tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258383669600164792024-03-13T14:34:41.171+01:00View From LeDeckJaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-71839204483226809872019-01-10T18:37:00.000+01:002019-01-10T18:37:01.202+01:00The End of the Beginning<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laura's tibial plateau fracture is officially repaired! She was in surgery for just under four hours on Wednesday night. The ex-fix was removed from the outside of her leg, the broken chunks of tibia were re-aligned and fastened together with a stainless steel internal plate that should stay inside her leg forever.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were a few complicating factors. Her meniscus had been driven down into the shattered top of the tibia, so they had to dig that out first. Then they needed a fair amount of bone graft to add to the top of the tibia for parts of the bone that just weren't there anymore. And there are a lot of stitches holding the repaired meniscus together. But, all in all, it was a very successful surgery.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zVtckoIDaWOJfVyj3nyf2yA1KV9eM0p86FEKxkpUXM4aFIgIjXJ_Bk5KXQOyYc6cZogscr2Y-VG3o8BGJMm-fRVE9gedGKueF7KSwrJQrMDvGwx9UzFkcKo3u1_4Rw0I4Hj7YtFZMSY/s1600/IMG_0375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="1600" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zVtckoIDaWOJfVyj3nyf2yA1KV9eM0p86FEKxkpUXM4aFIgIjXJ_Bk5KXQOyYc6cZogscr2Y-VG3o8BGJMm-fRVE9gedGKueF7KSwrJQrMDvGwx9UzFkcKo3u1_4Rw0I4Hj7YtFZMSY/s640/IMG_0375.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>View from the front. The darker spot on the top left side of the tibia is where the bone graft was used.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-K03kl8A5jwmWcEeui-ZqkhE73q1cENf9NittTS5p-XQThMaCGiOzV5UZAm3QuV8aFyhevFtHhgZKBPu4zqbbUSW0Q1Pq_4_btezKWK8ZHPlIl5UV51DIqM6qESQbYa3jtWw_odNAtQ/s1600/IMG_0376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1569" data-original-width="1600" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-K03kl8A5jwmWcEeui-ZqkhE73q1cENf9NittTS5p-XQThMaCGiOzV5UZAm3QuV8aFyhevFtHhgZKBPu4zqbbUSW0Q1Pq_4_btezKWK8ZHPlIl5UV51DIqM6qESQbYa3jtWw_odNAtQ/s640/IMG_0376.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lateral view. The white line to the left (front) of the internal plate is a partial view of where the bone broke. It broke in a V-shape when the femur slammed down on top of it.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I think today (Thursday) is a day just for rest and pain management. This is a very painful surgery. She takes narcotics orally every 4 hours, and can get an IV narcotic push every 2 hours, but that means that she spends about an hour in relatively lucid, relatively happy (although still very painful) time, about a half hour on the edge, and about 30 minutes every 2 hours in what appears to me to be excruciating agony. But, even by tomorrow the pain is <i>supposed to be</i> much more manageable. She'll probably start some in-hospital PT tomorrow (Friday) and I'm guessing she'll be released on Saturday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then it's time for the journey home. If that truly ends up being Saturday she'll have spent exactly three weeks in the hospital.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The surgery was done through the fasciotomy wounds (reopened at the top) although the surgeon did have to extend them further up toward the knee. So, she'll only have two significant scars on her leg. That being said, they'll be pretty gnarly, very long scars! Not that she needed proof, but now there's physical evidence that my wife is a total bad-ass!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks as always for the kind comments, thoughts and prayers! There'll be a long PT road on the way to recovery, but we're nearly ready to go home. The first stage is nearly over. We can't wait to get home!</span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-88230307557557738962019-01-03T22:30:00.000+01:002019-01-03T22:30:32.489+01:00The Waiting Game<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, some good news: Laura's fasciotomy wounds have been closed!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She was in surgery on Wednesday morning where they closed up all of the existing wounds on her leg. This is a critical step on the road to the repair of her tibia, but just as importantly, it helps her a lot with both pain and mobility. A relatively normal leg (albeit stitched back together) is much less painful than one that is flayed open, with sponges inside and a vacuum pump sucking out fluid and putting pressure on her muscles. And those same vacuum pumps being gone mean 3 tubes that are no longer hanging off/out of her leg, making it a lot easier to get out of bed onto the commode, for example.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the way, that was Laura's <i>seventh</i> surgery. The OR nurses were joking yesterday morning that by now she should be able to pre-op herself. And we're also rotating back through many of the nurses that were here in the patient care unit before. That's comforting, actually. It's amazing how nice it is to see a familiar face, especially when they can help point out the improvements they can see since they were last here!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next Steps</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now we wait. She cannot have the surgery to repair the tibia until the swelling in her calf has diminished enough. There was a hope that that might happen by Friday, but now it looks like it will be Saturday, or Sunday (or maybe even Monday) before they can do that. It's frustrating to wait, but of course it's not the sort of thing you want to rush, or they could expose her to the risk of another case of compartment syndrome. And we certainly don't want <i>that</i> again!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, Laura can't home until everyone here is satisfied that her tibia repair recovery is also in a good place. So we'll be able to fly home somewhere between two and four days after that surgery. It will be good to head home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Help</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you again to everyone who has helped out with kids, who has sent care packages, who has called or texted or emailed or commented on Facebook! It really does help to hear from you. Also, we have been so well looked-after by the nurses, doctors, care techs and cleaning people here at Vail Health. They have all been so kind and friendly and helpful. We're lucky to be cared for by the people here.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Surgical Team</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laura's surgeon here has been Dr. Randy Viola. He's a surgeon at the Steadman Clinic who specializes in hand, wrist, elbow and "orthopedic trauma" (I'll let you guess which one Laura falls under). Dr. Viola is going on a long-planned vacation on Sunday, so <i>if</i> the surgery gets delayed until then, she'll be handed off to Dr. Tom Hackett. Dr. Hackett is also a surgeon at the Steadman Clinic who specializes in knee, shoulder and elbow. So, even if that happens it's a lateral move, not a step down. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I mentioned before how the Steadman Clinic surgeons are world class, but just as an example, Lyndsey Vonn has been operated on by both Drs. Viola and Hackett along with other Steadman Clinic surgeons for many of her ski injuries, including<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCV1Xy3kTr7/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank"> a tibial plateau fracture</a> in 2016. (I found this information in news reports, so no worries, the doctors here are maintaining client confidentiality and not sharing this info with us!!!) All to say that Laura is in good hands.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nobody's Perfect</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I wonder whether I give the impression that we're dealing with things here perfectly, but I think I should admit that neither one us is a Pollyanna. It's a long time sitting here either trapped in the room or running back upstairs to the OR. Laura has her moments of self-doubt about the road ahead, or being overwhelmed with the pain or just the immensity of being here. And I sometimes feel that I'm going to snap when she asks me to do something that most of the day I'm happy to help with.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it's really about resilience, right? Being willing to forgive yourself for feeling down, to accept it, and to move on to the next moment. And when we need it, it helps to know that we have all of you looking after us too. Thank you!</span></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-79210108288774805312018-12-29T19:30:00.004+01:002018-12-30T08:45:29.197+01:00Laura - Updates for Saturday, 12/29<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One week since the accident!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday was a good day. No surgeries and a quiet day of rest for the most part. Laura felt strong enough to get out of bed and sit in a recliner for a little over an hour. But mostly it was just nice to have a day without surgery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday she was in surgery in the morning to open up, clean out, and examine the fasciotomy. The muscles are recovering nicely and they are putting pressure on the wounds to begin pulling them together so that they will be able to be closed up. The wound on the left side (inside) of the calf is pretty much closed, and the gap on the right side (outside) wound went from 10 cm/4" wide to about 5 cm/2" wide.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As far as next week goes, there are lots of ins and outs, but right now the basic idea is two surgeries on Monday and Wednesday (where they will close up one of the two wounds at least). Then the hope is to repair the tibia next weekend (January 4,5 or 6</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">). As our surgeon says, that's an "optimistic, but realistic" schedule. So it seems likely that we'll be flying back to Boston early- to mid-week of 1/6.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, this weekend it's all about rest. Nothing particular for us to do except for Laura to relax as best she can. She has for a few days now been moving back and forth between the bed and a reclining chair, and can use the commode herself. (Of course, it does help to have one or two people assist her make the transition with lots of equipment still hooked up, and someone to help manipulate the leg, etc.)*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The ex-fix</span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DZmeiJ0-zRyQFsxOc-fPiYbTfRlUHVdE-EpKae-4MCK0zRWxib_VxKZzc-MYvlsMYST41UAnD-ZcvlMa6zhupqvl8q2hHkMlTPEIoYS7THKlUaQ7LG6ksIDpHEJ9CA_oyEo3BUpfYGQ/s1600/IMG-0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DZmeiJ0-zRyQFsxOc-fPiYbTfRlUHVdE-EpKae-4MCK0zRWxib_VxKZzc-MYvlsMYST41UAnD-ZcvlMa6zhupqvl8q2hHkMlTPEIoYS7THKlUaQ7LG6ksIDpHEJ9CA_oyEo3BUpfYGQ/s640/IMG-0360.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One thing I didn't mention before, as it wasn't relevant to her overall status, is that Laura has an external brace on her leg that holds everything in place and immobilizes her knee so that the broken parts of the tibia aren't moving around in there. There are two pins drilled into her femur and then another two drilled into (I assume) her tibia down near the ankle. Then a few bars run between the pins to hold everything stable. It's heavy, but makes a convenient handle when we're trying to move her leg around! (And it's a lot better to move the leg using that stable "handle" than it is to move her leg directly whereby you may inadvertently be moving a bone around that's not supposed to.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Beware the <strike>Ides</strike> (last week?) of <strike>March</strike> December!</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A tip for those of you who like ski vacations: the week between Christmas and New Year's is a hectic time, and according to the Vail Health folks, it's the one week out of the whole season that they see the most injuries. That certainly seemed to be the case on Wednesday, 12/26. Laura was scheduled for surgery at 9 am, but it got pushed back to noon, then 3, and on and on until she didn't have surgery until 9:30 pm. All because of emergency procedures that popped up that day. If you <i>do</i> decide to ski between Christmas and New Year's, be careful up there!