WELCOME TO SWITZERLAND MOM AND DAD--TAKE TWO!!

After such a disappointing first 10 days of my parent's trip (due to the weather and two rounds of the stomach flu)  we were determined to make up for it and see as much of this little gem of a country (when the weather cooperates) as we could.  Over the next 11 days we accomplished driving three awe-inspiring mountain passes (spanning the entire central and southern section of the country), hiked along two gorgeous mountain lakes (Wallensee and Sisikon), saw and hiked along the longest glacier in Switzerland (the Aletsch Glacier), took a cogwheel train up to see the most famous peak of the Alps and enjoy some hiking (the Matterhorn), enjoyed a boat ride, toured two castles in Belinzona (in Ticino-the Italian speaking region of the country), revisited Luzern for a tour of it's old town and Cathedral, and finally toured home base-our amazing Zurich.  Phew.  I really think we made up for our slow start.  What I was most impressed with was my parent's willingness to just be spontaneous.  We stayed in what are called "zimmer freis", which are little bed and breakfasts.  They are privately owned by individual couples who rent out rooms for very reasonable rates.  They have bathrooms that the hallway shares, but here in tidy Switzerland I was pretty convinced that the floors of the first two places we stayed were cleaner than my own kitchen floor.  Even better, a homemade breakfast is included.  It makes for a very "locally flavored" way to see the country.  We were brave enough to book them on the run and were pleased every time!  

It felt good to see my parents…and, traveling with four extra hands to help with the kids was such a treat!  It really made sightseeing much more relaxing for Chris and I.  Above all though, my parents spoiled me with being tremendously helpful around the apartment.  It was profoundly evident how much they love me as they did everything they could to give me a break from my daily routine.  They were super-grandparents with the boys: playing, reading, doing crafts and teaching them how to birdwatch (among countless other nature-oriented activities).  They did tons of laundry, all of the dishes, and helped me clean the whole place more than once.  They helped me shop for groceries, and changed dirty diapers, and watched the boys so I could run some errands on my own.  And before they left, they took care of the boys so Chris and I could take a trip, sans kids, to Paris (more on THAT in a later post).  What a gift.  To lend insight to just how generous it was of them, it is important to note that Levi was: a) teething like crazy, and b) not yet fully weened.  For anyone who has spent time with a twelve month old who is going through weening AND teething, you realize that it is only your own mother who would volunteer to care for your baby during such a time and STILL manage to be supportive and encouraging of a trip.  Thanks so much, Mom and Dad!!