defiance to Grossbasel.  I’m sure that was quite the insult ages ago.

Take that Grossbasel!

In the 15^th century, responding to Kleinbasel’s impudence, Grossbasel’s leader hung up a gargoyle (Lällekönig) mocking the city’s rivals.  The mechanized king’s head rolls his eyes and sticks his tongue out at the folks across the river, even today.

Lällekönig - Sweet Revenge

After freezing my limbs off in 20°F weather for almost two hours to witness the highly popular Vogel Gryff, I’d say that Grossbasel still gets the last laugh.  No one has to brave the bitter cold to show defiance to the other side.  They have a statue to do it all year round.

 

Basel's Frozen Tinguely Fountains

Identity Crisis

 

I’ve been tucking into a lot of cafés lately to warm up from the gray bitter days.  In the process, I’ve discovered one need not settle for just a cup of coffee and a pastry.  I don’t know if this is uniquely Swiss, but I’ve come across many a restaurant, café, or bar offering some other kind of goods or services alongside their food and drink.  You never know what you’re going to get when you pop into a local business.  Take, for example, the Mercedes Caffé.  In the back room of this popular café, the establishment offers up for sale the latest Mercedes cars – complete with a floor model on display for your perusal.  Come for a drink, leave with a car!  

 

Drinks and Car Shopping

I’ve likewise encountered gift shops or clothing stores with restaurants or cafés tucked away inside.  But the bar in my neighborhood remains my personal favorite.  Not only can you consume an espresso or a beer in a sleek trendy setting, you can purchase flooring while you do so.  Maybe the Swiss are onto something.  These combo stores might be saving many a marriage by enabling wives to entice their otherwise reluctant spouses to accompany them shopping.  With beer in hand, picking out linoleum has never been such fun!  Yes, the Swiss have done it again.  Pure genius.

 

  

 

Vermicelles

Food News

 

For every occasion and season, there exists a special food here in Switzerland.  Keeping up with the variety of treats can be quite a challenge when new temptations appear in bakeries and stores almost weekly.   This month I discovered a treat called Apfel Streusli.  The sublime streusel-topped mini apple tart was big enough for two people, but consumed by just one (on two occasions).  Then there was the Quarktorte, the Osterflädli, the streusel-topped donut thing, the green fondant covered cream donut that Nina picked out, and rich chocolaty rum balls (Punschkugel).  Sadly, I have to admit that the dryer is not shrinking my clothing. 

 

Osterflädli - Rice Custard Tart

If only the Swiss made more sweets like Vermicelles, then I’d be okay.  This dessert appears in almost every bakery and grocery store.  Though the thought of eating spaghetti-shaped chestnut puree didn’t appeal to me, I felt it was my duty to bite the bullet and try Vermicelles at least once.   When I bit into the chalky mess that the locals all seem to go crazy for, I decided that bravery has its downside.  Well, they can’t all be winners.  My thighs are thankful.

 

Chocolate Shop Ready for Carnival Season

 

I know my monthly food news may not mean much to those who don’t plan to ever visit Switzerland.  So the next bit of information should make you feel somewhat better.  After conducting a taste test with some friends, we unanimously concluded that Lindt makes the best widely available Swiss chocolate.  That’s the same brand we can buy in the U.S. for probably half the price I pay here.  See, you’re really not missing out on all the fun.  Plus you didn't have to suffer feeling sick from all that heavy "research" as I did (Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time). For the record, Larry believes that nothing beats a good old-fashioned American Hershey bar.  (He was banned from my taste test)

 

Inzlingen, Germany

 

Ice Skating at the Museum

Winter Fun

 

In early January I noticed an ice-skating rink set up in the courtyard of the fine arts museum.  Kids were playing on the ice and zipping around while grown-ups sat on the sidelines under cozy blankets with their hot beverages.   If the beautiful setting and the outside bar (selling Glühwein, cocoa and champagne) weren’t enough to tempt me, I learned that the skate rentals and access to the rink were entirely free of charge.  Something free in Basel?!  I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.  Watching the kids skate outside in the courtyard of the Kunstmuseum in the early evening with the snow falling down around them gave me one of my most memorable winter moments thus far.  And yes, I had the Glühwein!

 

Memorable winter moment number two occurred when Ken took us sledding to the German town of Inzlingen.  When we arrived at our destination, it seemed as though half the locals were gathered at the park.  Picnic baskets and thermoses filled with warm drinks could be spotted everywhere.  And for those of us who were less prepared, Glühwein and cocoa were conveniently for sale at a nearby table.  I love the way Europeans think!  Despite the fact that sledding was one giant free-for-all (no designated paths for walking or sledding), we had a great time in a beautiful setting.  We even managed to miraculously avoid collisions. 

Sledding Near Inzlingen Water Castle

Ski Camp

 

The kids each spent a week in the Alps attending ski camp with their classes this month.  Larry took off without the slightest hesitation.  He knew what to expect from last year’s experience (no nagging parents for a week – woo hoo!).  Nina, on the other hand, had more reservations.  For weeks she flip-flopped between wanting to go and staying home.  But when it came time to get on the bus, our “baby” quickly joined her posse and didn’t look back.  Larry returned excited that he moved up another level in his skiing.   Nina enthusiastically told us all about the souvenir shop and the food.  Talk about the apple not falling far from the tree!