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* A little plug for exercise</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Laura has been exercising diligently and regularly for the past two years, and it is making a big difference for her in the hospital. I know one of the things she's disappointed about is that this is going to set her back on the exercise and fitness regime, but it's been really important here in the hospital. She is much more able to move herself between bed, chair and commode, so it makes a big difference to her quality of life in the hospital room. And, it has also helped with the ability of her muscles to bounce back and recover from the compartment syndrome. So far every surgery since the original fasciotomy has been on the positive side of the orthopedic teams' expectations, and as the primary surgeon has pointed out, it makes a dramatic difference operating on a fit person versus someone who is less healthy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, get out there and exercise! If you ever end up with a tibial plateau fracture and compartment syndrome, it will make a huge difference to your recovery!!! (I assume there are other beneficial aspects of exercise, too....)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. I heard that some people had tried to comment on the previous blog post and it didn't work. I'm not sure why that was, but I think it's working now. Sorry about that.</span></i></span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-83850323535973043882018-12-27T05:25:00.000+01:002018-12-27T05:25:17.089+01:00Laura's Injury - Just the Basics<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello, everyone. You're likely here to find out the details of what happened to Laura in Vail. Well, here is the info in as short a format as verbose old me is able to make it. I've tried to group things so you can find the relevant information you're looking for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happened?</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laura had a ski accident and severely broke her leg. She also had a complication that could have been <i>really </i>serious, but is now only relatively serious.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What does "severely broke her leg" mean?</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She has a <a href="https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/tibial-plateau-fractures#1" target="_blank">tibial plateau fracture</a>. Basically, a lot of weight/speed/and force were focused through her femur down through the knee joint onto the top of the tibia, shattering it near the joint into a few pieces.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the "complication?"</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She developed <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/compartment-syndrome/" target="_blank">compartment syndrome</a>. The swelling in her calf (picture the calf just below the knee swollen to the size of a melon) put pressure on the muscles, nerves, and blood supply that run through two "compartments" in her calf to her foot. If the pressure builds up enough that it could cause damage (as it did in her case), a surgeon performs a fasciotomy, slicing through the skin and tissue between the ankle and knee on each side of the calf, stuffing the wound with medical sponges, covering with a medical film and placing suction on it to drain out fluids.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That sounds relatively serious, but you mentioned <i>really</i> serious?</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll let the dry verbiage of the Wikipedia entry on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciotomy" target="_blank">fasciotomy</a> tell the story: </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Fasciotomy</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> is a limb-saving procedure when used to treat acute compartment syndrome."</span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">You're exaggerating, right?</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Eh, not really. Laura was rushed into emergency surgery on Monday morning, and it if had been started a half hour later, or if we had been somewhere that doesn't have a world-class orthopedic surgery team, she would likely be missing part of her right leg right now.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">That doesn't sound like it should happen. Didn't you know about the potential for compartment syndrome?</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Yes. We were aware of the possibility. But, the "danger zone" is mostly within the first 24 hours, and Laura presented at 36+ hours. Plus, it was the middle of the night, Laura presented in an unusual way, she has a high pain threshold, plus other factors and yes, perhaps the nurse didn't elevate some of the signs as he should have. But, really, we'll never know why it took longer to be identified than it should have. Bottom line, she should have been in surgery hours before she was.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">So she didn't lose her leg. Does that mean she is okay?</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Hmm. Well, she is </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">mostly</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> okay. Parts of her foot are numb, but her nerves appear to be unharmed, so the foot sensitivity should come back eventually. And three of the four muscles in the compartments came through unscathed. But, the surgery came late enough to cut things very close, and she did lose part of one of her muscles. It's the muscle group that pulls the big toe and ankle UP. Pushing down will be fine, but she will likely have less strength to pull the ankle up, and may never be able to pull her big toe up. If that's the case, the tendon can be tied together with the other toes so that she could pull it up, just not independently of the other toes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">That's just the "complication." What about the original break? How will that affect things?</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Tibial plateau fractures are graded on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 6 (most severe). Being an overachiever in all things, Laura scored a 6. However, as the surgeon explained to us, while her break is in the most severe category, the tibia shattered into a small enough number of large enough pieces that it can be repaired to the point where it will have no impact on her at all in the long term. Which I guess is lucky?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">That's of course if you have a great surgical team, which luckily we do. People travel to this clinic to have surgeries like this done. So there again, I guess we were lucky (not that it would have happened if we weren't here).</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">All right, so things can go back to normal, but how long will that take?</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">We don't have real specific answers right now, but the tibia repair can't happen until the swelling has gone down. It's hard to say how long that will take, but we're hoping it will be sometime next week. We won't know until later, but we're keeping 2 weeks from the accident (that is, Saturday Jan. 5) as an estimated date to be able to go home. An estimated date with a big range of error around it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">As far as further recovery, she has to keep all weight off of her foot for 8-10 weeks or so post repair surgery. She will be able to be mobile with crutches, I guess, but she won't be allowed to really "walk" until roughly 3 months post accident? Basically the end of March. Again, as our rough estimate, subject to significant change as time goes on.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">And I'm guessing pretty serious physical therapy until June or later to rebuild strength.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I'm guessing the compartment syndrome added time before the repair can be done?</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Not really, no. It takes 1-2 weeks post-trauma for the swelling to go down to do the repair anyway. Perhaps the compartment syndrome added a few days, if that. Mostly it just adds extra surgeries in between the accident and repair. Without compartment syndrome, Laura would have had two surgeries in two weeks. With it, she has had four surgeries in four days and will have another three to five before we leave.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Laura's in the hospital for two weeks or more?! Where is she, and who's with her?</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">She's in <a href="https://www.vailhealth.org/locations/vail" target="_blank">Vail Health Hospital</a> and being operated on by surgeons from Vail's <a href="https://www.vaildaily.com/news/cutler-finding-a-quiet-cure-in-vail/" target="_blank">world</a>-<a href="https://www.summitdaily.com/news/sports/vails-steadman-clinic-doctors-randy-viola-and-tom-hackett-heading-to-olympics/" target="_blank">renowned</a> <a href="https://www.thesteadmanclinic.com/" target="_blank">Steadman Clinic</a>. She has a private room with a big window looking out on the Vail ski slopes and everyone here has been so very kind. It sucks being here, but if you've got to be here, this is a great place to do it! (I hope that made sense.) And I'm with her. As in Jared. As in her husband.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Are you staying in her hospital room? I imagine there aren't extra rooms to rent in Vail between Christmas and New Year's Day.</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Nope! Susan, a rather distant relative of Laura's who we didn't know previously is a seasonal nurse here and has an apartment with an extra bedroom. How lucky is that? (Plus Susan is fan-TAS-tic!)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">What about the boys?</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Uncle Cam was here with us skiing and he took the boys with him to Aunt Britt's house (in Minnesota) where they celebrated Christmas with Jared's extended family. Jared's parents are flying them to Massachusetts on Saturday (12/29) and staying until Tuesday (1/1) and then they'll be looked after by other people.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Do we know who yet? For God's sake, no! That's like six days away! We're kind of busy around here! However, we have lots of relatives and friends who have offered to help out (thank you, thank you!!!!) and we'll work on sorting out those details next.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I've been waiting to ask, same leg or other leg from the ACL repair?</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Same!</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Oh, boy. Will she need the ACL done again?</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">We hope not! Because the injury is down <u>through</u> the knee and there's not typically a lot of twisting, the tendons and ligaments in the knee are often okay. (The meniscus is likely destroyed, though.) We won't know until the tibia repair surgery for sure, but there's a good chance that Laura's ACL reconstruction is A-OK. That's what we're hoping for.</span></div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-20947018310206081292014-11-08T10:01:00.001+01:002014-11-08T10:26:34.368+01:00Swiss Time & Efficiency<b>UPDATED</b>: See the bottom of the post for the cool minute change of the Swiss rail clock!<br />
<br />
On Thursday I was meeting a friend for lunch and apologized when I arrived seven minutes late. He made the point that only in Switzerland would I apologize for arriving a whole <i>seven minutes(!)</i> late, which got me to thinking about Swiss time, which reminded me of a blog post I started putting together years ago. So, this morning I looked at my drafts and, lo and behold, this thing was 90%+ finished! Why didn't I post it those years ago? So, without further ado....<br />
<br />
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<br />
<br />
With news that Apple recently paid $21 million (!!!) to license the iconic Swiss Federal Railways clock design for iOS 6, it seemed like high time (haha) that I finally addressed TIME in Switzerland....<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/11/10/Screen_Shot_2012-09-20_at_12.38.57_PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: The new clock face that Apple will us in iOS 6. Right: SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) clock as licensed to Mondaine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A few weeks ago, Laura returned from a business trip to the US, and the boys and I picked her up at the Geneva airport. As we were waiting outside the customs area, I received a text:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Luggage arriving in 4 minutes. See you soon!"</i></div>
<br />
And, when she met us outside, she was once again impressed by Swiss efficiency to time. We've grown accustomed to it living here, but returning from a trip abroad brings it back into focus. You see, she knew when the luggage was arriving because the Swiss airport workers post a count-down timer at the luggage belt. At five minutes, they start the countdown. And, the <i>precise</i> <i>moment</i> that timer hits 0, a klaxon sounds, a light starts flashing, the belt starts moving, and luggage begins descending from the ceiling.<br />
<br />
