And so we begin the “work” portion of our journey to Switzerland. My sister-in-law started work again, the permanant babysitter can’t start till mid-August, so that’s why we’re here. Taking care of young Mattia (9 months on July 30th) has been a delight. In addition to babysitting, we spent our first full week in Switzerland going on walks, singing, eating delicious food, reading (lots of reading), biking, grocery shopping, and so on. Basically just hanging out and enjoying time with our nephew/Godson (finally, I’m The Godfather).
Mattia learning the guitar.
Food!
Pesto – Mmm, an Italian classic. Made with fresh basil from the garden on top of wide spaghetti noodles (isn’t that linguini?).
Fondue – A Swiss classic, though not “native” to the region of Valais where we’re staying. Included – white wine and hot tea.
Raclette. Melt the cheese, scrape onto potatoes, enjoy.
Raclette – For our first meal out of the house, all you can eat raclette (melted cheese) in Gruyeres (again, not the “native” region for this cheese).
Walking outside Le Château de Gruyères
Chateau de Villa – A very trendy wine bar featuring wines from the Valais region. 8 different wines featured each week, ordered the way they should be drunk. Outside: ~25 different vines so you can see the difference in the grapes (i.e. Pinot Noir vs Syrah). The service here is terrible, but apparently that’s to be expected in Suisse.
Les Bains de Lavey – For 25CHF ($32) you can spend 3 hours meandering through the various steam rooms, saunas, and mineral pools of different temperatures, all accompanied by unaccompanied children. Regardless of the roustabouts, this is a very relaxing place. For an invigorating experience, submerge yourself completely in the ice pool then jump back into the warm pool. Ghaaaaaaaaah.
Gruyères – A medieval town dating to the 15th century, this landmark city is now a quaint but busy tourist location. Found up on a hill and attached to a castle, Guyreres is covered in cobblestone streets and lined with ivy-covered buildings. The city walls offer a great view of the surrounding green countryside. Things to see here include:
HR Giger Museum. Nate Mahaffey will be pissed when he reads that we didn’t go inside. Château de Gruyères Medieval castle and formerly the monarch of the region. Kirstin says this is her favorite castle next to Neuschwanstein. Gruyere cheese factory – if you’ve had Gruyere cheese somewhere in the world, it was probably made here.
Lausanne, CH – This is where my brother-in-law works for a Swiss bank. The city seems very hip, a la NYC. We wandered the city for a bit, visited the Blatti flat overlooking a large square, and went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt. 2 in English with French and German subtitles in 3D: 21CHF ($26.92)/person.
Mattia and Aunt Katy
Since we’ve been here, Mattia has grown in more ways than one. He’s moved up from dragging himself across the floor to crawling on all fours. With a hand, he’ll stand on two feet and almost walk. Mom is making his food less mushy since two tiny teeth appeared out of his bottom gums. He’ll imitate facial expressions and sounds, when he feels like it. He’s been very busy exploring and tasting all kinds of new things, and hates to nap because there’s so much to do and see. During 2 gatherings, he’s been the life of the party, and likes to be passed around to visit with all the guests. He loves it when mom or dad gets home after spending the day with Aunt Katy and Uncle Dan and gets very giddy when looking at pictures of daddy.
Books:
And now, for the boring part: you get to read about the books I’ve read (or finished reading) on my Nook after I fooled Barnes and Noble into thinking I was in the US. A warning to NOOK users travelling outside the US: stock up on your books before you leave or else you’ll spend 4 days trying to email BN customer service and then end up setting up a proxy to the USA so you can buy your books with the money that’ll never leave USA.
Eating The Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
A very entertaining collection of essays about pop culture. I found the essay on the “laugh track” especially intersting, as well as the final essay about the unibomber.
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
Not the first time I’ve read this, but still a great novel on mass media manipulation, the perpetuation of faux-scientific ideas, and the need for the return to real science. Especially noteworthy is the appendix, the annotated bibliography, and 3 speeches Chrichton gave on the subject before he wrote the novel (eBook bonus).
Love Wins by Rob Bell
“A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.” A unique take on the freedom God gives us to live with Him or not, creating our own heaven or hell now and for all eternity, and the unconditional love that the Creator of the Universe showers upon us every second of our lives. I’ve read reviews that say this book borders on sacrilege, and though I’m not exactly a fan of his writing style I’d say it’s still worth the read (only ~110 pages) whether you’re a believer or not.
In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks by Adam Carolla
Carolla discusses all kinds of things, from airports to ketchup packets to the feminization of our school system to world cuisine to… you name it. Great read but be warned of offensive language.
John Adams by David McCullough
Still plowing through this one. Adams reminds me of myself with his refusal to be anyone but himself and his inability to keep his opinion quiet.
Coming soon: Week 3 in Suisse. Stay tuned…
Denver, CO