Switzerland August 17th - 25th 2017

Switzerland August 17th - 25th 2017

Lucky Greta and I were able to go on a business trip with Matt. We left around 9am on a Thursday and made our way to O'hare. Our flight departed at 2:30pm. I'm not sure the best time of day to fly to Europe with the time change. It is never easy adjusting to the time change. Once boarded they fed us butter chicken or ravioli and dimmed the lights so everyone could catch some sleep before we landed at 5:30am in Darmstadt. Greta didn't fall asleep until 30 minutes before landing and I didn't sleep a wink. Matt may have dozed off a bit. My entertainment consisted of The movie Eat, Pray, Love, Patriots Day, and the TV shows Sex in the City, and The Big Bang Theory. Greta watched countless hours of Clifford the Big Red dog. Greta said the cutest thing on the plane. Her tooth is coming loose and she wanted me to help yank it out. But then she thought about it and became worried that the tooth fairy wouldn't find her here. I reassured her the tooth fairy would and she proceeded to say she would donate her tooth fairy money to our savings for the RV we want to buy in 3 years. How sweet!! Once to Darmstadt we rented our Audi and drove the Autobahn to our hotel. Matt let me go for a quick 3 mile run while he showered up. On my run I ran through picturesque gardens and down cobblestone streets leading to a famous square with many cute cafes and shops. Now back in the hotel room I am waiting for Greta to wake up so we can go get some breakfast & start exploring! Our hotel had a buffet style breakfast. Greta went hog wild on croissants, jam, bacon, eggs & fruit. I devoured he seeded bread, strawberry tea, lunchmeats, and plums. Next we packed up our day packs and started toward the nearby garden for a stroll. The garden was filled with fountains, apple, pear, and lime trees. We ended our stroll at a playground. There was a group of German grade school children on the tire swings swinging American pop songs but in German. I could catch the melody but not the words. Next we made our way back to the nearby square. We found a farmers market...I wished I had some Euros since they didn't take credit card. We sat and people watched at a fountain in the center and then walked the cobblestone streets window shopping. Next we loaded up on grocery staples at Aldi. German blueberries are just as pump and juicy as American. They didn't even make it back to the hotel. Once back to our hotel we unloaded our groceries and took a little breather. We explored the wellness center hoping to find a whirlpool or pool. No such luck, instead Greta accidentally walked in on a 40 something year old man in his birthday suit basking in the sauna...fortunately it didn't phase her...tShe thought it was daddy. Next we headed back to the market square for pedicures. After our pedicures we went to a toy store to look for a soulviner for Greta. Given we are only on day one we are going to keep looking. Next we went back to the hotel as dad's day was soon ending. Today I had the hardest time keeping my eyes open. I literally was going on no sleep. Once dad's day was over we chilled for awhile before heading to dinner. We found a Vapaino restaurant....made to order pasta, salads, and pizza. Matt and I enjoyed grilled chicken, strawberry, goat cheese, and pine nuts on greens and Greta loved her fusilli pasta with olive oil and parm. The atmosphere was cute with herbs planted in pots serving as centerpierces on all the tables. We strolled back to our hotel and Matt zonked out. Greta watched her videos and I packed up our suitcases.

Saturday
I woke up the most refreshed I have ever felt. Maybe I should become sleep deprived more often. Erm says I should try it for a week. After running 4 loops in the nearby park I met Matt and Greta at the buffet breakfast. Next we packed up at hit the road for Interlaken. I set a record today...fastest I have ever gone as a passenger in a car....125 mph in our Audi on the Autobahn. And vehicles were passing us. 5 hours later we arrived in Interlaken, a city in between two lakes (kinda like Madison expect much more picturesque).The sun was out & it was only 3pm so we opted to take an 8 minute funicular ride to the top of Interlaken, Harder Mountain. We got great views of Lake brienzersee and Lake Thunersee. Had it not been so cloudy we would have seen the tops of Junfraujoch, Murren, and Eiger mountains. Greta bought postcards and we listened to live accordion music at the chalet style restaurant. We debated hiking the 90 minutes down but the clouds were rolling in and our tummies were growling. We found Mexican restaurant across from our hotel to feed our cravings. The owners were super nice giving Greta candy and myself some travel tips. Next we decided to head back to Hotel Toscana. Matt crashed in a matter of minutes, the Spicy margarita didn't help. Greta watched videos on the I-pad and I journaled with listening to the local Mexican singing from outside our patio.

