Zum Essen und Trinken

Just because Lauren (a.k.a. Sister) and Max, our house guests, couldn't do their skydive last Thursday due to cloudy weather over Interlaken, we couldn't go snowboarding over the weekend because none of the nearby resorts were yet open, and they didn't even get to see the first snowfall in our town (which they missed by a few hours since they left early this morning), doesn't mean we didn't have a great time together.

Plus, I'm sure that our warm hospitality, not to mention their time in Paris and Amsterdam before meeting up with us, more than made up for any disappointments in Switzerland. Later this week, I'll post about what we did during their four-day visit, but today I wanted to post a few pictures of the recurring theme of our long weekend: FOOD!

Every morning we recreated a European breakfast buffet with bread rolls, butter, jams, meats, cheeses, nutella, yogurt, juice, coffee, tea, and treats from the local bakery. Lunches were everything from Olma sausages to Döner Kebap to Bavarian fare. For dinner we ate raclette, Thanksgiving food, and Thanksgiving leftovers. Snacks: cheese, bread, and chocolate - what else? (Oh yeah, and Zweifel Paprika chips.) To drink: Glühwein, Rivella, and BIER, of course!

The conversation at every meal? Always about food. Usually about some amazing taco shop in San Diego that we're missing out on. Thanks guys.

Thanksgiving Friday

Our Thanksgiving menu: Rollschinkli cooked with fresh pineapple, cornish game hens basted with apple cider and brown sugar (Sister smuggled in some C&H dark and golden brown sugars for us!), raisin and leek classic stuffing, rosemary mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, cranberry sauce with port and cinnamon sticks, green bean and mushroom casserole with French's fried onions (also thanks to Sister), candied yams (topped with Kraft mini marshmallows), and raspberry cobbler for dessert.

Raclette Saturday

"Put that camera away and let us enjoy our raclette dinner!" (After having a raclette lunch with some bona fide Swiss people recently, who offered a full spread in addition to the traditional elements of a raclette meal, I feel quite justified that we have never eaten just pickles, potatoes, and raclette alone, as some purists believe one should eat raclette.) Our meal was complete with Alp and Pfeffer Raclette cheeses, boiled potatoes, cornichons, as well as raw onions and bacon that we grilled on the top part of our raclette machine. As Max put it, "This is bomb dot com."

Sausage and Beer Sunday
In Munich at the Hofbräuhaus, which Max kept thinking I was calling "the Operahouse," enjoying 1 liter beers.

Cheers to Sister who is officially a homeowner (and became one while on vacation)! We're so proud of you!

Thankful

In a lovely house in Southern California, my family will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day without me, yet again. Lauren and I won't be there to tell our ridiculous arm stories - oh, how we will be missed. Instead, we'll be frolicking in Interlaken, and then digging into a Thanksgiving-style dinner on Friday.

This time last year, I wasn't as "into" my blog as I am now, so I was hardly writing any posts or sharing any autumn reflections. Today, as sunshine fills my bedroom, I feel compelled to share the many things for which I am thankful this year.

1. We'll spend a long Thanksgiving weekend with Lauren and Max! (Isaiah's taking Thursday and Friday off.) Although we had a great sort-of Thanksgiving last year, I am thrilled to have family in town this year.
2. We've had a really mild autumn. That's why I am posting these pictures of a hike we took last month (Rappenlochschlucht, a gorge in Dornbirn, Austria). I want to savor the beauty of fall before winter hits. Last year I complained a lot about winter lasting 6 months, starting in October, but I can't really say that this year. Yay!
3. Hercules, my bike. Although she's offered me some major bruises, and she's a bit too big for me, she gets me to where I need to go!
4. Isaiah's month-long winter break. Looking forward to lots of R&R (in Sicily).
5. People who read my blog. You make me so happy. Thank you so much!
6. Time. I have time to do stuff I never had the chance to do when I was working full-time as a teacher.
7. My bible study ladies: Dee, Jodi, Cindy, Berty, Jenny, and Cornelia. You challenge me and bless me.
8. My Migros Monday morning breakfast club: Sigrid, Cindy, Dee, Ursula, Katie, and Trudy. Because of you, I look forward to Mondays.
9. Skype. I love to chat with my family and friends for free or for cheap - forever grateful for this service!
10. My husband. Isaiah, I am in awe of the countless ways you support me. You are a loving provider and so much more. Full of wisdom and passion, you inspire me. I love watching our relationship grow everyday, and I am so thankful to share this crazy Swiss experience with you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

High Five to the Tour Guide

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of leading my sister, Lauren, and her boyfriend, Max, around Zürich. I got to show off some of the fun facts I learned during a recent "Archeological Windows" tour as well as partake in some touristy fun-seeking that I had yet to experience.

