Yesterday, we bought our first tank of gas since buying the car! Woohoo! 52 CHF for half a tank. Doh. Gas certainly ain't subsidised here. The temp was -9 degC, we pulled up to the pump and Walter got the gas. He found a window squeegee in a bucket, pulled it out of the ice and set about cleaning the window. As soon as he did, all the water froze. He ended up cleaning the window off with our heavy duty ice scraper (required by Swiss law). Today, it's +5deg C and raining on the 5 inches of snow that fell last night. Tomorow, we'll probably have a hurricane.....
My mum and dad arrive tonight, just in time to see in the New Year in our new home. We'll be toasting all our friends and family around the world :)
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Monday, December 26, 2005
Happy (belated) Boxing Day!
And Happy Birthday, Nick :)
We've been so full of the merriness of the "Holiday Season" that I haven't had a chance to post about Paris.... what of it there was....
We took the TGV last Saturday. It snowed on the way to the station and blizzarded through the Jura mountains. Very exciting! We discvered that the train actually doesn't go that fast for most of the trip. It needs high speed rails, which are nearer Paris. Silly me also thought that there's only one TGV (duh)- when we pulled into Gare de Lyon I saw all platforms chock full of glittering, new, double decker TGVs! I reckon ours is the oldest one working! I shouldn't put it down, as it got us in, bang on time :) To make it even nicer, Grace was waiting for us! We took the metro to Vaugirard, and on the way Allie got to look out the front like a driver (we were on a new line with un-manned trains). Toby decided to lick the poles,which is pertinent to the rest of our 'story'. We all went out to look at the Christmas windows at Galleries Lafayette. Since it was the last weekend before Christmas, the rest of Paris was there too! On Sunday we walked around the neighbourhood. Vaugirard is a really nice area. There are little squares with all the different kinds of shops one could need, and plenty of cafes and bistros. It felt far removed from touristy. Sunday night my parents arrived and Monday morning we braved rain to see the Musee de l'Armee
Walter wanted to see a new exhibition of Ancient arms. It was enjoyed by all :) My Dad and Walter went to see Napoleon's Tomb too. On Monday afternoon, my parents did tourist stuff and we went to a local....park! Grace met us and we just let the boys wander. Walter and I got to go out that night and walked arouond the Eiffel Tower area and river. We had a tasty crepe dinner with plenty of cider. I guess cider is big in Brittany (it was a Breton crepe shop). On Tuesday Walter had to work, and toby had to get a really nasty stomach bug (remember the poole in the Metro?). I stayed in the hotel with him all day while my parents fed Allie hot chocolate and paraded him around to the Parisiens. With Toby recovering on Weds morning we walked around Vaugirard some more. We know it very well now, and I like it more :) Walter finished up work and we jumped on the TGV home in the afternoon- seen off by Grace! It was lovely to see her and my parents, and to see a little of Paris. It is a magical city, even for a little taste. I can see why Grace wants to stay.
Sadly, I didn't take many photies. Here is my series of 'Landmarks Growing out of Allie's Head'
We stopped at a carousel:
We had a spattering of snow on Christmas. The temp. has barely been above zero, with -10 C expected by the end of the week. It's a good reason to eat a lot of rich food and watch the telly. Sadly, James Bond wasn't on the international BBC channel for our Christmas dinner. I'm not sure what the Swiss traditions are on christmas, but when we went for an afternoon walk, there wasn't a soul around... anywhere. The boys got nicely over excited with all their presents and signs of Father Christmas' visit and Walter and I got nicely tired. The tree decorations are slowly migrating to the top of the tree as Toby tries to eat or throw them ;)
Here are a few bonus pics.
DinasourBoys!
A good way to watch the snow.
I couldn't really get the essence of Toby sucking his whole jaw into a glass.
Can you see the snow covered Alps?
Next stop New Year (Hogmanay)!!!
We've been so full of the merriness of the "Holiday Season" that I haven't had a chance to post about Paris.... what of it there was....
We took the TGV last Saturday. It snowed on the way to the station and blizzarded through the Jura mountains. Very exciting! We discvered that the train actually doesn't go that fast for most of the trip. It needs high speed rails, which are nearer Paris. Silly me also thought that there's only one TGV (duh)- when we pulled into Gare de Lyon I saw all platforms chock full of glittering, new, double decker TGVs! I reckon ours is the oldest one working! I shouldn't put it down, as it got us in, bang on time :) To make it even nicer, Grace was waiting for us! We took the metro to Vaugirard, and on the way Allie got to look out the front like a driver (we were on a new line with un-manned trains). Toby decided to lick the poles,which is pertinent to the rest of our 'story'. We all went out to look at the Christmas windows at Galleries Lafayette. Since it was the last weekend before Christmas, the rest of Paris was there too! On Sunday we walked around the neighbourhood. Vaugirard is a really nice area. There are little squares with all the different kinds of shops one could need, and plenty of cafes and bistros. It felt far removed from touristy. Sunday night my parents arrived and Monday morning we braved rain to see the Musee de l'Armee
Walter wanted to see a new exhibition of Ancient arms. It was enjoyed by all :) My Dad and Walter went to see Napoleon's Tomb too. On Monday afternoon, my parents did tourist stuff and we went to a local....park! Grace met us and we just let the boys wander. Walter and I got to go out that night and walked arouond the Eiffel Tower area and river. We had a tasty crepe dinner with plenty of cider. I guess cider is big in Brittany (it was a Breton crepe shop). On Tuesday Walter had to work, and toby had to get a really nasty stomach bug (remember the poole in the Metro?). I stayed in the hotel with him all day while my parents fed Allie hot chocolate and paraded him around to the Parisiens. With Toby recovering on Weds morning we walked around Vaugirard some more. We know it very well now, and I like it more :) Walter finished up work and we jumped on the TGV home in the afternoon- seen off by Grace! It was lovely to see her and my parents, and to see a little of Paris. It is a magical city, even for a little taste. I can see why Grace wants to stay.
Sadly, I didn't take many photies. Here is my series of 'Landmarks Growing out of Allie's Head'
We stopped at a carousel:
We had a spattering of snow on Christmas. The temp. has barely been above zero, with -10 C expected by the end of the week. It's a good reason to eat a lot of rich food and watch the telly. Sadly, James Bond wasn't on the international BBC channel for our Christmas dinner. I'm not sure what the Swiss traditions are on christmas, but when we went for an afternoon walk, there wasn't a soul around... anywhere. The boys got nicely over excited with all their presents and signs of Father Christmas' visit and Walter and I got nicely tired. The tree decorations are slowly migrating to the top of the tree as Toby tries to eat or throw them ;)
Here are a few bonus pics.
DinasourBoys!
A good way to watch the snow.
I couldn't really get the essence of Toby sucking his whole jaw into a glass.
Can you see the snow covered Alps?
Next stop New Year (Hogmanay)!!!