Now, is there any great secret to how this is done? Probably not. My suspicion is that that luggage had been sitting on the belt above the customs area two or three minutes before the countdown timer started. In fact, they could probably cut a few minutes off the average time of luggage delivery at Geneva Airport. But, that is not what efficiency means to the Swiss. It's not so important <i>how fast</i> you can get something done, but that you can <i>depend</i> <i>on it</i> being done when promised, every time (or nearly every time).<br />
<br />
<b>Consider the trains in Switzerland and France.</b><br />
<br />
When we first arrived here in Switzerland, I have to admit I was initially a bit disappointed with the Swiss rail system. If the French can run the TGV from Lausanne to Paris in 3 hours 41 minutes (7+ hours driving time), why does it take the Swiss 2 and a half hours to make the trip from Lausanne to Zurich (driving time 2-1/2 to 3 hours).<br />
<br />
See here the wicked fast French TGV:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hhGQtYwIUx4" width="420"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
And here, for comparision, is a typical Swiss train:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/88NjqLPbBbw" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Okay, so I cheated a bit there. The top video was a French TGV specifically outfitted to make a world-record breaking speed run. But, still the point remains. How can a Swiss train be efficient if it runs so slowly?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Again, for the Swiss</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>efficiency </b><i><span style="color: red;"><b>does not equal</b></span></i><b> speed </b>or<b> throughput</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>efficiency </b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>equals</b></span></i><b> <u>reliability</u>!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Remember how I said the TGV runs from Lausanne to Paris in 3 hours 41 minutes? Well, I've taken that train six times so far, and only <i>once</i> have I made the trip in that time. The trip has taken close to four hours most times, pushing close to 20 minutes late on average. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Swiss 2.5 hour trip? Two and a half hours, every time.*</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Swiss rail administrators endeavor to ensure that passengers complete their entire connected trip with less than 3 minutes of delay. Keep in mind, they're not just counting a simple rail route, but <i>connected</i> journeys in their measurements. If a person makes a journey from Geneva, on the western end of Switzerland, all the way across to the eastern tip of Graubunden, with 4+ connections, they are supposed to arrive there with less than 3 minutes of delay.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When you first plan a long Swiss rail journey and see your planned connection times are 6 minutes at a station, you may be a little concerned. But, before long, you'll realize that's plenty of time. They've planned out the walking route between platforms, figured weather/other variability into the route planning of each train**, and you can count on it working almost every time.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I remember catching a train at the Geneva airport. A group of people was dashing down the corridor to catch an escalator to the train platform and a Swiss rail official called out, "Don't run! Don't worry! The train is not leaving for 2 minutes! You have <i>plenty</i> of time!" This is the voice of experience from a man who knows precisely when that train is leaving, and precisely how much time it takes to get from one place to another.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Metrics: Of course, nobody is perfect, and no one can deal with all possible delays, so how does Swiss rail do?</li>
<ul>
<li>In 2013, <b>87.5%</b> of all passengers made their selected destination in <b>less than 3 minutes of delay</b>. It's hard to tell whether this is good or just okay. More impressively to me (and perhaps more important),</li>
<li><b>97.3% of connections</b> were made.</li>
<li>Think about that! SBB carried <b>365.9 million</b> passengers last year, and 97.3% of them made their planned connections! (And 320+ million of them arrived at their destination within 3 minutes of their planned arrival time!) You can count on Swiss rail.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
At the risk of sounding pedantic, a few more examples:</div>
<ul>
<li>The first day Laura took the train to the office, she arrived at the train platform about 10 minutes before her train was due to depart. There was <i>no one</i> at the train station. She was worried she'd read the timetable wrong. </li>
<ul>
<li>7 minutes prior to departure: crickets. </li>
<li>5 minutes prior: still nothing. </li>
<li>3 minutes prior: first person shows up. </li>
<li>2 minutes prior: 3 people.</li>
<li>1 minute prior: a stream of people begins arriving. </li>
<li>30 seconds prior: full platform.</li>
<li>These days, Laura leaves the apartment to arrive about a minute prior to train departure.</li>
</ul>
<li>Similarly, the first time there was a coffee meeting in her office, Laura headed to the meeting area about 5 minutes before 9. She figured, as in the US, she would get a chance to chat to a few people before the meeting started (which would probably begin around 9:07 or 9:10). And, of course, there as <i>no one</i> there. And, at 8:59 the room filled up. And, at 9 am the leader started talking. 9 means 9. Not 8:55. And, not 9:07.</li>
</ul>
<b><br /></b>
<b>So, of course this has affected me, too.</b> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's safe to say I was almost <i>never</i> on time to anything in my previous life. It's not that I didn't plan on how long it would take to get somewhere, but I didn't do it properly. If I was going to a meeting somewhere, I knew how long it took to drive there (like, the <i>fastest</i> I had ever driven it, during, probably, the middle of the night on a weekend, or something, when there was no traffic), and that was my planned time. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, things are a bit different:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>What is a reasonable drive time, considering the time of day and my route? Do I want to build in some extra time for contingencies?</li>
<li>What is the parking situation? How long will it find a space to park?</li>
<li>How far away will that be from where I'm going? How long will it take me to walk that distance?</li>
<li>Do I know where I'm going once I get to the building? How long will it take me to find out?</li>
<li>Is this a doctor's appointment? Am I going for the first time so I'll need to fill out documents before the appointment?</li>
<li>Etc.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Which is not to say I don't make mistakes. After all, I was 7 minutes late for my lunch date on Thursday. And, Swiss trains are late occasionally, too. But, in the olden days, I would have felt pretty good about 7 minutes, and like I was on time. (Let's be serious, I wouldn't have <i>known</i> I was "7 minutes" late!) Now, that's something I find myself apologizing for.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And, by the way, for those of you who miss it, or are just curious, here is the real Swiss Federal Railways clock.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/sbb_clock.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real SBB/CFF/FFS clock, designed in 1944.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Do you know/remember how that clock works? I love how it dramatically emphasizes the change of the minute. That <span style="color: red;"><b>red second hand</b></span> sweeps smoothly around the clock face. Then, it arrives at the 60/0 second position, pauses briefly, and the minute hand <i><b>CLUNKS</b></i> ahead to the next minute. The minute hand doesn't move during the minute. At any specific time, you can see at a glance <i><b>precisely</b></i> what minute the Swiss rail service is counting as valid.<br />
<br />
And, now UPDATED in video!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tH63sBOTIeQ" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Endnotes:</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i>* Not every time. As we've established, even Swiss rail is not perfect. And, unfortunately, I <i>did</i> experience one of those late experiences one day when I really, really needed not to....</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
** I absolutely <i>love</i> the way they do this. They build in extra catch-up time into the train schedule at periodic intervals. For example, the Pully Nord train station is right near our apartment, and it is one stop from Lausanne. For the Lausanne - Pully Nord trip, this segment is scheduled for 2 minutes. On the Pully Nord - Lausanne trip, it is scheduled for 6 minutes. That's four minutes of slack time (or catch-up time) built into the schedule right before the train reaches Lausanne, where many of the train riders will be catching a connection. Also, the train is scheduled to sit in Lausanne for <i>six whole minutes(!)</i>, much longer than the 1 minute scheduled time for the non-connecting stations. That's another five minutes of slack time built directly into the train schedule.</div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-86899859013034386412012-09-13T21:49:00.001+02:002012-09-13T21:50:53.581+02:00Egypt in April? Maybe we should wait....Tuesday I was just about to book two flights for next April. One to Cairo on Egypt Air, and one returning from Hurghada on easyJet. Our plan was to fly there and then follow an itinerary to include Giza, the Valley of the Kings/Luxor, and three days snorkeling reefs in the Red Sea. (Basically, this trip with a few minor adjustments:
<a href="http://www.egypt-uncovered.com/tours/docs/egypt_tour_cultural_holiday_eguc.pdf">http://www.egypt-uncovered.com/tours/docs/egypt_tour_cultural_holiday_eguc.pdf</a> )<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Needless to say, the events of the last few days have made us rethink things. I'm still not ready to give up on the Egypt trip yet, but we're also definitely not booking it yet. And when we do, I think travel insurance is called for. How much will that cost?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the meantime, we need to think about alternative trips for a week in April. Morocco? Slovenia? Cyprus?These are very big problems to have, I know.... In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, we're all ears.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
********************************************************</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, it's been a very long time since I've made any posts. I know, and I'm sorry. It's sort of a lot of pressure to think of things that people might be interested in. And, by the time I do, I've lost all energy to actually write about it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But, I may move this into a travelogue type blog. They're easy -- just upload a bunch of pictures. Our trips since the last update are as noted below. Perhaps I'll make an entry for each over the next few weeks. And, tomorrow we're off to Dublin for a three day weekend.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Skiing in Avoriaz, France with my parents and brother during the week between Christmas and New Year's</li>
<li>Ski week in Nendaz, Switzerland with our friends from Holland, the Van de Poll/Noordanus family (February)</li>
<li>Amsterdam, Belgium (Bruges and Flanders) with my parents in April. The boys liked our return to Switzerland on an overnight train the best.</li>
<li>London over a three day weekend in May</li>
<li>Italian Lakes during a five day weekend in May (Lago d'Orta and Bellagio, Lake Como)</li>
<li>Jubilee Marathon in Stockholm in July</li>
<li>Minnesota/Maine in July/August</li>
</ul>
<div>
Whew! This is why I like living in Switzerland!</div>
</div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-21507429618489344992011-12-04T23:07:00.001+01:002011-12-05T01:52:43.658+01:00Madeira<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Laura and I honeymooned in Madeira nearly ten years ago. We always thought we'd go back someday, so when we found ourselves only a few hours' flight from Madeira we starting scheming for a vacation there. And, during the boys' week-long break in October we made our return. Ostensibly, this was our ten year anniversary trip. It's actually closer to nine years since our wedding, but it provided a good excuse to totally blow the budget. It's a good thing milestone anniversaries don't come along more often!<br />
<br />
