Warm Adventures: May in Switzerland

May is a funny time of year here as the weather fluctuates dramatically. One day temperatures can be sunny and in the 70's and the next day it is cold and 42. Some days are sunny and warm. But most days are cold and rainy. Today it is windy and chilly with highs predicted to be only in the 40's and 50's all week. I'm ready for a steady stream of warmer weather. We need it so the pools will warm up.

May is also interesting as there are several public/religious holidays this month. Today is White Monday, the day after Pentecost so Erik is home which is why I have a bit of free time to work on the blog. The funny thing about holidays here is that if a holiday falls on a Wednesday then you get Wednesday off, meaning you are working on the Tuesday and Thursday. If a holiday falls on a Thursday then most people take the Friday off also and enjoy a nice long weekend. If the holiday falls on Saturday or Sunday, well you're screwed as you don't get any extra days off.

Since I'm still playing catch up, I'm going to highlight some of the fun things we did this month. In addition, I've attached a slideshow toward the bottom with more pictures.

Mainau

We made a trip to Mainau, which is a beautiful flower Island on the German side of Switzerland close to Bodensee. It is spectacular this time of year as all the tulips are in full bloom. It has by far the most amazing playground ever, with part of it even being over water. We went to the Swiss Transportation Museum in Luzern one weekday with some friends and it was amazing. What a great place for both kids and adults. We couldn't even see it all there was so much to do including full size ships and airplanes to tour. The train exhibit in itself is phenomenal. We're also enjoying outings with our friends as well as porch time when the weather cooperates.

Daddy and Ali enjoying a nice day

We've taken some nice family hikes and bike rides when the weather is pleasant and even some when the weather is not. On a very warm Sunday, we took a long bike ride along the river to the next town and stopped along the way for a picnic with friends. Last weekend we took the kids to Gruyeres for the day. It was a bit touristy and a bit cold and rainy but we made the most of it. It is a really pretty area and we did a long hike on the outskirts of town. This weekend we took the bikes to Luzern and rode around one side of the lake. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was impressive as you could see the Alps pretty clearly as well as Pilatus.

We celebrated Miles turning the big '1' on the 15th. It is hard to believe it's been a year already. In some ways it feels like yesterday and in some ways it seems like he's been with us for much longer. I can honestly say it has been one of the toughest years so far. Although Erik and I count our blessings every night that we have two very happy and healthy kids, the reality of raising two children is quite challenging and exhausting. The kids are doing well aside from the various sickness that seem to plague daily life. Miles is still really small for his age but his quirky personality is definitely emerging. He is a very happy and easy going baby, always smiling and giving kisses. He has two bottom teeth and one top one coming in. He is crawling around on all fours pretty quickly. He loves pizza and pasta as well as any type of meat. He is by far the messiest eater I have ever encountered and since he prefers to feed himself, mealtime is a long and messy process. He sleeps through the night now which is a wonderful and recent occurrence. I wish I could say the same for his sister. Also want to thank all our family who sent packages over for Miles birthday. I became good friends with our post man who turns out to be from Australia.

Miles opening presents

We are off to Colmar next weekend although the weather doesn't look particularly pleasant but we are hoping to hit some of the wineries if we can convince the kiddos. The kids and I are also looking forward to a trip back to the U.S. in mid June. We will be in North Carolina for three weeks as it is Grampa's 75th birthday and we are looking forward to celebrating with everyone.