Amy and Jeremy Visit!

We are back in Geneva after a wonderful holiday in Minnesota for three weeks. It was a very fun-filled three weeks and we were able to spend so much time with family and friends.  After the three weeks, we were ready to get back to Geneva to relax!

Our visitor calendar is filling up for this upcoming year, and we are so excited!  We even had our first visitors this past weekend.  Our good friends, Amy and Jeremy, visited us from Utah.  It was so great to see them and show them around our favorite places.  

On Friday, the girls and I took them to Gruyeres.  We really like it there because it depicts Switzerland in so many ways; the village is super quaint, rolling hills all around, and the sound of cowbells in the distance.  After exploring the village, we went to the Gruyeres cheese factory for lunch.  This restaurant never disappoints any cheese lover!  After leaving Gruyeres, we headed to the Lavaux wine region.  Most of our visitors are surprised when they learn that Switzerland does make very good wine!  So, we did a little wine tasting and drove through the vineyards.  Friday night, we had a kid-free dinner down by the lake.

Adalyn LOVES having visitors!

  

Night out on Lake Geneva

On Saturday, we headed to Chamonix, France.  Amy and Jeremy live in Utah, so they obviously love the mountains.  We thought it would be perfect to take them to the highest mountain in Europe.  They really enjoyed the village and the stunning scenery.  

Unfortunately, they were in town for just a few days and headed to Paris on Sunday.  We really enjoyed their visit and look forward to our next visitors in September.

This week, Adalyn is in soccer camp, and is very excited.  We are also going to go to French lessons that they are offering in a park nearby for two weeks.  My goal for this year is for all of us to learn French- wish us luck!!  Geneva has a huge week long celebration that starts this weekend, so we are excited to partake in some of the activities.  

Enjoy the week!

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to the last two weeks-

So excited for soccer camp!

Bowling-

Sunday stroll on Mt. Saleve

We found this amazing lake in the middle of the mountains- Lake Passy-

With temps in the 90's for the last two weeks- the girls have done a TON of swimming!

School's out for the summer!

Adalyn has completed her first year of school!  We are so proud of how well she adjusted to the new environment and was able to have a fun and successful year.  Last week they had "Sports Day" similar to track and field day in MN.  This week her class performed the story, "Jack and the Beanstalk."  Adalyn was the golden harp and was so excited for the performance.  She has been reciting the songs at home over and over again, and we realized they don't edit song lyrics here like they do in Minnesota.  She was singing the song, "Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum," which I don't think I was ever taught the real lyrics!  She has been walking around the house for weeks singing, "Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman, be him alive, or be he dead, I will grind his bones to make my bread."  (Along with hand gestures of cutting the head off and crushing bones!!)

Eliza joined right in during Spots Day- she always wants to be right by Adalyn's side- 

The Golden Harp

The past two weeks we have also been doing a lot of outdoor exploring, mainly in France.  Two weekends ago, we went to Grotte et Cascade de Seythenex, which is located in France about an hour and a half away. We have been wanting to visit a cave with the girls, and with 90 degree weather, we thought this would be a great time to do it.  We had a fantastic time touring the cave and hiking around the waterfall area.

Waterfall

Picnic Time!

Exploring the cave-

On our drive home from the cave... only in Europe- driving with his foot and hand out the window- seriously???  

The following day, it was warm once again, so we went to a beach along Lake Geneva and the girls swam in the lake for the first time.  They loved it!  

This past weekend, we explored Morzine, which is a commune in the French Alps.  Typically a major ski location, but also very beautiful in the summer time.  We were able to take the cable car up to the top and do some hiking.

Cable Car Ride

View from the top- 

After-hike treat... Eliza obviously has no time to look up when food is in front of her!  

Now we are packing up and so excited to spend the next three weeks with family and friends!

Signing off until mid July-

Spring Adventures

It has been much quieter around our house the last two weeks, since our stretch of visitors has ended.  During the last two weeks we have continued to discover new places around Switzerland and France.

One place we visited was Swiss Vapeur Parc, which is located about two hours from our house.  The parc is basically a miniature wonderland for kids to experience while riding miniature trains.  The girls had a blast riding the trains and seeing all of the Swiss sites at their level.

Standing in front of the trains with their friend, Jonah.  

Kid-size castle!

