The One Where We Have Our First Visitors (and terrorize them)

We had our first visitors come to Zurich last week. Our dear friends Vanessa & Andrew are on their six week tour through Europe and they decided to put Zurich on the itinerary (along with London, Paris, Rome, Monaco, and others. Have I mentioned how jealous I am??). They arrived by plane from Prague and spent the next six days with us. It was nice to show them around our town, the lake, and the city. We even got a babysitter and had a nice evening out on the town.

But the biggest thing we did during their visit was Pilatus. And I mean we DID it. Pilatus is not one of the tallest mountains in Switzerland, but it certainly can be counted as one of the most scenic. Pilatus is in Luzern, about an hour from us. We took the boys out of school on Friday and Tobi took the day off and we all drove to Luzern to begin our journey.

The beginning of our journey, on the gondola

Besties in the Alps . . . before the Cable Car (notice the unknowing smiles)

We decided to do what is called the Golden Round Trip. The Golden Round Trip begins with parking your car near the gondola and taking it up (about a 30 minute ride) to the top of one peak, then taking the cable car to the top of the mountain. This is where it got a little dicey. I did not realize (truly, I didn't) that two of my best friends in the world have a leeeeetle fear of heights. Vanessa wasn't sure she was going to be able to get on the cable car without a glass of wine, but she put her brave face on in front of the kids and we all got aboard, along with 16 other brave souls and took the five minute (really, it was only five minutes of terror!) ride to the top of the mountain.

The cable we just rode up to the top on. Yeah.

Once we got to the top and started breathing again (I confess to a little bout of shaky legs myself!), we sat at picnic tables at the top and ate the lunch we packed. Why didn't we bring a bottle of wine in that cooler, V?? After lunch everyone felt much better and we were able to listen to the alphorn player at the summit. Vanessa, Andrew, and I decided we'd gone high enough but Tobi took the kids up to the tippy top. After we took pictures and had our fill, we climbed aboard the world's steepest cogwheel train back down the other side of the mountain. It was a beautiful ride and we could see lots of people hiking. Lake Luzern was a glorious sight to behold as we made our journey downward.

The Laczkowskis on Pilatus!

Climb every mountain!

I loved the tiny white church on top of one of the mountains. So pretty.

Lake Luzern from the top of Pilatus.

The boys and their Fairy Godmother.

Caroline & Andrew became the best of buddies.

The view from the cogwheel train.

Tobi, Vanessa, & Charlie enjoyed the train ride.

After conquering Pilatus, the ninety minute ferry boat ride on Lake Luzern was a breeze. There were beers for the adults (well deserved!) and ice cream for the kids and everyone enjoyed some lazy time in the sun. The ferry made stops around the lake, with the last stop being Luzern itself. Then we had to take yet another form of transport, a city bus, back to the gondola to get our car. Whew!

Relaxing on the ferry.

View of Pilatus from Lake Luzern.

In addition to seeing Pilatus, Andrew & Tobi mountain biked in the hills around Zurich. They also tried out Tobi's new kayaks on Lake Zurich. Vanessa and I hung out with the kids at the beach. We grilled a few times at our place and we took them out for fondue for a very Swiss dinner. We played tour guide around the city of Zurich and I dropped them at the train on Tuesday so they could head to Munich for Oktoberfest.

Tobi & Andrew kayaking on Lake Zurich.

Caroline & Vanessa playing at the beach.

We had a great time with our visitors and can't wait to do it again!

OK, who's next?

Cheers!

Tiffany

P.S.

Some of the pictures above are ones Andrew took - he's a photography enthusiast and has taken really beautiful shots of their trip. Click on the pictures to really appreciate them.

The One Where I See Paris At Last

This past weekend I set off for a mere forty-eight hour trip to Paris. Such a short visit, you might think. I had a very good reason: two of my best friends, Vanessa & Andrew, are on a six week trip through Europe (I know, right? So jealous!) and asked me to join them for a couple of days (or maybe I invited myself; I can't remember). Tobi graciously offered to work from home for two days so I could go. He even learned how to use the dishwasher for the occasion!

It's not a brasserie without those lamps and palms, ya know.

Since it was primarily Vanessa and Andrew's trip, I decided to hang on for the ride and do whatever they had planned. After a four hour train ride from Zurich to Paris (which was really lovely, by the way), I got to their sweet, tiny flat on the Île Saint-Louis in time for wine and cheese & paté. After that, we took a walk through the city, past the Louvre to dinner at Le Grand Colbert. It looked exactly like a French brasserie should look in my mind's eye, and the food was delicious. Many hours later, we stumbled walked home for bed. Or sofa cushions on the floor in the living room. Whatever.

