In Which We Return Home

Our flight was scheduled to leave at about 2pm, so we didn't have to get up crazy early which was nice. I played a game of Monopoly Jr with Malorie and Ceci and Ceci won by a landslide! We gathered all our things, packed them up, ate breakfast, got showered and dressed, etc. In the end I think we were a bit too relaxed and ended up scrambling to pack everything and get out the door at the last minute, but we made it to the train okay.

Malorie and the girls waving good bye to us as the train left

Malorie assured us it would be so easy - we just stay on the train until the last stop, and we'd be at the airport. However, halfway through they made an announcement (thank goodness they broadcast it in English as well as German!) that everyone needed to leave the train due to engineering difficulties and find another one to board! Luckily we were able to call Malorie and she helped us find a new train. 

We had about 20 minutes to wait to catch the new train, so we got some lunch at the train station, figuring it would be cheaper than at the airport. 

I love tomato and mozzarella on salad! Also got this funky utensil that was called a "fork-spoon". I really think they could have come up with a cooler name, but oh well.

I was glad we had allowed extra time so we didn't feel too rushed. We made it to the airport about 2 hours before our flight was scheduled to depart and checked in very quickly - not crowded at all.

I thought these sinks at the airport were neat - you wash your hands and dry them in one place!

I was excited to try this new flavor of Doritos. It was okay, but kind of bland compared to Cool Ranch, which is still my favorite. The vanilla milkshake was surprisingly good, and sour candy is one of my favorites. "Pommes" translates to french fries.

The flight left about 30 minutes late and was relatively uneventful. We had a layover in Iceland again and due to the delay pretty much everyone was stressed about missing their connections. Mary was especially nervous but we ended up making it in plenty of time. After a long day of traveling we landed in Chicago and had to go through several long lines before we could finally exit the airport. Joe was waiting to pick us up and we got home about 9pm (4am in Switzerland) and collapsed into bed. 

I really can't wait to go back again with the whole family!

Day Ten - Morning Walk With a Snail

It was a beautiful morning and Malorie and I were feeling like we needed to get out and move a bit more, so she took me on a walk in the forest behind her house. It was a great trail, in and out of the woods and up and down hills and alongside creeks and with views of the lake and mountains. Mary opted for sleeping in. It was so great to have a nice long conversation with Malorie - I'll miss being able to spend so much time together! 

Saw this guy on our hike! It's hard to tell from the picture, but he's pretty huge!

I made my own salad for lunch today! I mean, Malorie did set all the ingredients out on the counter, so she gets some credit, but I think I did pretty good. She did criticize the size of my chopped tofu though.

We thought about going into Zurich again or going to a museum or something, but decided to stay home and relax. I had a long day of work with lots of Zoom meetings and ended up not finishing until after 1am. Mary had trouble sleeping too so we had a late night. Tomorrow we go home!

Day Nine - Covid Testing and Chocolate

The day was rainy and we decided to spend the morning in. Mary asked if I wanted to watch the Mysterious Benedict Society on Disney Plus. She knew I had recently read the books - so my answer was definitely yes!

We had lunch and I finally remembered to take a picture of one of Malorie's amazing salads before I ate it.

We need to have negative Covid tests in order to re-enter the USA, so we drove to a nearby testing center. Unfortunately it was the kind where they basically impale your brain with a swab, but Mary handled it like a champ.

On the way home we decided to go to the Lindt chocolate shop. We stocked up with plenty to bring home!

When we got back home it was time for me to work for the rest of the evening. It's very busy at work now and I had meetings until midnight. Mary played a lot with the girls and I heard them laughing quite a bit. She finally got out the face painting crayons and turned them into little cats which they both loved. Malorie made vegan burgers for dinner which were actually very good. 