Photos follow. I don't think we need a lot of commentary. But, knowing me, I may not be able to hold back.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ooxmpphVDehmDu_giPR-PD15K0-OLiyVQTX1BSJyucD59IoFLu0Vs6wgeO2Vj6fhXLDyjcOABptQX51jCnKS_fKgeQdS2QcpQSCRJcpwbCYUqL6s7iq8TqaI2ydZxD5gB_xNONUYzhQ/s1600/IMG_2419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ooxmpphVDehmDu_giPR-PD15K0-OLiyVQTX1BSJyucD59IoFLu0Vs6wgeO2Vj6fhXLDyjcOABptQX51jCnKS_fKgeQdS2QcpQSCRJcpwbCYUqL6s7iq8TqaI2ydZxD5gB_xNONUYzhQ/s640/IMG_2419.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Relaxing on the balcony with a glass of Madeira after our long flight. (Yes, it is a <i>lot</i> closer than when we were in the US, but it was still 4 hours of flying plus a 90 minute layover.)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1XGQfwQNDyCBC2JFVDqWS9bzK2sxwVd4I0hEUYPsHvn05-w4TdJC_A4uF4CVsKGByEUKYbmDr-MDRZLckoPPnVgvCed5Ug5tkFmzoT8EZ87YndKithP9dO0SZ_9TegI4p7V3Tb2uyyU/s1600/IMG_2417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1XGQfwQNDyCBC2JFVDqWS9bzK2sxwVd4I0hEUYPsHvn05-w4TdJC_A4uF4CVsKGByEUKYbmDr-MDRZLckoPPnVgvCed5Ug5tkFmzoT8EZ87YndKithP9dO0SZ_9TegI4p7V3Tb2uyyU/s640/IMG_2417.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>What I was looking at.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPFKPYiIpdUvWZB4AZ_f0u3Gyc4WvzjClauxlwaGQrjpWQjTcWmdOwjBrirUgH1-xCZcTfOz8WciUoc7-qCKX66rkMfHif-m2i-YZBoIuYi34NsB7L4YkfPlYr8sX2s6PLK44DadJOP4/s1600/IMG_2432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPFKPYiIpdUvWZB4AZ_f0u3Gyc4WvzjClauxlwaGQrjpWQjTcWmdOwjBrirUgH1-xCZcTfOz8WciUoc7-qCKX66rkMfHif-m2i-YZBoIuYi34NsB7L4YkfPlYr8sX2s6PLK44DadJOP4/s640/IMG_2432.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The hotel did a great job with the kids. These bears were part of a "welcome package" for each child.<br />They felt really special.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nCk9GjgBMuYsjgVWWBnrAeSQPF7iW7fKAxU99iNlVCW6XTZ4VOEoVEy4aDLbWALyl68mJ2PgIqBSa9TXGyuVBPd-5BUO6kibVzvPETfBa4ZbprZg0JFSCIBJ07wHp4mXSD4BeeAxLYA/s1600/IMG_2439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nCk9GjgBMuYsjgVWWBnrAeSQPF7iW7fKAxU99iNlVCW6XTZ4VOEoVEy4aDLbWALyl68mJ2PgIqBSa9TXGyuVBPd-5BUO6kibVzvPETfBa4ZbprZg0JFSCIBJ07wHp4mXSD4BeeAxLYA/s640/IMG_2439.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We went to see some caves, but the boys were most interested in the ducks there. And, as you can see, Calvin never let go of his bear once during our stay in Madeira....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaj29POWpnq866uXDr7YUDowf7hURa1AqLE5mvjgt-59cHrOlI0eryL_0IcpzILe0xwFLHRfvbNa1SEqm7hqqreXU74bAvzH1r3lwsfgBRInXOrA7XaDjeYmpzCCQ4137fKFNvB9V8fP8/s1600/IMG_2442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaj29POWpnq866uXDr7YUDowf7hURa1AqLE5mvjgt-59cHrOlI0eryL_0IcpzILe0xwFLHRfvbNa1SEqm7hqqreXU74bAvzH1r3lwsfgBRInXOrA7XaDjeYmpzCCQ4137fKFNvB9V8fP8/s640/IMG_2442.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura's favorite flowers.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj953o2K0mr82tYToox0zOAblDbCqSZWg1Wwlp72j9fhYNII29UAHft9kXGcboN_TvjUWlyxchTEV-v4MsO1Iwc9Su0BAirdtg1xVLRatYiue-4Gml05IpkLlF0h5QKhxLQoKo5aALJYtw/s1600/IMG_2454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj953o2K0mr82tYToox0zOAblDbCqSZWg1Wwlp72j9fhYNII29UAHft9kXGcboN_TvjUWlyxchTEV-v4MsO1Iwc9Su0BAirdtg1xVLRatYiue-4Gml05IpkLlF0h5QKhxLQoKo5aALJYtw/s640/IMG_2454.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The caves. Yes, the boys are out of focus, but if I'd used a flash everything would have been pitch black behind them.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNC3ShZWc4ucONDJEz2FRtoExSlqlkYHUNQ7fykLBysrUw91PSuI4lZD77Y-ObSrqMtcRPY7Nw7NLN0CyFrPn9NMG2BoPpfOzi-e35tokzApMRBwHILmPo_tV24j8Gf9ZplNCP-EEmZX4/s1600/IMG_2465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNC3ShZWc4ucONDJEz2FRtoExSlqlkYHUNQ7fykLBysrUw91PSuI4lZD77Y-ObSrqMtcRPY7Nw7NLN0CyFrPn9NMG2BoPpfOzi-e35tokzApMRBwHILmPo_tV24j8Gf9ZplNCP-EEmZX4/s640/IMG_2465.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We had to drive over the mountains to get back from the caves.<br />Can you tell it was really windy up there? Are you sure?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7cCC58SIXZRBycWWTGVvPknQB4X0PF8ZiT8zsKVFMcOMpo1f47REQC7gn7okDwbn20PAFGmqJUzzJayToWbHdzfRXXxY6N8_PYiL4_Srvn5DA5LwxZlAqt1Y7EbLRfsxAqhBhPxliQ4/s1600/IMG_2467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7cCC58SIXZRBycWWTGVvPknQB4X0PF8ZiT8zsKVFMcOMpo1f47REQC7gn7okDwbn20PAFGmqJUzzJayToWbHdzfRXXxY6N8_PYiL4_Srvn5DA5LwxZlAqt1Y7EbLRfsxAqhBhPxliQ4/s640/IMG_2467.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Calvin wouldn't come out of the car.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWUIDs2rZV0XptZEX4rye8uTR3NnzPiyK522ba9BL7IryjLwwEc_pTsSJuZUyg6BaeJRRglPm7KN_ZddK_bNBKbHZrfRaBxZTB1H7jeSD5glMl4CFP1S8BLddYJW7Hv-nm0Lf8jGqdho/s1600/IMG_2479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWUIDs2rZV0XptZEX4rye8uTR3NnzPiyK522ba9BL7IryjLwwEc_pTsSJuZUyg6BaeJRRglPm7KN_ZddK_bNBKbHZrfRaBxZTB1H7jeSD5glMl4CFP1S8BLddYJW7Hv-nm0Lf8jGqdho/s640/IMG_2479.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A beach. Laura is an artiste. Actually, doesn't this look like the front of an album cover?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jbs_xsBBrlIEiHe2HMxVjjI73O_eTCS7CxngEvHlFiW82Rxjs2ivb3idlVO82ED7KkhoYsmLy_XHP_maiB6I8D1moky1Pw2wd5sMnOEhZDtBN0UZReIp06r6UGgBNRbazeplOqthI28/s1600/IMG_2488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jbs_xsBBrlIEiHe2HMxVjjI73O_eTCS7CxngEvHlFiW82Rxjs2ivb3idlVO82ED7KkhoYsmLy_XHP_maiB6I8D1moky1Pw2wd5sMnOEhZDtBN0UZReIp06r6UGgBNRbazeplOqthI28/s640/IMG_2488.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Man, I wish the kids would always behave like this!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglO08Ixq67NjmlkX3gaheyoxBx92KU68xU2XSfIlo1effE5gWqI-9nWBFOekh40WWJLD6_xI3sNyk7N_9LhUAvqWIyjAXjX5-y5Xwx04IYnAcBciYr_fbx2cNNts7flawGSqsxLTdouIk/s1600/IMG_2522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglO08Ixq67NjmlkX3gaheyoxBx92KU68xU2XSfIlo1effE5gWqI-9nWBFOekh40WWJLD6_xI3sNyk7N_9LhUAvqWIyjAXjX5-y5Xwx04IYnAcBciYr_fbx2cNNts7flawGSqsxLTdouIk/s640/IMG_2522.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sorry, I don't know why I included this. Me playing with a polarizing filter on the camera.<br />I have a <i>lot</i> more if you're interested....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYx0S1cKRrXVJ8QEYJnEk_8EfZgCPoGiJTw5lmD5AS3WUNjLx_ANzECXtCFoU_bRWb6RLcL_gU_U6qzBH-GmuhZ_vY2pUA9A1yvc8UeTheR20ws9LUawF1sIj85MM5DrWE6VEULBoU8o/s1600/IMG_2528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYx0S1cKRrXVJ8QEYJnEk_8EfZgCPoGiJTw5lmD5AS3WUNjLx_ANzECXtCFoU_bRWb6RLcL_gU_U6qzBH-GmuhZ_vY2pUA9A1yvc8UeTheR20ws9LUawF1sIj85MM5DrWE6VEULBoU8o/s640/IMG_2528.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura and Elliot sitting close to the water.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_gjsfTYDx66lCOSYb1oTvQ3rGetrcNIFlj_s-4uQzHgSp5nKFu9Mq2wNhxmH8arxGhbg-AdHmi6MjPESvmp_B7HFeLMh0l355apIThMsVBk9EL4egYH5Ha4kK6zUD-XDbKlFVuqxGJ8/s1600/IMG_2510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_gjsfTYDx66lCOSYb1oTvQ3rGetrcNIFlj_s-4uQzHgSp5nKFu9Mq2wNhxmH8arxGhbg-AdHmi6MjPESvmp_B7HFeLMh0l355apIThMsVBk9EL4egYH5Ha4kK6zUD-XDbKlFVuqxGJ8/s640/IMG_2510.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hahaha! A little <i>too </i>close!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyokGMVy_McmDBIE7S_txbyWE7h1otEMQjRLmAPY-m4hAIaiXofS5azTe5n-yQQ-HaA8o0zOdvRb3DBK25RHxKjsd2VkOWQumVz-1PYe4a6dzuRTYrTbO5b8U58NmvJFT9D7MI9jl8i7o/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyokGMVy_McmDBIE7S_txbyWE7h1otEMQjRLmAPY-m4hAIaiXofS5azTe5n-yQQ-HaA8o0zOdvRb3DBK25RHxKjsd2VkOWQumVz-1PYe4a6dzuRTYrTbO5b8U58NmvJFT9D7MI9jl8i7o/s640/IMG_2486.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIc4XNa6ZYVa0D6aDcLDYIkh9ulxHs91z76N_Y4aLX3SWbAVAE7nigfJrfbpc2QWwNqO08c-cVtT3bTidPl3s7bh1OhnDaERmSM8pd9H-GjeMbunpIRnyaUyJHH_cjBL42yfRWlDsKLIY/s1600/IMG_2562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIc4XNa6ZYVa0D6aDcLDYIkh9ulxHs91z76N_Y4aLX3SWbAVAE7nigfJrfbpc2QWwNqO08c-cVtT3bTidPl3s7bh1OhnDaERmSM8pd9H-GjeMbunpIRnyaUyJHH_cjBL42yfRWlDsKLIY/s640/IMG_2562.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The next day we took a cable car up into the hills above Funchal. But, how would we get back down?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWF3whjjnAFXQHD-eoRnI-DmIt-GbmAeDbC_4wMFlL54l0zfc0De3dg_fw_KtDctukvqD8dt0MLZcFHJF59zQTERX9pdiHBDDaIyTk5dE5wERjCXKCEkYbBmMmKAaU9Ragvil3m32xWc/s1600/IMG_2577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWF3whjjnAFXQHD-eoRnI-DmIt-GbmAeDbC_4wMFlL54l0zfc0De3dg_fw_KtDctukvqD8dt0MLZcFHJF59zQTERX9pdiHBDDaIyTk5dE5wERjCXKCEkYbBmMmKAaU9Ragvil3m32xWc/s640/IMG_2577.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We ride these wicker baskets down the streets of Monte. Ernest Hemingway rode these and found them to be exhilarating. A guy who wrote about fighting with bulls. Apparently, he'd never ridden a roller coaster.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eMgUF_dhoGJGIrV-f8zPBZugxLxnzZEQJjAA8DhFFyRGAf2FqEX8ldA08k_1Mvct8vIqWSMpPp_sTT1bHjSQGTY-j3ns72SsP_MuZtYuiLIu4EDDIWcaOd9UN-ZlXxJG7XiwWozHpGk/s1600/IMG_2587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eMgUF_dhoGJGIrV-f8zPBZugxLxnzZEQJjAA8DhFFyRGAf2FqEX8ldA08k_1Mvct8vIqWSMpPp_sTT1bHjSQGTY-j3ns72SsP_MuZtYuiLIu4EDDIWcaOd9UN-ZlXxJG7XiwWozHpGk/s640/IMG_2587.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On the other hand, a roller coaster doesn't travel down normal streets. Later, when we were going fast enough that these dudes where riding on the back of the basket hurtling down a rain-soaked hill as cars narrowly missed us zooming <i>up</i> the hill? Pretty frightening, actually.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F_DPxAJtrKkK0YGSwr8asx-f-zrYJN35i0bnKXwmtI1Ejqnv8QoU9kP9nlHyqpAMEXQn_uFD3wMqeyuHx7lzDTI-8UKU_PGdSTyVGyrNmg_VDDgPy3k4bx4OCSFPZpdNvgSD4ViYLkU/s640/IMG_2582.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This was the closest thing we saw to a smile from Calvin on this particular day.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F_DPxAJtrKkK0YGSwr8asx-f-zrYJN35i0bnKXwmtI1Ejqnv8QoU9kP9nlHyqpAMEXQn_uFD3wMqeyuHx7lzDTI-8UKU_PGdSTyVGyrNmg_VDDgPy3k4bx4OCSFPZpdNvgSD4ViYLkU/s1600/IMG_2582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F_DPxAJtrKkK0YGSwr8asx-f-zrYJN35i0bnKXwmtI1Ejqnv8QoU9kP9nlHyqpAMEXQn_uFD3wMqeyuHx7lzDTI-8UKU_PGdSTyVGyrNmg_VDDgPy3k4bx4OCSFPZpdNvgSD4ViYLkU/s1600/IMG_2582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We stayed at Reid's Palace, an old British-oriented hotel in Funchal. One of the things it's known for is high tea on its Tea Terrace overlooking the ocean. We weren't sure about bringing the kids to this traditional, semi-formal event. But, the kids club at Reid's announced they'd be taking kids to their own tea in the cocktail bar one afternoon, so Laura and I immediately booked our own grown-up tea reservation!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiYVbiEshGJSLHHdK8NypV43v8Y_2qZw-MV3gjg-4QkBpgn3GrVJT2oy1MJZG0Coa0DFrBBrkT-IaY8B8-NMFk9R7Jib0cRmwPt7GKWdE3e1NO3YIvwi1uKP6vY1FUnDfzEvBbYkpC3A/s1600/P1000576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiYVbiEshGJSLHHdK8NypV43v8Y_2qZw-MV3gjg-4QkBpgn3GrVJT2oy1MJZG0Coa0DFrBBrkT-IaY8B8-NMFk9R7Jib0cRmwPt7GKWdE3e1NO3YIvwi1uKP6vY1FUnDfzEvBbYkpC3A/s640/P1000576.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>High tea at Reid's.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CgxXQsoLZoX5jCS8WTMLk9B63v3QpfsRKfvoyRYwqZonOwvepZE_n2rcM6WtQ-D0XjaUdstIEBWXji3IW851Wh2zoWSWSezd1TIsLyvVT7WkK9Fhrn0YPEjMQ2F5w-aenjPqjYXiKyE/s1600/P1000578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CgxXQsoLZoX5jCS8WTMLk9B63v3QpfsRKfvoyRYwqZonOwvepZE_n2rcM6WtQ-D0XjaUdstIEBWXji3IW851Wh2zoWSWSezd1TIsLyvVT7WkK9Fhrn0YPEjMQ2F5w-aenjPqjYXiKyE/s640/P1000578.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Oh! Calvin doesn't look very happy in this picture, either. I <i>think</i> he was having a good time.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdRjJwrnckhskuo1dTXOE257pGSiNvsi0Nwn_cmGIH41TdJBa7iFcdaiyOlXrCFuqnbOw6qL9Zci2gPYM9lD2IYuWWCIE5JgMiQWokBxMi9k-R7yxP-sdJKpjsR5prJ9XuEdj1Z-cOl4/s1600/P1000580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdRjJwrnckhskuo1dTXOE257pGSiNvsi0Nwn_cmGIH41TdJBa7iFcdaiyOlXrCFuqnbOw6qL9Zci2gPYM9lD2IYuWWCIE5JgMiQWokBxMi9k-R7yxP-sdJKpjsR5prJ9XuEdj1Z-cOl4/s640/P1000580.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Older boy.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxKpBkm9QTTs7b6qe_VMCKMKxn11XFXu5tLSd1PB836Rz8q4YLTin7UyQmdMyGGZrp1kYEdPAsMtLJzD0xxphH-Qgo4_dQfKvc39trMH0RlmEKHwo_2pA8tJ36whapHT4ROmEp4S2RJs/s1600/P1000581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxKpBkm9QTTs7b6qe_VMCKMKxn11XFXu5tLSd1PB836Rz8q4YLTin7UyQmdMyGGZrp1kYEdPAsMtLJzD0xxphH-Qgo4_dQfKvc39trMH0RlmEKHwo_2pA8tJ36whapHT4ROmEp4S2RJs/s640/P1000581.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Fun @ Reid's child minders really dressed up!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvr4b-dnOCeIfoFOj1criccnu1_Li7-ZG9PBWPf1VYmpVHLH3TqyIQz_5D9DFG620X_xsLQty4TwkPFNAnz7mvN24QKyKq4usxJB1LQ5s3L3nJhbYN9CUjD8A2IBugUibO7H8XjSgcGs4/s1600/IMG_2606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvr4b-dnOCeIfoFOj1criccnu1_Li7-ZG9PBWPf1VYmpVHLH3TqyIQz_5D9DFG620X_xsLQty4TwkPFNAnz7mvN24QKyKq4usxJB1LQ5s3L3nJhbYN9CUjD8A2IBugUibO7H8XjSgcGs4/s640/IMG_2606.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Random shot up toward the hills from Reid's pool. Beautiful, no?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Every day we hoped to take a hike along the levadas, or irrigation canals, up in the Madeira mountains, and day after day it was too rainy or overcast up in the higher elevations (we generally had sunny warm weather down by the ocean). Finally, on Thursday, we got our chance to take a hike.<br />
