High in The Alps

Equipped with 1/2 fare discount cards for Dedi and I, free tickets for the girls, and season passes for Tigger and Telly, we all took the train to Montreux and then a Panoramic train up into the Alps to Gstaad. Montreux is absolutely beautiful with great Mountain views. We walked along the lakeside and enjoyed the many sculptures. We also had our first family fondue...hmmm good.

The train ride up to Gstaad was spectacular and the promenadethrough the village was fun. It was quite the scene when we took Tigger and Telly up to a fountain to drink some water. On the other side, was a bronze cow (quite well done) who was also drinking from the fountain...when Telly saw it, her herding instincts kicked in and she went wild...barking, prancing, growling... trying all her tricks to herd that cow where she belonged! We finally got her calmed down enough to sniff the cow...when she realized she had been duped she actually seemed embarrassed!

Some hot wine and hot cocoa later, we were on our way back. It was a nice uneventful trip home with a few nice winter walks as we wound our way between train stations and reached home sweet home!

It's all starting to Roll!

Well the whole family's been together for 4 days and much has happened! Brenna and Aubrey have decided on their majors and have started school. So far I think they like it. Brenna will be going to ski camp for a week in January with her class...hmmm...life is tough...

I'll try to get them to add some posts.

The dogs have earned season tickets on the public transportation system and plan to hit as many busses, trains, and boats as possible! We've also received the keys to our new apartment, though were surprised to find that the swiss tradition is to leave the apartment completely empty...all closets, light fixtures, and window coverings were removed! So we've got some work ahead of us!

Girls have Arrived!

Finally they're here! I rented a monster VW work van and drove down to the airport to meet the 5 girls! It was quite the treat seeing them all walk out of customs with truck loads of luggage and boxes in tow...

Fortunately I was parked close to them and we got loaded up without much of a hitch...I drove them around our new neighborhood, showed them work, and what I thought was their new school (close but not quite!)...We then hit a local supermarket to stock up on food...I could get used to having a vehicle with windows, a heater, and storage space!

I then returned the van and we walked up the hill to the sole restaurant in town...I asked if it was ok to bring in the dogs, and the answer was ..."why of course!"

We had a great meal...The dogs were on perfect behavior..hard to believe after the long haul...they just lied down under the table as if eating out in a nice restaurant was no big deal!

Our main goal tonight was to keep Dedi up past 9:00...she made it to 8:30...

One last note, B&A both absolutely love the apartment...they want to know if we can cancel the move to our new one! Go figure!


Cheers, Dave

ooh La La

Well I hit the 'Le Clipper' tonight and tried their Mexican venue. It was actually quite good..first time I've really tasted the cheese and veggies in a chicken taco...the sauce? Well if I had some Sadie's salsa, that would have been total bliss!

The restaurant was quite crowded and I ended up sharing a table with a Swiss/Polish couple They were quite friendly and I had great time talking with them. I think my French went up a notch or two along with my waistline! They treated me to 2-3 Portuguese grappas, each with a strong expresso on the side....I hope I can sleep tonight!

Neighborhood Cafe

Monday night after a long trip back 'home' and a long work day on top of that, I found myself wandering around our new neighborhood, looking for an open Restaurant...The place I had in mind was closed but just down the street (and closer to our flat) I found an open restaurant with reasonable prices. Not only that, their specialty was, get this, Mexican food! Now having just come back from a week in Colorado where I ate Mexican food 2-3 times a day, I decided to play it safe and stick with the Swiss specials...but tonight I'm going to give some guacamole and a chicken burrito a try! The picture to the right is not of the restaurant (my attempt to take a flashless shot didn't quite work), but it is the daylight view from the building next door. Pretty nice, no?