 

Nina at Ski Camp in Nendaz

Larry taking on the slopes too!

Having Fun in Solothurn

Getting Out of Town

 

Even after a whole year of living abroad, Larry and Nina still put up a fuss whenever Ken and I announce we’re going on a family adventure.  This month’s daytrip to Solothurn was met with our children’s usual outbursts and moaning.  The piercing look on Nina’s face as we headed out the door had me convinced she would never come around to enjoying herself.   Two closed castles and many more evil glares later, we finally got our happy Nina moment.  Who knew that telling the kids to go pick a statue’s nose could turn the day around? 

 

Having fun in Solothurn

A good playground doesn’t hurt the cause either:

Good Times in Baden

And how about getting to flip over in a car? 

 

Larry Gets Flipped at the Auto Musée

I just hope our children can forgive us for making them suffer through all of these family days because mom has a lot more to accomplish on her schedule!

 

 

 

At the Teddy Bear Museum

Excerpts from the Journals of Larry and Nina

 

A few days ago I went to Baden.  We went to a really cool park.  There was a little black Narnia tunnel that you crawl through, a long rope…where you try to swing from mushroom to mushroom…They have ball runs, soccer fields and music things.  The other [attractions] are just too hard to explain.  Yet they were so so fun! 

Nina, January 27, 2009

 

During our trip to Baden we went to a teddy bear museum.  One of my favorite displays was one where a bear dressed up like a doctor operating on another teddy bear…There was a big [display] where there was a doll in bed asleep with all the animals playing and causing chaos and whatnot.  It was one cool thing!  I loved it so much!

Nina, January 29, 2009

 

 

Ski Camp in Nendaz

I got hyper a lot at ski camp.  We went down a red slope and we skied down the mountain…The food was one of the worst food weeks in my life.  Even the burgers were bad.  The name of my room was the TGIFridays.  It was so fun at ski camp…Ski camp was one of the best experiences of my life.  But not the food.

Larry, January 23, 2009

 

 

The Baden playground was totally tight.  There was awesome stuff there.  Like:  Narnia tunnel, rope structures, mushroom swing, boinger (trampoline), ball run, Rapunzel castle, and a lot more.  I flew like three feet in the air on the boinger.  One of my favorites was the Rapunzel castle. 

Larry, January 27, 2009

 

Rapunzel Rope Bridge in Baden

Larry at the Auto Museum

Sledding Day

The End

December

Well, we did it.  We officially made it through one whole year in Switzerland.   It’s hard to believe that just a year ago we stepped off the plane and were thrust into this place that now feels as comfortable as an old shoe.  We’re still discovering new things and learning more each day, and I still walk around town like a wide-eyed child.  But as far as expats go, we’re officially seasoned pros. 

 

Winter fun!

 

St. Nick & Schmutzli

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

 

The Swiss do everything differently, and Christmas is no exception.   Instead of Santa Claus, Swiss children look forward to the arrival of Saint Nicholas on December 6th.  Saint Nicholas resembles Santa in his red and white garb.  However, he usually makes the children recite a poem before handing out oranges and small candies (or he sometimes leaves the treats in their shoes at night).  And, he has an evil sidekick known as Schmutzli (“the dirty one”).  Schmutzli beats the naughty children or threatens to drag them into the forest.  Nice.  Dressed in dark hooded garments with a blackened face, he lookslike the grim reaper.  That puts the fear into the kids at Christmas time!  From my experience with Swiss kids, I’m guessing Schmutzli is a lot busier than St. Nicholas.

What naughty kids really need!

St. Nicholas’ day also brings Grittibänz – baked breads shaped like little men who are supposed to represent Saint Nick.  It’s fun to see the little bread men in all the bakery windows.  I think they look like aliens with their beady raisin eyes:

 

Grittibänz

 

In addition to Saint Nicholas’ Day, the Swiss celebrate Christmas on December 25^th.  However, the baby Jesus puts the gifts under the tree, not Santa.  That’s one strong and busy little baby! 

 

So to summarize, kids:  St. Nick leaves oranges in your shoes, Schmutzli comes around to beat and scare you, and a baby sticks the presents under the tree.   Got that?

 

Basel Christmas Market - notice the sausage-holding gold cherubs!

The American commercial Santa Claus does have a presence here in Switzerland.  The locals call him Samichlaus and he’s purely ornamental.  As in this popular decoration:

 

Is he coming or going?

 

 

Candle Making

Weihnachtsmarkt (christmas market)

 

One of the best moments at the Basel Christmas market was watching the kids make candles with their friends.  Only in Switzerland would there be hot open vats of wax with nary a supervisor or safety gear involved!