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Back to the fun stuff
Last weekend was social bliss chez Stockwell. Friday night we put the boys to bed with monitors and popped next door for Fondue fun! Matt and Anne are really nice and eccentric. He's Irish originally, but grew up in France. He has many, crazy Irish relatives who he regaled us with funny stories about. Anne is Breton- 'q-celt' born and bred. It's funny to hear them talk about the Swiss from a french perspective. Firstly, the bread and patisseries are rubbish compared to France (I've heard that from another French too!). Secondly, Swiss children have too much freedom, which is probably truer these days as more women have to work, and daycare and schools haven't caught up yet. Lastly, they're not the friendliest of people. I don't really agree that the Swiss aren't friendly- they're more reserved. I llove the breads and sweets too, so I ain't having any in France. I don't want to ruin it! Well, it was a lovely evening and hopefully we'll have them round for some festive cheer on Christmas Eve :)
We hhad grand plans of going to Ikea (45 mins away ish), but after faffing around we decided to the beautiful village of Valangin at the opening of the Val de Ruz. It's higher than us, so there was plenty of cold, crusty snow (much to the boys' delight). We walked up to the Chateau and took a look inside. It turns out we were visiting on the last day of opening before winter closing, so admission was free!
The boys enjoy the toddle up to the castle.
All the rooms in the chateau had heaters like the one below. They're huge, and all have different tiling, and I just wanted to hug them :) The castle was rather cold.
It was full of beautiful, old furniture, a nice gun and sword collection (Walter and the boys spent a while there) and a really nice lace collection. I'm going to try my hand at the Neuchatel style of lace (when I have time and can read French really well) as I bought a pattern book.
After our culturalt visit, we stopped by a patisserie for lunch. I've remembered something that the Swiss do really well- sandwiches! Really. They're flavourful , have all kinds of ingredients and breads and are always fresh. Now my mouth's watering. We sat in the nice warm cafe part, the boys tucked happilly into their sandwiches and we read the paper! What a joy :)
Saturday afternoon at 3pm I got a call asking if we would like to come to the International Club party, as someone had gotten sick. We made it (thanks to Anne and Matt) and enjoyed a truely sumptuous meal and interesting company. We met a man who's in R&D for Philip Morris. He wouldn't talk about his job :( Actually, he wasn't that nice either. I got the impression that I was 'just the little woman'. We also met a man from my neck of the woods. He grew up in a town called Symington, on the eastern edge of sunny Lanarkshire..... what a small world. He's also a physicist... oy vey ;) His wife commutes between Zurich for work and Neuchatel to see him. I don't know the laws about gambling here, but the club also put on blackjake, horse racing and roulette, all run by members. It could be turned into a regualr thing. We missed gambling due to a crying Toby that was frightening his babysitters!
Sunday afternoon, Herb, Vero, Julia and baby Alec came for Tacos. I found everything I needed for it (for huge sums of money- 5 flour tortillas for 5 CHF!!!).
Herb, Alec, Julia, Tobe, Walter, Allie, all replete with taco goodness.
Vero, Herb, Alec, Julia, Toby, Walter...where's Allie? He Took the pic!
Allie and Toby love the Sheas, and Allie really like splaying with Julia. She's Toby's age and I think she's more amenable to his 'directions' hehehe. It was a really nice afternoon.
Yesterday evning, Walter took Allie to see Pere Noel at the church. He came home with a goody bag. Peanuts in their shell feature a lot in goody bags here. I think it's a winter delicacy. Walter reminded me they're bar snacks in the US ;)
The best is last. We went to the port yesterday to find the man who saved us. He's the "Cantonnier du port" for St-B. I think he's in charge of running it day to day. I was so happy to see him- there were mercis, swiss kisses and hugs all round. He's a big bear of a man (lucky for us) and chatted away in French. We understood most of it and (hopefully) conveyed what we could. He said he fished a woman out at this time last year, dead. the port closes tomorow for a month, so there'll be no workers there at all. I'm thinking we may not go to the park for a month.... Anyway, I got a couple of pics of our hero with the wee 'bagger' Tobe :)
Just to the right of Jean-Claude's shoulder, where there's a big, white boat, is where Toby fell in.
Now, we're looking forward to Paris on Saturday :) Woohoo!
We hhad grand plans of going to Ikea (45 mins away ish), but after faffing around we decided to the beautiful village of Valangin at the opening of the Val de Ruz. It's higher than us, so there was plenty of cold, crusty snow (much to the boys' delight). We walked up to the Chateau and took a look inside. It turns out we were visiting on the last day of opening before winter closing, so admission was free!
The boys enjoy the toddle up to the castle.
All the rooms in the chateau had heaters like the one below. They're huge, and all have different tiling, and I just wanted to hug them :) The castle was rather cold.
It was full of beautiful, old furniture, a nice gun and sword collection (Walter and the boys spent a while there) and a really nice lace collection. I'm going to try my hand at the Neuchatel style of lace (when I have time and can read French really well) as I bought a pattern book.
After our culturalt visit, we stopped by a patisserie for lunch. I've remembered something that the Swiss do really well- sandwiches! Really. They're flavourful , have all kinds of ingredients and breads and are always fresh. Now my mouth's watering. We sat in the nice warm cafe part, the boys tucked happilly into their sandwiches and we read the paper! What a joy :)
Saturday afternoon at 3pm I got a call asking if we would like to come to the International Club party, as someone had gotten sick. We made it (thanks to Anne and Matt) and enjoyed a truely sumptuous meal and interesting company. We met a man who's in R&D for Philip Morris. He wouldn't talk about his job :( Actually, he wasn't that nice either. I got the impression that I was 'just the little woman'. We also met a man from my neck of the woods. He grew up in a town called Symington, on the eastern edge of sunny Lanarkshire..... what a small world. He's also a physicist... oy vey ;) His wife commutes between Zurich for work and Neuchatel to see him. I don't know the laws about gambling here, but the club also put on blackjake, horse racing and roulette, all run by members. It could be turned into a regualr thing. We missed gambling due to a crying Toby that was frightening his babysitters!
Sunday afternoon, Herb, Vero, Julia and baby Alec came for Tacos. I found everything I needed for it (for huge sums of money- 5 flour tortillas for 5 CHF!!!).
Herb, Alec, Julia, Tobe, Walter, Allie, all replete with taco goodness.
Vero, Herb, Alec, Julia, Toby, Walter...where's Allie? He Took the pic!
Allie and Toby love the Sheas, and Allie really like splaying with Julia. She's Toby's age and I think she's more amenable to his 'directions' hehehe. It was a really nice afternoon.
Yesterday evning, Walter took Allie to see Pere Noel at the church. He came home with a goody bag. Peanuts in their shell feature a lot in goody bags here. I think it's a winter delicacy. Walter reminded me they're bar snacks in the US ;)
The best is last. We went to the port yesterday to find the man who saved us. He's the "Cantonnier du port" for St-B. I think he's in charge of running it day to day. I was so happy to see him- there were mercis, swiss kisses and hugs all round. He's a big bear of a man (lucky for us) and chatted away in French. We understood most of it and (hopefully) conveyed what we could. He said he fished a woman out at this time last year, dead. the port closes tomorow for a month, so there'll be no workers there at all. I'm thinking we may not go to the park for a month.... Anyway, I got a couple of pics of our hero with the wee 'bagger' Tobe :)
Just to the right of Jean-Claude's shoulder, where there's a big, white boat, is where Toby fell in.
Now, we're looking forward to Paris on Saturday :) Woohoo!
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
We took a dip in Lac de Neuchatel!
Well, I was going to talk about our faboo weekend, but Tobius McWobius put the kibosh on that. Walter read this and we decided to say that this entry is a departure from my usual as it's rather serious. Just remember that we're all OK and whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!