At 8 am, I picked them up at the airport upon which Lauren asked, "What's with the cow noises on that airport tram?"

"It's your official welcome to Switzerland."

Next, we rode the S-Bahn into the city, and after we stored their giant backpacks at the main station, we set off on your typical walking tour: down Bahnhofstrasse, up to the Lindenhof, then down along the river, over to St. Peter's Church and the largest clock face in Europe (pictured above/left), a peek at the Roman bathhouse ruins, and finally a stop at Café Schober (a.k.a Péclard) for a classic hot chocolate and some R&R.

The fog had still not cleared by 11 am, so the Salon Rouge at Café Schober was the perfect way to warm up and catch up. Sister and Max were very impressed, and so was I! I had never been to this Zürich landmark, but I'll be sure to stop by again very soon. The hot chocolate was perfect: not too sweet and not too hot. (Just like in the kid's holiday movie the Santa Clause, remember?)

"Mandy," that's what my family calls me, "this place is great. I am so glad you brought us here," my sister declared.

"Yeah, high five to the tour guide," Max added.


We lounged around on red velvet chairs for a couple of hours, and then decided to move on to our next sight: The Grossmünster. 187 steps to the top of one of the towers lead us to a terrific view of the city. The best part? The sun had finally decided to join our little tour!



After that, we had St. Galler sausages at Vorderer Sternen Grill. "This is the best Bratwurst I've ever had," my sister proclaimed.

I was on a roll with these two!

Then we hopped on a tram and a bus to Langstrasse, or the seedy part of Zürich, to give a more balanced idea of what this city's got going on. From there we meandered our way back to Bahnhofstrasse on foot, walking through Helvetiaplatz, stopping into Coop to stock up on snacks, and finally passing through Bärengasse.

We sat by the lake for a break, admiring Zürich by night - and it was only 5 pm! (Darn those early sunsets...) For dinner we headed to the Zeughauskeller where I tried the venison (in gravy sauce with grapes and chestnuts - YUM- and a side of spätzle). Again, the two were very impressed with where I had taken them, especially with the decor and boisterous atmosphere so early in the evening!

We made our way back to the main station by 8 pm so Lauren and Max could catch their overnight train to Amsterdam and I could catch my train back to Au. All in all, we had a great day exploring and re-exploring Zürich. I was so happy to see my family, and after they run around Amsterdam and Paris for a week, I'll get to see them again when Isaiah and I pick them up in Interlaken next week. I can't wait!


To all my blogger friends in Zürich - thanks for all of your great posts about places to go in Zürich. Without your helpful posts, I'd have been lost on where to take Lauren and Max!

Baby Stuff Euro-Style

About four years ago, just weeks before I met Isaiah, I had resolved to go on a trip to Italy for free - within the next six months. I was desperate to return but knew I wouldn't be able to scrape together the funds. With my 10+ years of experience as a babysitter, I figured a nanny job was my ticket back to il bel paese.

I posted an ad on Craigslist San Diego, simply stating my desire to accompany a family to Italy as their nanny. Within a few days, I received one response. That single response turned out to be the best nanny job ever. Not only did I get to go to Italy for free, I got paid to hang out with an adorable three-year-old in a town called Lazise on the shores of Lake Garda. I made friends with a Kenyan-Italian family, and took the boy swimming at their pool everyday. I ate gelato about 5 times a day, and took my morning coffee out on the balcony with a view of the lake in the distance.

