Moving to Instagram

Hi! It's been ages since I've posted here. Life gets busier as the girls get older so I've moved their happenings over to Instagram where it's less time consuming to keep in touch. Please stop by. Grace turned 10 this weekend and spent her birthday party at an indoor bike park with a pump track. Ally is turning (gasp) seven in March! All is well in our corner of the world but we still miss our family and friends.

Prague + Münich

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague, Czech Republic

We spent a week in Prague this Summer and couldn't have had a better experience. The city is stunning. It ranks #6 in Tripadvisor's Best World Destinations to visit for 2016. We didn't know this until now but we can certainly understand why it's so popular. The city has 14 bridges that span the Vltava River but The Charles Bridge built in 1357 is the most famous. We rented an airbnb near the foot of The Charles Bridge in Mala Strana (Lesser Town) and it was the perfect "home" base for sightseeing.

Like every European vacation, we spent our days exploring. We walked alot! Rob and Grace also did a one day bike trip (35km) to a castle in Karlstejn Castle. There are suspended bike only paths beneath the bridges in Prague so riding on the outskirts of town was ideal.

The food is also notable. We didn't have a bad meal and our favorite was at a restaurant called Lokal. It's part of the slow food movement and only serves locally sourced ingredients. The very long wait (in the street) to get a table was not seen as a deterrent. We split up just to grab seats and then eventually waited out our table mates until we could all sit and eat together. Not the easiest way to get a meal with kids but the girls were troopers!

We are back in Zürich and went hiking today in the Glarus region. The girls have two more weeks of Summer left and I am flying to Philadelphia to visit my Dad this week for a few days. The weekend after next we are attending our first Swiss wedding in the Alps for one of Rob's students and then Rob heads to Stanford for a conference. Grace is competing in the Swiss Athletic Sprint Cantonal races in early September and she will also compete in another Triathlon a week later. Go, G! Ally will be playing soccer with our local club starting in the Fall and I am perpetually training for a 5K :-)

More pics to follow...

IronKids Triathlon 2016

Grace competed in her first triathlon! The IronKids Triathlon is a side event to the Ironman competition which took place in Zürich on September 24. Rob did the olympic triathlon the day before. The IronKids tri was actually a bi with only two events. Still not sure why biking wasn't included but I think it may have to do with where the race takes place (in the city) and there's no easy route for kids to bike. The race consisted of swimming 150m IN Lake Zürich and then running 600m. The next two triathlons Grace will be doing will include the biking portion in addition to swimming and running.

Nicola Spirig was competing in the Olympic Triathlon as well so folks were really excited to see her in action. Frau Spirig is the 2012 Olympic Gold medialist and 2015 European champion in women's tri. She also hosts kids triathlons throughout the region and Grace will be competing in another triathlon next month. We love how many opportunities there are for kids to be active here. 

Ally is still on the fence about taking the leap from running to triathlons. In the meantime, she loves watching Grace compete. We all do. 

Schnellste von Maur

Slow motion video of Grace's race. Grace will be competing in the Katon finals in September!

Di Schnällschte vo Muur (The Fastest in Maur)

Every commune or neighborhood in Switzerland is currently holding races to find their fastest kids when it comes to running. Grace decided to compete and I am so proud to let you know that she WON! First place in her category. I also think it's pretty neat that the cost to enter was only CHF5.

The top two winners are invited to the regional/kantonal races in early September and if she wins here she will go on to compete in the national competition. It's so great to see her excel and to watch her young confidence build.

Here are some pics and a video of her winning race. She ran in two races in order to place. Please ignore my very audible cheering. You can take the girl out of America but...

Zumikerlauf 2016

It was a year ago last Saturday that the girls started running/racing on a regular basis. The time has flown by and the girls' finish times get better with each race. I couldn't be prouder of these two for their running accomplishments. They have nerves of steel and watching them "turn it on" near the finish is an awesome site. Here are few pics from the day courtesy of PPR Media Relations. The race took place in the neighborhood next to ours and the 11K course ran through a golf course we like to bike and walk around.

Farewell Dinner

Last Saturday several ladies from my gym got together to bid farewell to a good friend and fellow expat, Louise. As with most expats, work contracts are for finite periods of time and folks move back home after a couple of years. And sadly (for us) Louise will be returning to Denmark this Summer. There are over 10 nationalities represented in these pics and this diversity is something I love about living in Switzerland. We are all very different but we also have so many things in common i.e., families, work, etc.

Louise is an anesthesiologist by trade but I feel she might have missed her calling as a stand up comic. This lady is funny and we are all going to miss her sense of humor. I can easily say she's my favorite viking but she's also just one of my favorite people and she will be sorely missed! 

The night started with dinner at Loft 5 and then drinks after dinner. Finally the inevitable. Dancing until the wee hours of the morning. The group size got smaller as the evening waxed on and the grins a little goofier. Then six of us crammed are toned butts into an über (Prius station wagon) and made our way(s) back home. It was an epic evening (if you're used to going to bed at 10:00pm) and we had fun. So much of fun! 

Brunch & Tour at the Elephant House (Zürich Zoo)

I'm a little behind on posting pics, sorry! We just moved into a new home (pics to follow) and have had some fun experiences in the meantime including a brunch and private tour at The Elephant House at the Zürich Zoo. Rob's department hosted and we had a wonderful time. We will be attending a Swiss wedding in the Alps later this Summer and attending a work retreat in Davos.

The girls ran in the Airport Run a few weeks ago and they have another race this Saturday in Zumikon. Hopp Hopp. We always celebrate with a fondue dinner but the weather is getting a little warm for fondue.

We took a short trip and visited Dijon, France last month. Grace's class just put on their school play and she's preparing to enter the 4th grade here. School work specifically High German and Math will be a full-time job for her. Ally is entering the first grade. The biggest change for her will be homework but thankfully she has a big sister to show her the ropes.

Rob is headed to the West Coast for a conference and I am training for a 5K in August.

  

Flughafenlauf (Airport run)