Grandpa and Grandma Pothen visit!

We spent the last ten days hosting Chris' parents.  It was a wonderful ten days filled with many memorable moments.

They arrived on a Friday and we spent the night celebrating Bev's birthday and an early birthday celebration for Eliza.

The next morning, we packed up the car and headed to the mountains for the weekend.  We went to Megeve, which is a ski resort village in the French Alps.  We spent the day walking through the village, shopping, and enjoying the amazing view of the Alps.  At night, we ate at a restaurant that served traditional food from the Haute-Savoie region: fondue, raclette, potatoes, and dried beef.

Horse carriage ride through the village of Megeve-

Cheers to a great time in Megeve!

On Monday, we traveled to Gruyere, a popular destination we take visitors.  We love Gruyere because the setting of the village is what most people think of when they picture Switzerland, rolling hills, mountains, castles, and cows.  We first visited the village and toured the castle.  After that, we drove to the Gruyere cheese factory and enjoyed lunch dishes made from fresh Gruyere cheese.  Of course, we had to end the day by visiting the Callier Chocolate Factory.  The girls took grandma and grandpa on the tour and enjoyed the chocolate tasting room!  It was a great day!

Gruyere village-

Callier Factory

On Tuesday, Chris was fortunate to work half a day, so he was able to spend the day with us. We went to Chamonix, France.  Bev and Randy had been there on their first visit, but really enjoyed the village, so we went back and explored some new areas.  With our visitors in Chamonix, they have either taken the cable car to the top of Mt. Blanc, or taken a train along the mountain to a lookout point of glaciers.  We recently heard of a third option that some of my friends had done and highly recommended.  It is a different cable car that also goes up to a tall peak and looks over to the top of Mont Blanc.  The advantage of this option is that it is not as high, so visitors with a fear of heights (and me!), have a way to enjoy the mountain view without the anxiety of the Mont Blanc cable car.  So, we headed up the mountain in the cable car with a very nervous grandma, but we made it, and she ended up loving it!

Above the clouds-

We spent the rest of the day walking around the village and ended the day at my favorite restaurant in Chamonix.  We had a memorable dinner, ending with all of us having a shot with the server!

On Wednesday, Randy and Bev traveled to London for a mini-vacation.  It is so easy to get to London from here, so they figured it would be a good time to check out the big city.  While there, they visited the main attractions and enjoyed a play in the evening, Les Miserables.  They had a bloody good time!

They got back Friday night and everyone was eager to see each other!

On Saturday morning, the girls were so excited to go skiing with Grandpa!!  Randy had not skied in over 15 years, but he was brave and took on the challenge of skiing in the Alps!!  While the girls were in their lessons, I skied with Randy while Bev took pictures of everyone skiing and enjoyed some spiked hot chocolate.  It was an absolute picture perfect day for skiing.

Who would have ever predicted we would all be skiing together in the Alps??

He was a pro!  

Chris and Randy-

In the afternoon, we went down by Lake Geneva.

Sunday, we went to Annecy, France.  Another popular place to visit and walked along the cobblestone streets and enjoyed some vin chaud (mulled wine).

On Monday, we had to say good-bye to them as they headed back to Minnesota.  Good-byes are never easy, especially for the girls.  They loved every minute while their grandpa and grandma were here.  They loved baking with grandma, learning how to play rummy, and Adalyn especially liked reading Junie B. Jones with grandpa.

Excited to try their cream puffs they made with grandma- 

Preparing Adalyn's favorite meal... meatloaf and corn!