Carli and Eric visit Geneva!

Last weekend our good friends, Eric and Carli came to visit.  They only came for an extended weekend, but we were able to do so much in four days and have so much fun!

They arrived Friday morning, and after not sleeping at all on the plane, they were ready to begin sight seeing.  We went down by Lake Geneva, and unfortunately it was a rainy, cool day.  They were able to see the main sights, and then we went and picked up Adalyn from school.  

                                     

Friday night, the four of us went out to dinner in Old Town, which was a lot of fun.  After dinner, we went to Carouge to a whiskey bar, Bar Du Nord.  

Saturday morning, we went to Annecy, France.  This is one of our favorite places to take visitors since it has the mountains, a lake, and a village filled with shops and restaurants.  While in Annecy, we walked around the village while sampling street food, and also rented a boat and went out on the lake.  It was a bit windy and chilly on the lake, but it was a unique experience to share with them.

                                      

Watching the sailboats was amazing- there were about fifty out on the lake that day.  

Saturday night, the four of us went out again for dinner and drinks.  It was so nice to have two nights to spend out together without kids to distract us!  

We celebrated Carli's birthday- the waiters all sang and didn't stop until she blew out the candle... which we didn't know, so they sang for a long time!  

On Sunday, since Carli has a love for Gruyere cheese, we thought what better place to visit than the home of the cheese, Gruyere, Switzerland.  This town reminds us of the "Sound of Music" with rolling hills, mountains in the background, and the sound of cowbells.  We definitely made the right decision to visit Gruyere.  It was so beautiful and a highlight of their trip.  After walking around the village, we went and had lunch at the cheese factory.  They make the most delicious meals all with Gruyere cheese.  

Gruyere

Cheese Fondue

After Gruyere, we went to Lutry and visited the wine region of Geneva.  We took the Lavaux Express Wine Train through the vineyards.  Although Chris and I have traveled through the vineyards a lot, the view never gets old.

Sunday night, we had dinner at home and enjoyed wine and chocolate fondue.

Monday, Eliza and I took Carli and Eric to Chamonix, another one of our favorite places.  We had been tracking the weather to find the perfect day for Chamonix, and we were successful.  Carli and Eric were able to ride the cable car up to the top of Mount Blanc, and the views were breathtaking.  

Best Friends- 

Fantastic lunch soaking up the sun at the foot of Mt. Blanc- 

The view from 2 1/2 miles up!  

Tuesday morning came way too quickly, and they were already heading to the airport.  We had such an amazing time with them and can't wait for them to visit again!  

Now, we are preparing for more visitors.  Chris' family friend has a daughter, Johanna, who is studying abroad in Italy, so her and her friend are coming to visit next weekend.  They leave Sunday, and on Monday my parents and my aunt and uncle arrive!  We are so excited for them to visit, especially Adalyn and Eliza! 

       

Adalyn's favorite part of Eric and Carli visiting... jumping on the trampoline with them!!

                       
                                          

Eliza loves feeding the swans on lake Geneva- 

Holiday in Cinque Terre

For Easter weekend, we traveled to Cinque Terre in Italy which is located along the Ligurian coast. Cinque Terre is made up of five fishing villages that date back from the early medieval period: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  Each village has its own uniqueness, but all display colorful architecture, and magnificient views of the Mediterranean Sea.

On Saturday morning we started our holiday adventure, it is about a six hour drive from Geneva, the girls did awesome and we completed the trip with no stops!  Although the drive is only six hours, it is a very intense six hours for the driver.  To get into Italy from France for us, you have to pass through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.  The tunnel is seven miles long, and in order to keep a steady, safe flow of traffic they monitor when people enter.  Only one car is able to enter at a time, and at times the line has a wait time of many hours.  Fortunately, we had left so early we avoided waiting in line.  Once we got through the Mont Blanc tunnel, we probably went through at least 80 more tunnels on curvy, narrow, Italian roads.

We arrived in Riomaggiore early afternoon, which proved to be harder than expected to find parking.  I had read that the villages are small, and since they are car free and not built for tourists, parking is very difficult to find, but didn't expect having to park along the street about a mile away from the village.  All of the villages are car-free so you must travel by train, boat, or by foot to get to and from each village.  Once we were parked and situated in the apartment that we had rented for the weekend, we started to tour the village of Riomaggiore. Riomaggiore was founded during the 8th century when people settled there to grow grape vines and olive trees without fear of pirate raids.  We all agreed that this village had the best 'curb appeal.'  We ended the day eating in a restaurant along the street and enjoying pasta and seafood.  The Cinque Terre region is known for its fresh seafood and pesto, so of course Chris had a lot of seafood and I had pesto on everything!

Riomaggiore from the coast-

On Sunday, the Easter bunny had visited, so the girls enjoyed looking for their baskets.  Then we set out for Easter mass at the Church of San Lorenzo, which is located in Manarola and was built in 1338.