Yesterday we took a walk to the 'down park' at the harbour. It was lovely and sunny, even if it was a degree below zero outside, and the boys were raring to go. We got out the house with a minor fuss and ambled down. I've been getting Tobe to walk as he's too big for the stroller and won't walk anywhere unless you make him, so it takes a very long time to get anywhere. He's taken to walking behind us and stopping if we stop. That's relevant to what happened to him. Looking back now, I can remember as we walked through the port towards the park, seeing a couple of men next to the port building working on the boats that had been pullled out for the winter. We had a lovely half hour playing on the commando slide and running around, and I decided we should head back since it was getting really cold and there was a chicken in the oven. We set off with Allie running ahead and Toby moaning about having to wear his gloves on his now freezing hands. He kept shaking them off and I kept putting them back on. He did his usual lagging thing, so the way that I've made him keep going is to walk ahead towards Allie and look back to make sure he's following. This is where I start kicking myself- he's not even 2 and I let him walk that far behind me. He's not Allie with his careful, thoughtful manner. My Mum says he's 'thrawn' (meaning perverse or contrary), but it's my job to keep him safe.... I was walking along, past the remaining boats, when I looked round to see where Toby was. I can't remember hearing a splash, but as soon as I turned round I could see that he was definitely not on the road. I ran back to where he had been and looked in the water. There he was, floating on his side, kicking his legs with a look that I never want to see again. He was barely above the water. I think his big, puffy coat (2 sizes too big) helped keep him afloat. I remembered to take my bag off, annd immediatelly looked to the area where I had seen the men. I started screaming 'help' (not m'aide) and I saw them start running towards us, so I jumped into the water. I think I would have jumped if there hadn't been anyone there.... I don't really know. As I jumped I also heard Allie screaming in a way that utterly petrified children do. I took a life saving class in school and had remembered to do the jump where you're less likely to sink, but I didn't take my snow boots or coat off.....ouch. I sank. Luckilly, the lake is very clear, so as I surfaced I could see exactly where Toby was (the red coat helped). He was starting to sink and I tried to push him up out of the water. When you see people fall into icy water in films you hear them shout and wave around. It's not like that at all. As soon as I surfaced I couldn't breath. All I could do was make weird gulping noises and kick my legs as hard as I could to get above the water. I had grabbed Toby and was trying so hard to make sure his head and as much of his body as possible was above water, and realised we had to get over to the side (an 8ft drop down vertical sides). There was a man at the top saying something about leaving to get something and coming back. He returned with a boat hook. I think he hooked around me and Tobe and moved us ~15ft around a corner to a ladder. By this time, I had my voice a bit. All I could say (in French) was "get a doctor" and "where is my other son". In between I kept telling Toby to keep screaming (I guess I didn't want him to 'go to sleep') I don't know what the man was saying back to me. He came down into the water, grabbed Tobe and pulled him up one handed. Walter and I think it was at least 80 lbs, one handed in the cold. I got myself up the ladder with him pulling me. I couldn't move my arms or fingers, and I'm pretty sure that if it had taken me longer to get Toby elevated and us moved to the side that there's not much I could have done. At this point I don't remember getting into the port buiding. We stripped Toby and wrapped him in a blanket and waited for the ambulance. I wanted so desperately to call Walter, but my phone was in my pants pocket and the man who rescued us didn't speak any english. When the ambulance arrived, one man checked Toby and the other gave me a blanket and told me to strip and put it on. Then we had an exciting ambulance ride through the neighbourhood to Hopital Pourtales ( new and excellent!) where the now screaming Toby was whisked away to have his core temperature raised. It was ~88 F on arrival. They kindly moved me into the his room to help calm him, and there he was, surrounded by heating blankets with a little, mad face poking out. So what was poor Allie doing? He was quietly waiting, drinking juice that the nurses gave him and drawing pictures. Later, he told Walter that he liked the ambulance ride. The policeman (and most of the staff) spoke good English, so he went to get Walter from his work. When Walter arrived Toby was much improved, not screaming anymore, playing with the nurses, wanting to get down. He took Allie home and left him with our super neighbours and came back with dry clothes. The boys went to bed late and we all slept badly. Toby's not doing so well tonight either. I think it's finally hitting home what happened. We had a very close shave, and I keep thinking about all the 'what ifs'...... the man who pulled us out is the real hero here. If he hadn't been there, I don't think I would have had the strength to get us out. Our neighbour said the water was ~4C..... I haven't seen him yet, and don't know his name, but I want to go find him to say Thank-you. How do you thank someone for something like that? I owe him my and my son's life.
So there you go, a potted history of our lives being saved yesterday. I've learned never to turn your back on a toddler, but I knew that anyway. Walter was going to take the day off tomorow to go see Kim and her family in Zurich, but we've decided to stay home with the boys. Hopefully we'll see them soon and definitely next Chritmas season there :) I'll do our weekend in the nest post. Paris is next weekend too :) That'll take our mind off 'stuff'!
Yesterday we took a walk to the 'down park' at the harbour. It was lovely and sunny, even if it was a degree below zero outside, and the boys were raring to go. We got out the house with a minor fuss and ambled down. I've been getting Tobe to walk as he's too big for the stroller and won't walk anywhere unless you make him, so it takes a very long time to get anywhere. He's taken to walking behind us and stopping if we stop. That's relevant to what happened to him. Looking back now, I can remember as we walked through the port towards the park, seeing a couple of men next to the port building working on the boats that had been pullled out for the winter. We had a lovely half hour playing on the commando slide and running around, and I decided we should head back since it was getting really cold and there was a chicken in the oven. We set off with Allie running ahead and Toby moaning about having to wear his gloves on his now freezing hands. He kept shaking them off and I kept putting them back on. He did his usual lagging thing, so the way that I've made him keep going is to walk ahead towards Allie and look back to make sure he's following. This is where I start kicking myself- he's not even 2 and I let him walk that far behind me. He's not Allie with his careful, thoughtful manner. My Mum says he's 'thrawn' (meaning perverse or contrary), but it's my job to keep him safe.... I was walking along, past the remaining boats, when I looked round to see where Toby was. I can't remember hearing a splash, but as soon as I turned round I could see that he was definitely not on the road. I ran back to where he had been and looked in the water. There he was, floating on his side, kicking his legs with a look that I never want to see again. He was barely above the water. I think his big, puffy coat (2 sizes too big) helped keep him afloat. I remembered to take my bag off, annd immediatelly looked to the area where I had seen the men. I started screaming 'help' (not m'aide) and I saw them start running towards us, so I jumped into the water. I think I would have jumped if there hadn't been anyone there.... I don't really know. As I jumped I also heard Allie screaming in a way that utterly petrified children do. I took a life saving class in school and had remembered to do the jump where you're less likely to sink, but I didn't take my snow boots or coat off.....ouch. I sank. Luckilly, the lake is very clear, so as I surfaced I could see exactly where Toby was (the red coat helped). He was starting to sink and I tried to push him up out of the water. When you see people fall into icy water in films you hear them shout and wave around. It's not like that at all. As soon as I surfaced I couldn't breath. All I could do was make weird gulping noises and kick my legs as hard as I could to get above the water. I had grabbed Toby and was trying so hard to make sure his head and as much of his body as possible was above water, and realised we had to get over to the side (an 8ft drop down vertical sides). There was a man at the top saying something about leaving to get something and coming back. He returned with a boat hook. I think he hooked around me and Tobe and moved us ~15ft around a corner to a ladder. By this time, I had my voice a bit. All I could say (in French) was "get a doctor" and "where is my other son". In between I kept telling Toby to keep screaming (I guess I didn't want him to 'go to sleep') I don't know what the man was saying back to me. He came down into the water, grabbed Tobe and pulled him up one handed. Walter and I think it was at least 80 lbs, one handed in the cold. I got myself up the ladder with him pulling me. I couldn't move my arms or fingers, and I'm pretty sure that if it had taken me longer to get Toby elevated and us moved to the side that there's not much I could have done. At this point I don't remember getting into the port buiding. We stripped Toby and wrapped him in a blanket and waited for the ambulance. I wanted so desperately to call Walter, but my phone was in my pants pocket and the man who rescued us didn't speak any english. When the ambulance arrived, one man checked Toby and the other gave me a blanket and told me to strip and put it on. Then we had an exciting ambulance ride through the neighbourhood to Hopital Pourtales ( new and excellent!) where the now screaming Toby was whisked away to have his core temperature raised. It was ~88 F on arrival. They kindly moved me into the his room to help calm him, and there he was, surrounded by heating blankets with a little, mad face poking out. So what was poor Allie doing? He was quietly waiting, drinking juice that the nurses gave him and drawing pictures. Later, he told Walter that he liked the ambulance ride. The policeman (and most of the staff) spoke good English, so he went to get Walter from his work. When Walter arrived Toby was much improved, not screaming anymore, playing with the nurses, wanting to get down. He took Allie home and left him with our super neighbours and came back with dry clothes. The boys went to bed late and we all slept badly. Toby's not doing so well tonight either. I think it's finally hitting home what happened. We had a very close shave, and I keep thinking about all the 'what ifs'...... the man who pulled us out is the real hero here. If he hadn't been there, I don't think I would have had the strength to get us out. Our neighbour said the water was ~4C..... I haven't seen him yet, and don't know his name, but I want to go find him to say Thank-you. How do you thank someone for something like that? I owe him my and my son's life.