Sunday
I could not fall sleep asleep, my body isn't quite sure what is going on. After my 40 min run this morning we had our continental breakfast. The hard boiled eggs were dyed orange. Matt said the croissants weren't that great. I figured as much when Greta didn't even touch hers. After breakfast we packed up our suitcases and drove to Grinewald, Switzerland. The drive there twisted and turned through the valley. Greta was the first to notice the scattered waterfalls coming down the mountain sides. Once to grinewald we gaucked at the mountain town filled with gear shops and multiple lifts to the top and wondered why we didn't stay here. We went to Grinwald first. Some might say it was a more commercial attraction given it had scooter bike rentals, aerial flying and more. We opted to do the more natural thing and hiked to Balchalpsee Lake, located 2265 meters above sea level. Along the way we saw goats and cows. We were proud of Greta who made the 100 min hike there & back. It only took gummy worms and a stuffed animal to bribe her. Thank goodness for the store on top...I could n't have made it without my winter hat purchase. I bet it was only 50 degrees at most for much of the hike. When we got to the lake we had our packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while listening to live Swiss long horns playing on the mountain top above. The hike was beautiful with views of the Swiss Alps. Our last adventure was the cliff walk. Greta got a little scared but braved it out and walked the ledge along the cliff. As we were headed to our cable car ride down we witnessed a really fit mountain biking gal experiencing altitude sickness, hypothermia, or hypoglycemia. Scary stuff if you try this stuff not prepared! Our cable car ride down felt amazing as my frozen body thawed. We found tea, oj, and Diet Coke on our way back to the car to refuel our bodies. One we got to Schaffhausen we checked in to our hotel (Arconia Spa) and a Matt switched gears...business man was coming out! He immediately put away all his clothes. Next he brought us to his favorite restaurant...a Turkish cuisine. After Our amazing meals we felt the need to keep exploring. Greta was excited for Matt to show us a surprise tonight before the sun set. We finally were able to see the Rhine Falls that Matt talks so much about. His daily runs here often go there. The energy of the Falls rubbed off on Greta. She kept us going tonight....even walked across the Falls to the Castle before sunset. Once back to our hotel we crashed! We hit 20,000 steps today.....28,000 for me if you include my run.

Monday
This morning I ran along the Rhine River to the Falls. Now I know the daily run route Matt does when he stays here, only he adds a 10 minute meditation session at the falls. We had continental breakfast in our hotel and went to the train station to buy my 3 day train pass. Since Greta is under six she travels for free. Matt headed off to work and Greta and I started our day trip to Zurich with lunches packed. The train turned out to be pretty slick. Once to Zurich we stepped out onto the "most expensive street in all of Europe", with high end shopping. Our shopping only consisted of ice cream and waters. We walked the city to hit all the major highlights (clock towers, public squares, Grossmunster church with the twin towers, Zurich's boat pier, and our course a playground on the Lindorf overlooking the river and the . In the Grossmunster church we climbed the spiral staircase to the top to view the city from above. The only way I could get Greta to go was to have her count the steps. We picnicked along the way as we meandered along medieval alleyways. We stopped in a square to listen to a man playing a long Swiss horn and to start her postcards. We took the train back to the hotel to chill for a bit before Matt finished his work day. Once he returned we ventured out to a awesome Mexican restaurant with outdoor seating not to far from our Arconia Spa hotel. The streets nearby our hotel remind me of a Harry Potter scene. After dinner we walked down by the river and let Greta chase pigeons. Once back to the hotel we crashed.