Inside of the church-

After church, we headed back and changed into hiking clothes and set out for our first hike.  Unfortunately, some paths are still closed due to the mud slides that this region endured in 2011.  We took the boat to Vernazza and from there hiked to Monterosso.  This is a two mile hike described as the "most difficult, but most rewarding."  I did not know that little fact before I decided to go, which was probably for the better.  We were a little worried about how Adalyn would do, but she did awesome.  The views were breathtaking- it was an amazing experience to share as a family.  

Rest stop- village behind us in the picture is where we started...

This picture shows just how challenging the trail was- many stairs up and down- 

most much narrower than this one.

Water break- and hiking beans!  (jelly beans)

WE MADE IT!!! 

     

Adalyn was so excited when she saw the beach  We headed straight for the beach and within minutes the girls had their toes in the sand and sea.  

They loved being chased by the tide-

After spending some time on the beach, we were all hungry and exhausted so we ate dinner and headed back to Riomaggiore.  Everyone slept well after hiking/walking over eight miles that day.  

On Monday, we woke up ready for another day of exploring the villages.  We took the train to Vernazza.  Vernazza has many cool shops and restaurants.  We walked around the village and visited a castle with another amazing view.  After lunch, we then headed back to Monterosso to enjoy the beautiful warm day on the beach.  The beach was busy with great people watching- so we spent a few hours just hanging out and soaking up the sun.  

Chris and Adalyn climbed this... 

If you look closely you can see Adalyn's teal pants- they went way up there-

On Tuesday morning we drove back to Geneva.  We had an absolutely amazing holiday in Cinque Terre and would recommend this destination to anyone interested in hiking, breathtaking views, authentic Italian food, and wine.

Other pics:

Napping along the coast!

Loved walking hand in hand around the villages- 

Flower season in Europe- 

down by Lake Geneva this past weekend

   

Chad and Ben Visit Geneva!

What a wonderful week we had hosting Chad and Ben.  The weather wasn't the best, but we were able to make the most out of each day.

They arrived last Friday and we didn't give them any time to rest from their long flight- we headed to the lake to take in the sights and explore Old Town Geneva.  After walking around for a bit, Chris met up with us for dinner.

The girls were so excited to see their uncles!  

Eliza is just hiding her excitement... like always!

On Saturday, we drove to Montreux.  In Montreux, we walked along Lake Geneva, and toured the Chillon Castle. On our way back from Montreux, we drove through the vineyards in Vevey.  We always love to take vistors through the vineyards because it is so amazing, and the view is unbelievable.

Montreux- 

Chillon Castle

Easter tree in castle-

Vineyards- Vevey. Switzerland

On Sunday, the weather was not ideal, but the boys and Adalyn headed to Chamonix before the rain moved in.  They were able to see Mont Blanc and enjoy the sunshine in the village for a bit before it got cloudy and cold.  Unfortunately, the cable car to the top was closed because of the wind, so a reason for them to come back and visit!  Sunday night, we enjoyed a traditional Swiss meal, raclette.

Chamonix

On Monday, Ben and Chad decided to tour the United Nations Office, which is located about 20 minutes from our house.  We have never been on the tour, but read good things, so they decided to try it out.  One great thing about having visitors with different interests is that we get to see and hear about many different attractions around Geneva based on their interests.  It is also located next to the Geneva Botanical Garden, which is a large park filled with plants, trees, flowers, mini zoo, and a playground.  So, while the guys toured, the girls and I hung out at the park.  It was a great afternoon for all!  The guys really enjoyed the tour.

"Alley of Nations" containing the flag from 193 member nations.

Ben representing the United States.  

“Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room”

The ceiling sculpture was created by Spanish artist Miquel Barceló. The sculpture consists of layers of colored paints sprayed across the ceiling to create stalactites. It is intended to symbolize multiculturalism, mutual tolerance and understanding between cultures, but it mostly looks like a beautiful colorful sea floor.

On Tuesday, the weather still was a bit windy with rain on and off, so in the morning we went to the Natural History Museum, also known as the 'Stuffed Animal Museum!'  After the museum, we went to Old Town for lunch and toured St. Pierre Cathedral.  We also enjoyed some yummy gelato while sitting outside in the town square.  We had one last visit by the lake and then headed home.

Shark Attack!!  

On Wednesday, the guys were very excited, yet I don't know why??!!  I thought the girls and I were a lot of fun to hang out with- including one super crabby teething toddler, but they were very eager to leave for their mini excursion away with just the guys.  Originally, they had planned to go to Interlaken and go hiking for a few days, but due to rainy weather, they changed their plans earlier in the week and headed to Turin, Italy.  We did a map search, and that seemed to be the closest place to go to get sunshine and warm weather- so they drove there- only about three hours from our house.  They rented a house in Turin and did some hiking, while also exploring the nearby villages.

The view as they entered Italy- Mont Blanc

The house they rented in Turin-

Dinner out enjoying fine Italian wine and food.  

Barbaresco - 

Barbaresco-

Neive

The boys arrived back from their excursion Friday afternoon and spent the afternoon playing with the girls.  Saturday morning we had to say good-bye as they headed back to Minnesota.  We had such a great time during their visit.

We are now looking forward to our next visitors who arrive in two weeks, our really good friends, Carli and Eric.

Happy Easter! 

Eliza LOVES umbrellas- so she loved the rainy week!