Lake Lugano

I'm on A Boat

Saturday, May 21, 20011

Three weeks until my departure from Switzerland and I am suppose to be packing for the big adventure and preparing my apartment. However, this is not something I enjoy doing and definitely something I avoid doing too early on. So, instead Sarah B., Ilana, Brody and I headed into Lugano and rented a boat for a couple of hours. We took a lot of pictures, jumped off the boat, and just enjoyed the peaceful day!

I'm on a boat...incredible horse power

Leaving Lugano Behind

Captain O'Captain

Glamour Shot with San Salvatore

Ilana, Me, & Boughey enjoying the ride

Glamour Shot with Gandria as a back drop

Gandria

Take Off!

Falling

Contact!

Seriously!

Solo Shots

Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting!

On the way home after a hard day on the lake!

Sound of Music Tour

Salzburg, Austria

May 13 - 15

4 pm on Friday afternoon, Julia, Ilse, Carol and I piled into my car headed for Austria. Julia is the queen of road trips and had packed us tons of snacks, smuggled excursion sandwiches and chips galore. It was unbelievable and perfect for me, I love snacking while driving.

It took us about 6 hours to get there because we had a couple of potty breaks and Ilse started to get nervous anytime I exceeded the speed limit. I had told them multiple times I only stop when we run out of gas but there were a few small bladders in the bunch so I didn't get my way.

When we arrived we found the parking lot rather easily with only a couple of illegal turns involved. Again, Ilse got nervous but I just told her to keep her eyes closed and things would be all good. Luckily, I was the wrong way on a one way street for only a couple of minutes and there was no traffic so late in the evening. We quickly found our apartment on the major pedestrian road in Salzburg and got settled in for the evening.

On Saturday we woke up bright and early ready for our biking Sound of Music tour. Unfortunately it was overcast and the clouds in the sky looked like they were going to open up at any minute. During our walk towards the meeting point, the clouds did open up to an absolute down pour so we decided to kill the next 30 minutes at a quite cafe for breakfast. During that time the rain came and went but the clouds hung low overhead. When breakfast was over we headed back out in the rain and decided to pass on the biking tour and instead jumped on a charter bus for a 4 hour driving tour of the set of the sound of music.

On our way to the Sound of Music tour. Still in good spirits

Carol found Mozart on our way to our tour! She had to stop for a kiss!

Betty, our guide, struggled at first because her microphone didn't work and she couldn't project all the way to the back of the bus. She was telling us a story about the real Von Trapp family but I missed the majority of it. Then we made it to our first stop, the location where Maria was walking through the trees on her way to the house. In a distance we also saw the front of the house but because it was private property we were unable to get close enough to take pictures.

Frolicking like Maria

The next stop was the gazebo where Alice sang I am Sixteen going on Seventeen. It was locked and we were unable to dance among the benches but we did get a group shot in front of it.

From there we drove to view the back of the house and the lake where one of the boating scenes took place. During that scene one of the kids fell into the lake, after the littlest girl refused to get back into the boat so the scene had to stay as is and be used in the film.

The famous gazebo!

Back of the house used in the film

Next stop, or not really was driving past the abby where the movie begins and where the Maria and the Captain actually got married in real life. In the movie they were married in a beautiful church outside of the city in a cute small town that we stopped in for coffee and crashed a traditional wedding.

The actual abby

The church from the movie

The streets of the town

I am fantastic rider and can usually fall asleep at the slightest motion of a vehicle. Today was no different and I missed some of the explanation for the time between hour 2 and 3. So we stopped at a beautiful lake and heard a few more stories before heading back into Salzburg just as the sun was coming up.

Beautiful lake...it has some significance in the movie that I am not sure of! The girls weren't listening well either.

Betty!

After saying goodbye to Betty and getting one last shot together we found a place for lunch and strolled through the gardens and the streets of Salzburg on our way to the Augustiner brew house for an afternoon drink. On our way there we walked through the main square and through the cemetery. From the cemetery we went up into the catacombs that had been carved out of the inside of the mountain.

Mirabell Gardens, location of some of the singing shots in the movie

After the girls indulged me with the catacomb tour they also followed me up a steep walk to the fort. We knew before we started walking that we wouldn't be able to go in but we wanted to get a glimpse of the city from above. I think it was worth the walk but the girls may not have agreed. Oh well, they humored me!