Day Eight - Seedam-Center

On Wednesdays Malorie and Siraj usually have a personal trainer come to the house. Since Siraj was out of town, Malorie offered me his time slot. I was a bit nervous as I am very out of shape, but said yes anyway. From 8am-9am this lady had me doing a full body strength training workout with cardio - oof! I'm a bit sore but it felt good.

It was a bit rainy today. Ceci and Verena both went to school and Malorie had some appointments and things to take care of. She dropped Mary and I off at Seedam-Center, a shopping mall near her house.

We got lunch at an Italian restaurant inside - it was delicious.

Mary tried a new drink - it's a lightly carbonated flavored water. This one was mandarin - a very sharp, sweet orange flavor we both loved. Malorie later told me it's so strongly flavored because it's meant to be diluted before drinking!

Mary opted for the 4 cheese pizza. The gorgonzola wasn't a hit but otherwise she really liked it.

We browsed several of the shops inside. We each picked out a pair of earrings. We bought stuffed animal souvenirs for Joey, Lily, and Katy, and Mary bought a few more for herself and maybe to share with friends...we'll see if she wants to part with them!

The rain had stopped so we decided to walk home - it's only about a 10 minute walk. Mary found this giant slug!

Day Seven - Etzel Hike

 Verena does not go to school on Tuesdays. She wanted to go for a bike ride and a hike, so after Ceci went to school Malorie drove us up to Etzel where there's a nice hiking path.

We're off!

The hike was a bit in the woods and a bit in open fields on the hills

Oh no! Cows on the path! Will they go away?

No, they will not go away. They will come closer! We were a bit nervous but decided to walk past anyway and the cows did not mind.

It was worth it to brave the cows - the views were excellent! The yellow arrow shows approximately where Malorie's new house on the lake is being built.

Abandoned old building overlooking lake and mountains

Had a little snack on a picnic blanket on the hillside overlooking the lake

Cutie with tomato cheeks

We walked back and spent the rest of the day at home. I had lots of work to do, and Mary wanted to just relax at home.

Day Six - Rapperswil and Hurden

 Today Ceci and Verena were both in school so Mary had the day off. It was rainy in the morning, but seemed to be clearing up, so we decided to take the train to Rapperswil for lunch. Malorie had some appointments and things to do, so Mary and I were on our own.

Waiting for our train at the station

Cobblestone streets, quintessential old Swiss town, complete with castle.

View from the castle. Malorie's new house will be on that island in the middle of the lake.

There are some deer that live in this fenced in area near the castle.

Mary said this reminded her of Howl's moving castle, and made her want to live in an apartment above a flower shop where she would work. Of course she wants a balcony full of plants.

Staring competition.

Flower garden - smelled amazing!

We walked all over the city and explored lots of shops. Mary purchased a few things to bring back home for her and her friends.

Our lunch - Mary tried gnocchi and I had a bacon and mushroom salad.

This little guy flew in right next to Mary's head and almost landed on our table! He kept hanging around looking for handouts, and we did see him actually landing on other tables in the restaurant.

Finished with a lemon ice cream!

We sat on a bench near the lake and watched birds for awhile. There are some really cool diving birds and lots of baby birds too. We played a game called Battle of Polytopia on Mary's phone - it's like a virtual board game and kind of reminds me of Settlers of Catan. 

We took the train home again and Malorie picked up the girls from school. Time for Mary to babysit! Malorie sent her on a walk with the girls to a nearby playground that they frequently visit. She assured Mary that Ceci and Verena knew the way and had been there lots of times so they wouldn't get lost. 

While they were gone, Malorie and I drove to Hurden to check out their new house. It's very much a mess of a constructions site, but you can tell it's going to be stunning when it's completed. Here's some photos I took.

Mechanical room - there's a lot going on here!

This will be the main living room - here's Malorie looking out a giant sliding glass door in a wall of windows facing the lake - the view is definitely the best part!

This will be the front door - love the stone they chose for the outside of the house!

Inside looking from the second floor down into the living room. There are no stairs installed yet so we had to climb scaffolding to get up here. 