<br />
These levadas have had maintenance paths that run along side them for years and years. Then, one day someone decided to catalog many of the different routes as potential walks or hikes and the idea took off. Today, one of the most famous activities in Madeira is to go for a "levada walk."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2s1vM51ja-KAKxTUbeZi88GvAIvG1FJ-Rhpis3pF32FoRbxXaF55vvC4MKiz25OmvdZjjiEzBjx2G4rkfhgTJ73aJn4THO-ngs42A8n6X1QKTXtAumYEcYv8lJP8zBmu_YjnBhuu0Zc/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2s1vM51ja-KAKxTUbeZi88GvAIvG1FJ-Rhpis3pF32FoRbxXaF55vvC4MKiz25OmvdZjjiEzBjx2G4rkfhgTJ73aJn4THO-ngs42A8n6X1QKTXtAumYEcYv8lJP8zBmu_YjnBhuu0Zc/s640/IMG_2615.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The area on the north side of Madeira where we began our walk.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2a8DS6mmEiCJlZAcTB4QGJ9GcXdiHKQQCn2YgC6BHDhPEhmLKFY1N7URxsQzuqOp_N9gaYIHJa8u0qO13LGgEzrbaNzDwpof4l3puZ1Nqdv_KddjKMQU1YkTbvKxcrfFd02jyX_jdSD8/s1600/IMG_2620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2a8DS6mmEiCJlZAcTB4QGJ9GcXdiHKQQCn2YgC6BHDhPEhmLKFY1N7URxsQzuqOp_N9gaYIHJa8u0qO13LGgEzrbaNzDwpof4l3puZ1Nqdv_KddjKMQU1YkTbvKxcrfFd02jyX_jdSD8/s640/IMG_2620.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Early in our walk. Calvin is in a backpack because he's not as good a walker as Elliot and also because we didn't trust him to...well, you'll see.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi7D3G7UylkUnah8wKeEyEMuPFYqrUaJTO-6N1QO5hc79i1Rp93CM3j62XMD3DakGHJLlxfubJPT7dATMuat4b02CudgeH_k-PUW42vN6SZsS9KUxsrtj9qYFzj6P1ZhmusVqjhnPby8/s1600/IMG_2618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi7D3G7UylkUnah8wKeEyEMuPFYqrUaJTO-6N1QO5hc79i1Rp93CM3j62XMD3DakGHJLlxfubJPT7dATMuat4b02CudgeH_k-PUW42vN6SZsS9KUxsrtj9qYFzj6P1ZhmusVqjhnPby8/s640/IMG_2618.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>At the beginning of our walk, these levada paths were wide and were used basically as sidewalks to get to some of these little houses on the side of the hill.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRI-bBayZNqAteD93_ewqS85FyTq6IQ_36ts6pChLt0w5QTKSXBemFSm-GEy2i6KdBDpycZ9aq9p7wNrOLGRjFwZV41bvIRrY-E9Y-rPYCUxrWHYODrsq2yuCzCUyLvYjKVBjmlFNUczc/s1600/IMG_2622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRI-bBayZNqAteD93_ewqS85FyTq6IQ_36ts6pChLt0w5QTKSXBemFSm-GEy2i6KdBDpycZ9aq9p7wNrOLGRjFwZV41bvIRrY-E9Y-rPYCUxrWHYODrsq2yuCzCUyLvYjKVBjmlFNUczc/s640/IMG_2622.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>See what I mean? This is practically a boulevard!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZnsxTapSQAowRJ3gjqDB-aUkbtqkIIagJYReSpHl2JaV-qbkCFmPUU6JnI_yJxm00tiwpYrh43ygZvPIDn3CM2wIj0FHyHQ1JDoZsE1vFvvlKQg3XnXd6ZZBn9AFBOVU3hw0MHiPtSo/s1600/IMG_2623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZnsxTapSQAowRJ3gjqDB-aUkbtqkIIagJYReSpHl2JaV-qbkCFmPUU6JnI_yJxm00tiwpYrh43ygZvPIDn3CM2wIj0FHyHQ1JDoZsE1vFvvlKQg3XnXd6ZZBn9AFBOVU3hw0MHiPtSo/s640/IMG_2623.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Then things got a <i>little </i>bit smaller.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNFtlLm7-nDkjiIisdTgoZnUvkMLKkLRqmY3QrsW6DkTbdCTFe4ZyIT-Yq2OdKRhQTWtWbFDC8dkdqmD4dQsaOQpBrCk8y6z-w8iZB9YdofBfcOcJsZ4cHenYraiDs2Qbsu3-Buzm4pU/s1600/IMG_2625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNFtlLm7-nDkjiIisdTgoZnUvkMLKkLRqmY3QrsW6DkTbdCTFe4ZyIT-Yq2OdKRhQTWtWbFDC8dkdqmD4dQsaOQpBrCk8y6z-w8iZB9YdofBfcOcJsZ4cHenYraiDs2Qbsu3-Buzm4pU/s640/IMG_2625.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Then, quite a bit more treacherous. See why we wanted Calvin in a backpack?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bNnEQP2TS7h5Yn2QpIFAukAsNZPOxyAvnDg536kxa36Wa4JksRtSSFFUhMcNEuEa8Dg_2HCiZqObuX0w4_LLlH-UTsvbfjmSebb9hyADllJY7YnilGOk-NiyITdLahvlvzxARlx9ls0/s1600/IMG_2645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bNnEQP2TS7h5Yn2QpIFAukAsNZPOxyAvnDg536kxa36Wa4JksRtSSFFUhMcNEuEa8Dg_2HCiZqObuX0w4_LLlH-UTsvbfjmSebb9hyADllJY7YnilGOk-NiyITdLahvlvzxARlx9ls0/s640/IMG_2645.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Okay, this is ridiculous! At least they provided a railing! (Sort of - it was just wire threaded around those poles and I wouldn't let Elliot actually touch it....)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgj6YavohzSa3U_mhbszRXdNyjRVWoJIhHiP9rWgzGhyhhNcef6LzkxyZ9sLFWuKPly4WBov7yd59UviW_RXGKqzf9bU6OtQ23vyRcoM3-ahYM97ldTbRZGqaCsfBLMPLuQwLk6Eu_VWI/s1600/IMG_2631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgj6YavohzSa3U_mhbszRXdNyjRVWoJIhHiP9rWgzGhyhhNcef6LzkxyZ9sLFWuKPly4WBov7yd59UviW_RXGKqzf9bU6OtQ23vyRcoM3-ahYM97ldTbRZGqaCsfBLMPLuQwLk6Eu_VWI/s640/IMG_2631.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Waterfall across the valley.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2ve9sjE5cGB808oizKlyng-QXA82Pe3cUDtcPIGHDvbSQOS2REaOPaooIw1Ng22pZRGeZTmaeNYZzJmOJReAk11PBe2kXGw5I_SrGpaJItED0D5kdDqGZnRCvnb45DsMrvv8R3ayLgg/s1600/IMG_2633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2ve9sjE5cGB808oizKlyng-QXA82Pe3cUDtcPIGHDvbSQOS2REaOPaooIw1Ng22pZRGeZTmaeNYZzJmOJReAk11PBe2kXGw5I_SrGpaJItED0D5kdDqGZnRCvnb45DsMrvv8R3ayLgg/s640/IMG_2633.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I love how Elliot is "explaining" how these work! Anyway, this does two things, moderates the water flow before the levada starts a new course, and catches gunk (leaves, branches, dead animals) that falls in upstream.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL4AvoLEQjSj1pvmjIs4XIA0vmTp0yX8NtVLfxGgtRyyCO6CIZVgyN4vCh7rVge0BCfoxwOMFCemPiUxCvjPJqgdsaaA8jGEC83j-418uT2G-NmcpYziC97_GLvFuT2Y-1OwtJoc2Nj0/s1600/IMG_2641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibL4AvoLEQjSj1pvmjIs4XIA0vmTp0yX8NtVLfxGgtRyyCO6CIZVgyN4vCh7rVge0BCfoxwOMFCemPiUxCvjPJqgdsaaA8jGEC83j-418uT2G-NmcpYziC97_GLvFuT2Y-1OwtJoc2Nj0/s640/IMG_2641.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This goat was not wild. Why someone had a goat in some random enclosure up here I can't figure out.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCTBaCiZ3OS_wINV9ukwDUrO5FAoeZ34lUiA9cDJh30tlLVgkakQPI1ey15fFtBHDBuOIVGv5tCjr5v2V5rR8OIZrRL_sAcmGXupOFH_NLhqaduyFWa5hsVC2Kf0H7Bg2WtOdX2lCAZg/s1600/IMG_2637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCTBaCiZ3OS_wINV9ukwDUrO5FAoeZ34lUiA9cDJh30tlLVgkakQPI1ey15fFtBHDBuOIVGv5tCjr5v2V5rR8OIZrRL_sAcmGXupOFH_NLhqaduyFWa5hsVC2Kf0H7Bg2WtOdX2lCAZg/s640/IMG_2637.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking up the valley toward the interior.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXZrEvUE6_ECwHUhvbbtJ05blS2HWAX-_05t3L0sYvd4Rtstto3UYQn2K7-PcXE3dOUfgFVYKDbMMRI60x9t8IE1Ugoa_eUrk9jQ11Gxc_Fcha8QHp0vI0scej9vNwqEgF7up-t7SmhA/s1600/IMG_2642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXZrEvUE6_ECwHUhvbbtJ05blS2HWAX-_05t3L0sYvd4Rtstto3UYQn2K7-PcXE3dOUfgFVYKDbMMRI60x9t8IE1Ugoa_eUrk9jQ11Gxc_Fcha8QHp0vI0scej9vNwqEgF7up-t7SmhA/s640/IMG_2642.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking down the valley in the other direction toward the ocean.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TpuLjw7w6sYCHjqSmgtrK-BXlKjzRDCfxx9g5SFQc297_yVmiQgtkz-P1OM9O76RzNF_q48UA3vhJLA9UBkUBRQjuX1z5RsMbnF-Pd_tNX9w76j1c-TMrIHUWp4SPT8-J-0lojdWgos/s1600/IMG_2651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TpuLjw7w6sYCHjqSmgtrK-BXlKjzRDCfxx9g5SFQc297_yVmiQgtkz-P1OM9O76RzNF_q48UA3vhJLA9UBkUBRQjuX1z5RsMbnF-Pd_tNX9w76j1c-TMrIHUWp4SPT8-J-0lojdWgos/s640/IMG_2651.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I can't remember if this was an overflow to release excess water or a place where a waterfall came down and the levada captured part of the water. If you lean to your right and look to the left of us in the picture, you might be able to tell! ;-)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNfGa67eA_ixPd9RJiJ88KG7Xk_mj6osdhzytBqGoghoOisPsmvKThlB_JtTaX17quNF2_tRb530PWLGd3WUfCnDl97TTcMxV5eEu58RYdWaE7B8t66I1Z9svPyZWCmOB6BLNb1hSz0s/s1600/IMG_2661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNfGa67eA_ixPd9RJiJ88KG7Xk_mj6osdhzytBqGoghoOisPsmvKThlB_JtTaX17quNF2_tRb530PWLGd3WUfCnDl97TTcMxV5eEu58RYdWaE7B8t66I1Z9svPyZWCmOB6BLNb1hSz0s/s640/IMG_2661.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Taking a little break. Notice these poles are missing the top wire....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWDnkEXKl9xIyyODTX-C7mbmeuZijzi0jrtRhwqeRqROoyxSbWvki2yx3wAZHIqCURhLvPWblvplmAtasMahdPJyTQisR7RDBGsYZnkNMqIBdHKyotPRqOYTF2eZg6WORzLzsc4MhS-I/s1600/IMG_2671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWDnkEXKl9xIyyODTX-C7mbmeuZijzi0jrtRhwqeRqROoyxSbWvki2yx3wAZHIqCURhLvPWblvplmAtasMahdPJyTQisR7RDBGsYZnkNMqIBdHKyotPRqOYTF2eZg6WORzLzsc4MhS-I/s640/IMG_2671.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>It's a good thing our battery died, or I'd treat you to a hundred more pictures of the levada.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Reid's Palace includes a restaurant called Villa Cipriani that is on a cliff right over the water, and we ate there every night but two during our vacation. The service was impeccable. When we went to dinner there the night we arrived the boys were tired because it had been a long day and it was past their bedtime in Switzerland. When one of the waiters saw how tired Calvin was, he went inside and got another chair to slide together with Calvin's and make a sort of bed, and then showed up five minutes later <i>with a wool blanket</i> to lay over him! Talk about service! Anyway, after that night, we were in love with Villa Cipriani.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMa9-NypXkYZyP7jl_aQ4SPg1kRUI8h7_v7NqSN5o8X9hxtLLJQdoPJveEMecaFe-JwnnYzHWDj7I8JjLi77_ZGeE3_nzQ2n1v287Y5kgdpeZxAB_8yQ72w9E5XMV0UvUBJiu6Vpq-y64/s1600/IMG_2675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMa9-NypXkYZyP7jl_aQ4SPg1kRUI8h7_v7NqSN5o8X9hxtLLJQdoPJveEMecaFe-JwnnYzHWDj7I8JjLi77_ZGeE3_nzQ2n1v287Y5kgdpeZxAB_8yQ72w9E5XMV0UvUBJiu6Vpq-y64/s640/IMG_2675.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura at dinner on our last night in Madeira.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmqoIUSZfI4b9BLQiy2cPHriJ0y0UelqxOMr6hBScTEHSqGAvXnLgPsB3ES02JJlc_zzmTaYy32e5Us-0Yn1992V4a0RTkHVwPKfiN2mhgDvaZ-hD7ZGZ49XHXNyEiVMQBKG9fQv0aiI/s1600/IMG_2677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmqoIUSZfI4b9BLQiy2cPHriJ0y0UelqxOMr6hBScTEHSqGAvXnLgPsB3ES02JJlc_zzmTaYy32e5Us-0Yn1992V4a0RTkHVwPKfiN2mhgDvaZ-hD7ZGZ49XHXNyEiVMQBKG9fQv0aiI/s640/IMG_2677.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot and me.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9uv6SUtv8-oB9qAP4MZTTewn61tVzeBwrvX0iZ4gsUdlnkaDXh06KQH3CEpZgkHV8XpZ9ovAoJvgNXdGLFR0Vmbl3yWcltY_8jQ6YQhjhv1Jnv0uTO7rvsLbA9TFTvcLq6W6hklG3BE/s1600/IMG_2681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9uv6SUtv8-oB9qAP4MZTTewn61tVzeBwrvX0iZ4gsUdlnkaDXh06KQH3CEpZgkHV8XpZ9ovAoJvgNXdGLFR0Vmbl3yWcltY_8jQ6YQhjhv1Jnv0uTO7rvsLbA9TFTvcLq6W6hklG3BE/s640/IMG_2681.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The little man.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAroClmCxMYuYEw_JlrflSgZjBp3NInrpZUKCyabereDGhUqp-x4g5Kq8gJPAqcECiXyJNVlX48zVIhrnEo_aYHeHI5S4caqlki2dIpNVOjxz83oUmHR-Dd3EzfD5ia4fRuHxfR6p3ew/s1600/IMG_2691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAroClmCxMYuYEw_JlrflSgZjBp3NInrpZUKCyabereDGhUqp-x4g5Kq8gJPAqcECiXyJNVlX48zVIhrnEo_aYHeHI5S4caqlki2dIpNVOjxz83oUmHR-Dd3EzfD5ia4fRuHxfR6p3ew/s640/IMG_2691.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The whole family with Reid's in the background.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD31d9ZwdMyxsnVUCgt7bz8t_505TQaskJGVgtnogkrHdHFDriQRhwhPqZNSCx_Pmki64RfbGkk9ECFfAxQ5m5HLQ-MRXI4D2GEgwTySkbTHtzSs-buXY4XQPxQ4-Y7uMEPf2pqFQ-kR8/s1600/DSC00107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD31d9ZwdMyxsnVUCgt7bz8t_505TQaskJGVgtnogkrHdHFDriQRhwhPqZNSCx_Pmki64RfbGkk9ECFfAxQ5m5HLQ-MRXI4D2GEgwTySkbTHtzSs-buXY4XQPxQ4-Y7uMEPf2pqFQ-kR8/s640/DSC00107.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Calvin in his "bed" the first night on my crappy camera phone.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course, the thing that <i>really</i> made the vacation great was the pool. We spent most of our time most days hanging around the pool. Calvin liked going to the Fun @ Reid's play area, but Elliot just liked swimming in the warm freshwater pool and playing with parents, new friends, or by himself. I liked catching up on reading. Laura? I think she liked playing with Elliot in the pool best of all. Pool pictures get old fast, but here are a few to show you what we did with most of our time....<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q5BNy8k4g70oDLVWjmQIjI9ol9oD622pb-WUTRg4k5Pb63s0KHU4vIEaAbbieouFEyW2D4HsjHwOrtLG0qwRaSI0MKmNVvmhUtfAuSMDK_8atWv53xBgQW3jes7szO90wlthlMEI3ro/s1600/P1000583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q5BNy8k4g70oDLVWjmQIjI9ol9oD622pb-WUTRg4k5Pb63s0KHU4vIEaAbbieouFEyW2D4HsjHwOrtLG0qwRaSI0MKmNVvmhUtfAuSMDK_8atWv53xBgQW3jes7szO90wlthlMEI3ro/s640/P1000583.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The main pool area.