Last weekend, we took a day trip to Dijon and Beaune, both of which are located in France about 3 hours away.  Dijon is the capital of the Burgundy wine region, and also famous for Dijon mustard and Creme de Cassis, which is a red berry liquor that you add to white wine or champagne.  I had read that Dijon was a fun place to go with kids, since the town has created a city tour called, "The Owl's Trail."  The trail consists of 22 different historical stops, and to get to each one you follow the small owls that have been embedded into the sidewalks.  The girls loved finding the owls and leading us on our tour.  It is definitely a great idea to get the kids engaged, I wish more cities had a similar tour.  After completing the Owl's trail, shopping the large street market, sampling mustard, and drinking Cassis, we headed to Beaune.

The small owls that you follow- 

La Chouette, is a little owl carved on one of the pillars of the Notre Dame church, which is said to bring good luck.  Legend says that you stroke the owl, and you will have good luck- so we all took a turn- hope it works!!

Enjoying a Kir, white wine with cassis.  

To drive from Dijon to Beaune, we took the Route de Grands Crus, which translates to "road of the great wines".  On the route, we traveled through many different vineyards, all part of the Burgundy wine region.

Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, known as the 'Capital of Burgundy wines".  The town is surrounded by many famous wine villages.  We spent some time strolling through the town, window shopping, and wine tasting.

This week, the girls and I also attended the "Livre Festival" (book festival), which was in Geneva.  We had very little expectations going into the festival, and it ended up being so enjoyable.  They had about ten different people reading children's books in the park, a tent where you went in and sang songs, another tent where you made bookmarks, and a small tea party set up where there was a waiter who served books instead of food.  Even though all of the stories, songs, and plays were all in French, the girls had so much fun.  It was an afternoon of learning for all of us- Eliza actually knew some of the books since she must read them at garderie.

Adalyn listening to a story- 

Eliza making a bookmark- 

This past Saturday, we attended Adalyn's school carnival.  This carnival was unlike any school carnival I have ever been to, or even heard of.  They had about thirty different food booths, all from around the World.  Each different country had a stand selling their local food. The best part of the festival... they served booze!!  You want Sangria from Spain, a Caipirinha from Brazil, or a Pimms from London, it was all there!  It was a very fun day spent with friends.

This sign was posted on the booths- you must be 16 to drink wine, beer, or cider and 18 to drink spirits.  For us, it was hard to get over the idea of serving all types of alcohol at a school carnival, and that the students older than 16 could be drinking at their school carnival!  

It is hard to believe that it is already June- three weeks and we will be home!  This week, the weather will be in the high 80's, which sounds fabulous, but unfortunately the Swiss, and many other parts of Europe, don't rely on air conditioning like we do in the states.  Most homes, businesses, restaurants, and stores do not have air conditioning.  They do sell small air conditioners, mainly for expats, to put in a window- which I may be in the market for this week!!  

Have a wonderful week!  

  
    

Adventures with Grandpa and Grandma Schultz and Uncle Wayne and Aunt Debbie!

Wow, we have just had ten days filled with new adventures and memorable moments with my parents and aunt and uncle.  The time went by way too quickly, but in the ten days we were able to see and do so much.

They arrived on Monday afternoon and unfortunately it was a rainy day so we just relaxed and caught up that evening.  

On Tuesday, the touring began!  Our first day of touring was in Annecy, which is extra special on Tuesdays because they have a market in the village every Tuesday morning.  It is always more lively in the village when the market is going on.  It is fun to walk through and see all of the fresh produce, abundant olive selection, and fresh meat (including whole chickens that still have their head attached).  After walking through the market, we enjoyed lunch along the canal and walked along the lake.  

Eliza loving her special time with Grandpa and Grandma-

First time EVER using an ATM machine!!!  

On Wednesday, we went on the 'Switzerland tour', Gruyere and Lutry.  In Gruyere, we toured the castle, which was constructed in the 13th century.  The castle towers over the town and valley below.  After spending some time in the village of Gruyere, we had lunch at the cheese factory.  After enjoying a very tasty lunch, all of which included Gruyere cheese, our next stop was to visit the vineyards.  We rode the Lavaux Express train through the vineyards.  After a long day of touring, we went back to Geneva.

Gruyere

My dad found his room in the castle- "The Hunting Room"

Thursday, the 'tour bus' went to Chamonix.  It was the most beautiful day, clear blue skies, you could see miles away.  Unfortunately, Wayne was the only brave one who took the cable car up to the top of Mt. Blanc.  The rest of us took the easier route, the train that takes you to Montenvers.  In the afternoon, we walked around the village.  

