SWISS BLISS

Our family loves summer.  My favorite thing to wear is flip flops.  We cook on the grill 250 days a year in Atlanta.  Anytime we hear a song that Isaac really loves, he always says, "this reminds me of the beach".  And, if given a choice for a vacation to the ocean, city, mountains, or desert, we most often pick the sandy, sunny, hot BEACH.  I have even thought to myself while building sand castles with only swimsuits, t-shirts, flips and towels to worry about how/or why people would pick the cold cold mountains in winter with the loads and loads of gear for vacation.  I just didn't get it.  

Until now. 

Over Christmas break, we were invited to go sledding in the Alps with our Swiss friends.  We took a 2.5 hour train ride to the top of a mountain pass to go on an extraordinary sledding run.  I think it may end up being one of our top three defining "swiss experiences".  It was a perfect day: blue, sunny skies, snow covered trees, and mountains that looked as if (as Isaac put it) they were dipped in frosting.  The mountain pass road is covered in snow, closed for the winter, and turned into an 8 km-(yes, a FIVE MILE) sledding run.  And let me tell you, it was curvy, icy, fast, and FUN.  First time down, Chris and I figured out that pulling on the sled rope and leaning just wouldn't cut it for steering while whizzing down the mountain, so we dug our heels into the ground to steer our wooden snow bullets.  This of course, sent a spray of snow flying into Levi (on Chris's sled) and Isaac's (on my sled) faces.  Levi wanted nothing to do with it, so Chris took his googles off and put them on Levi's face.  With protection from the snow, the little guy actually managed to fall asleep while sledding.  In another one of life's mysteries, we were left to puzzle over why he WOULDN'T sleep on the exhaustingly boring (for Levi) train ride, but how he COULD even fall asleep while going down a mountain at 34 km an hour on a sled!  (There was actually a radar speed sign on the course...and it was posted on a slow segment!).  

Other highlights from the day shown in the pictures below:

-Isaac fell asleep mid-chew during our lunch break between our two runs down the mountain…think someone had a little adrenaline rush?

-We wrapped a bandanna on Isaac's face for the second run, and he enthusiastically coined himself the SNOW COWBOY.   It was a perfect solution!

-Luke remarked, "that was the most fun thing I've ever done".

-After the run, we pulled our sleds through the beautiful town of Bergün to catch the train back to the top-it was divinly picturesque on a perfect winter day.

-We passed a literal "ice bar".   Cool.  

-My favorite part was holding Isaac tight, and listening to him belly laugh with the speed….we only wiped out once.   I have a newfound respect for lugers in the Olympics. (And a major concern about the mental state of the people who dare to compete in the skeleton event…they go 60 kph, headfirst.  Insane!)

-Levi sleeping on the sled as we pull him through town.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

Colmar, France

Colmar, France

Zurich

The Christmas season is in full swing here and I am really enjoying the first white Christmas (coming from Atlanta) we've had in a while!  We've kicked off our "holiday preparation" in full gear with a walk through our winter wonderland of a city.   We stopped to hear some music at the "singing Christmas tree" in downtown Zurich, enjoyed some hot glüewine (mulled wine), and checked out our first European Christmas Markets (which are all the rage here, but have left us a little bit confounded on just what is so wonderful about them-picture freezing temps, TONS of people through which to maneuver a stroller and hang on to two other kids, and lots of "knick-knacky" trinkets.  Chris and I have decided that it's the tradition that everyone grows up with here, so it's their "eggnog in the cup" for them…their taste/feel/smell that says Christmas is here).  We've baked and frosted our traditional Courts' family sugar cookies, and have gone sledding on some pretty big hills in this gorgeous snow.  All of this, plus the constant playing of Christmas music, has really gotten us into the Christmas mood.  We are staying in Zurich for Christmas this year, and although we will miss our families dearly, we are going to cherish the time spent with our boys as the magic is still very much alive as all three still believe.  We are also grateful for our American tradition, as we have found that it differs more than we expected from the Swiss tradition.  