You'd think with spending as much as six days straight alone with this kid (yes, a teary-eyed call to my mom ensued, "Thanks for being such an [sob, sob] amazing mom. I had no idea how hard you had t0 [hiccup] work to raise us..."), along with over a decade of babysitting under my belt, that I'd be sick of kids. Nope. In fact, the experience confirmed for me what I knew all along: I want to be a mother some day. Perhaps it was all the gorgeous Italian baby clothes in Lazise's boutiques that did it for me. Truth be told, I even brought home a pair of Trussardi baby shoes - for my future baby. They are now stashed in my mother's bureau along with stuff she's bought for her future grandchildren. See, I am not alone in my silliness!

As it turns out, I've still got babies on my mind. Now don't go jumping to conclusions, Mom, I don't have any news to share, and if I did, you wouldn't be learning about it for the first time on this blog! Let me rephrase, I've got baby-stuff on my mind.

Here's some cool stuff I've discovered during our time thus far in Switzerland that I'd like to have for our future kiddos:

The Tripp Trapp - (pictured above) Although these are available for purchase in the States, I never would have known about them if it weren't for my babysitting gigs here in Switzerland. I think it's safe to assume that these days every Swiss kid grows up with this special high chair. The genius part about the chair is that the kid never grows out of it.

High quality wooden toys - Yes, children in the U.S. play with wooden toys - my mom still talks about how she used to play with Lincoln Logs - but there are some beautiful wooden toys coming out of Germany! My favorite toy is the Multibahn from Nic. Another goody is the Kinderlaufrad, a children's beginner bike with no pedals, which I had never seen or heard of until we moved to Switzerland. The original, Like-a-Bike, is very popular in Switzerland - so popular that even those not made by the German company are colloquially called Like-a-Bikes, similar to how Americans call all cotton swabs "Q-tips."

My ward and me in Piazza Bra, Verona

Fun with Art in Bag Ragaz

Several weeks ago, after driving back from an Alpabfahrt in Graubünden, we stopped in a spa town called Bad Ragaz. Only about a thirty minute drive from our house, I couldn't believe that we hadn't yet come for a visit. It's quite a small village that caters to wealthier tourists, so everything is pretty and picturesque.

As the town name has the word Bad in it, German for "bath," one of their famous attractions is the natural thermal bath "Tamina Therme." Although we didn't have the opportunity to check out the baths (I hope to go back one of these days), we spent our time wandering around for a bit over an hour looking at all the sculptures on display all over the park, in the small squares, and along the streets.

The exhibition was called Bad RagARTz and mostly featured works by Swiss artists but also presented works by sculptors from fourteen other nations including Liechtenstein, Germany, and Italy (as well as one scupture by Colombian Fernando Botero). The festival of sculpture lasted almost six months and only happens every three years, so it was a real treat to participate in this exhibition since it won't be back until May 2012. On a much smaller scale, the town of Vaduz also displayed sculptures as part of the festival.

I wonder if this resort town will be as exciting the next time around, now that all the sculptures have moved on...

Nice Price

Hello my fellow bargain-hunters, coupon-clippers, and deal-lovers! I'm not sure how I managed to let most of these deals pass me by, but I was going through my inbox and rediscovered this link I had sent to myself back in early July: Nice Price.

Although most of the coupons were valid only during the summer (as you can see in the logo to the left), there remain a few coupons that are still good. You simply go to the Nice Price website, scroll through the available coupons, click on the one you want, and print!

Here are the two I think are worth looking into:
1. 20% off the price of a Day Pass to Bernaqua for up to 4 persons.
2. Round-trip ride up mount Säntis and a meal at the Panorama Restaurant for HALF-PRICE! (Full-price ride is CHF 41.00, meal costs 28.50. You get it all for CHF 34.00!)

Both aforementioned vouchers are valid until 31.12.2009.

Looking through the rest of the vouchers I missed out on, I sure hope the nice people at Nice Price will come out with a version for summer 2010!

Also, don't forget to pick up your new book of "Migros-Aktion" vouchers for winter 2009/2010. You'll find discounts for the Zürich zoo, mountain railways, ski lifts, and more!

No Joke

A Scot, a German, and an American walk up to the ticket booth of a mountain cable car in Switzerland.

Sounds like the beginning of a cultural joke, right? Well, don't hold your breath for the punch line because the joke is on us.

