SHAFFHAUSEN

Today, Lia and I took the boys to see the Rheinfalls (the largest waterfall in Europe, volume-wise) and we also discovered the village of Shaffhausen.  The waterfalls were certainly impressive, although it was packed with tourists.  We did walk through a very eclectic museum that told the story of the waterfalls through the ages-about the trade that occurred near it and of the many famous artists who have been inspired to create an impressive variety of artistic renderings of it.  However, the highlight of the day was visiting Shaffhausen.  It had a beautiful old town with a great pulse, but it wasn't saturated with tourists.  We hiked up a steep hill laden with switchbacks to get to the Munot, a fortress built in the 16th century to overlook the city.  It is surrounded by vineyards.  Both the structure (we got to walk up a spiral cobblestone ramp to the top) and the views of the city and countryside from it were spectacular.  We also visited Shaffhausen's romanesque-style Cathedral, built in 1103.  The courtyard was stunning, and watching Isaac step in-between all of the shadows of the columns lining the courtyard as we walked around it-(as if he was stepping on stones of light)-was one of my favorite Mom moments of the day.

RIDING AN ASIAN ELEPHANT IN SWITZERLAND

Luke is attending the local Swiss school.  He has been doing fabulous with the adjustment and I'm hoping he gets fluent in German (or rather, Swiss-german) sooner than later so he can translate for me-or at least read cooking directions on food packaging to me!  One of the differences of Swiss school that is working in his favor is the schedule.  He gets out of school everyday from 11:45 to 1:45 for lunch and goes back for afternoon class on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.  On Tuesdays and Wednesdays he doesn't have to go back.  He is a free man by 11:45!  So, on a Wednesday afternoon-Lia and I took the boys to Rapperswil, a charming village on the southern tip of Lake Zurich.  We toured the small castle, and a church, and then decided to head to a children's zoo that we heard was there.  An unexpected and surprisingly random highlight of the outing was that Lia and Luke and Isaac got to ride on an Elephant!  Wow, riding on an Asian Elephant in the Swiss alps...not bad for a regular 'ole school day afternoon.

BA BA BLACK SHEEP

Aunt Lia has been a real doll.  She has helped me finish putting the place together, been amazing with the boys, and as always has been awesome company-sharing her great positive energy.  She has lived with us in Atlanta for two summers while working at an internship, so the boys really consider her a part of the family.  
The hardest part about Lia coming is that she has to leave...we really would
 just love her to stay because she fits right in!  And, now that the boys have gotten used to her extended stays, anything less than a month just feels like a tease.  BUT, we are grateful for any time with her and have been having a blast.  If you are reading this, Lia, thanks so much for coming and helping!  On the first day of Lia's visit, she was looking off the front deck across the street at our neighbors-a little flock of jet black sheep.  She was pretty tired from the time change, and she looked at me and said, "Is that little lamb wearing a rain jacket...or was it just born?"  Turns out, it was just born!  He was still stuck in the amniotic sac.  The boys (and Lia and I) were amazed as we got to watch him take his first wobbly steps.  What a treat.  Switzerland is feeling more quaint by the minute!

GROUNDHOGS DAY? NO THANKS, THE SWISS PREFER AN EXPLODING SNOWMAN!

There is a 600-year old Spring Festival tradition in Switzerland called Sechseläuten.  The celebration is held on the third Saturday of every April.  There is a huge costume parade (I'm talking "100s of marching bands, and thousands of people marching in costumes"-huge) with the main event being a massive symbolic snowman (called a Böögg) with a head made of explosives getting set on fire.  The faster the head explodes, the better the summer, is what they say here in Zurich.  Then, after the snowman burns down into an inferno of a bonfire, the huge throngs of people at the festival move in to roast their beloved Swiss sausages and celebrate.  Lia and I thought it would be fun to see it with the kids.  Our intentions were to check out some sights in downtown Zurich and old town, watch some of the parade, and then head back home before things got crazy.  Well, the day was gorgeous, and so we got a little distracted as we meandered along the Lake...stopping to enjoy some musicians, getting the kids ice cream cones, watching the boats and people lakeside.  That apparently set us back more than we realized, because after touring the cathedral, we started heading back towards home. However, we got completely stuck in a very large and very immobile crowd.  I was trapped with Levi in the stroller, and Lia had Luke and Isaac...she could only inch along, but I was completely stuck because no one would let me move a millimeter with the stroller.  I along with the rest of the crowd was on the verge of panic, as thousands of us were completely immobilized in a dead stand-still.  It was honestly one of the more nerve-racking experiences I've had, and once Lia and I were separated, there was no reconnecting with each other.  I just kept praying that she wouldn't let go of one of my boys!  What an uncharacteristically "unruly" Swiss event.  I am amazed that this country of rules and order hasn't come up with a better way to manage crowd control during the past 600 years.  Another one of life's little mysteries! Thankfully, Lia came through again, and the five of us eventually reunited.  What a scary way to end an otherwise wonderful day.  