The catacombs

St. Peter's Cemetery

When we were back in the main square we stumbled upon a parade of sorts. It consisted of about 12 different bands following one another through the streets. There were young bands as well as some retired soldier ensembles. It was an unique parade for sure.

Salzburg from the fortress

Some of the youngest musicians.

The Augustiner was a neat location with tables spread out throughout the gardens and a self service fountain of beer. All we had to do was grab our mugs off of a shelf, rinse them in the fountain and put them underneath the keg to be filled. It was wonderful! The halls were lined with stalls selling food, from pretzels to meats and cheeses and full on meals. We opted for the pretzel and beer because we decided we would have sushi for dinner.

Food stalls at the hall

What every beer hall needs. A monk to look over all the drinkers!

Enjoying the first beer of the evening!

On Sunday morning we slept in! It was wonderful and then we walked to our breakfast place for quite a feast before getting back in the car to head home. Everything went rather smoothly until I got my first speeding ticket since my arrival in Europe. Luckily the police officer didn't want to deal with an international licenses so he just fined me 30 euro and let us go. Fantastic!

It was a great weekend and a nice way to begin wrapping up the school year with some great friends!

Happy Birthday Hayley, Allyson & Me!

London Girls Weekend!

May 6 - 8

Freshly back from Morocco I worked for 5 days and then boarded a plane for London. Finally found some time to see the girls and celebrate the birthdays of this year, Hayley's engagement and just enjoy each others company.

We really had nothing planned except wandering the streets of London, doing a little shopping and the on Saturday evening viewing a play. We decided on Priscilla Queen of the Desert because we had heard so much about it from a variety of people.

The theater

Hayley, Allyson and I

It was a great show, we were laughing the entire time and had a constant running commentary. We had a wonderful evening.

Map of the expedition

Then on Sunday we met up again and had a quality English breakfast before I had to make my way to Heathrow and back to Switzerland. It was a slight whirlwind but I am so glad I had the opportunity to spend a weekend with the girls before leaving Europe behind. It won't be as easy to jet to London from the states!

Happy Birthday Carol

Spa Weekend in Italy

April 9 - 10

Carol's birthday was January 6th and Sara, Ilse and I wanted to do something special to celebrate. We decided that taking Carol to a spa for the weekend would be the best gift we could give and something that she wouldn't be able to return or turn down.

We left Lugano early on Saturday morning and drove to Sara's house to pick her up. From there we continued on for about 2 hours before reaching a beautiful town full of hotels and spas. We found ours easily because Sara had been before and we checked in and quickly changed into our bathing suits. Granted, we were all a little shy because it was the first time our skin was seeing the light of day since last summer but we braved the pool in our robes and started the tanning process.

I'm at a spa!

Nice Legs Ladies!

While we laid around Sara and Carol went off for their spa treatments. When Carol returned we heard all about Alessandro. I guess he was amazing. Then Sara came back and she reiterated Carol's immense pleasure with the massage. This was making Ilse a little nervous because it was her first time and she wasn't so sure about all this touching and being completely uncovered. It isn't like the US where you have a towel or blanket over you. You just undress and jump up on the table. It takes a little to get use to it.

As the sun went down we decided to head up to our rooms to get cleaned up and have an appertivo curtesy of Carol's planning. Then we went downstairs for a 4 course dinner in the dining room.

Carol's treats

Sara and I at dinner

On Sunday we woke up early again and went out to the pool to get a little sun while Ilse and I alternated our hot stone massages. It was fantastic! I didn't have Alessandro but it still was wonderful. The rest of the day was spent sun bathing and swimming before we loaded up the car and headed for home.

I think Carol had a very relaxing weekend and that was the plan!

Skiing, Chili, and Horse Races

St. Moritz

Friday, February 4 - Sunday, February 6

Crazy day on Friday and a late departure after school allowed me to sleep for almost the entire ride to St. Moritz. Actually, I don't know who I am kidding, I am a good sleeper and can pull off naps in any moving vehicle at any time. Anyhow, I passed the drive very quickly snoozing in the back seat while Josh drove the windy roads along Lake Como and the switch backs of the pass.

After checking in at the All in One Lodge in Celerina we took a 10 minute walk to a pizzeria along the lake that was able to seat 11 people. Here we met a typical Swiss waiter who wanted nothing to do with us loud Americans who couldn't quite seem to get the system down. We got the finger waggle right from the beginning when we tried to order food and drink at the same time. Who knew, food first, then beers. I guess our one track minds got in the way.