The traditional Swiss Christmas goes something like this (from what I think I understand):  St. Nick (called Samichlaus in German) comes on December 6th, to deliver fruit and nuts to the children who have been good….but fruit and nuts are not all he brings.  He is escorted by his "bad cop" sidekick, Schmutzli…who dresses all in black, also with a beard.  The two come down from the forest, and walk with a donkey through the snow…no sleigh, or reindeer, or fireplaces.  Although they most often come on the 6th, the duo can show up with a knock on the door at anytime between the 6th and Christmas.  With them, they bring a book with the "annual behavior report"-complete with specific bad behavior details.  Rumor has it, that in the past, children who have been bad are scolded by Samichlaus, snatched up by Schmutzli, and taken back into the forest in his sack (kidnapped!).  These days, it is more common to have the children recite a poem promising better behavior during the next year (but they still get a scolding).  The whole scenario seems a little intimidating, if you ask me.  Samichlaus is not the jolly good fellow the American Santa is…but, he seems to do the trick!  On Christmas Eve, Swiss families decorate their Christmas trees…and light real candles on the tree.  On this night, an angel from the baby Jesus delivers a few gifts to children, and a window is left cracked open to show where she's come from.  Gifts are opened then, on Christmas Eve!  

To all of you back home…we love you and miss you, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  May you all find happiness and renewal in your celebrations, whatever they may be!

A WINTER WONDERLAND

I have to say, after living in Atlanta for a few years, I really started to appreciate the warm temperatures year-round (with the exception of a couple of cold weeks a year), and even better, the lack of bundling and unbundling of boots, snow pants, hats, mittens, etc  x 3 for all of the running around we do in a day.  One consequence of the move I was dreading was definitely winter.  (the snow and ice, the bulky clothes, and the tracking mess in the apartment/car) But I have to say that I am really enjoying this winter!  For the first time in a long time, I am loving the shorter days.  By the time I pick up Isaac from school at 3:15, the late afternoon sun starts to fade into early twilight.  As I drive through the country, the narrow, plowed road lays before me over the snow covered hills like a dark ribbon on a white present.   Huge hawks soar in circles through my moon roof above, and by the time we drive home, the setting sun's glow illuminates the snowy, craggily alps with a soft golden light.  The sky looks periwinkle blue beyond the yellows and pinks, and I feel like I'm in the middle of a Christmas card.  Getting home to the apartment, the tree lights twinkle brighter as the darkness sets in.  Watching the lit train across the lake travel past all of the glowing lights of the villages on the other side looks like it's a miniature train set landscape coming to life off the pages of a story book.  What a great way to fall back in love with such a beautiful season.  Happy winter, everyone!  

WHAT DOES A DUCK SAY?....BBBAAAHHHH

The other night after dinner we were all sitting around the table enjoying some conversation.  Aunt Lia was here, and so we lingered a little longer than normal before clearing the dishes.  Levi sits at the head of the table in his high chair and at 16 months is really coming into his own in the personality department.  For example, he loves to show off his new skills…which at the moment are: 1) pointing to body parts with a very cute tap, tap, tapping motion and, 2) saying animal sounds when asked what a "fill in the animal blank" says.  He is doing pretty well.  For 90 percent of the animal sounds he makes, he uses a very high pitched and soft voice.  So a dog (whoo, whoo) sounds a little like an owl, and a monkey (who-who-who-ha-ha) is actually super cute and pleasant to listen to.  There is one animal sound that he makes with 100 percent consistency and with great gusto in a very raspy and authoritative voice.  A duck.  However, when asked what a duck says, his answer is never quack, and it is ALWAYS a very loud and hoarse: BBAAAAHHHH.  We have no idea where he got it from, but from how determined he is to say it every time asked, I'm not so sure he won't always think that a duck sounds like a sheep with a smoking habit.  He had us all reeling with laughter, which of course most likely reinforced the wrong answer, but hey…it's just one more benefit to being the baby, no one is ever in too big of a rush to "grow him up". 

YOUR COWS ARE COMING...DOWN...