HAVE KIDS-WILL TRAVEL

Aunt Lia is really a trooper.  She is awesome with the kids, knows how to get around Europe, and is always up for anything.  However, bringing three little boys on our first cross-country train ride while she was still in a pretty serious jet-lag cloud may have been testing her limits.  We were off for a day trip to Basel!  
Any train ride starts with a trek to the train station from our apartment (envision two sisters, three boys, a stroller, a kid-carrier backpack, and an overstuffed gear backpack).  By the time we arrived at train station #1 of the day, the boys had already spilled a water bottle in the bottom of the stroller, ate some of our snack reserves, and we had a baby in need of his morning nap.  Welcome to traveling Europe with kids!
Our day ended up being fantastic!  We started by checking out two cathedrals.  At the second Cathedral, we walked up a very old, very small, very steep wooden staircase to see the first level of the bell tower.  The passageway was so small and steep that we couldn't continue to the top because we couldn't carry the kids through the space safely.  Regardless, we still got some great views of the city and an appreciation for the inside of the tower.  I kept imagining a little boy or a priest from the 1300s walking barefoot up those stairs to ring the bells.  We then walked through most of Basel's very impressive old town, which was packed with people on a busy Saturday.  The people watching was entertaining and the tiny cobble-stone lined streets, Swiss buildings, and architectural detail of every window, door, shutter, and rooftop was captivating.  Finally, we walked to see the city gates that are still standing from the 1300's.  Along our tour through old town, Luke and Isaac got some balloon-swords that were made by a street artist.  Seeing them joust with their balloons under a 700-year old structure was quite the juxtaposition!  I again found myself reflecting on how many people had passed through those gates over the past seven centuries, under such dramatically challenging circumstances during so many different time periods in history.  What a humbling place to stand.  By the time we walked back through town to the train station, we realized that we had carried and pushed Isaac and Levi for over 7 hours of walking, and Luke trekked it all with a great attitude.  Arriving home 11 hours after setting off, I could see that Lia was jet-lagging but still smiling.  If I was indeed testing her limits, she passed with flying colors!

REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED...I WILL SURVIVE!

Aunt Lia is here!!!  Cue the rays of shimmering light coming from heaven and the choir of angels singing in the background...familiar, english-speaking, adult company is here!!! (and Lia isn't just any adult company, she really is an angel).  I know this is going to be an awesome two weeks, and I know it will fly by!  The boys are beyond excited, as their Aunts are all so awesome to hang out with.  They adore their nephews, and Luke, Isaac and Levi know it!  Let the fun begin!

I LOVE MY HUSBAND...AND MY SISTERS!!!

Chris has to travel to the US and Korea for 2 weeks.  I have been so nervous about being here by myself, considering I have no support network developed yet.  I keep thinking, what if my car breaks down when I am picking up Isaac, and Luke is left by himself with no idea where I am when he gets home from school?  What if we have an emergency...how will I cart all three boys to the hospital by myself while managing the injury/injured one?  (and figure it all out in German)  More and more worrisome scenarios started springing into my brain each night (Levi cracking his chin on our tile floors, Luke wiping out on his bike and breaking his arm, Isaac falling from one of the dozens of apparatuses that he scales in a day) as we neared his departure date.  And then, Chris-my super thoughtful, awesome husband-took it upon himself to fly Lia here to hang out with me and help for the two weeks he would be away!  What an awesome guy!!!  And of course, what an awesome sister-to clear her schedule and come hang out in the Alps!!!  Turns out, the day before Chris left, and two days before Lia arrived, my car DID break down!  I got it to the dealer, and they told me I had a broken fuel pump.  In very broken english, the mechanic assured me that I would be ok to drive the car for the next week until my appointment to get it repaired.  I trusted him, and drove it apprehensively to the airport (with all three boys in tow) to get my sister.  On the way, I kept pushing thoughts out of my head, "what will I do if I break down on the interstate...who do I call?  How do I find the number?  What if they don't speak English?"...the car rumbled, grumbled, and stuttered, but we made it there and back!  Phew! ..oh yeah, and it is SO GOOD TO SEE LIA!!!