 

I frequented the Basel Christmas markets so often I was worried that the vendors might think I was casing the joint.  I needed a change of venue.   Just about every town in this part of Europe has some kind of Christmas Market.  In Germany, I went to Freiberg where the focus was on food – especially fried dough!  Everywhere I turned a yummy looking treat waited – Langos (Hungarian deep fried flatbreads), funnel cakes, sugar covered dough balls filled with apricot jam, and many more unidentifiable and unpronounceable goodies.  My favorite was the Kartoffelpuffer (giant potato pancakes) served with a side of garlicky sour cream - on real plates (how civilized!).  

 

Kartoffelpuffer

The French call their markets Marché de Noël.  In Alsace there’s no shortage of adorable places to visit.  As if the Alsatian towns didn’t already have enough charm, their markets add festive decorations and brim with holiday treats.   I noticed that the merchants setting up their shops were already drinking their warm wine at 9:00 am.  I contemplated buying a cup, but I’m proud to say that I exercised some restraint (at least until 11:00 am). 

 

 

Marché de Noël

TIME FOR WINE

 

With winter comes the arrival of warm spiced wine.  The Germans and Swiss call it Glühwein.  In France, it goes by Vin Chaud.  Whatever one calls this beverage, I’m in heaven when I’m drinking it.  I have happily spent a good part of December sampling all the different varieties.  In Switzerland, Glühwein is often served at food stands.  However, in Germany, Glühwein vendors have their own kiosks where they offer wine with extra shots of booze.  The Germans take their alcohol very seriously!  They even serve a white wine version.  Not to be outdone, the French serve a more complex and spicy variety of warm wine (Would you expect anything less from the French?). By the time I got around to sampling Austrian Glühwein, Larry pointed out that I’m addicted.  Maybe he’s right.  But I can think of no better way to take the chill off during winter.

 

Glühwein with Friends in Freiberg

Neuschwanstein

Travel Time

 

On our way to a family ski weekend in Austria, we stopped in Bavaria to visit King Ludwig’s fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein.  Perched high above in the hills and surrounded by snow-covered trees, the castle was a magical winter wonderland.  To complete the fairy tale, we took a horse and carriage ride up to the castle.  It was either that or a 45-minute walk through the snow (I told you the Europeans know how to make a buck).   How does one top off such an experience?  Warm fried dough balls, of course!   Even Larry and Nina couldn’t help but be impressed by our latest adventure.

 

Our day ended at a friendly little hotel in Schwangau where we dined on traditional local food while a Bavarian accordion player (complete with lederhosen) cheerfully played his music.  Wake me up, I must be dreaming.

 

 

 

Nina and Harry

Hitting the Slopes

 

Larry and Nina are both going away to ski camp this January with their school.  In order to get them ready, the family hit the slopes together in Austria.   The kids had been begging us for a ski trip and they couldn’t wait to take on the mountain.  Then they actually started skiing.  Let’s just say that things didn’t turn out quite as they had expected.

 

Larry came off of his first run down the mountain frustrated that his skills weren’t as good as he remembered them to be.   Nina who had never been on skis before didn’t like my teaching skills.  “I hate skiing.  I want to go home!”

 

The next day the kids attended ski school.  They went from this:

 

A rough start

 

 

to this in just a few hours:

 

Ski School

 

Now we have two very excited and happy snow bunnies.  When I complimented Nina on her amazing progress, with a roll of the eyes she pointed out that the skilled ski instructors made all the difference:  “You didn’t tell me about the pizza [technique], Mom!” (Duh)

 

Even Ken found his groove after a while:

 

 

Oberlech, Austria

 

For me, the breathtaking views were worth the effort of putting on my skis.   I’m especially happy to report that I returned sans broken bones or torn ACLs.   Now that’s something to smile about.

 

 

On the slopes

 

 

Nina gets her Fireworks

Promises

 

Last year, two days after we first arrived in Basel, we were fast asleep by 9 pm on New Year’s Eve due to some serious jet lag.  I awoke around 11:00 p.m. that evening to the soft whimpers of Nina who had been standing alone at the window for almost two hours, “I’ve been waiting to see the fireworks all night and I can’t see anything.”  I briefly contemplated getting my coat on and walking Nina down to the river to see the festivities, but the bitter cold and the fact that I had no idea how to find things in our strange new surroundings kept me rooted inside.  The best we could do was catch small flecks of the light show from our top floor window.  Nina was mollified for the time being.  But she made me promise to take her to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks in 2009. 

 

Lech, Austria

What a difference a year makes! This December we rang in the New Year with friends at a neighborhood party. After the clock struck twelve we cheered, drank champagne, then walked down to the river to take in the fireworks.

 

This being Switzerland (where they do everything differently), Basel's fireworks display was held at 12:30 am instead of at midnight.  Despite the large crowds, the spectators remained pretty subdued.  I’ve never experienced such a quiet public New Year’s celebration.  There was a little clapping and cheering at the end, but for the most part the onlookers remained calm and noticeably sober.   Maybe they were all just in awe as we were.

 

Quiet Basel Celebration

 

What a fitting end to an incredible year.  