Each spring all through the Alps, the Swiss celebrate the cows heading up into the high mountains to graze on fresh grass in the warmth of the alpine summer.  Then, each Fall, they celebrate again as their beloved cows descend back to the low country as the wind starts to blow and the snow of winter starts to accumulate at higher altitudes.  Some mountain villages have cow parades, with the bovine beauties marching in decorated hats, costumes, and of course--huge bells.  The Swiss make a pretty big deal out of this custom, so we decided to check out one of these festivals in the scenic town of Elm, a ski town nestled at the base of some breathtaking mountains.  At this particular festival, the farmers also bring down the huge wheels of alpine cheese that were made during summer, and they cut the large wheels to trade with each other and sell.  We arrived in Elm to a big crowd of people.  Although none of us are particularly fond of crowds, we are all (well the adult half of us) fond of a cold beer on a Sunday afternoon…so we indulged in some Swiss traditional food and some brews while waiting for the big "cow parade".  We tried Raclette, a dish of potatoes with melted cheese and sour pickles, Rösti, which is a fried potato dish (the Swiss version of a hashbrown), and of course we had some Wursts (sausages!).  Pretty heavy eating in these mountain towns (we skipped the cheese fondue and still had leftover cheese and potatoes from the 2 dishes we ordered to split between 6.5 people...Grandpa Mike and Grandma Sue were in tow)!   With our bellies satisfied, we headed toward town to find a spot along the parade route that was rapidly lining up with people.  Our anticipation started to build as more and more people flocked to the road.  The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day…and the cows were (gasp) late to their parade!  Now, in the US, we are used to things occasionally running late.  But here, in the county of time-keeping pride, nothing ever happens late.  The trains run to-the-minute on time.  Same with the ferries, buses, and trams.  Swiss people are always very punctual.  There is a clock on every church tower we've seen.  Apparently, it is only the Swiss cows who don't abide by the Swiss time table!  So…after waiting a little over an hour for the cows, we started to hear their bells ringing in the distance.  By this time, we are so excited we just know we are in for a real Swiss treat to have waited this long, with this many Swiss people…and here they come…with their crazy flower hats and their huge bells hanging down almost touching the ground…people are snapping pictures and clapping.  And in the time it takes me to snap a handful of pics of these classy cattle, and a few of the boys watching these dressed up bessies in disbelief, it's over.  Yep.  After the buildup we had, we were expecting a parade of hundreds of cows.  I think we saw 15.  It was hilarious.  We waited for a few minutes, thinking that maybe the rest were coming…but witnessing the makeshift parking lot our car was in turn into a huge line forming to leave, we realized we better get on our way.  It took us close to 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot.  All of that waiting for a 2 minute parade.  Chalk it up to another Swiss learning experience!

VENICE

Chris' parents came to visit for Luke's two week fall break.  Since the kids here get an abbreviated summer schedule (five weeks of vaca), they are supplemented with additional two-week breaks in October, December, and February.  So, we packed all seven of us, our luggage, and the stroller (smash, smash) into the Volvo XC 90, and off we barreled to our favorite European country (well, so far).  Lookout, Italy!  Overall, I prefer the United States's long summer schedule, but in this case an October break proved to be a PERFECT time to visit a city I've always wanted to see.  Venice.  No roads.  No cars.  Only canals, alleys, boats, and people-people-people.  We lucked out with amazing weather, and were very grateful to not smell our way (as we have been told is the case in the hot summer months) through the narrow alleys.  

We rented an apartment for our stay.  Upon our arrival we took our first water taxi to our designated stop.  We were a little anxious as we huddled together, guarding our luggage (and corralling our ever-curious Isaac as we were right at the water's edge) amongst the throngs of people walking along the Grand Canal.  We were waiting for Marko-our apartment owner-who after 10 minutes appeared in his corduroy blazer and scarf and asked us to kindly follow him to his humble abode.  He strode along, hands clasped behind his back, with an Italian svelte calmness.  The seven of us must have looked like a circus as we paraded awkwardly behind his coolness with our cameras, luggages, backpacks, a couple of grocery bags, and stroller trying to desperately keep up with him as we made our way through what seemed like a mosh pit of tourists.  He kept moving steadily…turning this way and that, over a bridge, through a square, around another corner.  Having no sense of bearing, no mental layout of the city, and no personal sense of direction a momentary sense of panic set in.  What if I booked an apartment that none of us would be able to find our way back to in this maze of a city???  I, however, did what any mac-mommy would do, and pulled out my trusty iphone….snapping photos of every turn.  My digital trail of bread crumbs, if you will…(and with all of the pigeons, I think it was the only way to go)!  The apartment was tucked away off the beaten path, but close to everything.  The location turned out to be perfect (and easy to find our way back to), and the newly renovated flat was a gem of a find (read: CLEAN, beautiful, modern, well equipped!).  The view from our place looked out where three main canals merged into one.  The boys (as well as the adults) were thrilled to watch the gondolas pass by-as well as the mail boats, supply boats, taxi boats…lots of boats.  What a spot!!