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8IybaVS-oZleq05Y8ewW2IN8iot97P3RZKvq2KBvecZV0usizaD2SCYeRxTCimtAuuc1RbqJSyS0YbfNxv1TDU7Jh4Tj7a06ZAFda6pLbU75gBY0a4OfAbgq5_B6sEkXt-KJvl47o5s/s1600/P1000571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8IybaVS-oZleq05Y8ewW2IN8iot97P3RZKvq2KBvecZV0usizaD2SCYeRxTCimtAuuc1RbqJSyS0YbfNxv1TDU7Jh4Tj7a06ZAFda6pLbU75gBY0a4OfAbgq5_B6sEkXt-KJvl47o5s/s640/P1000571.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Where were we, again?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpP95IZRfux9i0qB8MRuXs_nrB7w9e3vgy91HRuYLD-4Qv02urQOExdJfi7eEudNTXDU2KfJwN5qpEBbRx2Pn05BpxZ4EbRZaQh_jK6cXynBMsakQwCz18wfFYv1BmB-6PYsoKmgV5zRg/s1600/IMG_2609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpP95IZRfux9i0qB8MRuXs_nrB7w9e3vgy91HRuYLD-4Qv02urQOExdJfi7eEudNTXDU2KfJwN5qpEBbRx2Pn05BpxZ4EbRZaQh_jK6cXynBMsakQwCz18wfFYv1BmB-6PYsoKmgV5zRg/s640/IMG_2609.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura playing with Elliot.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUR_FsTSy4nynZx8VNWNRCbFomVq9wGvPhs6XA-NmM-cuOY7eJmvxMtfvoHwFYn6WJfqoPydXKOOUctTATt3Ik_TxKqwGe9oN9P020B5gh_yKVQCki27o8IgFsr1RUCFF9EXGaijxb8c/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUR_FsTSy4nynZx8VNWNRCbFomVq9wGvPhs6XA-NmM-cuOY7eJmvxMtfvoHwFYn6WJfqoPydXKOOUctTATt3Ik_TxKqwGe9oN9P020B5gh_yKVQCki27o8IgFsr1RUCFF9EXGaijxb8c/s640/IMG_2611.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura playing with Calvin.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNslmli_i_MYhISw0e1NCGLBFiZYnj-He3L1qdGCDO8DrqVQid2JrT_oBlsBJgCP_dFclSbPEAwHQfEF4VckJIv3QdUtCGVgZIbqa1A6uE7chz2bBvLt6X8Dcwg_o2iZE0arC7HyOArg/s1600/IMG_2600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNslmli_i_MYhISw0e1NCGLBFiZYnj-He3L1qdGCDO8DrqVQid2JrT_oBlsBJgCP_dFclSbPEAwHQfEF4VckJIv3QdUtCGVgZIbqa1A6uE7chz2bBvLt6X8Dcwg_o2iZE0arC7HyOArg/s640/IMG_2600.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I don't know what Laura is doing behind Elliot. Nor do I want to.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQnpZ59G2CEuFjYd6w1-T_pbd7cjdjibR1DFyO1e1JmnYkhjeFtfltXHej5payQ_WAP85t4dxCQuSTm2u8inr6Mfl7MDSut6onUZOjbrtp06xxvMBQbQbJLjobSsfIuC4J9fPhQhsyCk/s1600/P1000574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQnpZ59G2CEuFjYd6w1-T_pbd7cjdjibR1DFyO1e1JmnYkhjeFtfltXHej5payQ_WAP85t4dxCQuSTm2u8inr6Mfl7MDSut6onUZOjbrtp06xxvMBQbQbJLjobSsfIuC4J9fPhQhsyCk/s640/P1000574.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot out of the water.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0demavvQtlIl99_ciys9_jL5ES6WReyI71QxOo9kWElcEfxqlnVzA2in5RwZiOwiyv7zfY0S0g-k4mA0V0wWvsidD59pOGXM8tWd3anTqASl92wAh2oLtWSk9RYYxkp17zOVun-mzlyc/s1600/P1000572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0demavvQtlIl99_ciys9_jL5ES6WReyI71QxOo9kWElcEfxqlnVzA2in5RwZiOwiyv7zfY0S0g-k4mA0V0wWvsidD59pOGXM8tWd3anTqASl92wAh2oLtWSk9RYYxkp17zOVun-mzlyc/s640/P1000572.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Calvin out of the water.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The pool area was at the top of a cliff 30 meters or so above the water. But, there was also a small salt-water pool and bathing area at the bottom of the cliffs. We did go swimming in the ocean one day, but, alas, no photos!<br />
<br />
Madeira is not the easiest place to get to, but it remains the most beautiful island in the world, in my opinion. If you have a chance to go, please do!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-80170526046052225862011-11-27T22:19:00.001+01:002011-11-28T10:53:39.823+01:00ThanksgivingIn case you hadn't noticed, Thursday was Thanksgiving! You wouldn't have noticed in Switzerland. Nobody, and I mean <i>nobody</i> has the slightest clue about Thanksgiving here. Oh, I suppose a few people have <i>heard </i>of Thanksgiving, but even they don't know what Thanksgiving is about, and that's a <b>shame</b>. Because, while I've never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving in the past (not a big football watcher, don't like feeling uncomfortably full, etc.), I've finally come to really appreciate the holiday.<br />
<br />
I mean, it's a <b><i>great</i> </b>American holiday! There are no gifts (a <i>relatively</i> uncommercialized American holiday!), it's not a religious* holiday, and it has a very low-key, meaningful, and perhaps even humble focus: what are the things we're thankful for in our lives? So, it would be nice if more non-Americans knew what the holiday was all about. After all, we <i>could </i>stand to be known for some of our more contemplative, humble traits**....<br />
<br />
In keeping with that idea, last Thursday the few American parents in our kids' classes arranged with the teachers to take some time to read a few books about Thanksgiving, do a small craft project, and talk about the holiday. So there are now 12 four year olds and 11 seven year olds in Switzerland who know a <i>little bit</i> about Thanksgiving (plus two British teachers!).<br />
<br />
But, <i>today </i>was our "Thanksgiving holiday" as we got together with a bunch of expats from Laura's work for a Thanksgiving feast in the hills above Lausanne. The turkeys were French, small, extremely fresh and astoundingly expensive. Most of the side dishes were very green compared to my typical Thanksgiving meal (my plate usually consists entirely of foods in shades of white, yellow, beige and orange). There were kids running around underfoot, chasing footballs and frisbees, climbing on play equipment and riding ziplines. It was great! A really wonderful substitute for the past holidays I've celebrated with family on the actual day. I have to admit, though, I really missed not having a four day weekend!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZy9kyHlOkG0WmQCql_nlk1ognXO8cQYuD5wp6PtqacLzTx_k7tb4zU6EPnL0ay50AvOOYiDqqi3eTIux1vH7c9io4As2q1-Ra3_LtpbOqET3Fnri626qnuD-BDnED6xCJJBa_yk7qTs/s1600/photo+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZy9kyHlOkG0WmQCql_nlk1ognXO8cQYuD5wp6PtqacLzTx_k7tb4zU6EPnL0ay50AvOOYiDqqi3eTIux1vH7c9io4As2q1-Ra3_LtpbOqET3Fnri626qnuD-BDnED6xCJJBa_yk7qTs/s400/photo+%25282%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In keeping with the Thanksgiving tradition, I should express my gratitude for a few of the blessings I find in my life. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Warning, similar to the four desserts I ate this afternoon, the rest of this post is certified 100% cloying and may induce feelings of pity and mild nausea in readers.</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I'm grateful that the kids are in a great school with remarkable, amazing teachers. And, that Elliot is in a class of 13 kids where he can get the attention he needs.</li>
<li>I'm grateful to have two good kids who try really hard to do the right thing, who love each other and enjoy spending time with each other and doing things together. Most of the time. </li>
<li>I'm thankful my brother works for an airline that gives his parents stand-by flight benefits making it <i>much</i> cheaper and easier for them to visit us more often. (And, makes it pretty easy for <i>him</i> to visit, too.)</li>
<li>I'm thankful for Skype, Ooma VOIP service, email, Facebook and other technological wonders that make it easy for me to stay in touch with family and friends. And see my nephew as he grows up from a baby into a toddler.</li>
<li>I'm thankful that we have no mortgage. (Of course, we have no house, either, but this seems a very worthwhile trade-off!)</li>
<li>I'm grateful for this opportunity to live in a new and different place and get to do all sorts of fun and exciting things I never thought I'd be able to do before.</li>
<li>I'm exceedingly thankful to have a wonderful relationship with my fantastic wife. It's a terrible cliché, but she really is my best friend.</li>
</ul>
<div>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*Okay, true, the first Thanksgiving was a Pilgrim feast and celebration giving thanks to God for a successful harvest. Still, essentially all religious aspects have been fully boiled out of the holiday just as all flavor has been genetically-modified out of your typical Butterball(tm) turkey breast. I'll have my Thanksgiving feast religion-, controversy-, and flavor-free, please! No I won't. <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2010/11/the_unbearable_whiteness_of_white_meat.html" target="_blank">Bring on the dark meat!</a><br />
<br />
**As opposed to Black Friday. Yes, people sort-of kind-of know that there is some weird major shopping day in the US at the end of November. It's too bad more people internationally have now heard about the Wal-Mart pepper spray incident than have any clue about Thanksgiving.<br />
<br />
<b>One amusing Black Friday anecdote:</b> Apple ran a Black Friday promotion in Switzerland. But, the Swiss were very confused about why Apple would be running a one-day promotion on some random Friday in late November. What's so special about 25 November?!</div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-37813191563351554512011-10-09T16:03:00.000+02:002011-10-09T16:03:17.296+02:00A change in the air....After weeks of warmth and sun, the weather took a turn for the worse this weekend. We've had three days of rain and cold.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But, when the clouds lifted this afternoon, we were treated to this view across the lake:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvnGqo0qmu5Bz96eEZzr3hG_bPTLFlsISH1pu4uBNVlkhow9-tIDzycx2aUchAQMaXQTfuQ7o1B00P-CBgyg_yZa-kFffm2gIzky5BEfoH1WziTfIEA_g7i8jszBKJXGD2fTj7D-HO_k/s1600/IMG_2415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvnGqo0qmu5Bz96eEZzr3hG_bPTLFlsISH1pu4uBNVlkhow9-tIDzycx2aUchAQMaXQTfuQ7o1B00P-CBgyg_yZa-kFffm2gIzky5BEfoH1WziTfIEA_g7i8jszBKJXGD2fTj7D-HO_k/s640/IMG_2415.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Those mountains were bare a week ago! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm sure no one can guess what I've been thinking about all afternoon, but I'm looking forward to winter!</div>
Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-53360563700741713432011-10-01T22:36:00.000+02:002011-10-01T22:59:50.803+02:00La DésalpeThis afternoon we watched the "la désalpe de Semsales." Every spring the Swiss farmers send their cows up into the high alpine meadows to graze for the summer, and when they return back to the farms in late September of October, the towns mid-way up in the hills celebrate "désalpe." It's a celebration accompanied by a march of cows through the center of town and also includes food stands, craft sales, bands, alpine horn players, and local/traditional cheese makers. We decided to attend the désalpe in the small town of Samsales which was (1) not too far away, (2) kind of small and not <i>too</i> touristy, and (3) holding its festival on a day that was convenient for us. If you want a funny story that gives you a feel for the character of the event and small town Swiss farmers, you can click <a href="http://julesritter.com/2007/10/living-in-switzerland-my-life-as-an-expat/">here</a>. Otherwise, read below for an account of our day in <a href="http://www.desalpe-semsales.ch/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&Itemid=4">Semsales</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4pOVwuuhuSKX2QIreTe7Pn7Q8ISuO5vCcnv7e6lsRUwv-qdH4VemTDVTaHuz1KAG7JBV1wUBp8_OEQFjrMSpQuy-VuYs4Cp7tD1VeAnOZ4hM_L2LYXF_bhGMvwfD_0AwKxc5H73bEsg/s1600/IMG_2364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4pOVwuuhuSKX2QIreTe7Pn7Q8ISuO5vCcnv7e6lsRUwv-qdH4VemTDVTaHuz1KAG7JBV1wUBp8_OEQFjrMSpQuy-VuYs4Cp7tD1VeAnOZ4hM_L2LYXF_bhGMvwfD_0AwKxc5H73bEsg/s640/IMG_2364.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We were thrilled to find that the train connection to Semsales couldn't be simpler. 20 minutes to the end of the line from the urban train that stops just down our hill, then a transfer to a narrow gauge village train for another 20 minutes to Samsales. So, 52 minutes including connection and we could enjoy the festival without worrying about parking or driving! Great bonus points for the day!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xb0u4DUMQYoLkEEw3bvR3R7SeaUu_yYf5MQK1i9D0k_9pBkIk11_vmzVUdnuZIHvfcB14g-U-zpxT2W95Y3nd-mV2XT5iyeLl9B-kDWlSsQC_IiNYWo4T_MLfGejFMY160nRPp1EkCw/s1600/IMG_2305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xb0u4DUMQYoLkEEw3bvR3R7SeaUu_yYf5MQK1i9D0k_9pBkIk11_vmzVUdnuZIHvfcB14g-U-zpxT2W95Y3nd-mV2XT5iyeLl9B-kDWlSsQC_IiNYWo4T_MLfGejFMY160nRPp1EkCw/s640/IMG_2305.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Shh! Don't tell anyone he has his foot on the seat. We're lucky we didn't get yelled at for this one!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Less than 5 minutes after arriving in town, we ran into a family that we were going to tentatively spend some time with, and they had located another family that had found some space that included a nice view of the street, shade nearby, and close proximity to a food tent (with beer!). Excellent! 10 minutes later <i>another</i> family that we knew showed up, and before long we had eight adults and eight kids running around (well, one was an infant, so he wasn't running around, but you get the idea). All of the kids were in classes with either Elliot or Calvin, so it was great that the kids were able to start playing together immediately.