View of the side of the house - the dug out area is going to be a swimming pool.

Most of the materials and heavy equipment have to arrive here by boat. They are using a temporary floating platform to hold it all. This will eventually be a private dock and boathouse and beach - can't wait to come back and swim in the lake and enjoy this amazing view!

More of the lake view

We got back to the house and it was time for me to put in a day's work - it's kind of weird living in two time zones. I have a day in Zurich time first, and then immediately after a work day in Eastern Standard time.

Mary and the girls came back home shortly after we got returned, and immediately we could tell something was amiss. Ceci was especially upset. Turns out there is a private playground that they usually walk past on the way to the regular public playground, and Ceci and Verena have always wanted to go in there. So they told Mary that THAT one was the usual playground and they went in and played! Mary said there were no signs indicating it was private, but after they had already been there for over an hour, someone came outside and told them it was private. But this person could only speak German, so Mary had no clue what they were saying. Ceci understands German though, and told Mary it was a private playground so they left and came home - awkward! Ceci was devastated and so worried that she had gotten Mary in trouble and she would have to go to jail - poor thing! 

Ate dinner, finished working, went to bed - another full day in Switzerland in the books!

Day Five - Up to Madrisa

We woke up and the sun was shining - but rain was in the forecast, so we got ready to head up the mountain to Madrisa. Mary decided the night before she would prefer to sleep in, so she had the chalet to herself for the morning while we drove into Klosters to board the cable car.

I didn't take a photo of this side of the house yesterday - most of the houses here have a name painted on the outside and I love it.

Riding the gondolas up the mountain to Madrisa

Ready for our mountain hike!

The views on the hike were amazing.

Purple hat - purple hair - purple shirt

These were blooming all over the mountain

Ceci had an unfortunate run in with a fresh cow pie.
"I thought it was a stone!"

Clouds starting to roll in - thankful we were here early enough to get some great views before the rain!

On the way down we passed a woman leading a herd of goats up the mountain. She had a horn to blow and a special call - it was cool to see them all following her.

We hiked around for nearly an hour and then decided to head back to get some time it at the playground before it rained. There is a huge park called Madrisa-Land at the top of the mountain.

There was a super tall and fast slide. You had to sit on a mat to ride down - we all went down and it was super fun!

Climbing wall

Climbing net - can't wait to come back here with the whole family!

The sun and the mountains disappeared in the clouds, but that didn't stop the girls from putting on swimsuits and playing here! They had a fun obstacle course where you could try to make it through without getting wet.

Verena got "stuck" part way through and had to be rescued. I'll give you one guess who fell in and got their shoes wet!

There's a few houses on tall stilts at the tops of the trees that you can rent for the night! It's right up in the play area. Some day I want to come back with the whole family and spend the night here!

We bought the girls some lunch inside the restaurant. They were very excited to get spaghetti and french fries with lots of ketchup. Plus some salad too.

After lunch it was raining so we headed back down on the gondola. Ceci was very interested in the map all day and acted as our tour guide. 

We stopped at a bakery on the way home and picked up a cinnamon roll for Ceci and Verena to share and a croissant for Mary (she LOVES croissants).

Mary babysat for the afternoon while Malorie and I got some personal paperwork done. 

Beading! Turns out Ceci and Verena are very much into arts and crafts projects, so they are getting along great with Mary.

They've also been doing origami - Mary made a fleet of incredibly tiny paper boats (Ceci's hand for size comparison).

We had a video chat with dad and Joey and Lily and Katy back home in Wisconsin. We gave them a tour of the chalet and it was nice to see everyone. 

We did some laundry. Malorie made a delicious dinner. We packed up our things, said goodbye to Chalet Aurora in Klosters. I can't wait to come back!

We had a lot of fun listening to Spotify selections on the car ride back home. Ceci and Verena went straight to bed. Mary and I watched the movie Luca together - it's one of her current favorites - and then headed to bed.