It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone and wow what a change this past year has brought us. An adorable little girl who just keeps bringing us smiles and love every day. Along with a crazy new life in Switzerland. Who knew last year when we were celebrating at the Tung's what 2011 had in store for us. Well I can't wait to see how 2012 shakes out.
 |
| Flumserberg |
This was a different week for us as there was a plethora of holidays, travel and family time since Erik was off from work all week. After our adventure with Hans and Elsbeth on Monday we decided to lay low on Tuesday as the weather was less than desirable for outdoor activities. Erik met Hans at the local outdoor store where he got some ski boots on deep discount.
My Aunt April and Uncle Jerry were kind enough to donate their old skis to us before we left so we just needed some boots. On Wednesday we ventured off to the eastern side of Switzerland to a ski resort called Flumserberg in the heart of the Alps. It was a beautiful day - sunny and cold with lots of snow on the ground. We were a little unprepared (again) as everyone was either skiing or sledging (sledding). Since we had neither with us, we decided to walk the nicely groomed trails. The views of the Alps were spectacular. Unfortunately none of us had proper shoes which made walking a bit tricky. Alison enjoyed the snow for a little while until she became a bit unhappy - I think her hands and feet were cold. She won't keep her gloves on for more than a minute so her little hands are like popsicles. All in all another nice day out of the apartment albeit a bit exhausting juggling a whiny baby through the snow. Good family bonding time.
 |
| Colmar Christmas Market |
 |
| Colmar |
On Thursday morning we took off to Colmar. A quaint little town in the Alsace region of France. We heard they had a nice Christmas market that went through December 31st. We arrived in the early afternoon too a cold but sunny day and walked around the markets. It was very cute with lots of local artisans pedalling their things. When we got too cold we stepped inside a warm cafe for some coffee and flambe (thin pizza with ham and cream sauce = yummy). It took us a bit to figure out the french bus system as the lady at the tourism office told us wrong directions to our hotel. Luckily we finally made it a bit late with a tired, hungry and cranky baby. Did I mention traveling with a one year old can be physically exhausting. Especially one as active as ours - she wants to walk everywhere but refuses to hold your hand so it is a constant struggle to keep her out of the streets. I never thought I would be one of those parents to put their kid on a leash but I am seriously considering it. I am just afraid she will act like a cat on a leash and thrash around, hiss, scratch and throw a fit (wait that is kind of what she does now). Bottom line - she hates being constrained. So we end up carrying her quite a bit which makes us very tired, very quickly. After a rushed dinner at the restaurant next to our hotel we put the little peanut to bed and tucked ourselves in early for the night (since that is the only thing you can do with a sleeping baby next to you). Usually she is a great sleeper (12+ hours a night) but in strange surroundings it is a different story. Luckily when she woke up at 6am she decided sleeping on top of mommy would do just fine and went right back to sleep for another hour or so. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night and was rethinking if I would ever go anywhere again until she was 4 or 5. I seriously question how people do it with more than one kid and every time I get worked up about it some lady gets on the train with like three kids under the age of four who are all very well behaved to prove to me that it can be done. I guess we will find out soon enough.
On Friday we wanted to run out to the wine country but again it being an off week the buses weren't running as regularly and would've put us back into Colmar very late for our two hour train ride home. We opted instead to walk around the town again and let Alison play at a nice playground we saw the day before while she was sleeping. It was very cold Friday with strange sun showings mixed with scattered hail drops. We played and strolled and had a very yummy lunch in the little Venice part of Colmar. Alison ate sauerkraut for the first time and liked it. (Again we haven't found much she doesn't like). Then we headed back to the train station only to find that our train was an hour late. Alison did great on the train as long as there were other people to entertain and wave at. We made it back home in time for Alison to get a warm meal, quick bath and straight to bed followed not too far by her very tired parents.
 |
| Colmar |
Friday night we were back in Lenzburg, very tired but happy to be home. Everyone including Alison slept in until almost 10am on Saturday (New Years Eve) which we all desperately needed. Saturday was another rainy dreary grey day in Lenzburg. That meant lots of family time at home and two trips to the grocery store. I hardly ever get to go without Alison so it is nice to take my time and look around. It is always challenging however to carry everything back without the stroller but I managed this time without having to push the shopping cart all the way to our apartment. It was a zoo at the local grocery store since it will be closed Sunday and Monday. But even though it was crowded the people are nice and courteous. If it was that crowded at Publix back home you would have the kind of rudeness and ugliness that puts everyone in a bad mood. The Swiss are just nice. Since I had forgotten a few things on the morning venture we all three bundled up for some fresh (rainy) air back to the store in the afternoon. On our way we ran into a couple of our neighbors and chatted with them.
After tucking little peanut in at her regular bedtime, we watched a really awful movie while Erik put together Alison's new chair and I sewed some wubbanubs that were in danger of beheading. New Years Eve for us was low key but brought some really loud and impressive fireworks. Luckily the rain stopped just in time for the fireworks to start. It sounded like mortars and dynamite going off. And Alison slept through it all. Including the church bells which started ringing at 11:45pm and didn't stop until 12:15. It was quite a show and a nice way to ring in the new year.
 |
| Ali's 1st Bike Ride |
 |
| Ali, Albert & Noah |
New Years Day (Sunday) brought much nicer weather. I think it may have reached into the high 40's or low 50's today. The sun was out on occasion and we got all geared up for an afternoon bike ride. Yep it was Alison's first bike ride and I think she enjoyed it except for the annoying helmet she had to wear. We went on a short ride as it was getting late in the day and I was very much out of shape. On the way back we ran into Albert and Noah our neighbors and Alison got to play with some sidewalk chalk. Albert convinced Erik that indeed tomorrow is a Swiss holiday and he doesn't have to go into work. So yippee another fun filled family day. We had the traditional hoppin' john for dinner and instead of collards (which I can't find here) we ate Swiss chard. I finally found buttermilk to make cornbread only to realize I forgot the most important ingredient - cornmeal. Since it is Sunday and everything is closed, we did without cornbread and instead enjoyed some epiphany bread that I bought at the store thinking it was for New Years Day only to find out it is for January 6th, yet another Swiss holiday (but Erik does not get that day off). Dinner was yummy. And Alison put on quite a performance via skype tonight for her grandparents - complete with showing off her one legged downward dog floor routine as well rocking out on her rocking horse. She continues to entertain and amaze us.
Well as I said earlier, I can't believe we rang in 2012 in Switzerland. We really miss our friends and family but are starting to get the hang of it here. I am looking forward to our trip back to the states in February and hope we get to see everyone. I wish all of you a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
No comments:
Post a Comment