Chillon Castle

What better place to go on a milestone birthday than Chillon Castle, which dates back to the 1100's.  It is one of the best preserved castles.  We opted for the audio tour and brought along a splitter so we only needed to purchase one tour.  However, that meant we were literally connected at the hip!  We only had a few zigs when the other zagged and the audio tour is highly recommended.

Kari in the vineyard.  We made one stop on the way to take some pictures.

Looking back up the mountain at the vineyards.

Chillon Castle which is surrounded by water.

In the basement where they were fermenting wine.

This was a drawing of Jesus hanging on the cross etched into wall by a prisoner.

We were there shortly after Halloween and we didn't see anyone else while we were on our tour, especially when we were in the basement.  It was a little creepy, especially when we walked into one room where we saw someone moving and thought we were the only ones down there!  It ended up being projections of people from the middle ages.  I will have to see what they do over Halloween as there were signs that looked like they had some sort of event.  You could have lots of fun giving people a scare!!

There were projection images that moved, which gave us a little scare!

Picture of castle from the inside courtyard.

Courtyard outside the castle.

Sydney had skating that night and the kids surprised me with a little party when I arrived home.  We then made dinner for the kids and then Kari made sushi for us.  She was a pro by the third roll and it tasted great!!  One of the many foods I miss back in the US.  Randy keeps joking that we should open a Chipotle with all the expats that live here.  I don't think I will be tackling that one any time soon!!  We then enjoyed a chocolate cake the girls made with Kari.  It was a great day considering Randy was back in the states!!

Me and my kiddos!!

Wednesday, November 9th was Kari's last full day so after Aaron was on the bus we packed lunch loaded it up in my handy caddy and headed out.  We walked through the market in city center, took in the clock at top of the hour, and then made our way down to the school to pick up the kids at lunch.  Every Wednesday, the kids are off school at noon.  The clock tells a story, in French, every hour and there were tons of children from school eating their morning snack while waiting for the story to begin, it was adorable.

Down at the market with tons of fresh food from the vendors.

School children waiting for the story the clock tells at top of the hour.

The kids at the chess set at school.

One of the buildings at school.  The chapel is on the top floor.

Aaron fell asleep on the way home and I tried to wake him by standing him up. 

We had a great time with Kari and it was a bittersweet day when it was time for her to go home.  I planted many seeds of what we could do when she returns with the boys!!  Hopefully we will see the whole Schneyer family in Switzerland before we return to the states!!!  Oh yeah, and for those of you debating a trip of your own, she gave us a 5 star rating and said "The guest room as the most amazing views!".

Callier Chocolate Factory

We were off to Callier Chocolate factory for some yummy chocolate!  It was a short 5 minute drive from the Gruyere cheese factory. We purchased tickets for the 1 hour tour where you walk through several different rooms that tell the history of Callier chocolate.  Some of the rooms were very dark and a tad scary for Aaron so was carried through most of it, that is until we entered the tasting room!  As much as he wanted to walk and I wanted him to walk, I did not trust him to wander in the room by himself.  He would end up touching far more than he could and should eat and could totally see him taking the entire tray.

Sydney and her Godmother, Kari, at Callier. 

At the playground outside the factory.

Just one of many samples in the tasting room!

Yes, this is a two lane road!!  I waited my turn : )

Monday, November 7th, Kari and I were heading for Annecy for some shopping when the school called to let me know Aaron wasn't feeling well.  So we ended up having to turn back around, but made the best of the day.  We headed to Coop, which is a grocery store, and loaded up on all sort of Swiss food to sample.  We tried this little bread with different varieties, meat pate, and some other things we weren't quite sure of, but you can rest assured nothing smelled like a barn.  I wasn't going to repeat our cow stomach episode when we first arrived!!

Sauvabelin and Gruyere cheese factory

On Saturday, November 5th Sydney had skating and then we did some things around the house until we headed to Sauvabelin so the kids could scooter around and we could enjoy some of the fall colors.  I am slowly expanding my reaches via the buses and prefer taking the bus where possible so I don't have to deal with parking.  It is so much more relaxing!  Randy took the kids to Sauvabelin this summer so they showed us around.

The kids strike a pose.

A picture from the top of the tower.  The lake is covered by the fog.

