Po Faced Allie

My parents call one "Po Faced" if one is looking obnoxiously bad tempered. Allie, in his interesting (at least to his parents) and exciting development, is now working on expressions of displeasure with his mater and pater. Should we laugh openly when he does this?

Visiting Friends!

My friend Sybille came with her family to stay for a couple of nights. She's German and has taken an extended vacation in Germany with her parents. Herself, her husband Greg and daughters Sophia and Ava all drove down on one of the hotter days recently. We took them to Chaumont, where we could see the three lakes, but no Alps unfortunately. It was a bit cooler up there.... but not much.

A view up the Funicular.


Sybille Ava and Tobe at the tower.


Tobe on the staircase in the tower.


Hazy Neuchatel from the Funi.


In the afternoon, we took the requisit trip to the lake. The water is getting up past 25 deg C, which is nice but weird, swimming around in bath water. This was topped off by pizza and beer.

'The men' enjoying pizza....



We had a lovely time hanging out and catching up. Thanks for coming all this way, Sybille and Greg!

Summer Pics

Our neighbour Matthieu is a Tri-athlete, so he rides his bike all over the area. On the other side of the lake in the town of Portalban (near Cudrefin) are some sandy beaches, and he had found a small, secluded one. We all drove over and walked ~2km, through a green swamp to the beach. It was as he promised- lovely, quiet and full of sand.

Anne looking for frogs.


Walter and Allie take some time to sunbathe. Allie wasn't his best as he was getting sick that day :(


Collum and Fiona get stuck into sand castle building.


Oh to be a 2 year old on the beach.


Claire found some charcoal and painted herself!


Activities in the sand.....




The following weekend we went again to Portalban, to the big beach which didn't require a hike to it. The rest of all the surrounding cantons were there too. It was nice afternoon anyway.


Saint Blaise has a selection of beaches. We've migrated to a little inlet that is shallow and contained (for Allie the now mad swimmer, who'll keep going till he's out to sea!).



The cloudiness is a very fine sand, so it's not 'dirty' as such. I have to say, the sea is still my favourite.

We went to a local pick-your-own raspberry field, and put the boys to work. If you look at the bottom picture of Allie (tries hard, does good work)you'll see Toby's bowl. He had picked a few out of my bowl, put them in his, then skipped down the row spilling them all (could do better).



My brother Jamie gave Allie a wee gardening kit when he and Rob came in January. It included sunflower seeds that Allie planted and watered (less often recently. That answers the getting a pet question ;) ). They are now 3, eight ft plants with big flowers!

My first visit to Istanbul

I took a trip to Istanbul for business. I ended up being there for three nights. This was my first time in Turkey -- a very interesting visit!

I arrived Tuesday just in time for rush hour. The international airport is on the European side of the city, and I needed to get to my hotel (and meetings) on the Asian side. Istanbul doesn't have a great train system, so I got a taxi. I showed the taxi driver the hotel and address (all in Turkish) . . . he thought for a bit . . . then said "OK" and off we went. Istanbul is HOT. Hot and humid. I was told specifically to get a taxi with AC. Now I know why. After driving for a bit I asked to have the AC on, and the driver put it on. Much better. We "chatted" a bit as I tried to get him to tell me how long it would take to drive to the hotel, how to say "thank you", "yes", "no", etc.

Istanbul is one of those places where traffic laws are treated as suggestions only. We wove in and out of lanes.

Lanes? Another suggestion. People drove wherever they could fit. Somehow, with lots of honking, no one actually hits anyone else, but it's all very exciting in the meantime.

As we drove, I saw a bit of the city. It's a bit like Los Angeles. LA with no zoning, apartment blocks instead of houses, and mosques scattered throughout. Hills, freeways, people everywhere. The mosques are interesting because they are everywhere and they all seem to be built to the same design. They all have the same domes and minarets with loud speakers.

Here is a picture of a mosque near my hotel. What you can't see is that there were businesses under the mosque. Food, newsstand, and a laser hair removal service. (Note all of these terrible photos are from my mobile phone.)


The taxi ride ended up being two hours because of the traffic. The driver stopped chatting about halfway through. After that he just drove. We went over a bridge across the Bosphorus. My first time in Asia! (Well, I guess Moscow is in Asia?)

After all that, the ride ended up being about $45 including tip. My hotel was new, very nice, and had wireless internet. Staff everywhere, trying to help and carry things, so you have to keep some change around for tips.

I spent the next 2 1/2 days on meetings. I was taken out to some nice lunches and dinners. One unifying theme to Turkish cuisine is grilled sheep. Sheep in all its forms -- chops, sliced, meat balls etc. I remember Kerem, Kia's husband (from Turkey), talking about how the Turks love to grill. I can report it is true. And all tasty. They also have very good watermelon there. Other notable foods included special Turkish beans, in a kind of chili sauce; red carrot juice (sour, salty, quite a shock at first!); raki, an anise-flavored spirit drunk with dinner. I asked about pork. My hosts, Turks but not practicing Muslims, said no one eats pork. They said they had tried it, but didn't like it. It was too greasy and heavy in their opinion, not like lovely lamb.