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5g3EVUhNNKZV8q7eQsmouMRDc10ro-Wsi9LutSOC9ug5imeKDpUywlZae683cJQ9DLuOk7ma5w5vRMmqxeWFtdkY-wdOZQezo2p83wvhuu7fcA4gvbIipIYpot43u578xpnKOZjKQFc/s1600/IMG_2325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5g3EVUhNNKZV8q7eQsmouMRDc10ro-Wsi9LutSOC9ug5imeKDpUywlZae683cJQ9DLuOk7ma5w5vRMmqxeWFtdkY-wdOZQezo2p83wvhuu7fcA4gvbIipIYpot43u578xpnKOZjKQFc/s640/IMG_2325.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>It's mostly about the cows...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DFlkY_lnpepG9TbplswjiZaIlmSrmB7CLmk0qw6ztIDX0Z4TEa7lbPbkxrN7pIODW3ajwxm2S2aRFq5S52T0GOL1B2nWv5GVXA5vA6Bwu33u0HjGRcZSJnckYtFISOf17U1i-UYmqlg/s1600/IMG_2308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DFlkY_lnpepG9TbplswjiZaIlmSrmB7CLmk0qw6ztIDX0Z4TEa7lbPbkxrN7pIODW3ajwxm2S2aRFq5S52T0GOL1B2nWv5GVXA5vA6Bwu33u0HjGRcZSJnckYtFISOf17U1i-UYmqlg/s640/IMG_2308.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>... but we also saw donkeys...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOavrlCy-ng_Y8x9eM3yLMj6kRB3030wHMp7LkK1w840gL_0XRyM8fcSveRCIJzuze2U28Oh3SWmtjWQ4ztG_5Jja3lwfJS7Peyl0pvfHRS0Z-qPMAYq-H9f8P95uKYHOgiY5d2I4hi0/s1600/IMG_2367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOavrlCy-ng_Y8x9eM3yLMj6kRB3030wHMp7LkK1w840gL_0XRyM8fcSveRCIJzuze2U28Oh3SWmtjWQ4ztG_5Jja3lwfJS7Peyl0pvfHRS0Z-qPMAYq-H9f8P95uKYHOgiY5d2I4hi0/s640/IMG_2367.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>... horses...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7gH8GDet7EcFu318c6dHUJ9UUuf8JUWB_65xg8iXu9l-YryaC3WkYlgjgHVmBpNgHcSn7UfOyF8VoX8grp_xebIACS4y285akwfWov51y7ljmLDx6bk_OiTYp04cCkomZy9zWrsSP8M/s1600/IMG_2314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7gH8GDet7EcFu318c6dHUJ9UUuf8JUWB_65xg8iXu9l-YryaC3WkYlgjgHVmBpNgHcSn7UfOyF8VoX8grp_xebIACS4y285akwfWov51y7ljmLDx6bk_OiTYp04cCkomZy9zWrsSP8M/s640/IMG_2314.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>... dogs...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8BU7mkGBEMQPHP_aWrNbQMrb7l48S11145Hi_LqUfKKWlrcEvAj_O86sprSRYLYq4n-SNEu2Owuv953Jix3gAElcHPX_5XMFicgx8bpLhlQGsvKoqZPGYbNGFxj6ZQtt3CLlxmrUlhc/s1600/IMG_2315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8BU7mkGBEMQPHP_aWrNbQMrb7l48S11145Hi_LqUfKKWlrcEvAj_O86sprSRYLYq4n-SNEu2Owuv953Jix3gAElcHPX_5XMFicgx8bpLhlQGsvKoqZPGYbNGFxj6ZQtt3CLlxmrUlhc/s640/IMG_2315.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>... and goats! (My favorite; I have a special place in my heart for goats, thanks to days on my uncle's farm as a boy.)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As mentioned above, animals weren't the only participants in the festivities.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7jJhbx1YO4lCWGQjrRssEzaAGMT8SxvYx4GKqeB0OsB8RqAh8DW43mNn4PjGcEF3T-xXiaHUe9aV3qX9NQsIeXIUTmwILSCLXGIJE9ICNzKPeYjc_0Xc5g0WNVmqUrPQkkABe5OvVTs/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7jJhbx1YO4lCWGQjrRssEzaAGMT8SxvYx4GKqeB0OsB8RqAh8DW43mNn4PjGcEF3T-xXiaHUe9aV3qX9NQsIeXIUTmwILSCLXGIJE9ICNzKPeYjc_0Xc5g0WNVmqUrPQkkABe5OvVTs/s640/IMG_2322.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>In a few minutes, each of these men will be marching along carrying a cowbell in front of him clanging the bell in unison with the "band."</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nNpqO8zXFzLW7m8OUZjSOGZXmAdGWer_SVYzdffAwAa3BPF8X9UuFU2PTuBMwrSbvSgDfaMSDFkoNaBsatpJ8zRlPRsPkMkT-Igd72TrgjAxZFCwHZbIND3eb2nCd8tZ3wKMXeZSMs0/s1600/IMG_2324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nNpqO8zXFzLW7m8OUZjSOGZXmAdGWer_SVYzdffAwAa3BPF8X9UuFU2PTuBMwrSbvSgDfaMSDFkoNaBsatpJ8zRlPRsPkMkT-Igd72TrgjAxZFCwHZbIND3eb2nCd8tZ3wKMXeZSMs0/s640/IMG_2324.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Maybe you can't tell from the picture, but these bells looked <i>heavy!</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5bv_hgPrmfmt7E0SJ9MtL8SERVcuSg4z2MUny39lzSpg211ZEIFFpOZO0utk267GDs025WMfRVzDJ77lFZtKNbQcgOsSaNHtfl38PJBFLkj8JptSgXgWpg87_EMwbeDFt3q3Yyww_xc/s1600/IMG_2357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5bv_hgPrmfmt7E0SJ9MtL8SERVcuSg4z2MUny39lzSpg211ZEIFFpOZO0utk267GDs025WMfRVzDJ77lFZtKNbQcgOsSaNHtfl38PJBFLkj8JptSgXgWpg87_EMwbeDFt3q3Yyww_xc/s640/IMG_2357.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Alpen horns. Unfortunately, these guys played just around the corner where we couldn't really see them....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0stGuv_d9FIHXI7gPS8mKUDsOX0-YD8po4GqeJUsWuAx2JRkAsf2yQLnqFLxENH1ptJ0HVfXf66UI0B79NUwj8eGSye-7cmNLUh_6zGb1AoxtkiAofEPYeXFsM41XvG8UHWgt9SolH8/s1600/IMG_2385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0stGuv_d9FIHXI7gPS8mKUDsOX0-YD8po4GqeJUsWuAx2JRkAsf2yQLnqFLxENH1ptJ0HVfXf66UI0B79NUwj8eGSye-7cmNLUh_6zGb1AoxtkiAofEPYeXFsM41XvG8UHWgt9SolH8/s640/IMG_2385.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A band (and dancing children).</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Can you guess what this guy has on his head?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspnZTWi7koDr0LdMM8_Nzj-HuDHacN5fTAntr85jjVgkxI1JzNI1gxWnrmX2bjtwKnAGZtSiRb8-G94iE25tSdqLOuHPbllKF7jdrfGx8WsAFdHBmb1yStn4T6oj9-TDA_MeF2wbDSY8/s1600/IMG_2356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspnZTWi7koDr0LdMM8_Nzj-HuDHacN5fTAntr85jjVgkxI1JzNI1gxWnrmX2bjtwKnAGZtSiRb8-G94iE25tSdqLOuHPbllKF7jdrfGx8WsAFdHBmb1yStn4T6oj9-TDA_MeF2wbDSY8/s640/IMG_2356.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
Cheese!<br />
<br />
This might have been a little easier for you to guess if I told you Semsales is very near <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruy%C3%A8res">Gruyères</a>. Anyway, as I understand it, back in the day these guys would hike down out of the hills to Lausanne or Vevey and trade their cheese for various items they needed. And, when you're hiking through mountainous terrain a cart isn't very convenient. How else would one transport a big, heavy wheel of cheese other than on his shoulders over his head? It's a pretty simple solution, actually! I really liked these guys, so I'm going to force you to scroll past a few more pictures of them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ccWCgNdqb7Je4NedHBPZ99yLVinbOxx8leqv-LldERiOnYN0WG9HT5PwarERuk68-slIsIvmXLwA2oiS9lft1TegjCGMuaee9G9RYloop2KTkdPmPD1ccGTJJsQF2zO74POdCbuZcm4/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ccWCgNdqb7Je4NedHBPZ99yLVinbOxx8leqv-LldERiOnYN0WG9HT5PwarERuk68-slIsIvmXLwA2oiS9lft1TegjCGMuaee9G9RYloop2KTkdPmPD1ccGTJJsQF2zO74POdCbuZcm4/s640/IMG_2355.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The walking stick really completes the outfit, doesn't it?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLkUum4iRY1NFDjkLX-HLbq4as4gOs1KcCU3Zlpdk4-3_ICjTWkXNvwk-5TCAhPKPxXnbWXlFTdvIr6s3yi1reMPayi4Ihm0HRrepmGKC0ng7cuOw2XvOy3nH3e11FWyFz8Npb9gMmX0/s1600/IMG_2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLkUum4iRY1NFDjkLX-HLbq4as4gOs1KcCU3Zlpdk4-3_ICjTWkXNvwk-5TCAhPKPxXnbWXlFTdvIr6s3yi1reMPayi4Ihm0HRrepmGKC0ng7cuOw2XvOy3nH3e11FWyFz8Npb9gMmX0/s640/IMG_2349.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Okay, so this guy wasn't carrying any cheese on his head, but he still looked pretty cool!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was a great place and day for kids, both ours and others!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YvFwTFSLjPeM2AYqHQclMEOYgKg2q0g-_jBhzFqWksWZX648ZJrhNyvLJ8efCqjVGnhGO4zunbn5EIUPS0VO1UcPdVU-G4usYRxoYPwQhyiofx0Y12bFfeIwd8ivv7ZaHkDsz3S86C4/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YvFwTFSLjPeM2AYqHQclMEOYgKg2q0g-_jBhzFqWksWZX648ZJrhNyvLJ8efCqjVGnhGO4zunbn5EIUPS0VO1UcPdVU-G4usYRxoYPwQhyiofx0Y12bFfeIwd8ivv7ZaHkDsz3S86C4/s640/IMG_2331.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Five of the kids in our group of friends.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9n4dKVe4AfXc9jH_npJ8OsD5kxgiOujyO5EqA2H_tyKVcU6_KrFMcAS_AVbY0wnPvMoxkD4RHUGmmlRuS7Avc7eulFc4gbBPnmqbA7ukroEup4g8RDzWSwj3l8qN-uJlyw5MXW6b5P0/s1600/IMG_2336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9n4dKVe4AfXc9jH_npJ8OsD5kxgiOujyO5EqA2H_tyKVcU6_KrFMcAS_AVbY0wnPvMoxkD4RHUGmmlRuS7Avc7eulFc4gbBPnmqbA7ukroEup4g8RDzWSwj3l8qN-uJlyw5MXW6b5P0/s640/IMG_2336.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot watches the cows.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji96kuK9UOaO9BKz_V0_sBoJswK7Ina6_1QIunQNZfgRxRZ3sn8IwYqgY75kGU-4zCV7htLKhYI99-e1RUAvFyBMZCg_fpS9KvOOTbJoNQ23vCShj73imjJvTkJtPEShLCTjytumiOSck/s1600/IMG_2333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji96kuK9UOaO9BKz_V0_sBoJswK7Ina6_1QIunQNZfgRxRZ3sn8IwYqgY75kGU-4zCV7htLKhYI99-e1RUAvFyBMZCg_fpS9KvOOTbJoNQ23vCShj73imjJvTkJtPEShLCTjytumiOSck/s640/IMG_2333.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FX3QYvqlI6XlI_V3L8LdxBhK2ATOc88L8i1_0cj64dMbsDtaaZPjjhbE73wPBD7axRQHUe6cmPV2WCnq7Y3TX6Uqm7oqKdO0Ca6PD01zblfqqMDsba6i0g8QAkBQ6RF4NEyKbOCurrA/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FX3QYvqlI6XlI_V3L8LdxBhK2ATOc88L8i1_0cj64dMbsDtaaZPjjhbE73wPBD7axRQHUe6cmPV2WCnq7Y3TX6Uqm7oqKdO0Ca6PD01zblfqqMDsba6i0g8QAkBQ6RF4NEyKbOCurrA/s640/IMG_2361.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAlrcD3PxuJ3gxJhS5dSwogUCitDt9tlzQEAUgCSHtnKzhY6-s5rMspem9naNCTH5Aq8FvERWydcO0mxoTXaSm7Oidu28Y1yS3S24I3iN_dv7Pevmz99NBllNh3qLTf21IZhI2UHT708/s1600/IMG_2373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAlrcD3PxuJ3gxJhS5dSwogUCitDt9tlzQEAUgCSHtnKzhY6-s5rMspem9naNCTH5Aq8FvERWydcO0mxoTXaSm7Oidu28Y1yS3S24I3iN_dv7Pevmz99NBllNh3qLTf21IZhI2UHT708/s640/IMG_2373.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_Hgn39QbwKx5wTJXaZPiin-wzVtoKbHYYsuFpmj9Yf-LmYGh-2PgOUFR9toJmpGiXYR6uywiqIfMzjrn_PAoYPHvFUUNBWNF1PicZQMZqY3VZ2Vlh_iQk6cuppwXVQqpoeT3JG-l-4I/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_Hgn39QbwKx5wTJXaZPiin-wzVtoKbHYYsuFpmj9Yf-LmYGh-2PgOUFR9toJmpGiXYR6uywiqIfMzjrn_PAoYPHvFUUNBWNF1PicZQMZqY3VZ2Vlh_iQk6cuppwXVQqpoeT3JG-l-4I/s640/IMG_2375.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
We had positioned ourselves right in front of the area where one of the festival organizers was handing out drinks to the participants as they came through, but I never got a great picture. I'm pretty sure the adults got some sort of "adult beverages." I hope that's not what they were giving the kids, though!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3plTSx8eSrALPeUh2hBovOCjxuxPatj30K_Wsnt6Yeq86GMXemw6lWJixZcUvjNo4-fdsrBDAEZfJCuyOeMW5i8KyeiocQldrfZokBmrDrf-FPPOouh-8r7VmZJ5S3odCWLInfC-u2Q/s1600/IMG_2372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3plTSx8eSrALPeUh2hBovOCjxuxPatj30K_Wsnt6Yeq86GMXemw6lWJixZcUvjNo4-fdsrBDAEZfJCuyOeMW5i8KyeiocQldrfZokBmrDrf-FPPOouh-8r7VmZJ5S3odCWLInfC-u2Q/s640/IMG_2372.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dozens of huge cowbells going at the same time can be pretty loud!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It wasn't <i>all</i> pretty. At one point a few cows climbed on top of the cows in front of them so that they could see ahead better (at least, that was Elliot's theory why). Just as we were watching that, another cow stopped right in front of us and peed on the street (maybe gushed is a better term), which splattered a lot and <i>just</i> far enough to dot a few children's shoes and pant legs. (Baths were in order tonight!) I have pictures of these events, too, but I won't subject you to that. I <i>will</i> show you evidence, though, of what the street looked like toward the end of the afternoon, even though (given it's a Swiss street) the street must have been pristine at the beginning of the day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1U9owXpPoseBXKiHgGLrAqFrbyhikLnqe_dq1cuPn5q2dCWSOPHykTpkdfYyxRGdw_McQF4KhrYJFwDDC1SgDPvzcMhQEVPajk-hmn1cPHB3l4efwuXFqWpH_sbf4UcnFySOHGV5sWh8/s1600/IMG_2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1U9owXpPoseBXKiHgGLrAqFrbyhikLnqe_dq1cuPn5q2dCWSOPHykTpkdfYyxRGdw_McQF4KhrYJFwDDC1SgDPvzcMhQEVPajk-hmn1cPHB3l4efwuXFqWpH_sbf4UcnFySOHGV5sWh8/s640/IMG_2365.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Shortly after the "pee incident."</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4bMGWvK8L7DB3FJAM0CW5NxlZ0uTD5u9I2afkeU1a2dhgAlmgkjphUJgQx_ql3hAo0425CyElVFrAI1YCths6Mb8-vayPP4RhzXXacn1JAyWtEJtuzOfsR6NLXUrrXaGR3VtKPvXhz4/s1600/IMG_2374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4bMGWvK8L7DB3FJAM0CW5NxlZ0uTD5u9I2afkeU1a2dhgAlmgkjphUJgQx_ql3hAo0425CyElVFrAI1YCths6Mb8-vayPP4RhzXXacn1JAyWtEJtuzOfsR6NLXUrrXaGR3VtKPvXhz4/s640/IMG_2374.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Better watch where you step, mister!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It got a lot worse, believe me!<br />
<br />