Anyhow, the food came out, we got our drinks and we shoveled it down. It wasn't the tastiest of treats but most of us cleaned our plates. At least everyone except Brody who was asked why he didn't like the pasta carbanara. After formulating a polite answer for his dislike he was told by the waiter that he was wrong and his problem was that he had been eating at too many Italian restaurants. I guess his tastes were just too sophisticated for the pizzeria and shame on him for being exposed to such food! Oh well, we were fed and in bed early.

On Saturday morning we piled into the van and headed for San Moritz to pick up rentals and hit the slopes. The day was absolutely beautiful, with temperatures in the 40s and sun beating down on us. The snow wasn't anything exceptional but it wasn't crusty and the the mountain wasn't packed. We got big turns in and some fast runs before grabbing some lunch and heading back out. I spent the afternoon with Kaycee on the smaller hills helping her improve her form and become a little less apprehensive tackling the mountain. By the end she was doing really well.

It's going to be a long day!

St. Moritz

Part of the crew

After we called it a day we decided we needed a swanky apres ski. We parked the van in the middle of the main square and hit up the only outdoor bar in all of St. Moritz. Brody took our orders, keeping count on his fingers of gluewhen and beers. Then the party began with a little singing, running man, walk like an Egyptian and loving the heating lamps we were huddled around.

What was the order?

Heat

Great conversation

Walk Like an Egyptian

Running Man

Great Song!

Once we got our fill it was back to the lodge for a family dinner prepared by Ilana. Her chili is her signature dish and she graciously offered to bring all of the fixins to the mountain and prepare dinner for us. We spread out over the common area and buckled down to quite a feast including chili, bread, cheddar cheese, lemon squares, and chocolate chip cookies. Well stuffed and done, Ilana taught us a game of charades / gestures that had us rolling on the floor for quite some time. By 9:30 we cleaned up and called it a night. I guess we are getting old or something.

Family Dinner, what a feast!

Then on Sunday we had a couple of activities going on. Jen and Josh took off cross country skiing, Brody the responsible one stayed in to get some work done, while the rest of us hit the slopes to get a few runs in. I was able to spend the morning with Ilana racing down the mountain and having good conversation. Then at noon we met up with Kaycee and Brody to head out onto the ice for the White Turf Horse races.

Yippee We're Here!

Great outfits

Walking out on the ice towards the race track we had no idea what to expect. There were people everywhere and from what I knew of St. Moritz, it was going to be a swanky experience with women in furs, champagne flowing, and great people watching.

St. Moritz

Warming up

Walking along the far edge of the track

At first we strolled around the edge of the track wondering how we could get closer to capture some phenomenal pictures. As we reached the far curve we noticed people sneaking under the fences and walking across the track to get into the best locations. After looking around us, we decided to do the same and were able to capture the perfect spot to hang for a couple of hours.

Sneaking across the track

Be careful Ilana you may get caught

The first race was horses pulling sleds behind them. It was unbelievable with snow flying in the air and very little sounded as the horses came pounding around the corner. I would have imagined much more noise or commotion and there wasn't at all. It was all rather peaceful and they flew by so quickly.

The Race Track

First race

Then we had about 30 minutes to kill and of course we had no problem doing that. Ilana needed a hand stand picture, which Brody and Kaycee decided to join in on.

Then Brody needed his toe touches

And Kaycee too!

So cute...other's took pictures as well

Followed by cartwheels

And collisions

People watching

Then the main event, skiers pulled behind the horses. I had a prime position sitting up against one of the fence posts giving me a great angle to the curve.

Perfect location for sun and viewing

Now that we had seen these two races we decided to wander through the stands and place a bet for the next race on horse number five, who took second. So sad.

Ready for the casual rider to take a ride

#5 for the win!

You can do it!

Come on #5

Church along the drive

At 4:00 we reconvened at the hotel, changed out of our ski clothes and loaded up the vehicles for the drive home. Before falling asleep I captured the sunset and the switchbacks and then settled in for a good snooze, allowing me to totally miss out on the traffic at the border. Waking up at the perfect time for the drive along Lake Como and to weigh in on the decision about Chinese for dinner. Great choice and a great end to a fantastic weekend.

The Sunset

Switch Backs = Car Sick