"A one way ticket, please. We plan to hike back down."

The clerk glances down at our casual footwear. "No you're not. You need special equipment for that hike."

The three of us had mistakenly thought we could climb down mount Säntis wearing Pumas. (Ha!) Not gonna happen. The great thing about cable cars in Switzerland is that they are a perfectly acceptable alternative for ascending and descending a mountain. Despite the fact that most Swiss are quite sporty, it's not expected that you actually hike up mount Säntis to enjoy its vistas. In fact, riding to the top of a mountain in the comfort of a cable car, having a coffee at the panorama restaurant, catching views from different vantage points, and riding back down is a lovely way to spend the day. No nasty slips or falls or sweatstains.

Unfortunately, this particular day, the clouds were so thick, we didn't see much from the top except for a guesthouse and the weather station. The clouds started to disappear just as we boarded the cable car for our descent, which is when I took most of my photos. At least the trip wasn't too painful on my pocketbook as I paid 1/2 price with my Halbtax card. I'd definitely like to go back on a clear day.

Tourists in Town

We've lived in Switzerland for over a year now - that much is true. We are bona fide residents, at least as far as the IRS is concerned. Despite our residence permits and resident status, if we were to live here another year or ten, I doubt I'd ever stop feeling like a tourist.

It's not uncommon to hear of a friend back in the States who enjoys doing touristy things in her hometown. Heck, Isaiah and I used to do touristy things in San Diego all the time. We may have been the only residents among a sea of tourists, but I never felt like a tourist. Most of my life I didn't even live in San Diego proper but in the suburbs. Still, San Diego was always my city, my hometown.

No matter how many times we visit our closest "big" city, St. Gallen, we still walk around like tourists. I take pictures of something new almost every time we go. Oddly enough, for being an outsider (what with living 20 minutes away from here out in the boondocks), I feel proud of "my" St. Gallen.

You know that famous Bratwurst you get in Zürich, the OLMA ones? They come from here! And they're 50 rappen cheaper here. And the Bürli are not so rock-hard. (Steinbrötli, stone-bread, as Isaiah likes to call them.)

We've also got an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We're close to Säntis and the Bodensee. (I know, I know, what's with the "we"?) There's a contemporary art museum, which I have yet to visit. Want yummy Flammkuchen? Try Restaurant Marktplatz - it's their specialty. Globus? Check. We're even hosting our first ever Latin Film festival this month! (Two of the films have subtitles in English - anyone want to join me?) Yeah, I like it here. St. Gallen, you're all right with me.

Walking around the city double-fisting it: sausage in one hand, roll in the other.

Frescoed facade

Intricate wooden oriel (bay window, right)

Transitional Hiking

Well, it's been long gone for weeks now, but the summer (and early autumn) hiking season is officially over. Many mountain taverns closed shop at the end of October, tucked away in areas that will soon be buried in several feet of snow and possibly attacked by avalanches.

Starting in December, some of them will reopen during the ski season, while others won't welcome guests back until next spring. Luckily, there remain many opportunities for winter hiking, and some mountain Gasthäuser will continue to offer warm drinks and meals, especially those at the more prominent summits with cable cars (e.g. Säntis in Appenzellerland).

For now, in this transitional period, we can still go hiking among falling leaves and melting patches of snow, but the paths are deserted. The landscape appears to be in between seasons and so do our clothes. It's too warm to hike in our winter coats, but too cold to wear just a fleece. Also, we can't count on re-energizing with pommes frites, so we pack snacks and a picnic lunch. We head out late morning on a Saturday and take our time up the mountain, relishing the stillness. Once at the top, we find a wooden bench to enjoy our meal. It's never been so quiet.

We're back home with enough time to stop at the supermarket before it closes. We gather all the necesities for a lazy evening: ingredients for a pizza, Paprika chips, ice cream, and Coke. Just another quiet weekend at home near the Alps.

Here's my favorite subject posing in Malbun, Liechtenstein.

The snowy peak in the distance is Säntis.

I was too late capturing a funny Isaiah moment. In this shot, he's just slid down "the perfect hill for sledding" minus a sled. We didn't think to bring ours, but that didn't stop Isaiah from sliding down in his jeans.