Mt Rigi, is that you?

What Brian had planned for us that Saturday was to go see Mt Rigi. Apparently Mt Rigi is a popular place for families since the hiking isn't that hard and the views from the top are spectacular. Brian's colleagues spoke very highly of it and, since the weather was supposed to be a bit warmer, he was going to take all of us there.

On the way there, we noticed clouds. But people had told Brian that Mt Rigi is tall enough that the top is actually above the cloud cover and, no matter what the weather, you can see some great views from up there. They also told him that it doesn't get very cold at the top.

We must be very unlucky people. It was pretty chilly at the top. Plus, this is what we saw.
And this.
And this.
We were supposed to see this.
We walked a bit down and it never got better. So we decided to head back home via Zug for lunch. It was fun, even if we didn't see anything. We'll definitely have to go back sometime, on a clear day.

The next day it was obvious how out of shape I am. My calves hurt for days, all for looking at fog. Oh well, it did get me out of the bathroom for a bit!

Birdies! Birdies!

After Marion woke up from her nap, we went out for a walk. Take two of getting Marion used to walking, so the stroller was left behind.

There is an assisted living facility across the street from us that has beautiful gardens, a water fountain, and a birdhouse. Hello, kid's playground! It just so happens to be an easier (flatter) walk into town.

Since I mentioned the birdies I didn't get any whining from the toddler about walking.

She even ran toward the bird house!

In hindsight, maybe not a good thing when we are trying to build up endurance.

She loved the birdies, as always.

The water fountain was next, also a Marion favorite.

She always wants to stick her little hands in there and then exclaims, "My hands! My hands are wet!"

Yes, that tends to happen when you stick your hands in water silly!

It gets a little boring after the water fountain, birdies, and flowers, so she wanted up. I was actually okay with this since we had to cross some busy streets.

Next stop, a gift store next to the Hotel Schwan where my mom and sister stayed during their visit last week (so, so cute).

We picked up an umbrella for Marion. Because 1- it rains a lot here and 2- Marion loves umbrellas. Another mistake on my part. She wouldn't let the thing go and I listened to her whining the entire trip. I was a bad mommy and wouldn't let her have it in stores. And when I did let her have it outside, she walked very, very slow. I should have made the umbrella run the last stop of our errands. Lesson learned.

After Marion got her treat, Mommy went to go get herself a treat. On the other side of the Hotel Schwan is a fantastic florist, Doflores.

They do great things in there and everything is beautiful. So I indulged and picked up some fresh flowers.

So pretty.

I already warned Brian that I might be doing this weekly.

Following flowers, Marion and I headed to the Coop. Which, I have been told, is pronounced like cope except that the 'o' is a bit longer and lower pronounced. So there you have it.

We made this special trip to find these delicious strawberry pastries I picked up the other day.

They are fantastic. Large chunks of sugar, fresh strawberries, custard. Yummmmmm. Only one is left after dinner and now I might just have to go eat it. Not good.

Oh, and to prove my clumsiness (as if I have to do that), I took the pastry out of the fridge to take a picture for you all. And somehow the packaging opened and it fell, strawberries down, onto the counter.

Yea, I'll still eat it, don't you worry.

Anyway, Marion did fantastic on the walk home. She walked the entire way (downhill). That's my girl!

Gotta run, the football game's about to start!

Rookie mistakes

After Marion woke up from her nap, we headed to Fust, the electronics store, and the Coop, grocery store, to get milk. We need milk because the largest container of milk sold here is one liter and we go through that in a couple of days.

I miss gallons of milk.

During the course of getting ready I made a few decisions.

1. I decided not to take the stroller. Marion needs to get used to walking so I decided to use this as an opportunity to force her to walk.
2. I left the umbrella at home. It's been raining all day long but wasn't raining when we left. I figured we wouldn't be gone long, we'd be OK.
3. I also left my grocery cart at home. We weren't going to get much so I decided to take a bag instead.

Rookie mistakes.

Marion quit walking about a third of the way up the hill next to our home. So I carried her to the top of the hill where she walked a bit more before giving up again, forcing me to carry her to Fust. While at Fust I picked up the cellphone charger I needed and then decided to get a hair dryer instead.

Because, you know, I needed one. And I only needed milk at the grocery store.

I picked the cheapest hair dryer they had. Meaning I picked the 10 CHF one while the others ranged from 50-80 CHF. That resulted in the following exchange at the check out counter:

Store employee: "This is for travel, yes?"
Me: "No, it's for here."
S.E.: "Oh, because this is meant for travel. It is small."
Me: "That's OK, I don't use it alot."
S.E.: "Uh, oh."

My hair today must not have given me away. But I probably will pay for getting the cheap one by buying another one in the future.

After that awkward exchange, Marion and I headed to the Coop. I walked, she was carried.

Sidenote: How the hell do you pronounce Coop? I've heard it pronounced as Co-op, Cope, and Coop (as in chicken coop). Everyone seems to pronounce it differently.

Anyway, we went to Coop to get milk. We came out with milk, cherries, apples, grapes, swiffer stuff, sponges, peanuts, cough drops, and strawberry pastries.

Someone clearly forgot we did not bring the granny cart.

Granny grocery cart, at home, in the kitchen.

We checked out and left Coop. And what was outside waiting for us? Rain. Damn.

So I picked up my bag, stuffed to the gills with groceries, and the diaper bag, also stuffed with items we didn't really need now, and started to head back with Marion.

Marion loved the first half of the walk. She enjoyed stopping to look for and jump in puddles. So while I didn't have to carry her, the walk took awhile and I was getting very wet. Meanwhile, Swiss people continued to walk briskly past us with their umbrellas.

Marion stopped halfway home and gave up on walking. So I picked her up and booked it to our apartment. I was soaking wet by the time we got there. Marion was laughing, saying "Mommy necklace wet!"

Funny girl.

Once home, I unloaded our groceries. And then I thought of one reason why items are smaller here than in the States: the refrigerator is smaller.


No way I could fit a gallon of milk in there.

And now the sun is out. Go figure.

A lazy Sunday walk along the lake

We decided to relax most of the day and straighten up the apartment. After Marion's nap, Colleen, Grammie, Brian, Marion, and I headed out for a walk to enjoy the (what has been rare this week) sunshine. Here are some pictures I snapped during our walk.

Our apartment building.

Really getting into the EURO 2008 mood.

The hotel where Colleen and Grammie stayed in town.

The town square where they have music and wine on Friday nights.

Everyone recycling at the local Migros.

The brown glass recycling bin.

Taking the whole "Men at Work" thing a bit far I think. I wonder if they have female construction workers in Switzerland?

Colleen and Marion looking at some ducks.

A Swiss duck and clear lake water.

Marion: "I running!"

The playground on the lake.

I tried to get a picture of Marion and Brian but a train went by. Marion loves the trains so it kind of distracted her. I managed to get her excitement over the "choo-choo train" on camera. Notice how little Brian manages to move.

Daddy and Marion.

Some sculptures we saw on our walk. Reminds me of Lehigh.

A view of the park.

After our walk we went back to the apartment for a nice family dinner before the skies opened for a torrential downpour. Marion was scared of the thunder but Grammie explained that it was just the angels bowling. She seemed to be OK with that explanation.

Then it was time for our nightly Rummy game after Marion went to sleep. I managed to win a game, surprisingly enough. Grammie has been on a streak all week. After I barely won, Brian walked Grammie and Colleen back to their hotel.

A great first Swiss Sunday!