FRANKLY (get it?), I PREFER PAPER MONEY

Is Zurich not the banking capital of the world?  What is up with all of these coins?  The Swiss currency is the Swiss Franc.  The smallest coin they have is worth five cents (no petty pennies for the rich Swiss!)-I have only seen one 5-cent coin since I've been here.  Apparently, they just round up!  They also have 10 and 20 cent coins.  BUT, the coins that are exchanged the most are: the 5 franc coin, the 2 franc coin, the 1 franc coin and the half franc (which is the smallest coin-smaller than a dime but worth a whopping 50 cents!).  I learned the hard way to ALWAYS carry some coins with me.  They are used for everything from using a grocery cart, to using public restrooms, to-you guessed it-paying for parking.  The deceiving thing is that in America I am used to change that isn't near as valuable. (I'd rather spend my nickels and dimes than carry them)  So here, I find myself shelling out a few SwissFranc coins for, say, an ice cream cone-and other random purchases, and all of a sudden you realize that those suckers are worth DOLLARS…not cents!  As I go to empty the change from my pockets I realize, "this isn't just change for a dollar...this is SEVENTEEN dollars"!  Frankly, I think these Swiss are sinisterly financially savvy…these high value coins just might be part of a big conspiracy to catch us nickel and dimers off guard…

SIT BOO BOO SIT, GOOD DOG

The dogs in Switzerland just might be the luckiest dogs anywhere.  Dogs are welcome practically everywhere.  There are restaurants that you can't take your kids in, but you can bring your dog! (and by the way, I'm talking big dogs, not those dogs that chicks carry in their purses in LA)  These dogs are quiet, and obedient, and well trained.  Very Swiss!

IS THIS HEAVEN? NO, IT'S SWITZERLAND!

We have finally turned the corner! Seen the light!  Emerged from the very long, very windy, very dark "transition tunnel"...and are loving Switzerland.  The energy to get acclimated to a new life and to wake up every morning with a huge list of to-do's to get done in order to coordinate this move cannot be explained (nor should it be attempted to be described if I want to hang onto any hope of having anyone read this blog)!  BUT, I can honestly say that I now feel as strongly positive about being here as I felt that I "just want my life back" a couple of weeks ago.  And although daily life is just tougher here...more steps both literally and figuratively, it is all worth it for the new perspective on how people live in other parts of the world.  I won't take for granted how friendly and helpful Americans are.  AND, I will always strive to be more helpful to people I run into that don't speak English.  I won't take for granted the wide selection of affordable food we have in our grocery stores, AND I will be more attentive to not wasting anything just because it is affordable.  I am hoping to hang onto healthy habits that we have established here, like cooking every night with all natural and all organic ingredients.
Growth always comes from being pushed out of our comfort zones, and that is a another positive reward each of us is already gaining from this experience.  New perspectives, deeper appreciations for our blessings, and a reminder of how good a simple, natural life can be.  

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE...

…With the smell of cow poop…the farmers are applying "fertilizer" to their fields this week.  It smells just like Iowa!  (when the wind blows from the direction of the pig farms).  On our first sunny, warm day, we opened up the apartment to get some fresh air.  It is wonderful-we can open the whole back with a huge sliding door, and we have a french door opening to a terrace on the front of the apartment, so we can get a great cross breeze!  It felt so refre-….wait, what IS that smell???  Our "letting in the fresh" air idea backfired in a major way.  We were happy to hear that the wind doesn't blow from that direction too often…phew!  or rather, pee-ew

TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR WORDS

The drive to Isaac's school is through the countryside and it's stunning.  There are 3 horse farms that blanket the foothills of the alps, and  patchwork fields of bright and brighter greens where sheep graze and huge cows roam with bells ringing on their necks.  No wonder the milk is so good here…these are some happy cows.  The first few days I drove Isaac to school, it was cloudy and/or hazy.  On the first clear day, I drove up over the hill and the Alps were looming-huge, snowy, craggily mountains.  The sight literally took my breath away, and I gasped.  Gorgeous.  What is even better is that every day they look different.  The clouds patterns,  the light, the shadows.  We have a panoramic view of these spectacular mountains and as I drive him to school I have to pinch myself…I still can't believe I live here.  