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Strasbourg, France

 

Ski School

Excerpts from the Journals of Larry & Nina

 

Austria was very fun.  At least that’s what I thought of it at the end.  In the beginning I went skiing with no teacher.  So I went down [the mountain] super fast and I fell over…I got so mad I took off my skis in the middle of the slope and tried to walk down the hill…The next day I was much better at skiing.  Maybe that’s because I went to ski school.  The rest of the trip was way, way, way more fun than the first day. 

 

Larry - December 15, 2009.

 

Neuschwanstein

During this Christmas break we went to Austria.  We went all the way into the Alps!… And of course, like always, we had to go for a stop on the way!  This time we went to the Cinderella castle Neuschwanstein!  It was all the way on top of a mountain and instead of walking we went on a horse carriage.  It was splendid, fantastic, amazing, wonderful and spectacular!

 

Nina - December 15, 2009.

Thanks for reading and for letting us share our experiences with you. 

 

Glückliches neues Jahr!

Happy New Year!

 

November

November was the month of flu shots, festivals, parties, Thanksgiving and more food discoveries.  We all may be moving a size up in clothing soon!

 

London

Spiegelfeld Pool

Let them eat cake!

 

We held Larry’s birthday party in November at Spiegelfeld, one of his favorite indoor pools.  The kids went crazy in the water.  The stern-looking pool attendant tried to catch them in their hell-raising act, but his timing was always just a little off.  Phew!  Scolding averted.

 

Good thing, too, because we had already been scolded once. Arriving at the pool club restaurant, Larry’s cake in hand, I received a stern talking to by the waitress, albeit in incomprehensible Swiss German with lots of head shaking and hand waving.   Apparently Ken failed to discover that outside food, even cake, was strictly “verboten” at the restaurant.  I was lucky she even let me keep it on the table.  Instead of paying a cutting fee (which would have been much simpler), we had to buy the dry restaurant pound cake just so Larry could blow out candles.  This was one time when I was not in favor of quirky Swiss rules.  Don’t mess with my cakes!

 

 

Larry's 10th Birthday Party

 

SWISS CHEESE

Fondue time!

 

Believe it or not, I lived in Switzerland for 11 months without partaking of its signature dish, fondue.  This month, I finally got my chance at a traditional fondue lunch with twenty other cheese lovers.   While I enjoyed my bubbling pot of greasy melted cheese, I’d have to say that the true highlight of the experience was dining in an old-style Swiss restaurant with beautiful stained glass windows and wood paneling.  Fondue is good, but my heart and stomach still belong to Beggeschmutz (see last month’s entry).

 

Once the cold weather sets in, warm cheese season begins.  If you’re not a cheese lover, definitely stay clear of Switzerland during this time of year.  The air gets pretty pungent at all the outdoor festivals.  I recently saw something called  Käsebengels – portable fondue.  A hole is made in a small baguette-shaped bread and filled with the warm gooey stuff.  The Swiss are serious about their cheese!

 

Fondue

Besides fondue, there’s Raclette, Käsewähe (cheese tarts), and my new favorite, Dinette (“Dee-net-uh”).  Dinette are pizza-like wheat breads topped with your choice of cheese, potatoes, ham and/or onions.  They’re baked in a brick oven to chewy warm perfection.  Simple and delicious!  The Swiss have many good things to eat that you never read about in travel books --they focus on fondue and raclette.  Fear not, I am sampling lots of food so that you will know exactly what to look for should you ever decide to come to Switzerland. 

 

At the end of my Swiss culinary tour I will also be posting a special section on supersize food.  Here’s the latest discovery (those are pretzels behind Nina’s head):

Giant Pretzels

Cotton Candy, or Zuckerwatte in German (literally meaning “sugar wad”).  

The Germans certainly have a way with words. . .

Zuckerwatte

London

London Calling

 

Larry and Nina have waited impatiently all year to visit London.   After all, most of their favorite T.V. shows these days are British.  They had to visit the country that gave them “Sorry, I’ve Got No Head” and “Transmission Impossible with Ed and Oucho.”  Besides, it was a good way for Larry and Nina to hone their British accents (they’re getting smashingly good at it).   For me, London was just a good excuse to eat fish & chips!

 

Our highly kid-friendly weekend included a bus tour around the city, a scavenger hunt at the British Museum, going to a Chelsea soccer game, climbing to the top of the dome at St. Paul’s Cathedral (and testing out the whispering gallery – very cool indeed), taking in the city views at night from the London Eye, watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and fulfilling Nina’s lifelong dream of riding a red double-decker bus.

 

Buckingham Palace

Seeing the familiar landmarks, hearing the stories of crazy royalty, and going to Stamford Bridge, the stadium of his all-time favorite soccer team (er, football club) satisfied Larry’s British needs.  Nina discovered that she loves fish and chips (that’s my girl!) and shopping at Hamley’s, the famous toy store on Regent Street.  For me, the high point of the weekend was listening to the kids compare the Parthenon exhibit at the British Museum to the one at the new Acropolis museum in Athens.  Could it be that my kids are actually getting cultured? 

London

The best moment for Ken was probably watching Larry slide across the wet Millennium Bridge over and over again:

 

Millennium Bridge Fun

 

And to top off a memorable trip, our hotel was located near the “Swiss Cottage” tube stop.   Fitting, no?

