Thanks, MM!

The girls and I had our first play date this morning with a friend I met when we were visiting Zurich back in 2010. Mary Marshall (that's her first name) is from Texas and is just a breath of fresh air. She's super kind, always stylish, and really just very enjoyable to be around. Her beautiful babies, Mary Wesley and Annabelle Marshall, are just as sweet and we can't wait to hangout with them again. One play date with MM and I feel "home" again.

This photo was taken on Bahnonhofstrasse, which according to wikipedia, "is Zurich's main downtown street and one of the world's most expensive and exclusive shopping avenues." We were just passing through on our way to Bellevue to get a view of Zurichsee and to pick up some sausages. We were one week into our lives as Swiss residents when we ran into Mary Marshall and Kyle and had the opportunity to meet her sister and nephew who were visiting from the states.  Lucky us.

Feeling Homesick

I have been having the time of my life since moving to Switzerland but I have moments, like today, where I miss life back in the states. We have an apartment but we can't live there until we have beds and an electrician out to wire most of the lights in the house. We have our car (in storage) but can't drive it until who knows when because there are so many hoops to jump through to get the right insurance and proper plates. Going somewhere takes a lot longer because we use public transportation and there are some places that are just too far to travel with two kids in tow. I've met some incredible people. Tiro, from Cape Town, stands out and I'll post more pics of our day at the zoo. But I miss America. My American friends. Doing American things like shopping at Target. I miss sushi. Really miss sushi. And knowing where to buy little things like corner guards or Elmer's glue.

Thankfully, I found this video and it made me smile. It's very American and just what I needed.

Badi Tiefenbrunnen

Today we discovered something integral to summers in Zurich, the badis. There are several that dot Zurichsee and other surrounding lakes like Greifensee. Badi Tiefenbrunnen is the closest to us (~10 bus stops door-to-door or 15 minutes). The playground area has two wading pools complete with mini fountains. Around the pools are numerous umbrellas and there are a couple of swings, slides, etc. On the Lake are bigger water slides and floating decks. There's even a circular deck with picnic tables on it. The whole area is really lovely and as to be expected super clean! We had a wonderful morning and will definitely be back.

On our way out of the park, I noticed a deck where folks were sunbathing. You couldn't actually see the deck but I saw a couple of folks leaning against its railing. There were two sets of staircases leading up to the deck and on closer inspection I saw two signs. One for each staircase. One read, "nur fur damen," and the other, "nur fur herren." I thought the "nur fur..." translated to "not for" instead it means "only for." Thankfully Grace's hunger pains won out and I didn't have time to venture up the wrong staircase. Do they bathe in the nude or topless in Switzerland??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spielplätze

Here are a few pics of playgrounds in the area. I think the design of each playground is really neat and I enjoy the aethetics, as well as, watching Grace and Ally tire themselves out. They've been sleeping like champs lately and I'm sure all this fresh air has alot to do with it. Fresh air and shutters! I'm so used to shutters being a cosmetic feature on a building that I forgot the Swiss actually use theirs. I have to thank Carolina for this tip. Had she not reminded us about the shutters, we'd still be slaphappy from lack of sleep.

 

 

Zürich Zoo

Our apartment is only 10 minutes by tram to the zoo so today we took a little ride up the hill to check it out. My first impression was WOW! They've thought of everything. A zip line for the kids. Free double strollers. They even have a concession stand that sells only the bare essentials: cervelas (Swiss sausage), bratwurst, water, and brot (bread). Given the prices at local restaurants, this is where Rob and I would come on "date night."

In addition to the great fare, we really enjoyed the exhibits which are designed in such a way that you can get very close to the animals. The monkeys were really a special experience. There was one monkey in particular that made us laugh. He stuck his arm through the fence up to his shoulder and then opened his hand. He was trying to convince another zoo-goer to share his granola bar with him.

The best part, of course, was spending the day with Rob and the girls. We're hiking next weekend. You can't live here and not go hiking. We're also starting to plan our first vacation. Where would you go? I am partial to seeing more of Switzerland.

This restaurant is across the street from the zoo. I thought it was pretty and I miss eating out!

 

 

 

The zip line and Grace on it

 

 

 

 

Eating cervelas. The real reason we moved to Switzerland.

 

Our oldest monkey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family BBQ

Sundays are sacred here and that's something we really love about living in Switzerland. All of the stores are closed and family is the focus. Mowing one's lawn or other excessive noise is not tolerated. Today we spent the afternoon at Ceci's with family. The girls played with their cousins and we feasted on ribs, chicken, and sausages. Ceci's significant other, Pierre, made the delicious desserts. The weather was stunning and the girls had a wonderful time. We look forward to many more Sundays like this.