PROS AND CONS

On the whole, this place is amazing.  What an opportunity this is!  There are many things I love about Switzerland.  This is a safe country, and I love that the boys get to experience a couple of years that are much like life was when I was a kid...days are mostly focused on playing outside and hanging with their brothers and friends in the neighborhood.  It is a very safe city (all kids walk home from school), very family-centric and nature oriented.  Right up our alley!  I also love that we don't have a TV.  We haven't missed it a bit...except for Man vs. Wild...although I might have to buy a few episodes on iTunes to let the boys get some good ideas for our hikes through the Alps.  I feel like we have time to slow down here, and really enjoy our boys-exploring the outdoors, playing games with the kids (now that Luke is grasping strategy and competition-games are REALLY getting fun), reading chapter books out loud for entertainment, and avoiding the over-scheduling that seems to come naturally at home in the States.  


Things that are taking more of an adjustment: the language barrier.  It can be so frustrating to not be able to communicate with another person.  Not being able to read the pancake mix is not fun on a sleepy saturday morning with three-no, four-hungry boys.  The cost of living here is astronomical!  Swimming lessons alone are "crunching our bottom line", not to mention food, transportation, and parking (see previous posts).  And then, there's the grocery store.  I'm not a fan of the daily visits, and am still adjusting to the limited selection.  Hey, I absolutely think that America has some issues with consumerism, who needs 35 varieties of ANYTHING to choose from? But here, it's just the opposite...you get one, maybe two varieties of any given product to choose from.  And, produce is generally only seasonal, and oftentimes furry by the time you get it home...hence the daily trips to the store.  It has certainly changed my approach to cooking!  And finally, and most annoyingly, everything closes by 6:30 at night, and nothing is open on Sundays.  Or holidays.  Nothing.  It sure makes being organized and planning ahead a necessary habit to get into.  Looks like whatever procrastination my Mom couldn't convince me of avoiding, Switzerland will! 

Venting...

I pride myself in being an overall optimistic person.  But can I just say that living out of suitcases with three kids under that age of 7 for 5 weeks (and counting) is just a tad bit stressful.  Add to that some crazy Swiss rules, and life is downright challenging at the moment.  For example:  you cannot make noise in this country.  I'm not kidding.  (Considering that we live on the top floor, this might just put a damper on our spontaneous Courts family after dinner dance parties in the living room.)  We have been informed that the Swiss will fine you and have even been known to kick families out of apartments for any or all of the following:  talking and or walking too loud (um, I have three little boys), flushing your toilets after 10 pm (uh, did I mention I live with 4 boys?), vacuuming or doing the laundry on Sunday, improperly disposing of your garbage and/or recycling.  Wow.  These are the differences that don't seem big when you hear about them, but make daily life frustrating during the adjustment period.  I mean, I'm driving myself crazy with all of the sushing of the boys...I swear, Levi's first word will be "SSSSHHHHHH"!  
Speaking of the boys...they have been beyond amazing.  They are transitioning beautifully-much better than me.  They have been creative beyond belief as they wait patiently for their toys.  They have even made ships out of the rental hanger racks we have in their hunt for anything...anything that can be used with their imagination.  (no closets in the apartment, by the way, not-a-one).  They are being flexible, and helpful, and sweet.  I am so proud of their little hearts and their adventurous spirits--and their best attempts at walking, talking, and playing quietly--after they get shushed.

LUZERN

In honor of Luke's seventh birthday, we took a trip to Luzern with some Swiss friends.  They were kind enough to meet us at the main train station (Zurich HB), and escort us to Luzern.  It was a scenic ride on the train, and when we got there, we just let them lead us through town (stopping to feed some swans), on a bus, and to a fantastic interactive transportation museum geared towards families.  What a perfect place for a boy to spend a birthday weekend!  We learned all about trains, trams, cable cars, planes, cars, construction vehicles, bikes, spacecraft, hot-air balloons, paragliders, boats, and believe-it-or-not, even more!  It was an exceptionally well done museum, and our day was spent with exceptionally friendly people.  We had a great time, and the views of Lake Luzern and the mountains served to whet our appetites for another visit.  We'll be back, Luzern...we can't wait.