 

Taking the Tube

 

Larry and Nina are already discussing their next trip back.  (Hopefully that will be when they’re old enough to treat their parents!)

  

London

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

 

I’m all for teaching kids about charity, but you’d think a fancy private school like the ISB could come up with  better ways to raise money.  Every year it holds a Winter Market, and all the classes contribute handmade items to raise money for various organizations (Doesn’t everyone need handmade bookmarks, matchbook covers, and macaroni art?).  Nina’s class decorated gingerbread houses.  Asleep at the switch, I volunteered to bake some of those houses.  And guess who has to buy all the kids’ handmade items?  That’s right – the parents.  So not only did I bake the gingerbread houses, I had to buy one back for 15 bucks!  More evidence that the ISB doesn’t like parents.

 

 

Have you ever seen a bird like this?

FIELD TRIP

 

Once again, against my better judgment (I think I left it back in California), I agreed to chaperone a trip to the Zurich Zoo with Nina’s third grade class.  The day would have been fine if not for the painful bus ride that took an extra hour.  Apparently men’s refusal to ask for directions is worldwide.  Our clueless driver decided to take out his frustration with a lot of pedal stomping.  The brake and acceleration jabs made the bus feel like a boat in choppy seas.  Luckily, the teacher had a bucket for those poor little seasick creatures in the back of the bus.  I, on the other hand, had the misfortune of being assigned the death seat next to one angry driver.  Not a good start at all. 

 

The zoo itself was rather nice.  Laid out in typical orderly Swiss fashion, “Zoo Zurich” is one of my all-time favorite zoos. 

 

 

Basel Christmas Lights

LET’s Talk Turkey

 

Larry and Nina have not been pleased with holidays in Switzerland.  No matter how hard I try to make the festivities similar to our celebrations at home, it’s just never the same.  Halloween was fun, but different.  Valentine’s Day was acknowledged, but too low-key for their tastes (stores weren’t brimming with chocolate hearts and cupid decorations).  Easter was a complete let-down because I couldn’t find plastic eggs (“How can we do an egg hunt without the eggs?  This is the worst Easter ever!”).  Thanksgiving was no different.  “What do you mean we have to go to school?!”  Larry and Nina knew that it’s strictly an American holiday, but they figured an international school would at least give them the day off.  Never mind that there are far more Swiss school holidays than US ones.  Kids looking for an excuse to stay home will never listen to reason. 

 

Despite school on Thanksgiving day, we did have a very nice holiday with some good friends.  It just took a little more effort.  Tracking down ingredients proved to be the biggest challenge – I visited three countries and seven or eight stores.  Had I been a more experienced expat, I would have scooped up the limited supply of exotic ingredients (cranberries, sweet potatoes and canned pumpkin) weeks in advance. 

 

Though turkeys are available in Switzerland, I know several people who smuggled their own frozen birds in from the U.S.  Yes, they really did!  (And I thought I was nuts.)  Turkeys here are not cheap.  I know I complain about prices almost every month, so I’ll just get this last thing off my chest.  $7.90 for a bag of fresh cranberries, $5.90 for canned pumpkin, and $134 for a turkey!  This year it was easy to know what to be thankful for – that we only have to spend one Thanksgiving in Switzerland.   Okay, that’s not fair.  Though putting out a traditional spread cost a bit more, we certainly enjoyed one heck of a tasty bird (which just about fit in a Swiss Barbie-size oven!).   

 

Christmas Lights in Basel

 

Christmas SPIRIT

 

As soon as the Autumn Festival cleared out, Basel started getting ready for its annual Christmas Market.   On November 26th, all the holiday lights down the main shopping street were turned on and the outdoor vendors opened their stalls.  Every day and night until December 24^th, the holiday market provides food, kids’ activities, and shopping in a festive setting.  It’s just like the autumn fair minus the crazy carnival rides.

 

In Switzerland there’s no issue of political correctness when it comes to Christmas. Nativity scenes are displayed unapologetically, and the holiday market is the Weihnachtsmarkt (“Christmas market”).  No menorahs, no Kwanza, and no generic “Happy Holidays!”  (Remember, the entire country just banned minarets!)  The Swiss like what they like and if you don’t like it, go home.  Please.  That’s the Christmas spirit!  You’d think with all the Glühwein they drink, the Swiss would lighten up a bit.  I know it does wonders for my mood!

 

The good stuff

 

Tree Shopping

Tree Shopping

 

Inspired by the holiday decorations proudly displayed all over town, I decided to get our Christmas tree early.  Let me tell you, I’m back to loving the Swiss and their efficiency.  Buying a tree was easier than we ever experienced before.  At the local Home Depot (OBI) the evergreens were all organized by price and color-coded for convenience.  We chose our tree, the salesperson trimmed the bottom to a neat and perfect 4-inch wide trunk (to fit into our ridiculously narrow Swiss tree stand), and he wrapped it in a nice plastic netting that kept the tree from bouncing around everywhere.  It fit into our car like a glove.  At home we popped the tree into its stand without any fumbling and we were done. 