As we got out to explore the city there were times we felt like ants marching along with the masses, following herds through the twists and turns of the maze of alleys.  However, once we got off the beaten path we could explore the dark, shadowed corridors, up-over-and down bridges (always hauling that darn stroller!), criss-crossing canals,  then into the open campos (squares), where sun would warm our faces and the true beauty and design of the architecture could be appreciated.  I felt like a kid, my head on a swivel-as I gawked and admired the grandness of the renaissance architecture with the contrast of their fading façades-their etchings somehow still clinging to the weathered stone and peeling plaster.  Venice is almost too much to fathom.  I have always wanted to see this city built on the water…but actually witnessing the waters rising with the tide, lapping against the crooked foundations of buildings centuries old…experiencing it seeping up and into St. Mark's square…seeing the marble and mortar constantly soaking as they define the canals that guide the continuously floating gondolas…it was all so much more impressive than I had anticipated.  Venice is an awe inspiring and truly unique place.  (And it's dirty.  As Luke put it in the middle of one square, "Italy is so dirty… but so awesome").  

Of the whole wonderful trip, four highlights come to mind of many many wonderful sights, conversations, pigeon chasing contests, and glasses of wine.  First, it was very special to have Mike and Sue with us.  Their love and enthusiasm and company was treasured by all of us.  We walked their butts off, but they were so helpful and fun and up for anything and everything.  Thanks to you both (if you're reading) for being with us for such an adventure-you certainly enhanced the whole experience (and picked out some great vino!).  Second, Mike and I took Luke and Isaac up to the top of the bell tower to view the city and surrounding islands (Chris and Sue are both not big fans of heights).  It was a gorgeous day to capture the view, and it was so crazy-not one canal can be seen from up there-just all of the rooftops.  (But it does give you an appreciation for the complexity of the layout of the island).  After soaking in the view, we were standing in line to head back down.  We were standing right below one of the huge bells, and Mike remarked, "I would hate to be up here if those were ringing".  Not one minute later, the HUGE bell started rocking, and then it starting ringing.  It felt like a thunderstorm in your heart.  We all clamped our hands over our ears, and Luke and Isaac's eyes got to be the size of saucers as we were all laughing and super surprised!! They rang for a good 5 minutes…but I think I could hear them for 5 minutes after that reverberating in my head!  Third, Chris and I went out for a romantic dinner alone and Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the kids for a pizza party back at the apartment.  We had a delicious meal, great conversation, and a beautiful night stroll through the city.  Fourth, we went to the Island of Murano to watch glass blowing and see the famous Venetian glass.  Mike and Sue bought a piece of art, and as a thank you, the owner of the studio sent us on a private water taxi to the small, very quaint and quiet island, Burano.  He told us it was Venice 500 years ago, with small stores, great restaurants and genuine artisans.  The island was beautiful.  It is full of brightly colored houses, and we were told that every family is assigned one color for their home and it cannot be changed!  There wasn't a cloud in the sky that day, and the colors were so vibrant.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch (and Isaac discovered that he LOVES muscles and clams…who would have guessed???), got some ice cream, and enjoyed feeling the sun and heat as we walked along the entire island.  It really felt like a relaxing vacation-y day!  Italy, thanks for another amazing time…we will undoubtedly be back!

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GRATITUDE IS:

There are certainly times that being this far away is hard.  I miss my friends, the ease of reading notes sent home from school, (heck-reading the german directions to my second grader's homework assignment), "American" french salad dressing--which is totally different than "European" french salad dressing, understanding food packaging, cheap dry cleaning.  I miss picking up the phone and calling people-in English-who want to talk to me, having my own garage within steps to my house, friendly customer service people, ice, a regular sized refrigerator, and bread that stays fresh for more than one day.  I miss Target, and affordable kids shoes, and convenience food for the kids.  But most of all, I miss not being able to make it to special extended family (and friend) events like weddings, birthday parties, and retirements.  I was recently at a dinner party, and another expat who was there put it really well--all of the "big things" are good--our health, having such focused family time, the beauty of this country, being able to travel all over Europe…but all of the "small things" are hard--dealing with Swisscom and their impossible customer service, finding a new dentist, taking the kids to the doctor, identifying sour cream at the store, and having the products I'm used to cooking with at prices that are reasonable…There are days that I just long for everything to be easy and in English and familiar.  But, today is not one of those days.   And I am relishing in the goodness of the moment I am having.  The sky is cloudless.  The lake is shimmering.  The sun is warm, the breeze cool.  The boys are laughing in bed instead of falling asleep, and we had one of those days that make you feel like you want to every night as a parent…we dug in the sand, played at the park, walked along a long bridge to watch ducks dive in water so clear you could see them catch fish in the rocks at the bottom of the lake.  We had races, and played catch, and ate ice cream.  Their skin is bronzed from the summer sun.  Their hair is getting blonder by the day, and their laughter is full and sweet and carefree.  I just wish I could bottle up these moments to revisit them again when life isn't so simple and my boys aren't so young and adoring of their parents and full of innocence and happiness.  What I can do is revel in thankfulness for these days and not take for granted how lucky we are to have our health, our safety, our happiness and each other.  (Although we still do miss you all back home!)

