Berner Oberland one last time

We had a hard time deciding what to do with our last Saturday in Switzerland, but ultimately decided to spend it in the Berner Oberland.  For this trip we hit up a portion new to us and took a 3 mile hike which was fairly easy, but had stunning views. In order to reach the trail though we needed to take a gondola up the mountain, which deposited us at the top with bunch of cows. I'm more of an out-door animal person, and I've really grown fond of those Swiss cows. I just love hearing the chorus of cow bells while up in the Alps!

I love the picture below because right before I took it I told Luke not to touch the cow.
 

Don't worry, there is a trail right below Afton in the picture below. I'm not yet to the point where I would risk my child for the sake of a picture :)

Below: After our hike we went back down to Lauterbrunnen and finally hiked up to the waterfall that we had been meaning to get to for 2 years!

Goodbye Berner Oberland! I'm smiling on the outside, but crying on the inside.

Two Weeks Notice

There are now only two more weeks until we move back home. Two weeks! We originally planned on using this time to do a final tour of Europe, but here's the reality: we are tired, and traveling right before our move sounds like the most unappealing thing in the world. During the last two years we have seen as much as our budget, time and sanity would allow.  What we still want to see will have to come later. Someday those 300,000+ skymiles Andrew accrued for work will be put to good use.

In the meantime, we are enjoying using up the last of Andrew's time off with low key, stress free, day trips. First up, Lucerne. 

Lucerne 

We spent one Saturday swimming in Lake Lucerne, a nearby pool, and then touring around the city. We even made it to Lucerne's famous Lion Monument this time! It was much, much larger than I was expecting- the pictures do not do it justice. 

Above and below you can see the silhouette of Andrew and the kids. Andrew just may have had more fun than the 8 and under crowd by jumping off of the towers. 

Again, I wish this picture captured the size of this sculpture, because at 32 feet wide, this thing is massive! It was carved in 1820 and remains one of Lucerne's main tourist attractions. 

Areshiem 

The kids and I decided to take a final hike around the Birseck Castle- talk about sad! We only live minutes from this castle and it has been one of our favorite places to visit. There are lots of trails surrounding the castle and this time we found some caves that we never knew about. According to wikipedia they are paleolitic cave dwellings. The kids loved crawling around in that little piece of history! 

Basel

We were also able to get a babysitter one night and go out with our dear friends Jan and Jessica. It was a perfect night and one that we were grateful to sneak in!  This spot on the bridge over the Rhine is my favorite in all of Basel.  It is a place where you can stop and take in all of the sites and sounds, and it never fails to take my breath away. What a joy it has been living here! 

And one last visit from American friends...

We were so incredibly blessed to have so many people visit us here. It was like having a little piece of America here every time we had visitors. It is also fun to be able to share a piece of this experience with so many of our family and friends. Our last visitors were our good friends Dave and Tracie. They rented a car and cruised all around from Paris to Bavaria. Andrew and the boys took them up to the Black Forest one day and to nearby Feiburg, Germany. So much fun to see this great couple!

       

Time's a wasting

In the last couple of weeks the following comments have been made:

Sam: "When I grow up I'll live in America, but vacation in Germany."
Later, in a fit of rage my eldest also said: "We didn't do anything this summer!! All we did was go to Nice and Barcelona!"

Luke: "When we get back to American we need to find a castle and camp there."

And lastly there is Afton, who while holding up an ear of corn asked in a very perplexed voice, "What is this yellow thing?" (Fyi, corn is insanely expensive here, so I think that was the second time I had ever bought it.)

Each of these statements made me stop, stare at my children and think, "I have got to get these kids back to America". 

In reality my heart breaks a little (ok, more than a little) when I think about moving back to the US. We love the lifestyle here and we love the friendships that we have made. Of course the flip side is that we really do think it is time to get back. I'm excited to navigate in a familiar culture, speak in a language I know, and get our kids back into the arms of our families. So, with time quickly winding down we are savoring our experience to the end, starting with a trip to lovely Muren. Oh how we are going to miss these trips!

Life through Andrew's eyes

My kids have a dad who loves getting out of the house and going on adventures with them. This works out well because they also have a mom who loves to get a break from time to time! The added bonus to this win-win situation is that Andrew snaps lots of pictures on his phone. Andrew recently downloaded all of his phone pics and I loved seeing what moments he deemed as "photo worthy".

Andrew loves to take the kids on train rides- which he does a lot. He also takes the boys to school in the morning on the tram, so he has lots of public transportation pics.

Below right: Every expat American kid likes to start their day reading the local paper in German, right?

This is the field which is between our house and the tram. When we first moved into our home Andrew started cutting through it, and his trail resulted in the two branching trails. When I take the kids home from school I usually still walk on the street, but I love seeing the kids run across that field!

Below: sibling sleepovers (which happens when we have guests) and block building parties

Taking the 3 oldest out to eat at the local Doner Kebab (think Turkish fast food)...

...and the boys getting their hair cut in Germany.

And last of all: Afton playing at the BIS sports club (left) and having an in depth conversation with a little Italian girl in Italy (right).