So there you go, a potted history of our lives being saved yesterday. I've learned never to turn your back on a toddler, but I knew that anyway. Walter was going to take the day off tomorow to go see Kim and her family in Zurich, but we've decided to stay home with the boys. Hopefully we'll see them soon and definitely next Chritmas season there :) I'll do our weekend in the nest post. Paris is next weekend too :) That'll take our mind off 'stuff'!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
I should also add-
We've been sick as dogs for the last week. Walter has been hardest hit (poor Cali. thin blood) and both boys had fevers, general malaise, coughs ....the usual. I think we're starting to develop our immunity to EuroBugs. Hopefully we've passed something on to someone going to the International Club party on Saturday....heheheh.....
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Some Swissiscisms
I've been trying to compile a wee list of some "Swissicisms"- things that seem to be quintessentially Swiss. I keep forgetting some(I'm being swallowed up by the culture, man), but here are a few. If anyone has any other insights, feel free to share!
1) I think I've moaned about this before, but the shop opening hours are driving me insane. Most (nearly all) stores,including big ones, are closed on all of Sunday and Monday morning. Maybe Walter and I aren't typical, but Saturdays are slow for us. We're knackered from the previous week and want to lie around. Comoe Sunday morning, we have some energy and ideas about any shopping that may need to be done. If I forget to stock up (our freezer is beyond teeny) then Monday is harsh (a stick of wilted celery and something that looked like polenta in the packet, but turns out to be rather different). The post office, banks and a lot of stores close for lunch. Thursday is late night shopping everywhere. ie closing at 8pm.....maybe 9. I'm moaning about all this, but there's an upside. I have to plan my days and dinners a bit better. On Sundays we'll get out together exploring the area, or see friends. This country seems slow to change, but maybe thhat means they get more right. There was a vote last month about sunday opening. As it stood, one train station food market and one pharmacy in a town could be open. There were a few different measures- allowing everyone to open, some stores or no-one. Apparently, carried by 51%, any store in a train station or airport can now open.
2) Shopping brings me to money in general. People here don't have cheque books and work mainly in cash. Credit cards aren't used much either. So what does one do when one orders something for delivery? COD, or an enclosed bill (versement virement) which can be taken to the post office to pay. There's a big element of trust here, or maybe talking about money is distasteful.... Walter has the example of his office. It's located in another institution's building. When he first moved in, it was already 3 months later than he had planned, and they held the office for him. Walter lived in it for 2-3 months before signing the contract and paying. The man he was dealing with was very casual about the whole thing. We just received some calendars from a website here. There was no need to enter a credit card #- they came with a bill! Walter has also mentioned that legal contract here seem to be more towards "the spirit of the law" rather than covering all the loopholes. The Swiss legal and justice system would be interesting to look at... after learning French.. and lots of other stuff...
3)When we first moved here, I knew about the different languages, but I didn't know about the other divides that go along with it. German is the most common language here, but it ain't yer average, run of the mill German. It's known as Swiss German for a good reason. Germans really can't understand Swiss German speakers. This dates back to WWII. They were different before, but the war provoked the Swiss into make sure they didn't get confused with Germans, and change their language further. The French is of the typical variety. In school, the French speakers learn German and the German speakers learn French. After school, the German speakers would rather speak English than French and the French speakers would rather speak French (I think it's part of something translated into "the Swiss/Romande Ditch"). That's a good thing for me, as I can't get blasé about speaking the language (hehehe blasé). The Italian speakers stay out of it.... There are other aspects surfacing, but I can't remember them right now. It's just interesting that the French and German areas have more than a divide than I realised.
4) For such a clean and health oriented country, why do so many people smoke and throw the fag ends everywhere? One good thing is the trains become smoke free on the 11th Dec! Huzzah! That doesn't bode well for the platforms. We'll be on one of those platforms in a week waiting for the TGV to "Gay Paree". Allie's busting a blood vessel about that one. He gets on his bike these days with a silver cape and pretends he's the TGV. Any running also means he's the TGV. He also pronounces it the French way- TayGzhayVay hehehe. That reminds me, he's much more into the lingo now. When he goes to school, Walter's noticed the teacher says things to him and he does what she says! He and Tobe like to talk about the grand and petit chiens when we're out. They say bonjour to everyone too :) It's a blinking relief.
5) There's a marked seasonal delineation in stores. I went looking for a sand box recently and got laughed at. There's also SaurKraut EVERYWHERE right now. I've never seen it here and all of a sudden it's what's for breakfast,lunch and dinner. All of the shops also had Christmas stuff way before Thanksgiving, but no-one puts their tree up at home till the 24th.
6) We're finally having our French lessons (I know, Frenchh in Action is rad), 100 mins once a week. It's great and awful. In a class you can dissolve into the background, but since it's private, I'll look up from my complete incomprehension to see the teacher and Walter looking expectantly at me. She reminded me of a couple of Swiss French language differences. Seventy is septante (not soixante dix), eighty is huitante (not quatre vingt) and ninety is nonante (not quatre vingt dix). Much more logical, and it makes the Swiss shop keepers smile when the foreign chick says it :) Breakfast is dejeuner (not petit dejeuner), lunch is diner (not dejeuner) and dinner is super which is pronounced soopay (not diner). The Swiss also have petite tartine for breakfast (toast and jam or honey).