PARDON THE INTERRUPTION

Ok, I realize that this is NOT the way you are suppose to blog...always retrospectively.  I've been held up because I really want to share a few stories from a fantastic Swiss trip we took at the end of the summer with some of our best friends who came to visit.  I just haven't made the time to capture it in writing (and for some reason I'm just hellbent on keeping everything in chronological order).  I fell behind with my blogging during the summer with all of the FUN and all of the TRAVELING (not expecting a lot of sympathy here), and it turns out that the "beginning of the school year chaos" is in fact a global phenomenon, and so now I'm neck deep in blog post stories and ideas I want to share--but haven't been able to keep up with sharing it.  I've said this before, but I'm really shooting to make some progress this week.  Now that I'm back into driving Isaac to school, I actually have 15 minutes in the car on the way home (with Levi strapped in and reading nursery rhymes to himself) that I can hear myself think. This is always the best time for me to reflect on my daily life and organize my thoughts.  Couple this with the fact that Chris is out of the country for another 10 days and I just might have a shot at getting a little caught up...famous last words.  (so I'm going to stick in one current random post, and then, in true Jodi-blogging-fashion, I'm gonna fill you all in on our little late summer Swiss Trip...soon, in the next few days, eventually...)

SAY WHAT?

Switzerland is pretty small.  It would easily fit in Wisconsin, and there would still be room left over in the cheese state.  However, small doesn't mean uncomplicated.  For example, there are four official languages in this country.  But, as if that weren't enough, there are also several dialects that are thrown in to make us Americans who only speak one language feel that much better about ourselves.   The official languages are: German, French, Italian, and Romansch.  Most Swiss people (around 50-60%, I think) speak German (dictated by region). However, the caveat here is that although everything is written in "high German", language is spoken in Swiss-German.  What is Swiss German you ask?  Well, it just so happens to be a dialect of German that, as luck would have it, changes based on which Canton (think county) you live in.  This means that Swiss people in two of the largest cities (Zurich and Bern) speak different Swiss German dialects!  It really makes tackling the language seem very intimidating and honestly, a little hopeless.  Thankfully, that only goes for Chris and I and our old, inflexible neuron circuitry.  Our trooper Luke at the local school hears instruction all day in German, but then on the playground hears all of his friends speaking Swiss German.  Talk about sensory overload!!   He seems to be picking both up, though!  The other weekend, at a dinosaur museum, we ordered some lunch.  They gave us our number, and we sat down.  Chris and I agreed on what we should be listening for in German, but after a few minutes Chris thought to ask Luke how you would say the number in Swiss German.  It was a completely different word, and sure enough, they called our number in Swiss German!  If it was just Chris and I, we might have been sitting there for a while…it's nice to know that we are putting all of our translation trust into our 7 year old.  Keep up the good work, Luker!   

PARIS

Chris and I slipped away for our delayed 10th wedding anniversary trip that we missed because I was VERY pregnant with Mr. Levi.  We figured a belated 10-year anniversary combined with our 11-year "golden" anniversary deserved something pretty special…and let me tell you, Paris fit the bill.  We arrived at night, and when we popped up from the underground Metro at the beautifully lit Pont Neuf bridge with the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the background I was shocked with how impressive it was.  The romantic charm of Paris certainly has not been overstated.  It is a magnificent city with architecture that delivers a visual feast that can rival the true delight of fine french cuisine.  Even better than the surroundings, was the company.  It felt so good to have some time to share with Chris.  Alone.  We kept laughing to ourselves as we wondered a few times if it was really that Paris is as cool as it seemed, or if Des Moines would have felt the same…because it was just so enjoyable and easy to travel with only two of us!  We walked well over 20 miles in two days.  We couldn't bear to go underground and miss out on the city…and more importantly we didn't want to waste the opportunity to embrace that we weren't carrying one kid, backpack, or stroller…we were diaper free, didn't have to keep track of any hotwheels or action figures or sippy cups.  We strolled hand in hand along boulevards and meandered through museums.  We enjoyed coffee and wine and long dinners.  Although our boys give us so much joy, it is always good for us to get away and enjoy some uninterrupted conversation.  I really love having my funny, loving, handsome husband all to myself.  I can't believe we've been married for 11 years already.  Thanks for being my best friend, Chris, and for loving me as I am.  Nothing could make me happier than spending my life with you.