My last night there I moved to a hotel on the European side, in fact in the center of the historical city. This was a little hotel right by the Hagia Sophia. (only $55 per night for a queen size bed ensuite, air conditioned!) I wandered around a bit to get a snack for dinner (after 2 days of large lunches and dinners.) While wandering, I went to look at the Blue Mosque. A man started speaking to me. I knew he was trying to work a line on me, but I figured I just be careful and see where this led. He took me over to the Mosque, and offered to show me the inside. But we would have to hurry as it was almost time for prayers. Well, we got there and they had a sign up saying "No Tourists -- Prayer Time". My guide said, no mind, just get your shoes off and come in. So in we went. You take your shoes off outside and carry them in a little plastic bag. They have shelves inside to stack up your shoes.

The inside is amazing. A huge space, entirely covered with rugs. The rugs are marked with person-sized rectangular patterns so everyone has a little space to kneel on. As we looked around, people were streaming in and lining up at the front. No one hangs back. You just fill in at the next space, right across the front. Eventually the Imam started the service, and people were standing, bowing, kneeling. My guide said it would be OK to take a picture . . . it seemed strange, but what the heck, so I took a camera phone picture.


We wandered back outside and he mentioned he had a family business selling carpets. I said I was not going to buy anything, but he wanted to show me anyway, so OK, I'll go and see some carpets. We wander past many many shops and eventually get to his. I am shown upstairs to a "showroom" and handed off to the real salesman. Very organized and professional, this getting people into the shop. I repeat that I will not be buying anything, but they jump in anyway. I end up liking the most expensive, nicest carpet (silk on silk). The price is $2500 for a 5'x3' carpet. I say I could possibly spend $500 maximum. Looks of disbelief abound (I realize later I am still in my work clothes, so I look like a good customer.) The price comes down to $1500. Still no from me. They show me how if you spin it around the colors change. I feel the soft silk. They show me how it is made, with double knotting.

Still no sale. $1200. $1000. At this point I feel bad, and insist on leaving since I really do have no intention of buying. My guide walks back out with me to the mosque and makes a final offer of $800. I again refuse and leave him to look for another mark.


Now I look for a kebab stand. Along the way I get snagged by another carpet salesman. This one is very friendly, tells me he lived in Alaska, and begs me to see his store. Well, ok, it will be interesting to see prices in one more place. So I go in, have some tea, sit and look at some carpets. Again I am handed off to the real salesman. But after I make it clear I will not be buying, he loses heart. So I look some and leave. On the way out, I run into the ex-Alaskan. He thanks me for giving him respect, and wishes me a good night. I mention I'm looking for a quick meal and he knows just the place! So he wisks we around the corner to a place that specializes in "meatballs". He orders some meatballs, bread, beans and vegetables for me. Shows me to a stand outside for drinks -- a 1.5 litre bottle of water and a yoghurt drink. Total food cost about $5. He then gives me a card and email address and says goodnight. No attempt to get a tip or pickpocket me. These Turks are really nice! Yes, they want to sell you things, but friendly even when you don't buy. So I march back to my hotel to eat, shower and get ready for the next day.

The next day I finish up my meetings, then have some hours before I need to get to the airport. So I march off to the Hagia Sofia, a basilica turned mosque turned museum first built in the 400s. It was burned down, and rebuilt in 516. When the muslims came they turned it into a mosque by adding some minerettes. It already had the big dome, and is suspiciously aligned with Mecca (what's the required accuracy?) The inside had been covered with mosaics and crosses. When the muslims came, they frescoed over everything, but didn't actually destroy the mosaics. So they have now uncovered some of the mosaics. Amazingly detailed mosaic work, very beautiful. And everywhere that is not frescoed or mosaiced is paneled with choice marble slabs.



After some time there, I marched over to the Tokapi Palace on the promise of finding swords. This was a seasonal palace for the Ottoman emperors. This is a large complex, with and inner and outer courtyard. Many rooms around the courtyards. They have artefacts said to date back to the Prophet himself! Including his sword (now unusably encrusted with jewels), his bow, some letters. Many other swords, jewels, thrones, water flasks. The emperor always had someone nearby with a water flask. The Ottomans hold their own against the other empires in terms of wealth collected.

Finally, I march over to the Grand Bazaar. I had no idea what it was, but saw signs and it sounded interesting. It turned out to be the grandfather of our shopping malls. It is a HUGE covered maze of shops and stalls. I only spent 15 minutes inside because I quickly realized I had bitten off more than I could chew. The stalls stretch off farther than you can see in every direction. Worth a longer visit. I marched back to my hotel to pick up my bags and get a taxi. While I'm marching up, I run into another store owner. He has a little store right next to the hotel, and I had blown him off the night before. So he insists I come in, though I swear I'm not buying and about to get in a taxi. Sure enough, my taxi comes, and as I am getting in, he is offering his $1200 kilim (silk on cotton embroidered) for $250 cash. Just keep saying no to get those prices down.