Tuesday
This morning Matt and I took turns running, each along the Rhine. He took the earlier and darker shift. We met at the hotels' continental breakfast. I found my new favorite...soft boiled egg whites, apricots, and cucumber slices. Greta and Matt devoured crissonts and jam. After Matt went to work, Greta and I packed our day sacks filled with pb&j sandwiches amongst many other goodies and boarded the train to Luzern. Today we had a train transfer in Zurich. We sat next to a Chicagoan! A stay at home mom covered in tattoos and piercings who does photography on the side. She is here with her husband while he performs cello. She also has a PhD in music from Northwestern but has chosen to peruse photography. We chatted for the entire train ride about the lost art of photography and how she regrets not having taken more photos at a younger age. It captures time we never get back and tells a story. I so agree and told her I'm proud of my selfie stick even if Matt, James, and Noelle want to kill me every time I pull it out. At least Greta approves. Our agenda today started with a 1 hour boat cruise of Lake Luzern. Off in the distance you could see Mt. Pilates (with its two pointy ears that look like a kitty as Greta pointed out). The weather was spectacular....sunny and 80's. Several of the mountains are actually within the lake. Afterwards we started on our self led walking tour to see the sights....churches, clock towers, farmers market stands, hotels,cafes, medieval alleyways, and the famous diagonal street . We even stumbled upon a European healthy food store. I was in heaven. I found an amazing new German all natural powerbar. Unfortunately it isn't on Amazon. After letting Greta color for awhile in a courtyard while I people watched we made our way across the river to an amphitheater and a old church. As late afternoon was setting in my energy was fading so we made our way back to the train station. It is a good thing we left when we did because Matt's boss invited Greta and I to join his team this evening for dinner along the Rhine. Greta and I dressed up and were happy to meet his coworkers. Sitting at that outdoor table there with 4 different languages going simultaneously, Suddenly I felt a little stupid. Many of them were bi or trilingual and the home base for each were spread world wide. The conversation that sticks in my head the most was when one of Matt's colleagues described what the Chinese language is like and the difficulties to translate. Their language has so much complexity said in so few characters. Yet the English translation seems vague. After hearing this suddenly the description for a 16km bike route I found on a European website made sense. I decided not to go on the bike ride because it didn't use turn left or turn right. Instead it used words like meander this way or that way or follow along. Maybe the European languages are vague as well and English is more concrete?? Another memorable experience sitting there eating our 5 course meal was watching Greta meet and play with another 5 year old girl who didn't speak any English. The awesome part was it didn't matter...they were giggling and demonstrating teamwork as they pumped water from a well up a waterwheel. The little girl had to go back to her family when her father started his hand written speech congratulating grandma and grandpa on their 50th wedding anniversary. Matt and I had no clue what was being said....as it was in German. The little girl ran off from her family to feed the ducks and her mother chased after her scolding her over and over. The little girl mumbled back in German, "momma, you are repeating yourself". I guess the 5 year old attitude is universal. Greta runs over and says, come on best friend, let's go! Off they went to pump water again.