Dearest friends, Andrew & Vanessa

Foie gras, escargot, and onion soup - nothing wrong with that

Slippery little suckers

Vanessa on the Pont Neuf, waiting for that tower to twinkle

Twinkling!

On Friday we decided to walk around the city and see the sights. After enjoying a chocolate croissant and coffee along the river Seine, we toured Notre Dame and the St. Germaine area of the city. We went to the famous Shakespeare & Co. and I bought too many books by Hemingway.

Notre Dame Cathedral

So beautiful inside

Over the archway to one of the doors. Amazing details.

Could have spent all day there.

We took the Metro from St. Germaine to the Eiffel Tower. As Andrew pointed out, how did I not know that the tower is brown? Hmmmm. We ended up taking a tour bus around the city after our feet gave out (thanks for that tip, Penny!) and we may have salivated over the merchandise at Louis Vuitton on the Champs Élysées. We sat for a while in the Tuileries gardens and then made our way to the mammoth Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. I think we were all underwhelmed by Madame Mona but it was fun to watch all the people taking pictures of it.

Andrew knew his way around the Metro like a boss.

If I knew it was brown, I wouldn't have worn black.

We will triumph!

The Louvre

"Thanks for the smirk, stupid!"

After walking at least 10 miles over the course of the day, we decided to walk back to our little island and have . . . Italian food. Yeah, ya know, Paris has great food but sometimes a girl (or guy) just wants a little simple pasta. We ate at a great (read: cheap) little Italian spot a block away from the apartment. We decided to let Paris win us over again with dessert and had Nutella crepes and ice cream at Berthillion (I got the salted buttered caramel - thanks for that tip, Annalisa!).

This happened on a bridge in Paris. On a random Friday morning.

Vanessa and Andrew had to leave Saturday morning to catch a plane to Prague (again, aren't you jealous??) so I had about 6 hours to do my own thing before my train left. I started out by doing a boat cruise along the Seine. That is a great way to see all the monuments without walking! Then I decided to do my guidebook's Hemingway tour. I started at his first apartment and walked my way around the Latin Quarter to 3 of his apartments, 2 cafes and a bookshop (obsessed much, you ask?). I went to the address of the original Shakespeare & Co. and there is the tiniest of plaques commemorating the place where its owner, Sylvia Beach, published James Joyce's Ulysses. Now there is a high-end boutique residing in its place. I stood there like an idiot taking pictures as people are walking by with Armani Exchange packages. Ugh. When they invent time travel, I want to go to Paris in 1923.

The sign's wrong. He lived there for 1 year. I checked.

The sign at 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, the first apartment he lived with Hadley, his first wife: From January 1922 to August 1923 lived on the third floor of this building, with Hadley, his wife, the American writer, Ernest Hemingway 1899 - 1961. The neighorhood, he loved above all else, was the true birthplace of his work and spare style it characterizes. This American in Paris was friendly with his neighbors, including the owner of the music hall next door. "This was the Paris of our youth, back when we were very poor and very happy." Ernest Hemingway (Paris is a feast)*

The sign at 12 rue L'Odeon

Sign on the same building as the Ulyssses plaque honoring Thomas Paine: Thomas Paine 1737-1809, English-born, Adopted by the U.S., French by decree. Lived in this building from 1797 to 1802. He put his passion for freedom in the service of the French Revolution, was a member of the Convention and wrote The Rights of Man. "When opinions are free, the power of truth always prevails."

Hemingway wrote, "There is never any ending to Paris . . ." Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to see it again and again.

Cheers!

Tiffany

All the photos from my trip will be on my Facebook page.

*Translation help from Wikipedia & Google translate. Fete can also mean party, but I went with feast.

When the Cat's Away, The Mice Will Play

Slush Puppies make a hot day sweeter.

Tobi left for Oxford, England yesterday morning for a business retreat. The kids and I decided to do something Tobi would never encourage or condone. We went into the city for the sole intent to go to one store: Lollipop. Lollipop is a little shop in the Niederdorf area of Zurich. The kids love it - it's just a little candy store, where every type of candy you can imagine is sold by weight. Gummies were the order of the day. Gummies and Slush Puppies.