Hopefully we'll have a photo laden weekend and maybe a vid..... Friday is fondue with our French neighbours, Saturday is the International Club Christmas party. We're on the wait list for that, and there'll be poker (no splitting, push or insurance, though)! Sunday, Herb, Vero and baby Alec come over for Swiss Taco Night.... that should be interesting. How do I include SaurKraut on the menu?
1) I think I've moaned about this before, but the shop opening hours are driving me insane. Most (nearly all) stores,including big ones, are closed on all of Sunday and Monday morning. Maybe Walter and I aren't typical, but Saturdays are slow for us. We're knackered from the previous week and want to lie around. Comoe Sunday morning, we have some energy and ideas about any shopping that may need to be done. If I forget to stock up (our freezer is beyond teeny) then Monday is harsh (a stick of wilted celery and something that looked like polenta in the packet, but turns out to be rather different). The post office, banks and a lot of stores close for lunch. Thursday is late night shopping everywhere. ie closing at 8pm.....maybe 9. I'm moaning about all this, but there's an upside. I have to plan my days and dinners a bit better. On Sundays we'll get out together exploring the area, or see friends. This country seems slow to change, but maybe thhat means they get more right. There was a vote last month about sunday opening. As it stood, one train station food market and one pharmacy in a town could be open. There were a few different measures- allowing everyone to open, some stores or no-one. Apparently, carried by 51%, any store in a train station or airport can now open.
2) Shopping brings me to money in general. People here don't have cheque books and work mainly in cash. Credit cards aren't used much either. So what does one do when one orders something for delivery? COD, or an enclosed bill (versement virement) which can be taken to the post office to pay. There's a big element of trust here, or maybe talking about money is distasteful.... Walter has the example of his office. It's located in another institution's building. When he first moved in, it was already 3 months later than he had planned, and they held the office for him. Walter lived in it for 2-3 months before signing the contract and paying. The man he was dealing with was very casual about the whole thing. We just received some calendars from a website here. There was no need to enter a credit card #- they came with a bill! Walter has also mentioned that legal contract here seem to be more towards "the spirit of the law" rather than covering all the loopholes. The Swiss legal and justice system would be interesting to look at... after learning French.. and lots of other stuff...
3)When we first moved here, I knew about the different languages, but I didn't know about the other divides that go along with it. German is the most common language here, but it ain't yer average, run of the mill German. It's known as Swiss German for a good reason. Germans really can't understand Swiss German speakers. This dates back to WWII. They were different before, but the war provoked the Swiss into make sure they didn't get confused with Germans, and change their language further. The French is of the typical variety. In school, the French speakers learn German and the German speakers learn French. After school, the German speakers would rather speak English than French and the French speakers would rather speak French (I think it's part of something translated into "the Swiss/Romande Ditch"). That's a good thing for me, as I can't get blasé about speaking the language (hehehe blasé). The Italian speakers stay out of it.... There are other aspects surfacing, but I can't remember them right now. It's just interesting that the French and German areas have more than a divide than I realised.
4) For such a clean and health oriented country, why do so many people smoke and throw the fag ends everywhere? One good thing is the trains become smoke free on the 11th Dec! Huzzah! That doesn't bode well for the platforms. We'll be on one of those platforms in a week waiting for the TGV to "Gay Paree". Allie's busting a blood vessel about that one. He gets on his bike these days with a silver cape and pretends he's the TGV. Any running also means he's the TGV. He also pronounces it the French way- TayGzhayVay hehehe. That reminds me, he's much more into the lingo now. When he goes to school, Walter's noticed the teacher says things to him and he does what she says! He and Tobe like to talk about the grand and petit chiens when we're out. They say bonjour to everyone too :) It's a blinking relief.
5) There's a marked seasonal delineation in stores. I went looking for a sand box recently and got laughed at. There's also SaurKraut EVERYWHERE right now. I've never seen it here and all of a sudden it's what's for breakfast,lunch and dinner. All of the shops also had Christmas stuff way before Thanksgiving, but no-one puts their tree up at home till the 24th.
6) We're finally having our French lessons (I know, Frenchh in Action is rad), 100 mins once a week. It's great and awful. In a class you can dissolve into the background, but since it's private, I'll look up from my complete incomprehension to see the teacher and Walter looking expectantly at me. She reminded me of a couple of Swiss French language differences. Seventy is septante (not soixante dix), eighty is huitante (not quatre vingt) and ninety is nonante (not quatre vingt dix). Much more logical, and it makes the Swiss shop keepers smile when the foreign chick says it :) Breakfast is dejeuner (not petit dejeuner), lunch is diner (not dejeuner) and dinner is super which is pronounced soopay (not diner). The Swiss also have petite tartine for breakfast (toast and jam or honey).
Hopefully we'll have a photo laden weekend and maybe a vid..... Friday is fondue with our French neighbours, Saturday is the International Club Christmas party. We're on the wait list for that, and there'll be poker (no splitting, push or insurance, though)! Sunday, Herb, Vero and baby Alec come over for Swiss Taco Night.... that should be interesting. How do I include SaurKraut on the menu?
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
In the bleak midwinter....
It turns out Walter has a childhood family friend living in Zurich, so we invited her (Kim), her husband Christian and their a-blinkin-dorable son of 5 months, Loic, over for a Thanksgiving meal. Walter picked them up from the Neuchatel train station last Saturday morning. It was a lovely, Sunny, snowy day, so they saw Saint Blaise at it's best :) Kim's a journalist who's been covering the pharma. industry for the last few years. I think she only intended to stay for a couple of years.... sounds familiar ;) Christian is French Swiss, and us poofs didn't practice our French with him. After walks were taken, we tucked into a real Thanksgiving meal. Well, the turkey was from France and I haven't seen a sweet potato in months, but Kim supplied some real stuffing and cranberry sauce, and some really really tasty homemade pumpkin pie. We spent a lovely day with them, and Allie and Toby were in their element. They ended the evening running around the living room with pillows stuffed up their fronts , bumping into each other. This is what Kim and Christian have to look forward to hehehe.... We're looking forward to descending on them in Zurich :)
Christian and Loic take a breather between courses.
Kim is amused by the witty dinner conversation.
Not a shabby affair
So it snowed from last Thursday night till Monday. Here are some pics. of the Cali. Stockwells getting down with the season. Allie is a total snow fiend, but Toby's not so keen on the large amount of dressing up or the cold. He's a Southern creature.
Our living room view, the first day it snowed. Purdy!
Walter took some snow froom the window sill and A n T had their first ever taste. They kept asking for more.... it must taste good!
The boys went out to investgate. Walter showed Allie how to make snow angels.
Ain't they cute in the snow?
We went for a walk and the water wheel was frozen to a stop.