Wednesday
This morning Matt and I again took turns running the Rhine. He headed off to work and Greta and I packed up lunch and dinner and headed back to Luzern. Today I took a bit of a risk...we had timelines to make to make the whole adventure work. I just prayed I'd have enough energy. After a train ride with one stop in Zurich we hoped on a city bus in Luzern to head to Krines. We then hiked a 1/2 mile to the first cable car up Mt. Pilatus. At the halfway point we bought a lollipop (first of many brides today to keep her doing). She suddenly saw the ropes course, alpine slide, and zip line and wanted to do it. Unfortunately being 5 she couldn't. I promised her more amazing things if she kept going. We boarded our next cable car and the amazing views came into sight. The cliffs over clear blue lake Luzern reminded me of the Napali coast in Hawaii. So picturesque. We climbed to the top and took some photos. Unfortunately the camera didn't do it justice. It is embedded in our memories. I was fascinated by the fit crowd. One gal in particular sat in the corner with all her backpacking gear spread around her devouring her lunch as if she had not eaten in days. She looked spent with dirty, sweaty clothes, and a face covered in wind and sunburn. Others looked the complete opposite, sipping wine from inside glass windows looking out across the alps dressed to the nines. I wanted to be that gal who climbed it.... Greta and I will do it....15 years from now! After Greta became a bit weepy i became a bit worried about alltitude sickness. One of Matt's coworkers the night before described how it can hit you pretty quickly and you don't feel well! With that in mind we got in line to board our open aired cogwill train down the mountain. It is the steepest in Europe...descends at a 48% slope. We ate our apricots and pb&j and enjoyed the moment. As we approached the base I knew we would have only a couple minutes to make the ferry. I told Greta to kick it into high gear and we bolted with the college students just in time as the captain was pulling the anchor aboard. The next stretch was peaceful. Greta enjoyed her shade and me my sun. She wrote out more postcards and had herself a popsicle. Once landed back to Luzern we decided to refuel some more with gelato. We boarded the 3:35 train back to our hotel, of course again with a stop in Zurich. Once back we stopped at the nearby convenience store and loaded up on dinner items...hummus, mushrooms, broccoli, lunchmeat, yogurt, crackers, peaches, and milk, After a relaxing dinner in we chilled until dusk approached. We heard loud bangs out our window. My first though was that it was terrior attacks. I looked out the window and saw everyone standing facing the same direction taking pictures of the sky. It was fireworks. I told Greta to pull on some shorts over her nightgown because we weren't gonna miss this! We made it in time to see the grand finale. Matt wasn't with us tonight, but he did enjoy the fireworks display while dining with his colleagues. Greta and I crashed this evening even before Matt made it home.

Thursday
Today was my final run along the Rhine. Once back to room Matt took off and I Packed up for the day. I let Greta sleep in some and finally awoke her when my tummy wouldn't stop growling. We had our final continental breakfast and made our way to the train station to rent our bikes. I wanted to try an electric bike but that option isn't available with a tag along. Our ride first went along the Rhine river. We made our way into the country side and decided to pull off and eat on our lunch on the side of the road. The country side here in Schafenhausen is very similar to the Midwest. We were eating right next to a pumpkin patch. We then headed back toward town and my bike chain started acting up. I tried fixing it but it was no use. My peddling didn't contribute. Good thing Greta had the energy to pedal us back. We stopped a few times along the river to watch people and dogs swim down, and to throw rocks in the water. We made our way back into the main square and found a place to get us some frozen yogurt. A block later we bought a soft pretzel. After Matt's amazing description of them I was left a bit disappointed. Mine was burnt, cold, and not salty enough. Greta also bought a little mermaid magazine and toy. We made our way back to the bike rental to change out my bike. Next we headed the other direction along the Rhine to the Rhinefalls.

That is when the questions began, "is it good or bad for you to have your ears pop? Mom, what if I loose my balance and turn into the river on the bike? Mom, why is there a space next to my loose tooth? Mom, why does this statue show the penis? Mom, why is that old man wearing that to swim? I don't know where to look cuz I don't want to look at his private part! Mom, I know why weren't invited to the pool party going on here along the river, we are from Stoughton and they don't know us. Mom, we are gonna be together forever, I wanna be in the same box as you when we die. At that moment I knew I have a life long companion...I love you Greta.

Once to the Rhine Falls we explored some more and Greta mastered the steep trail climb to the top of her playground slide while I sat in the shade journaling listening to the crashing waterfalls. The blazing sun today made us even more spent so we hoped back on the bikes and made our way back. After returning them we found a cozy spot in our hotel to curl up and chill until Matt's day came to a close. Once back we jumped into our Audi and hit the Autobahn for Germany. Matt confessed, at the high speeds...over 125 mph he did get a bit nervous. Hearing that I told him I'd gladly taking another hour of driving than something terrible happening, like a crash. We did see two crashes as we drove along....not pretty. We arrived in Frankfurt at 10pm and checked into our Hilton....within the hotel. Now that is clever! Except that it meant a treadmill run...yuck!

Friday
After a 5k run on a boring treadmill with a gym loaded with German business men we packed up our suitcases one final time and headed to Customs. No issues going through or with boarding our plane. Our meals aboard could have been a little tastier....or our seats a little more plush, but hey I can't complain....we got to experience Switzerland I was quizzing Matt where else he is going....as soon as I here Ireland my tickets are booked!!!


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