 

Perhaps the hardest part of the whole experience was protecting my find from the other shoppers.  One family kept circling our tree like hungry vultures.  Even though I had my hand firmly around the trunk, the other interested party started honing in on the tree as if it were still up for grabs.  That didn’t sit well with me.  Ready for a smackdown I glared at the family and yelled, “Hey, Diese ist meine!”  (“This is mine!”)  I probably butchered German again, but they got the idea.  I can handle a lot of things Swiss.  But don’t mess with my cake, and don’t mess with my holiday tree!  (Especially when I haven’t had my Glühwein yet.)

 

View from the London Eye

 

German can be fun!

LANGUAGE GOOD, MATH BAD

 

Speaking of German…I’m still going to classes and working on my language skills.   I think it’s going pretty well.  One day at the supermarket I even braved the meat counter and ordered a pound of ground beef.  My German was perfect.  My math, on the other hand, was way off.  Instead of requesting 500 grams of beef, I ordered 500 kilos!  The butcher disappeared into the back room (for what seemed like ages) probably in order to suppress his laughter at the fact that I had just ordered a thousand pounds of meat.  Yep, those embarrassing moments just keep on coming. 

 

 

Next month we’ll be in New Jersey for the holidays.  Hopefully that will reduce the chances of more cultural and language faux pas.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

 

Hamley's Toy Store

Excerpts from the kids’ journals

 

During my amazing trip to London we went on a big big ferris wheel called the London Eye.  On the London Eye you go on a thing that looks like a bubble.  And I mean a big one!  When you buy the tickets you can go and see a 4 minute 4-D movie that was so so soo amazing!  I think it is a great place to go to in London!!! 

Nina, November 23, 2009.

 

I saw Chelsea play Wolverhampton.  The first goal was scored by Malouda.  He was dribbling and pow!  He put the ball in.  Essien scored a header from a corner, and a great strike.  Then Joe Cole scored a brilliant [goal].   Chelsea won 4-0.  Woo hoo!   

Larry, November 23, 2009

London

October

October - the month of family, festivals, food and non-stop activities.

 

Geneva with Nanny

Back in the Good Old U.S.A.

 

At the beginning of October the kids and I took our first trip back to the U.S. in 10 months.  Larry and Nina were especially looking forward to hearing English in public and watching some American TV – namely, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon (the lack of which did not adversely affect mom and dad for the past 10 months).  The kids’ excitement escalated as we flew over Manhattan and they saw an American flag.  As we disembarked from the airplane I had to pull Larry up before he completely dropped to his knees to kiss the ground.  Obviously, I had been depriving my children of their homeland for far too long. 

 

Colmar's Statue of Liberty

Needless to say they were in heaven.  The simple pleasures of Twizzlers, frozen waffles, Chips Ahoy, Teddy Grahams and Drumstick ice cream cones, made the long journey home worthwhile.   But it was the royal treatment they received from our families that really made them happy to be back in the states.

 

Despite my argument with a New York City cabbie and the F-bomb-dropping local who yelled at my friends in Time Square, my own homecoming was full of pleasant moments.  On my first morning back I sat in a small diner and reveled in the fact that I was having a bagel with cream cheese and endless cups of coffee all for $3.82!  Nothing that cheap exists in Switzerland.  In fact, the Manhattan fine dining prices actually seemed pretty reasonable to me.  I believe I was the only one in my group of 7 friends who felt this way during our girls’ weekend in NYC.

Girls' Weekend NYC

I don’t think anyone really believes me about the exorbitant prices here until they actually come to Switzerland.  ($20 for sunscreen, $10 for a bottle of soy sauce, $50 for kids’ mittens!)  I’ve never thought of myself as a cheap person.  But after living in the land of insane prices, I have buckled down on the spending.  (n.b., Ken might disagree with that statement.)

 

Shopping in France!

When we moved to Switzerland I didn’t bring along too many of my favorite American household and food items.   I wanted to take advantage of our new surroundings and adapt to the offerings here.  However I quickly realized, much like the kids, that there are lots of things I miss from home.  While nowadays you can find many familiar American products in Europe, you’re going to give away a small portion of your kids’ college tuition for such luxuries (Oreo cookies, Doritos, Dr. Pepper, etc…).  Sometimes you might also have to settle for an unknown brand name as a substitute and hope, for example, that the $6.00 you just dropped on a bag of marshmallows is really worth it.  And of course there are lots of things that you either learn to live without, or guilt family and friends into sending.  Thanks to Hayley and my grandmother I’m set with chocolate chips for life. (Notice that it all comes down to food with me.)

 

Following the advice of my new expat friends, I returned to the states with two extra suitcases to stock up on much needed supplies (and even that wasn’t quite enough).   Strolling through the American stores made me feel like I had won the lottery.  For the price of one pair of kids’ shoes in Switzerland, I could buy 3 kids’ shoes at Target.  God bless America!

 

Mom and Dad in Ferrette, France

 

Geneva

Hostess with the most less

 

As a hostess, I like to provide my guests with home cooked meals, comfortable lodging, and a fun, and sometimes unusual (just ask my Aunt Karen), sightseeing experience.  While I didn’t have any pressure to entertain my mom during her recent visit, I did have a few ideas as to where I wanted to take her and what fun things we could do during her time here.  It seems, however, that the travel gods were not on our side.