The weather has calmed somewhat now, although as I look out the window, it's sleating and a couple of degrees below zero outside. That can't bode well for tomorow- they're not big on ploughing or gritting! The farmer's market in Neuchatel is still going on under a lot of sheeting. There are lots of Marrons stalls (hot chestnuts) and I'm just waiting for the gluweine (sp?) (mulled wine). That should make shopping rather easy. When we get ready to go out, i need to give us at least 10 mins: catch boys, lose one, catch again, get one to the loo, put woolly socks on one while commanding the other (now deaf) to put his socks and shoes on, put shoes on the one that hates wearing anything while he screams no, tell Mr. Deaf to put his shoes on NOW, wrestle one into his gloves(he really hates those) then wrestle him into his coat, tell Mr. Deaf to put his shoes on, let Mr. Screamy ouside, help Mr. Deaf with his gloves and coat as he cries bitterly that he should go outside first. I then have to find my stuff, put it on and find suitable shopping bags (it costs to have your stuff bagged here). When the cold started, I went to Migros and bought leggings and tights(boys and girls wear them here) for the boys, leggings for Walter, more socks and a snow shovel. My mum has also sent a couple of packages with vests (the British for undershirts) for me and the poor boys. I had utterly forgotten how cold the cold can be and how much one needs to deal with it..... I'm glad we don't have to pay the heating bills....
Christian and Loic take a breather between courses.
Kim is amused by the witty dinner conversation.
Not a shabby affair
So it snowed from last Thursday night till Monday. Here are some pics. of the Cali. Stockwells getting down with the season. Allie is a total snow fiend, but Toby's not so keen on the large amount of dressing up or the cold. He's a Southern creature.
Our living room view, the first day it snowed. Purdy!
Walter took some snow froom the window sill and A n T had their first ever taste. They kept asking for more.... it must taste good!
The boys went out to investgate. Walter showed Allie how to make snow angels.
Ain't they cute in the snow?
We went for a walk and the water wheel was frozen to a stop.
The weather has calmed somewhat now, although as I look out the window, it's sleating and a couple of degrees below zero outside. That can't bode well for tomorow- they're not big on ploughing or gritting! The farmer's market in Neuchatel is still going on under a lot of sheeting. There are lots of Marrons stalls (hot chestnuts) and I'm just waiting for the gluweine (sp?) (mulled wine). That should make shopping rather easy. When we get ready to go out, i need to give us at least 10 mins: catch boys, lose one, catch again, get one to the loo, put woolly socks on one while commanding the other (now deaf) to put his socks and shoes on, put shoes on the one that hates wearing anything while he screams no, tell Mr. Deaf to put his shoes on NOW, wrestle one into his gloves(he really hates those) then wrestle him into his coat, tell Mr. Deaf to put his shoes on, let Mr. Screamy ouside, help Mr. Deaf with his gloves and coat as he cries bitterly that he should go outside first. I then have to find my stuff, put it on and find suitable shopping bags (it costs to have your stuff bagged here). When the cold started, I went to Migros and bought leggings and tights(boys and girls wear them here) for the boys, leggings for Walter, more socks and a snow shovel. My mum has also sent a couple of packages with vests (the British for undershirts) for me and the poor boys. I had utterly forgotten how cold the cold can be and how much one needs to deal with it..... I'm glad we don't have to pay the heating bills....
Thursday, November 24, 2005
It's Coooold en Suisse on Thanksgiving.
When we left for Rome it was cool- a few layers were needed in the early morning, maybe gloves for the boys. When we came back things were considerably different. It's been below zero every night and there's a baltic wind blowing through all the nukes and crannies. Our routine has turned into stepping out in the afternoon for a brief run down to the lake or up to the 'up park' then home to revive cold extremities. That Toby won't wear his gloves outside and then complains bitterly about 'hurt hands'.... When we return the boys run around giddy behaving like they've survived a trek through the Tundra.
It's supposed to start snowing tomorow. Every morning Allie asks if it's snowed yet, followed by 'Has Father Christmas come yet?'
I hope our American family are enjoying Thanksgiving. We wish we were there.
On a walk last weekend in the wilderness at the top of St-B
All the fountains that have water left in them are starting to ice over. Also taken on our walk last weekend.
It's supposed to start snowing tomorow. Every morning Allie asks if it's snowed yet, followed by 'Has Father Christmas come yet?'
I hope our American family are enjoying Thanksgiving. We wish we were there.
On a walk last weekend in the wilderness at the top of St-B
All the fountains that have water left in them are starting to ice over. Also taken on our walk last weekend.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Roma
We got back from Rome last Weds and I've been procrastinating and faffing with photo stuff.....
Anyhoo, the four of us set out a week ago on Sunday, up to the train station at the top of St-B, rather early in the morning. The following trains and airplane went very nicely. We flew from Zurich with SwissAir. All the crew were nice, we had extra seating next to us to spread out on and the chocolate kept on coming! We did have get bused out to the plane, though. When we landed in Rome things started to look a bit different. Apart from warmer weather, there was less "order" (I swear this is how we're thinking now). Ticket machines, the train station, trains were all older and in very 'used' condition. We navigated a ticket machine and got on the right train to Rome Termini (in the middle of Rome). As the train moved along Walter and I independantly of each other sat there thinking how all the stations we passed through were in a state of delapidation (Walter's comment was- you can't tell if they're being built or are in the middle of being abandonned-). The apartment buildings were awash with hanging laundry, plants, plants growing on roofs. We were shocked at feeling so shocked by the change in scenery. It's really not surprising that the Swiss don't go anywhere....
When we got to Termini, we had to hump our stuff a bizzilion miles along the huge station to the taxis. As soon as we were in a taxi I remembered Italian driving methodology- blinkin' fast and ridiculously close, interspersed with gesticulating and verbage. Very exciting! I heard on Car Talk the other day that the Itaians don't get road rage. I think they're having too much fun living close to the edge. We got to see a little of Rome in the car- lovely, busy, smelly, noisy, mishmosh. The hotel was right in the old part- http://www.romeby.com/hotelgenio/ I would recommend it- nice rooms, great location, cool terrace and a killer breakfast. I suspect you couldn't get a no smoking room for the love of money, though. We had spent the whole day travelling, so Walter took Allie out to find some warm, street vendor samichis...very yummy.
The next day Walter had to work, so the boys and I took a leisurly stroll arouond the environs. We made it across the Tiber heading towards the Castel Sant'Angelo. http://www.romeguide.it/MONUM/STORICI/castel/castel_eng.htm
On our way to the Castela.
Standing on a bridge, looking at the Castela.
Since it was Monday, it wasn't open :( but we took a stroll around the grounds outside it and whadaya know- we found a playground! Very nice too. Allie and Toby perked up considerably and we hung out there for a good while. When snack time rolled around we bought some yummy pastries from a vendor and watched all the people. There were also a lot of people selling designer knock-offs. My Prada bag is still there, calling out my name :(
While Toby napped, Allie and I took in the terrace on the top floor of the hotel. You can see a lot of Rome landmarks, and an unbelievable amount of TV antennas.... totally unbelievable- everywhere there's roof. The hotel is very near the Piazza Navona: http://www.romainteractive.com/pznavona.htm
What a perfect place for the boys (visited after Tobe's nap). Plenty of fountain action, lots of running around space and birds to chase. There were lots of cafes, gelaterias (btw there was one right beside the hotel...mmmm) and buskers.
Piazza Navona
Some Stockwells at Navona.
We got a pizza for dinner, then some gelato. This brings me to ice cream and Italy. I'm not a big ice cream fiend (unlike dear Walter), but Rome turned me. The gelato there is out of this world. It's soooooo smooth and creamy. The flavours are'nt too intense and taste like they should. The thing that really got me was the lack of plain ole vanilla. They had all kinds of 'basic' white ice cream that blew me away. Anything that I've tried in the US claiming to be Gelato is sadly mistaken.....