On Sunday it was off to the Gruyere area to tour the Gruyere cheese factory and then head to the Callier chocolate factory for dessert after our picnic lunch.  It was a short 45 minute drive and we arrived just as they were getting ready to pour the cheese into the molds.  It was a short tour, but very interesting to see the process.

Finished product aging with a machine in the background flipping and treating.

Testing to see if the cheese is ready to be transferred to the molds on the left.

The cheese is ready for the molds.

Labels and lids are added and aged for 4 months before they are ready.

Checking out the smelling posts where we had some interesting reactions!

A quick picture with the cow before lunch.

It was a little chilly, but we enjoyed our picnic lunch before heading to Callier chocolate factory.

Gruyere castle in the background.

I will post Callier chocolate factory in a separate blog so this one doesn't get too big.  We have also hit the 5 month mark and I think we are getting into a groove now that the kids are back in school.  It was a long second week on holiday and the kids were down in the dump and missing everyone back in CR.  If asked what they like about living here they would respond with "NOTHING".  Now that we are back in school, I think everyone has climbed out of their hole and seem to be complaining a little less about school and the language barrier.  Although, they are still complaining about the amount of homework they have, but that may be the same if we were still in the states!  Sydney has just completed her third written report!  I don't think I ever did anything like that in 3rd grade.

Down time...

Papa and Nana left on Sunday, October 23rd and the kids didn't go back to school until November 1st, so we all enjoyed some down time before school started again.  Randy was also getting ready for his first trip back to the states since we moved.  This was all after he ran the 1/2 marathon in Lausanne.  It was a beautiful day for the run and we met up with the Horton's to cheer on both dad's.  Randy had a long list of items to pick up to fill two empty suitcases he brought over with him.  We will see if he can fit them all in!!  While he is in the states for 2 weeks, my friend, Kari, came over to visit for 9 days.  Time to put my travel agent skills to work again : )

Kari arrived on Wednesday and we took a tour of grocery stores on Thursday and then headed to the Olympic Museum on Friday and saw the sights of Lausanne.  The weather was overcast and it rained a little, but that didn't stop us from exploring.

Olympic Flame

Olympic rings clock tower.

Entrance to the Olympic Museum.

The museum was pretty interesting and had the torches and all the medals on display from all the Olympics.  There were also two areas dedicated to the winter and summer games which included the outfits and shoes worn by some of the athletes.  After the Olympic Museum we headed to the cathedral and walked around the old town center.

Flower boxes on hotel next to the lake.

Picture looking down towards the lake gives you some idea of how steep the city is.

Will post the our trip to Gruyere cheese and Callier chocolate factory shortly.  With school and visitors I have fallen a little behind on the blog.

Goldenpass to Luzern

On Wednesday we were up early to take the Goldenpass train to Luzern.  This is a special panoramic train that goes through the mountains to Luzern.  We had to change trains twice as the train went from a standard track to a narrow one.  On the way back we took the regular train that goes through the rolling hills between the mountains.  It was overcast and rained off and on, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the fall colors.

Couple of pictures from the Goldenpass train.

The first time Aaron saw the large bales of hay wrapped in white plastic, he said, "mom, look at the big marshmallows, can we get some!".

We finally arrived in Luzern and walked through the rain to our hotel.  After we were settled and a little dried off we headed out for dinner at Valentine's, which had great Italian food.  We were also in the part of Switzerland that speaks German, so the little French I know wasn't going to do much good here.  Over half of Switzerland in German speaking, but with its own dialect that may as well be a different language than the German language.

Famous walking bridge in Luzern.

We were off to the transportation museum since it was still overcast and raining.  Annie and I only stayed until lunch and then we were off to explore Luzern and the shops thanks to the guys!  It was more window shopping, but fun to look around.  The kids had a great time at the museum going inside trains, planes, and checking out all the hands on activities in the center court.  The kids could ride on bikes, scooter, pedal cars.  They also went to a movie on Alaska, which Aaron slept through and the girls didn't care for since they had a hard time listening through the headphones that translated it into English.

Aaron taking a look under the train.

The girls checking out the front of the train.