 

In Geneva, the town’s two must-see attractions - its pride and joy flower clock and the famous water jet that sprays 460 feet into the air - were both closed.   I’m sure the city has many other worthwhile points of interest.  However, we were ill prepared for the first cold spell of the season and the brutal winds of Lake Geneva.   We spent all of our time seeking shelter from the bitter elements.  Consequently, the only part of the city we ended up exploring was the shopping district and cafés.  Warm hot cocoa, chestnuts, wristwatch shopping, toys for the kids… On second thought, I’ll count that trip as a success.

 

Cold Geneva

Several more outings had me convinced that either my mom is cursed or my hostess skills are slipping.   A visit to Alsace started out with unusually heavy traffic and a disastrous attempt at exploring the French countryside.  After straying into deserted cornfield-lined roads, I ultimately had to call Ken to save us.  (He’s better than a GPS.  Seriously, call him sometime when you’re lost.)  Several U-turns and dead ends later, we reached Riquewhir where I hoped to take my mother to the “tablecloth man.”  We arrived at the little shop only to find that it was closed.  When I asked a local about the tablecloth store’s hours, he informed me that the owner opens his doors only on Saturdays and “whenever he feels like it.”  Oh, those laid-back Alsatians.  Taking a cue from Mr. Easy-going shopkeeper, my mother and I tucked into a cozy restaurant for a typical Alsatian lunch of tarte flambée and a glass of Riesling.  Now I truly understand why the French are so relaxed and happy!

 

Alsace - cute!

On another occasion, I decided to get the family out of the house for a trip to a local museum.  Nina argued that the whole point of a “lazy Sunday” is to stay home and be lazy.  I should have listened because the museum turned out to be closed and the kids did not snap out of their grumpy states.   Nor did they approve of my other choice, the cute Swiss town of Aarau.  Again, Mother Nature did not smile upon us on that particular day either.  Maybe Nina is right.  Just stay home on Sundays like all the Swiss.

Aarau

 

NOT SO NICE ADVICE

 

It turns out that the best moments with my mom were just hanging out around Basel.  A little mother-daughter shopping time was the perfect antidote to the disagreeable weather and the unsuccessful adventures.   That doesn’t mean I was entirely out of the clear for disastrous decisions.  I made a few bad dining choices (which is an easy thing to do in Switzerland).  The one that stands out the most was the bakery I chose based on an acquaintance’s recommendation.

Colmar

This is where I learned a valuable lesson:  proceed with caution when taking advice from fellow travelers.  What may be a magical experience for one person, may turn out to be far from ideal for another.  The particular establishment in question was lauded as a “charming rustic bakery tucked away in a little courtyard.” Tucked away  and rustic – yes.  Charming – no.  The tiny place had a handful of tables squeezed in to accommodate the few adventurous diners.  My mother and I literally sat in the bakery kitchen mere steps away from the dishwasher who was sloshing pans about in the sink the entire time.  The people next to us had to duck their heads whenever the baker/dishwasher needed to pull the breads out of the oven.   My advice:  Run from the rickety run-down bakery and the fruit fly infested ‘ambience’.  

 

After the fruit fly bakery incident, I felt I needed to redeem myself.   When my dad arrived, we enjoyed drinks at Basel’s famous Three Kings Hotel (well, it’s famous here) overlooking the Rhine.  Then we hit the sausage stands in the main market for a typical Swiss quick lunch.  A fat grilled sausage on a paper plate with a chunk of hearty bread and a side of mustard.  Now that’s a meal!  It could have been the jet lag, but I’ll pat myself on the back anyway for the content look on my dad’s face.  My hostess mojo was coming back!

Dad at Herbstmesse

 

 

Cheese Shop in Vieux-Ferrette

food - always on my mind

 

I wouldn’t classify myself as a “foodie” but I do love to eat.  Imagine my joy when I discovered that I live about 40 minutes away from France’s cheese guru, Monsieur Bernard Antony.  Numerous people had told me about this man’s small cheese shop in Vieux-Ferrette, France, where he supplies cheese to his president, as well as to many of France’s Michelin star restaurants.  Say no more – you had me at “cheese.” 

 

When my parents and I arrived for our scheduled tasting, we were escorted to a small, private room where three place settings awaited us at a single round table surrounded by racks of wine, award plaques, and photos.   We each had a plate of thirteen different cheeses to sample under the guidance of the owner’s trusted assistant.  With his limited English and my limited French we managed just fine.  But for good measure, the cheeses were laid out on the plates in clock formation (the 13^th cheese taking a spot in the center of the plate for you horologists).  So when we failed to remember all the names and descriptions, my parents and I simply ordered, “the 11 o’clock, ” “the 5 o’clock” and so on.  Needless to say, the cheeses were all wonderful and the experience left us all a bit giddy.  Or was that the wine?

 

My father was not the least bit shy about asking for a photo op with the cheese master himself, Monsieur Antony.  Thanks, dad!