After the boys were bedded, Walter returned from 'work' and described the lovely food he had during his lunch and breaks ;)
Walter had day 2 off, so we headed out to take in more scenery. Starting at the Piazza Navona we walked through alleyway type streets to the Pantheon.
WK in front of the Pantheon, and ofcourse a fountain!
From the outside it's quite unassuming- it's in a small piazza with a fountain and cafes. The inside.... actually I can't really remember the inside now. It's been a while and I couldn't realy take it all in with wee boys trying to go into places they shouldn't and lick various saint's statues. It was beautiful, though. It's big feature is a large domed roof that's open to the outside. The floor has lots of little holes in it for the rain.
Inside the Pantheon.
Here's a better description than mine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome
Snack time at the Pantheon.
Walter found some old route between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain- through more cool, little streets. The Trevi is a spectacular fountain 'system'- it even had waves! The boys dipped their hands, clambered on the side (where they were whistled at by a police man...oops) and ran around. I'm not going to try to describe it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_Fountain
Stockwell men clamber on the Trevi.
After Toby's nap, we went to the Castel Sant'Angelo for poor Walter who wanted to see it. Unfortunately, the boys denied him again. They were moody to say the least, so we went to the park!
Tobe loves Rome.
Allie loves being photographed.
We did manage to drag them around some back streets some more and stop at a tratoria for dinner. We ate really good pasta outside, watching the beautiful people, then meandered some more. It's easy to get lost there and not see the same thing twice.... very fun.
Piazza Navona fountain by night.
I noticed that nearly every piazza we saw had it's own Madonna looking over it:
There would be different embellishments, type of inscription, size....
Weds. was home day. We all flew together and had to say goodbye to Walter at the gate as he was orf to Frankfurt to train eager people in the Crossbow way of doing things. The boys and I managed to get a train back to Neuchatel, but since the plane got in later than I thought, we got a different train with no connection to Saint-B... The upshot is on weds. we flew, took a train, a bus and a funicular to get home.
So that's Rome in a nutshell.... I wrote about it too late and now the memories are all fuzzy. For all the upheaval, it was a good trip. I like Rome, and I'll like it lots more when the boyts are 10(ish).... or staying with relatives...hehehe.
Anyhoo, the four of us set out a week ago on Sunday, up to the train station at the top of St-B, rather early in the morning. The following trains and airplane went very nicely. We flew from Zurich with SwissAir. All the crew were nice, we had extra seating next to us to spread out on and the chocolate kept on coming! We did have get bused out to the plane, though. When we landed in Rome things started to look a bit different. Apart from warmer weather, there was less "order" (I swear this is how we're thinking now). Ticket machines, the train station, trains were all older and in very 'used' condition. We navigated a ticket machine and got on the right train to Rome Termini (in the middle of Rome). As the train moved along Walter and I independantly of each other sat there thinking how all the stations we passed through were in a state of delapidation (Walter's comment was- you can't tell if they're being built or are in the middle of being abandonned-). The apartment buildings were awash with hanging laundry, plants, plants growing on roofs. We were shocked at feeling so shocked by the change in scenery. It's really not surprising that the Swiss don't go anywhere....
When we got to Termini, we had to hump our stuff a bizzilion miles along the huge station to the taxis. As soon as we were in a taxi I remembered Italian driving methodology- blinkin' fast and ridiculously close, interspersed with gesticulating and verbage. Very exciting! I heard on Car Talk the other day that the Itaians don't get road rage. I think they're having too much fun living close to the edge. We got to see a little of Rome in the car- lovely, busy, smelly, noisy, mishmosh. The hotel was right in the old part- http://www.romeby.com/hotelgenio/ I would recommend it- nice rooms, great location, cool terrace and a killer breakfast. I suspect you couldn't get a no smoking room for the love of money, though. We had spent the whole day travelling, so Walter took Allie out to find some warm, street vendor samichis...very yummy.
The next day Walter had to work, so the boys and I took a leisurly stroll arouond the environs. We made it across the Tiber heading towards the Castel Sant'Angelo. http://www.romeguide.it/MONUM/STORICI/castel/castel_eng.htm
On our way to the Castela.
Standing on a bridge, looking at the Castela.
Since it was Monday, it wasn't open :( but we took a stroll around the grounds outside it and whadaya know- we found a playground! Very nice too. Allie and Toby perked up considerably and we hung out there for a good while. When snack time rolled around we bought some yummy pastries from a vendor and watched all the people. There were also a lot of people selling designer knock-offs. My Prada bag is still there, calling out my name :(
While Toby napped, Allie and I took in the terrace on the top floor of the hotel. You can see a lot of Rome landmarks, and an unbelievable amount of TV antennas.... totally unbelievable- everywhere there's roof. The hotel is very near the Piazza Navona: http://www.romainteractive.com/pznavona.htm
What a perfect place for the boys (visited after Tobe's nap). Plenty of fountain action, lots of running around space and birds to chase. There were lots of cafes, gelaterias (btw there was one right beside the hotel...mmmm) and buskers.
Piazza Navona
Some Stockwells at Navona.
We got a pizza for dinner, then some gelato. This brings me to ice cream and Italy. I'm not a big ice cream fiend (unlike dear Walter), but Rome turned me. The gelato there is out of this world. It's soooooo smooth and creamy. The flavours are'nt too intense and taste like they should. The thing that really got me was the lack of plain ole vanilla. They had all kinds of 'basic' white ice cream that blew me away. Anything that I've tried in the US claiming to be Gelato is sadly mistaken.....
After the boys were bedded, Walter returned from 'work' and described the lovely food he had during his lunch and breaks ;)
Walter had day 2 off, so we headed out to take in more scenery. Starting at the Piazza Navona we walked through alleyway type streets to the Pantheon.
WK in front of the Pantheon, and ofcourse a fountain!
From the outside it's quite unassuming- it's in a small piazza with a fountain and cafes. The inside.... actually I can't really remember the inside now. It's been a while and I couldn't realy take it all in with wee boys trying to go into places they shouldn't and lick various saint's statues. It was beautiful, though. It's big feature is a large domed roof that's open to the outside. The floor has lots of little holes in it for the rain.
Inside the Pantheon.
Here's a better description than mine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome
Snack time at the Pantheon.
Walter found some old route between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain- through more cool, little streets. The Trevi is a spectacular fountain 'system'- it even had waves! The boys dipped their hands, clambered on the side (where they were whistled at by a police man...oops) and ran around. I'm not going to try to describe it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_Fountain
Stockwell men clamber on the Trevi.
After Toby's nap, we went to the Castel Sant'Angelo for poor Walter who wanted to see it. Unfortunately, the boys denied him again. They were moody to say the least, so we went to the park!
Tobe loves Rome.
Allie loves being photographed.
We did manage to drag them around some back streets some more and stop at a tratoria for dinner. We ate really good pasta outside, watching the beautiful people, then meandered some more. It's easy to get lost there and not see the same thing twice.... very fun.
Piazza Navona fountain by night.
I noticed that nearly every piazza we saw had it's own Madonna looking over it:
There would be different embellishments, type of inscription, size....
Weds. was home day. We all flew together and had to say goodbye to Walter at the gate as he was orf to Frankfurt to train eager people in the Crossbow way of doing things. The boys and I managed to get a train back to Neuchatel, but since the plane got in later than I thought, we got a different train with no connection to Saint-B... The upshot is on weds. we flew, took a train, a bus and a funicular to get home.