Three satisfied customers.

After our visit to Lollipop, we walked through Old Town and found a little farmer's market wrapping things up and an old carousel. Grant was too cool to ride the carousel (this is breaking my heart, by the way - he thinks he's allowed to grow up??), but Caroline and Charlie were thrilled.

A mouthful of gummy bears + riding a carousel = perfection

Charlie enjoying the ride

Requisite church photo: Grossmunster in the background;

Fraumunster in the forefront.

We've still not been inside Grossmunster, one of the famous and largest churches in Zurich. But I decided yesterday was not the day to do it. Three kids hopped up on slushies & gummies? I don't think so. Maybe when our visitors arrive. Grant did ask me what is the largest church in Switzerland, so we googled it when we got home. It's not in Zurich, but Lausanne. So there's another road trip in the making!

We made our way back home for rest and naps after the sugar crash. Later in the day we decided to take advantage of the waning days of summer and the kids rode their bikes around our block and played on the playground.

I do believe this is a preview of a summer to come.

She's very keen to do some biking of her own.

Overall, it was a good day but we sure do miss Tobi. Caroline has said repeatedly over the last 24 hours, "Where Daddy go?"

The One Where We Begin Urban Hiking

We are back in Switzerland! We had a nice four weeks in the States. We spent time in Chicago and Lawrenceville, Illinois and Bloomington, Indiana. In addition, I took a side trip to visit friends in St. Louis and Tobi and I both went to southern California for his business trip, which also included a little rest and relaxation since the kids stayed in Bloomington with Grandma & Grandpa.

Now we're back home and gearing up for school and back to the "routine" of Swiss daily life. We decided that instead of always going out into nature to hike, we might like to get to know our city better. So we're focusing on urban hiking and hoping we can get familiar with the less-touristy aspects of Zurich.

The girls on the bus, ready for some urban hiking!

Amazing foodstuffs, everywhere you look.

Today we decided to go to Markthalle Im Viaduct. This is a year old indoor marketplace, open 6 days a week. There are individual foodstuffs shops in one large market. They've used the old viaduct for the city as the building and enclosed it - it's beautiful. I've been missing Whole Foods and Foodstuffs in Evanston as well as Schaefer's in Skokie for all my gourmet foodstuffs. This is a fantastic find! There's even an English foods shop, The British Cheese Centre, with amazing cheddars, English beers, meat pies, and the holy grail of my summer drink, Pimms No. 1. There are beautiful breads, fruits & vegetables, a butcher, and a fish counter. It also has a wine shop and a restaurant. There was even an ice cream shop. If you know our children, you know we also got ice cream.

Beautiful flowers at the florist

Swiss breads, why are you so delicious?

Charlie wanted to know why the blueberries were so huge!

OMG! Pimm's!!

The boys found the thing they liked most.

Caroline liked the mango ice cream the best.

We left the market and walked back toward Old Town. It was kind of a long walk, but the kids were troupers. We wandered through parks where the Petanque Club of Zurich was holding its picnic and tournament (of course, at first, we thought it was bocce because we'd never heard of Petanque - see the things you learn when you urban hike??). Then we made our way down along the river and watched the people who were swimming the river today as part of an organized swim (complete with floats that looked like rubber ducks - the kids loved this).

Zurich has great fountains all over the city - perfect for the hot weather.

Charlie loves to swing.

So does Caroline, as long as Grant's doing the pushing.

View of the river with the rubber duckie swimmers,

with the twin spires of Grossmunster in the distance.

We stopped in our favorite park (we don't even really know what the name is, but we call it the Thornbush Park) for the kids to play and to get cooled off in the fountain. Instead of seeing beauty in the natural, like we would on a nature hike, we see the beauty in buildings and parks. Like the beautiful row houses or the cobblestone streets of Old Town.

You can even find ruins, if you look closely enough.

I love the color of these shutters.

A favorite hill in Old Town, with St. Peter's behind it.

Finally, we made our way down the Bahnhofstrasse (kinda like Zurich's version of Rodeo Drive or Michigan Avenue), where I taught Caroline to identify important things not found in nature. Like Ferragamo (her pronunciation was perfect, thank you very much) or Chanel.

I can't understand why they wouldn't let us in.

At the end of the day Grant said, "I thought today might be boring, but it was actually a lot of fun." Sometimes it's surprising what treasures you'll find if you just search for them.

Cheers!

Tiffany