Our moment with Bernard Antony

Here’s more about Alsace’s local hero, Bernard Antony, just in case you happen to be a cheese fanatic too.

 

http://francetoday.com/articles/2008/11/12/couture-cheese.html

 

This is the life!

 

ADVENTURES IN EATING

 

The Swiss don’t exactly put much effort into making their sweets look appetizing like their French neighbors do.  In fact, it seems as if they go out of their way to make their food look downright terrible.  If you’re adventurous, though, you’re rewarded with joys like this month’s culinary discovery -- Beggeschmütz (yes, the names are equally unappealing):

 

Beggeschmütz

 

If you can get beyond the turd-like appearance, you will be rewarded with a taste treat.  Beggeschmütz are soft fluffy marshmallows (except airier) covered in chocolate then rolled in finely chopped coconut.  Wow!  As my friend said after taking her first bite, “I think I need a cigarette!”  Yes, they’re that good.  But you can only get them in the fall and they’re best consumed within a day or two.  As this is our only autumn in Basel, I may need to buy some stretchy pants to help get me through the remainder of Beggeschmütz season!

Larry having his own happy food moment

 

"Moose Piss" Beer - I kid you not

An adventurous palette inevitably leads to a dud or two.  For example, Magenbrot.   I’ve seen these cookies translated as “sweet pieces of bread.”  But the literal translation, “stomach bread,” is more appropriate since they look as though they’ve already been churned in one’s stomach.  Despite the weird appearance, the sweet smell tempted Ken into buying a bag of Magenbrot.  How bad could something covered in sugar be?  One bite of the rubbery mound gave him his answer:  certainly not worth a couple of Francs.  Leave the Magenbrot, take the Beggeschmütz!

 

Another flop I discovered is a German bubbly wine called Federweisser.  It’s an early harvest wine offered in the fall.  Do you remember “Bartles and Jaymes” wine coolers?  That’s what Federweisser tastes like.  There you go -- I just saved you a few euros and an 80’s flashback.  [n.b.:  Ken loves the stuff!]

Herbstmesse Happiness

The Giant Ferris Wheel

Herbstmesse

 

Though I’ve stated that Swiss people are reserved and not as free-spirited as the folks of their neighboring countries, I must admit that the locals do like finding reasons to celebrate (even if they do it in their own low-key manner).  Yearlong we encounter one festival after another in Basel.  Last month was the pumpkin festival and a gourmet food festival.  This month was the wine festival, the music festival, and the granddaddy of them all – the fall festival (Herbstmesse). 

 

For two weeks, seven of the major town squares are packed with rides, food booths, carnival games and small merchant stalls.   The festival packs in an abundance of delights for young and old.   Larry and Nina, of course, gravitated towards the rides and the games.  Ken and I focused on the food:  potato pancakes, sausages, risotto stands, piadini, fried apples, chocolate covered bananas, waffle and crepe carts, hot spiced wine, fried apple rings with vanilla sauce, raclette wagons, confectionary stands packed with unidentifiable sweets, giant pretzels, and so on.   I told you I was food obsessed.

 

Nanny & the kids at Herbstmesse

 

October end

 

Halloween has always been a highly anticipated event for my kids.  Unfortunately, the Swiss don’t celebrate Halloween like we do in the states.  It’s odd because the local stores sell decorations and costumes (you have your choice of witch, vampire or devil) for the occasion.  But trick-or-treating hasn’t really caught on.  For reasons I still don’t quite understand (lack of sleep, too many wine tastings…), I found myself organizing a trick-or-treating event for all the neighborhood expats.

 

Halloween - for big kids too!

Despite the fact that my jack-o-lanterns practically screamed, “expat lives here,” I went ahead and lit the pumpkins, hung the webs, poured my wine and waited for the kids to come knocking.  The night turned out to be a blast.   Larry and Nina ran through the neighborhood with their friends and collected a decent amount of treats for the evening.  A few Swiss kids even stopped at my door for candy.   They seemed nervous at first, but they certainly left excited.  Hey, maybe Halloween will catch on in Switzerland after all.  It’s the least I can do in return for Beggeschmütz!

Bitte schön, die Schweiz!

 

Max, Matthew and Larry

 

 

Nina - ready for treats

Excerpts from the Journals of Larry and Nina

 

On Halloween I got so much candy.  [Trick-or-treating] started with a big group.  Then it kept becoming a bunch of small groups.  I broke away [from the crowd] turning my group from big to two – me and my friend, Matilde.  It was really fun! 

Nina, November 1, 2009

Trick-or-treat smell my feet…Halloween was so awesomeistic.  First, everybody met up at our house.  The big boys wanted to go [trick-or-treating] alone.  We did, eventually.  At the end, Brendan, Matthew, Max and me did some trading.  Then I ate it, had dinner, went to bed, and then it was November. 

Larry, November 1, 2009

Nina, Max & Larry on the Ferris Wheel

MORE MOMENTS FROM OCTOBER

  

Cousin Aileen's visit with her friends

Nina Rock Climbing in Germany

Happy Birthday, Larry!

Until next month!