All in all it was great to have Papa and Nana here to show them our home and the surrounding areas.  Friday and Saturday we took it easy as they got ready for their trip back home.  Well, I should say we stayed home while Sydney was at skating camp and Annie and I were busy in the kitchen getting dinner and cake ready to celebrate Aaron's 4th birthday.  Wow, we are officially through the baby/toddler phase and diapers are a thing of the past!  He pretty much skipped the preschool phase with our move to Switzerland.

Aaron blowing out his candles.

Saturday the guys took the kids to get their skis for the season.  It is very reasonable, yes, we have found one thing that is reasonable, to rent skis for the season.  Of course, it doesn't include the lift ticket, but we will take what we can get.  Their winter season is much like summer in Minnesota, but instead of heading to the cabin in the summer, they head to an apartment in the winter.  Next year we hope to rent someplace for the winter so we can leave all our ski gear and just drive their for the weekend.  We plan on exploring the slopes around us to figure out where we want to rent next year.  So I have a shopping cart when I walk to the grocery store, I am expanding my scarf collection, and we are geared up for the season - I guess we are adopting the "when in Rome...".  Oh yeah, we also made fondue and raclette for dinner so Papa and Nana could experience some traditional swiss food.  I think with the 5 month mark around the corner we are starting to feel more settled and at home.

While the guys were off with the kids, Annie and I headed down to the market and walked along the lake to the Olympic Museum.  We didn't go in as we were killing time until a souvenir shop opened after lunch, but Annie was able to enjoy the scenery and sculptures along the lake.  It was a great last day before they headed back home on Sunday.  I think the kids were looking forward to some down time as much as they were looking forward to being back in their own bed.

Lauterbrunnen with Papa and Nana

We have two one night trips planned during Papa and Nana's stay.  On Sunday we all packed up into the car and headed to Lauterbrunnen again, except this time there will be blue skies even if a little chilly.  On our way we stopped at Ballenberg museum, which the kids and I have been to, but didn't see the same sections.  It was absolutely beautiful with the fall colors!

Making cheese over an open fire and large pot.

One of many pictures of the fall colors.

Kids stopping for a some fun on the swings.

Aaron getting ready for the carousel.

Girls waiting for the old carousel where the animals don't go up and down.

Quick pic of Papa and Nana.

Rude family picture before heading to the hotel.

After a couple hours at Ballenberg it was off to the hotel for a good night sleep before heading up to Schilthorn in the morning.  We stopped at a pizzeria for dinner and were scolded for not having a reservation since we had a party of more than 5.  Yet another rule we forgot about and were quickly reminded of.  After a great breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon it was down to the cable car to head up the mountain.  We took 3 cable cars and a train up to Schilthorn to take in amazing views of the valleys and some lunch before heading home.

One cable car and train down, heading to the other side of Murren to the cable car.

Looking back down in the valley.

The building to the left is where we take the final cable car to Schilthorn and the moon still visible on the right.

We made it to the top!

The birds flew very close in hopes of some food.

If you look beyond the ridge you can see we are above the clouds that have settled in the valley.

Heading back to Lauterbrunnen, Randy and kids decided to take a closer look at the valley.

Waterfall back in Lauterbrunnen.

Schilthorn was at just under 12,000 feet and we all felt the high altitude.  We ate at the revolving restaurant, which was also in the opening scene of James Bond 007 "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".  This time we had reservations and had a table right next to the window.  It was a great trip and just amazing views!

On Tuesday, the girls went shopping in Annecy for Aaron's birthday, which was Friday.  It was a quick trip, but nice for some girl time, shopping, and lunch.  I still have a way to go with my French, but I feel more comfortable getting out and about and manage my way with the limited French I do know.  Oh the comfort in at least being able to say, "je parle un tres peu du francais." (I speak very little French)!  As Sydney keeps reminding me, I still sound like an American and am not pronouncing things correctly, but at least I am trying.  This is all while Sydney and Hailey have that little French accent down and sound like little French kids!!  I just keep reminding her that I am American and she will just need to keep reminding me or she can just start talking for me : )

More to come on the rest of their visit.  They should be safe at home now and we are getting stuff done before Randy heads to the states for 2 weeks and I have a girlfriend coming to stay for 10 days!  I think I will need to add travel agent to my resume when this is all said and done.