Friday, we all set out on the big adventure, visiting Normandy.  My grandfather was a soldier in World War II in Patton's 3rd Army and landed on Utah Beach after D-Day.  I was very close to my grandpa and since the war was such a big part of his life, visiting Normandy was always on the top of my travel wish list, so it made sense to go there when my dad and aunt were here. From Geneva, Normandy is only a 6 hour train ride, which is such a great way to travel. We left Friday morning and arrived Friday afternoon in Caen, which is the capital of the Normandy region.  Unfortunately, during Word War II, an intense bombing operation occurred in Caen and 75% of the city was destroyed and 2,000 french civilians died.  We were all surprised at how large the city was and how much had been rebuilt.  We spent the afternoon walking around the city and touring the cathedral and castle.    

Saturday was our big tour day.  We hired a tour guide for the day, which was definitely worth every penny.  Our guide, Richard, had so much knowledge and was able to bring us everywhere we wanted to visit.  Chris had interviewed my grandpa before he passed away about the war and taped it, so over Christmas, we re-listened to the tape and learned exactly where he was and what he did in the war.  This helped us a lot as we prepared for our visit.  

Eliza helping out our tour guide!  

Our first stop was Utah Beach, which is where my grandpa arrived.  It was surreal to be walking along the beach that had endured so much during the war.  

 

From Utah Beach, we headed to Nehou, which is a small town that has a memorial dedicated to Patton's 3rd Army.   

Sherman Tank used by Patton's 3rd Army

After Nehou, we went to Sainte-Mere Eglise.  They were the first town in France to be liberated by the U.S.  We were all very surprised as we drove along on our tour to see the amount of U.S. flags that fly alongside the French flag. 

Church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise with the Parachute Memorial to honor the Paratroopers who liberated the village- 

Next, we headed to Pointe Du Hoc.  This is the point between Utah and Omaha Beach where U.S. Army Rangers arrived and took assault on Pointe Du Hoc.  The rangers had to climb 100ft cliffs under enemy fire in hopes to disable the German guns. 

The cliff the rangers had to climb-

It was unbelievable to see the impact the bombs had on the landscape- 

this is Adalyn standing in a crater formed.

Looking out from an actual German Bunker onto the beaches- 

Standing inside a bunker- 

We then went to Omaha Beach and were able to see where the most intense fighting on D-Day took place.  Looking out onto the calm sandy beach, it was hard to imagine the sheer hell these men endured on D-Day.

This sculpture "Les Braves" was created on Omaha Beach by Anilore Banon to 

honor the courage of the men.  It consists of three elements- 

1) The Wings of Hope- reminding us that together it is always possible to change the future

2)  Rise, Freedom! - Help us to remember to remain standing strong against all forms of inhumanity

3) The Wings of Fraternity- Reminding us of our responsibility towards others as well as ourselves-

on June 6, 1944 these men were more than soldiers, they were our brothers.  

Our last stop was at the American Cemetery.  In the cemetery, there are 9,387 headstones, including 45 sets of brothers.  It was overwhelming to see the amount of headstones and read the dates- many were on D-Day or very shortly after.

The land where the American Cemetery lies has been leased by the French to the U.S. for a ceremonial $1 per year for eternity.  

American Cemetery

After 9 hours with our guide, we had learned so much about the war and were able to really see the conditions in which the soldiers fought.  You learn about D-Day in school, but it doesn't have nearly the same impact as being on the same ground that the troops fought on.  It is hard to describe in words the feelings that I had throughout the day- you feel a great deal of sorrow for all of the men who fought, yet at the same time so much pride in America and the men who sacrificed their lives to fight for the freedom of people they had never met on a continent an ocean away.   It was special to share the experience with my family, especially my dad and aunt, as we retraced the steps that my grandpa had taken over 70 years ago.

Sunday, we took the train back to Geneva and my parents and aunt and uncle stopped in Paris for an overnight visit.  They were able to take the bus tour around the city and see a majority of the sites.  

Monday night, they arrived back in Geneva.

Tuesday was the last day of their trip.  It was a beautiful, very warm day, so we spent the day down by Lake Geneva.  We were able to tour Old Town, walk along the lake, and take a boat cruise.  It was a relaxing day to end their busy ten day trip.  

Sadly, our 'visiting season' has come to an end.  We have had such a great time hosting different people during the last four months.  Now, in one month, we will be back in MN visiting friends and family and look forward to people hosting us!!!

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-