So that's Rome in a nutshell.... I wrote about it too late and now the memories are all fuzzy. For all the upheaval, it was a good trip. I like Rome, and I'll like it lots more when the boyts are 10(ish).... or staying with relatives...hehehe.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
What's This?????
On our foray through the fields of Pierre a bot, we saw a bunch of these:
I thought it might have to do with feeding cows their hay in the winter. Allie thought it was a toy.... There's the prize of a bunch of chocolate for the person who enlightens us :)
Also, most of you probably know what this is:
My mum and I used these public loos at Pierre a bot... they're still going strong in Suisse! The splash marks around it are from the strong flushing water.....
We're off on a wee jaunt to Rome tomorow. I love saying that! Any suggestions of what to see when we're there? Remember there will be 2 active, sleep deprived wee boys with us. We'll be staying right in the old part, near the Tiber :) Very exciting!
I thought it might have to do with feeding cows their hay in the winter. Allie thought it was a toy.... There's the prize of a bunch of chocolate for the person who enlightens us :)
Also, most of you probably know what this is:
My mum and I used these public loos at Pierre a bot... they're still going strong in Suisse! The splash marks around it are from the strong flushing water.....
We're off on a wee jaunt to Rome tomorow. I love saying that! Any suggestions of what to see when we're there? Remember there will be 2 active, sleep deprived wee boys with us. We'll be staying right in the old part, near the Tiber :) Very exciting!
Gma departs, New Car, Odds and Ends
We had a busy week of showing Gma how the Swiss shop, going to the parks and seeing Neuchatel. She wants to live here now :)
Here's a pic of her and the boys at the famous water wheel.
While we were visiting the park at the top of the town, Allie and Toby took to playing this game:
No-one's been jumped on yet!
It was lovely seeing Gma Cake. The boys had some serious withdrawal on the day between her leaving and Walter coming home. She's bringing Gpa back for New Year. Walter and I get to sample our first Swiss Hogmanay!
NEW CAR!!!
Walter came home from London on Friday and promptly went to pick up the car. We are now the proud drivers of a VOLVO......hehehehe..... I need to find a Starbucks for my latte...hehehe... It's a really nice car. Plenty of room for 'stuff' like ....mmm...skis.... hehehe.
Here's a pic of her and the boys at the famous water wheel.
While we were visiting the park at the top of the town, Allie and Toby took to playing this game:
No-one's been jumped on yet!
It was lovely seeing Gma Cake. The boys had some serious withdrawal on the day between her leaving and Walter coming home. She's bringing Gpa back for New Year. Walter and I get to sample our first Swiss Hogmanay!
NEW CAR!!!
Walter came home from London on Friday and promptly went to pick up the car. We are now the proud drivers of a VOLVO......hehehehe..... I need to find a Starbucks for my latte...hehehe... It's a really nice car. Plenty of room for 'stuff' like ....mmm...skis.... hehehe.
Helios!
So last Monday we saw Walter off to London for a few days of mingling with BP and other companies in the run up to the "Helios Awards". It's a way of recognising BP's best people and projects. Crossbow was up for the Innovation and Partnership awards (Partnership is more prestigious than the other categories). Walter got to shake hands and talk to Lord Brown himself (the man at the top of the richest company in the world). He was very chuffed! Mr Chufftie had a very nice (and tiring time) in London too :) Here's a description of the awards:
http://www.bp.com/subsection.do?categoryId=9002633&contentId=2002401
Unfortunately, they don't have the 2005 results up yet.
When there's a pic. of Walter and the other Crossbow extaordinaires at the 'do' I'll certainly post it :)
Huzzaah for Xbow!
http://www.bp.com/subsection.do?categoryId=9002633&contentId=2002401
Unfortunately, they don't have the 2005 results up yet.
When there's a pic. of Walter and the other Crossbow extaordinaires at the 'do' I'll certainly post it :)
Huzzaah for Xbow!
Grandma Cake's Visit
Well, what a busy week, and it's only getting busier!
I picked up my mum from the Neuchatel station last Saturday evening. On Sunday she got thrown straight into some Neuchatel culture, as our old landlords (now friends) Sylvain and Rachel invited us to a picnic in the park. Poor Walter stayed with poor Toby, who had a nice big temperature :( So my mum (called Grandma Cake -for Kate- by Tobe), Allie and I took a couple of buses to the area above Neuchatel called Pierre-a-bot. There's a farm, a lot of space(I was told the park used to be a golf course) and a nice restaurant called Pinte de Pierre-a bot, which is famous for fondue:
http://www.pintedepierreabot.com/
While we waited, Allie played in a nice playground with Gma.
We met Sylvain, Rachel and Timotei, who all had huge back packs. It turns out they had come prepared for a full Raclette meal. We all hunted in the surrounding woods for some good firewood and Sylvain made a perfect camp fire.
We wrapped potatoes individually in aluminium foil and he put them in the fire (he also boiled some in a pot).. When they were ready, he took out a 1.25 ft diameter, half wheel of Raclette cheese and put it on a flat piece of rock, right next to the fire.
In a couple of minutes,it would be bubbling and he would take it off and deftly scrape the whole face of it onto some lucky person's plate.
The tradition is to eat the potato out of its skin with the melted cheese, but I'm rather partial to scorched, baked potato. While you're waiting for the pots and cheese you all tuck into pickled products. Gerkins, onions, corn, mushrooms etc. They're really good with the cheese and potato too.
After stuffing our faces, my mum and I talked to some of Sylvain and Rachel's friends while Allie played with a bunch of kids. It really brought home that he's a big boy now. After food, we didn't see him at all as he was having too much fun with his pals....
I picked up my mum from the Neuchatel station last Saturday evening. On Sunday she got thrown straight into some Neuchatel culture, as our old landlords (now friends) Sylvain and Rachel invited us to a picnic in the park. Poor Walter stayed with poor Toby, who had a nice big temperature :( So my mum (called Grandma Cake -for Kate- by Tobe), Allie and I took a couple of buses to the area above Neuchatel called Pierre-a-bot. There's a farm, a lot of space(I was told the park used to be a golf course) and a nice restaurant called Pinte de Pierre-a bot, which is famous for fondue:
http://www.pintedepierreabot.com/
While we waited, Allie played in a nice playground with Gma.
We met Sylvain, Rachel and Timotei, who all had huge back packs. It turns out they had come prepared for a full Raclette meal. We all hunted in the surrounding woods for some good firewood and Sylvain made a perfect camp fire.
We wrapped potatoes individually in aluminium foil and he put them in the fire (he also boiled some in a pot).. When they were ready, he took out a 1.25 ft diameter, half wheel of Raclette cheese and put it on a flat piece of rock, right next to the fire.
In a couple of minutes,it would be bubbling and he would take it off and deftly scrape the whole face of it onto some lucky person's plate.
The tradition is to eat the potato out of its skin with the melted cheese, but I'm rather partial to scorched, baked potato. While you're waiting for the pots and cheese you all tuck into pickled products. Gerkins, onions, corn, mushrooms etc. They're really good with the cheese and potato too.
After stuffing our faces, my mum and I talked to some of Sylvain and Rachel's friends while Allie played with a bunch of kids. It really brought home that he's a big boy now. After food, we didn't see him at all as he was having too much fun with his pals....
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