A note about the climate and marching around. As I said, Istanbul is HOT and HUMID. As you walk around, you sweat. You notice that everyone, natives as well as tourists, are carrying water bottles. Each evening I would find myself soaked. In fact, I discovered salt stains on my shirts and socks from sweating so much. So it is a must to drink water. Luckily, the Turks don't believe in ripping you off for water. A bottle of cold water costs about $0.40, even in a tourist area like Tokapi. In Switzerland the same bottle would cost at least $2.50.

I did end up buying some things -- a necklace and a picture. I probably paid too much, as I only talked them down 50% or so, but they could tell I liked them and was ready to buy.

This was a great trip. Successful on the business side, and very interesting on the personal side. A very unique place to visit for this American boy. Next time I'll try to take Emma along to look at the carpets. That's why I say this was my first visit.

Le Spectacle!

Wee man number 1 had a milestone on Friday last. He had his first 'school performance'. Well, it was a creche perfomance. His teachers had been planning it for a good 3 months, and to their credit Allie kept everything about it secret. It was also the Saint Blaise Fete de Jeunesse (young person festival). The festival loving Swiss have a lot of 'spectacles' and fetes for all of the young folk at the beginning of the summer vacation. They precede a week of sports, then the holidays till the middle of August.
Anyhoo, at 4:30pm I dropped Allie off at the music room of Walter's building, while the teachers were screaming at me not to come in. We had to wait for half an hour before being allowed in. The first out were little 'hippos' playing drums. Very cute, but no Allie... they went back and out came a bunch of penguins and what looked like chicks.

We stood at the back and Toby asked to be picked up. He kept asking "Where's Allie?" I would say "He's coming out soon". Toby got impatient and started shouting "Alleeeee" very loudly. Then who should start waving at us but Allie the chick! Actually, he was "un petit canard" or a duckling.

He and his friends did a lovely little dance and sing along.

Allie was the cutest canard of all :)


After the performance, we all repaired to the creche (just up the street) for "repas canadien". When I saw this on the invitation I didn't pay much attention. I just saw 'repas' and thought "great. They're feeding us too." Lucky for me, one of the teachers had explained that we would be bringing a dish to share, as a repas canadien is (Swiss) French for a Potluck meal!!!! What did Canada do to earn that? We met other parents and got to watch Allie with his friends. One strange thing was seeing some of the teachers smoking! Poor Allie's used to it now. When we first arrived, he would ask (whenever he saw someone smoking): What is that person doing? Why are they doing that? I'm trying to work out why the Swiss now have the second longest, average longevity in the world....

Vero, her Belle Mere (mother in law) Evelyn, baby Alec, julia and the boys.


Julia always wants to hold Allie's hand and play with him. Toby always wants to hold Julia's hand and hang out with her. Is this a taste of the turbulent teenage years?

Fun on the 4th, while watching footie.

Well, we were supposed to go to bed, but the footie's in O.T. I was tring to read the Swiss Anthem and translated it in Babelfish. Naturally, it didn't really compute. I then tried the first verse of the Star Spangled Banner, translating into French, then back into English. This is the result:

Can the word of Oh see you by the first light of the paddle
what so much proudly we hail with the last to shine of the twilight?
With which broad band and luminous holds the first role, by the perilous combat,
O' er the ramparts which we observed, let us run so much valiantly?
And the red gleam of rockets, the bombs bursting in air,
provided evidence by the night that our flag was always there.
Does the word of Oh make that banner however vague
O' er to hold the first role-spangled the ground of free and the house of facing?

Merry 4th of July to one and all!!!!

Us poor saps got to celebrate the occasion of America's birth on Sunday last. Kim, Christian and Loic came all the way from Zurich to partake of feasting and cake. Walter wants to make it clear that we bought a proper, American style of grill with chimney lighter (on sale at Migros), especially. It's quite amazing the number of people here who like to bbq, yet who are really bad at it. We had BBQ ribs (some of the finest Walter has ever had....mmmmmm... mountain raised pig), chips, salsa, salad and StarsnStripes cake. Kim even brought sparklers and bombs, which made Allie scream with delight every time they went off.

Loic eating Cheerios.


Christian tries to get Loic to eat something more appropriate.... like ribs. Photographed by Allie... along with bezzillians of others.


A scrumdidlyumptious cake made by Walter.


Kim with her bag of (freely available at la Coop) sparklers and bombs.


I hold one for her to light.


Whatever they were made of, it was blinding.


Christian keeps Loic back a little....


It was a lovely day and it made us miss the good ole US :)

Today, Walter taught me and the boys "The Star Spangled Banner". We plan on knowing all the verses by this time next year. What's the Swiss National Anthem? We'll be singing it on August 1st, the national day of Suisse...Although, we just listened to it and it doesn't quite have the memorable umph... Walter said he'd rather hear "Zurich is Stained" by Pavement.