That was pretty much our day. It was a lot of fun, and also great to spend time there with a few new friends. To wrap up, I leave you with these three pictures:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUFm29WLWSVcRZf-_FPW7BkVdkGkYi5Z-b02MO5Fj4C9vuT_peDF8jMXowjRGsgvzg1opnSDyjV63Of0xwlFVru7gTuebR-3Ov-HDNbkQ5gpGcdxObwVTcD85sHWVQug4FnnkIU3aHz0/s1600/IMG_2380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUFm29WLWSVcRZf-_FPW7BkVdkGkYi5Z-b02MO5Fj4C9vuT_peDF8jMXowjRGsgvzg1opnSDyjV63Of0xwlFVru7gTuebR-3Ov-HDNbkQ5gpGcdxObwVTcD85sHWVQug4FnnkIU3aHz0/s640/IMG_2380.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Every blog about living in Switzerland has to have a picture with the Swiss flag and geraniums in window boxes, right?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOSc0s27F8TyaMItt_y5JEebT5JxYAl1IhWFSXA40i-1DZmPGXxkOW6OR483_VWqyeEttUeLCuI2guUJJkSYOwFXWeucKdgcu0ralaipt2yCb3GfWy9tMbPYEShoNui3FDJb6E2PZRyU/s1600/IMG_2390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOSc0s27F8TyaMItt_y5JEebT5JxYAl1IhWFSXA40i-1DZmPGXxkOW6OR483_VWqyeEttUeLCuI2guUJJkSYOwFXWeucKdgcu0ralaipt2yCb3GfWy9tMbPYEShoNui3FDJb6E2PZRyU/s640/IMG_2390.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot decided to read on the train ride home. I can't <i>begin </i>to tell you how excited (and relieved) this made his parents!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJAFWq5Hy2LTJM9NnPkpv5_jk55L0pMqhTm15a9bw3C3yJjp3uzV_E6SSVkc029O3jsC8SaRNIS33MVefMdef0yY5TGg7AqS0yKVghDm1qGOM60ijbijHsMl01k_7qtDXHtZgJR0uoVc/s1600/IMG_2407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJAFWq5Hy2LTJM9NnPkpv5_jk55L0pMqhTm15a9bw3C3yJjp3uzV_E6SSVkc029O3jsC8SaRNIS33MVefMdef0yY5TGg7AqS0yKVghDm1qGOM60ijbijHsMl01k_7qtDXHtZgJR0uoVc/s640/IMG_2407.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I found this butterfly just outside our apartment as we arrived home. Nothing to do with our day, but a fun picture!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-53199419026781862712011-09-27T00:35:00.000+02:002011-09-27T00:35:04.295+02:00A Three Day Weekend in Scotland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2SHOHt18pcv6IqernoAxnZLdNLQt59cxpFexB7OHAa0ukSy3EfrqUE-pQvp0Pi5gyVqjhrFc2ku85DC7K-yCemQ5xKebjZx4jKvXBxqiQbcT5wIYRd5yaC_nkeCMHQsbShx8nU2MgX4/s1600/P1000388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2SHOHt18pcv6IqernoAxnZLdNLQt59cxpFexB7OHAa0ukSy3EfrqUE-pQvp0Pi5gyVqjhrFc2ku85DC7K-yCemQ5xKebjZx4jKvXBxqiQbcT5wIYRd5yaC_nkeCMHQsbShx8nU2MgX4/s640/P1000388.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
This is something we haven't done for six or seven years, but we found ourselves with a three day weekend and decided to take a quick flight for a long weekend holiday. Laura would find herself working about an hour from Edinburgh the next week and I'd been looking for a 10k road race to try on for size and found one in Stirling. So, we found Scotland beckoning our name. Hard to believe that it's less than a two hour flight away!<br />
<br />
On Saturday we spent the day in Edinburgh (the boys are standing in front of the building housing the Scottish Crown Jewels inside Edinburgh Castle above). We started with Edinburgh Castle and, in what appears to be typical Scottish fashion, it rained off and on during our visit. Luckily, there was a lot more sun than there was rain!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHebNgOXq66HkDdor_vipt8h1TXWZLU1rvlNZT_vgUNrnt8sme_VGITu0t05ftFnOA3Rv5rQ8GGqKmM_XlEpLxXyQeWxv0JioVBdCEgG7gqE5frNE11MKNVtfXNK4VWmk8V8utde__zSw/s1600/P1000397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHebNgOXq66HkDdor_vipt8h1TXWZLU1rvlNZT_vgUNrnt8sme_VGITu0t05ftFnOA3Rv5rQ8GGqKmM_XlEpLxXyQeWxv0JioVBdCEgG7gqE5frNE11MKNVtfXNK4VWmk8V8utde__zSw/s640/P1000397.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We had one of the knights from the Robert the Bruce/William Wallace era to explain the wars taking place. His name was Elvis and Elliot decided he looked pretty good for a guy who was about 700 years old. The boys were <i>really</i> excited when he let them hold his sword and shield. You can't really tell here, but the boys were also pretty surprised by just how <i>heavy</i> those sword and shield are. They were real weapons. The knight's armor, for example, weighed well over 50 pounds.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgQMgZ-sELL3TudLiiLLlidIWzE7Z9TdbHSbvsabwFCk7ij55U6U-crGJk1QAx7yFGA-GBTryMhDrkXN62nVdUQqAUIe0sYLRwOP2vyXfJuHrKrKW1kNoNVMChKCDxGBIVypOOUPqZpE/s1600/P1000401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgQMgZ-sELL3TudLiiLLlidIWzE7Z9TdbHSbvsabwFCk7ij55U6U-crGJk1QAx7yFGA-GBTryMhDrkXN62nVdUQqAUIe0sYLRwOP2vyXfJuHrKrKW1kNoNVMChKCDxGBIVypOOUPqZpE/s640/P1000401.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sir Elvis in the background, sans helm.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWBAPZqPi-u3Sm9KFU9f8MgzoNUv42Mheq-MlZX4EhFip50EC1kbEs9bE1xfJyrXz2uvR9YMOYL8y7_nuT8jaOZf3tB-asFGA_NmWFEqWkKuLkIPECSIF16Ssgr7NlJjUxUmMaDGDHbs/s1600/P1000409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWBAPZqPi-u3Sm9KFU9f8MgzoNUv42Mheq-MlZX4EhFip50EC1kbEs9bE1xfJyrXz2uvR9YMOYL8y7_nuT8jaOZf3tB-asFGA_NmWFEqWkKuLkIPECSIF16Ssgr7NlJjUxUmMaDGDHbs/s640/P1000409.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Boys and guns.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9j0xICQbbRGiqE3ulDpmOW8eETVtcpAj13H4qNO_5KEbon6RFVBACGyqL7n8FGlBmAT4NIrIfPUb-ZiCaduN-JmtS5Eaq0U8TlOpVX4rklg5Ysu7b8TAmqcTAGut5PijYf8fla6QkyvU/s1600/P1000403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9j0xICQbbRGiqE3ulDpmOW8eETVtcpAj13H4qNO_5KEbon6RFVBACGyqL7n8FGlBmAT4NIrIfPUb-ZiCaduN-JmtS5Eaq0U8TlOpVX4rklg5Ysu7b8TAmqcTAGut5PijYf8fla6QkyvU/s640/P1000403.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Edinburgh Castle view over the city to the Firth of Forth.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEYq_WUzq2KSphhmtcR9tFwZkC6hXFaWFmNOlP1_SUdd6FfIKXD__Sd4Gwp947TcFsxVo3kUaf6cfY_CjUNrQNqixqqsJ-v9l06sF8ri06i485bwbrTKd3Nfjc4hgtEPC3aG9s9Pc9h0/s1600/P1000427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEYq_WUzq2KSphhmtcR9tFwZkC6hXFaWFmNOlP1_SUdd6FfIKXD__Sd4Gwp947TcFsxVo3kUaf6cfY_CjUNrQNqixqqsJ-v9l06sF8ri06i485bwbrTKd3Nfjc4hgtEPC3aG9s9Pc9h0/s640/P1000427.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Riding the hop-on hop-off double decker bus.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We rode a hop-on hop-off bus for the first time on this trip. It was a fun way to get an overview of the city and find out there were so many things there that we wouldn't have time to see! Laura and I ended up in the back seat and it somehow ended up feeling that we were teenagers cuddled together in the back of car with romance on the mind...except that our young boys were sitting ahead of us, peering back, chatting and giggling. The cuddling had more to do with the cool temperatures, anyway!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2V_LePFAbHfeE5jEvMWNCLti54a_Ov9sdrObv9G5QECe_rGRSbrDIbj5YO4hzklzPxKbbjTKwTzuZAturkeOwGtg2cejTU-gcFWO0s4Zzv4xvdCIzUR5V0zvLUPk8eqHKQuCDE3sP30/s1600/P1000428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2V_LePFAbHfeE5jEvMWNCLti54a_Ov9sdrObv9G5QECe_rGRSbrDIbj5YO4hzklzPxKbbjTKwTzuZAturkeOwGtg2cejTU-gcFWO0s4Zzv4xvdCIzUR5V0zvLUPk8eqHKQuCDE3sP30/s640/P1000428.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>That's Edinburgh Castle up there. Sorry, I thought we should get a view from the other direction.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTSmpWfqIgwFdvlOtCkn2-lmwgouLJPZaKiO-NWoWBvhgWKKXjvmoHYRz_iTlDBR1SRCUBVouAt7eC_IOVF5bPnZ75OakEfc4BWflnTJT45pqBtCc-u4u5cSolHmr-h62SDAOGSYqbL4/s1600/P1000435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTSmpWfqIgwFdvlOtCkn2-lmwgouLJPZaKiO-NWoWBvhgWKKXjvmoHYRz_iTlDBR1SRCUBVouAt7eC_IOVF5bPnZ75OakEfc4BWflnTJT45pqBtCc-u4u5cSolHmr-h62SDAOGSYqbL4/s640/P1000435.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This is the restaurant where J. K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book. We didn't eat dinner here.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJJhUsY4aUCo1Mt2oZ4IRMfRJLFMUPykyhsbFJJdhSt07-_CoJPP8v_ooXM_D95-G9j1ve2YCGWj4O0bABlHNNTaHj5nSkZbjQDBSdC5ZfoJDZfkdI5dqncZqqHX52Tiigil9dfo9y4I/s1600/P1000433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJJhUsY4aUCo1Mt2oZ4IRMfRJLFMUPykyhsbFJJdhSt07-_CoJPP8v_ooXM_D95-G9j1ve2YCGWj4O0bABlHNNTaHj5nSkZbjQDBSdC5ZfoJDZfkdI5dqncZqqHX52Tiigil9dfo9y4I/s640/P1000433.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>But we did eat here. I couldn't resist this picture because I've never seen such a big milk mustache before!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWkOqqdwdrxXwMJWEyLgcKAzE4gF_cnzwMIz04KaiotGAGViuDDRQxQ_QcwzJpTsg_nNrzqO071pw62zVkB32wb9fVPva-qaiwtEWhK11PV56dXTGbYN752Tkhbzd_T3p-woY1JJLEy4/s1600/P1000423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWkOqqdwdrxXwMJWEyLgcKAzE4gF_cnzwMIz04KaiotGAGViuDDRQxQ_QcwzJpTsg_nNrzqO071pw62zVkB32wb9fVPva-qaiwtEWhK11PV56dXTGbYN752Tkhbzd_T3p-woY1JJLEy4/s640/P1000423.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The requisite phone booth shot. Actually, we have six of them.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We spent Sunday in Stirling. I kicked off the morning with my first 10k race ever! It was pretty fun, or at least not as miserable as I thought it would be, and I did beat my time goal by a few minutes, so I was pretty happy. In more perhaps typically Scottish fashion, I ran facing a beautiful rainbow for the first 4k or so, then got rained on for a couple kilometers, and then finished the run with some beautiful cool early autumn weather. I've got a long way to go to the marathon next July, but so far I've had a good start!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IiUwzyhVWIWUA1Oy2E97jt0U8MsBC4u_dgh1JhX_0d3hgIxbkY3rcO0JFCDzr1zvFSyTlxO3Bx1x_AIgaNXnyY3qwgKxDUlGhxK6odTPwpRgOd3G8caMNxcGYfT9SBAJBRXcKkZZaZA/s1600/P1000438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IiUwzyhVWIWUA1Oy2E97jt0U8MsBC4u_dgh1JhX_0d3hgIxbkY3rcO0JFCDzr1zvFSyTlxO3Bx1x_AIgaNXnyY3qwgKxDUlGhxK6odTPwpRgOd3G8caMNxcGYfT9SBAJBRXcKkZZaZA/s640/P1000438.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rather poor shot of a rainbow over the William Wallace National Monument. From my vantage point at the beginning of the race, I saw this rainbow arcing between Stirling Castle and the monument. It was so perfect it looked like it had been planned...and as if it was artificial.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the race I took a <i>long</i> hot shower and we finished our Scottish adventure with a visit to Stirling Castle and the Wallace National Monument. If you're visiting Scotland with kids, I would <i>highly</i> recommend Stirling Castle. They have a new exhibit set up just for kids where they can pretend to be court musicians, tailors, painters, woodworkers, jesters, etc. It was really fun for the boys. Wallace monument is a pain to get to and up, but the views from the top are unbelievable! We also visited a playground in Stirling this day. It's funny how our boys' favorite memories of our little trips tend to be the playgrounds. We try to spend some time at one in each city we visit.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzpl6W57BvpG84pi2tuIwVDFYYjPuHEeoR87RJyPP-YaR_IGpM6jUxSh6GO-DnsmrsWBqWQdlGN6daTpJIcD5cQe6U9PuHrfIcwL1NLMeJ1oNzqH0IDU6piOVF2yvJ2KRkhsTxm65yzI/s1600/P1000441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzpl6W57BvpG84pi2tuIwVDFYYjPuHEeoR87RJyPP-YaR_IGpM6jUxSh6GO-DnsmrsWBqWQdlGN6daTpJIcD5cQe6U9PuHrfIcwL1NLMeJ1oNzqH0IDU6piOVF2yvJ2KRkhsTxm65yzI/s640/P1000441.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cannons at Stirling Castle. If we had girls, would they still be drawn to the guns?</b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(That's a rhetorical question.)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ea5HyAz17JuyounuFhUDFgAUGdstvl3-3qz2tKNbFeQq1_aYto-PC4W4pdrdmnk-cwhP2JryaiUIdzqfu6hUn-6nMonAIPD8yHxW6elFzqDr62qQyaYMxqPuHtc1-Z6w7hr4cWo7Ti4/s1600/P1000451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ea5HyAz17JuyounuFhUDFgAUGdstvl3-3qz2tKNbFeQq1_aYto-PC4W4pdrdmnk-cwhP2JryaiUIdzqfu6hUn-6nMonAIPD8yHxW6elFzqDr62qQyaYMxqPuHtc1-Z6w7hr4cWo7Ti4/s640/P1000451.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Laura catches me in a contemplative mood.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHvj63hJGAFlOwhm8LIaraaqvIZ2blF23yLPsvPKaaDOE7xhKTlIo4_AiRwKUEMolQ9Ok3B6zPgpuXBibhjt1c6c4w6Xch23TKBaygqvQPWF9MahgYXr72mu8TKtWDoOhUSJGMvR8UbM/s1600/P1000489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHvj63hJGAFlOwhm8LIaraaqvIZ2blF23yLPsvPKaaDOE7xhKTlIo4_AiRwKUEMolQ9Ok3B6zPgpuXBibhjt1c6c4w6Xch23TKBaygqvQPWF9MahgYXr72mu8TKtWDoOhUSJGMvR8UbM/s640/P1000489.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I catch Laura in a playful mood.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg22Xu-WmfVkH3DZ3-Vh1IG-etsjpjmjwAoWW8BWylbhovYmK95ZE8jZc8tvKpeBVUpqUyepNd2vcy6TR7wlEPquzI0Wb216mFTIq_vpsuzamIwqCPfDUXNjdA_Is0Ug2F-IA7O3RVNo/s1600/P1000454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPg22Xu-WmfVkH3DZ3-Vh1IG-etsjpjmjwAoWW8BWylbhovYmK95ZE8jZc8tvKpeBVUpqUyepNd2vcy6TR7wlEPquzI0Wb216mFTIq_vpsuzamIwqCPfDUXNjdA_Is0Ug2F-IA7O3RVNo/s640/P1000454.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We <i>usually</i> don't want to do this to our kids!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcEQ0ojvm_v-NAdUFmOcS-JzSLggIKfGhM-dPE1uetJkFv13eae9tZFao2hpw_8LK88E23iE_uUClhxZcgZXGKuOKIiFdNP-FkINCOrRxBQ4K_3gkeNWxzUZcPQeBoXLCu0Jdfrhgl4E/s1600/P1000473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcEQ0ojvm_v-NAdUFmOcS-JzSLggIKfGhM-dPE1uetJkFv13eae9tZFao2hpw_8LK88E23iE_uUClhxZcgZXGKuOKIiFdNP-FkINCOrRxBQ4K_3gkeNWxzUZcPQeBoXLCu0Jdfrhgl4E/s640/P1000473.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Who knew our ancestors were Tudor royalty?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw83-dJ_rdur4qabydZafbXc7daBTbRn9cowcg7THZyWW0_MrPgTloUrptZhHx-_YhXWjr_fzFI0uD0AOnPYKfn71y_qnbCIbTGawl9vIoT1Tqhy6usu45gsk1HAVgR0KwsT80uMTRBN4/s1600/P1000478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw83-dJ_rdur4qabydZafbXc7daBTbRn9cowcg7THZyWW0_MrPgTloUrptZhHx-_YhXWjr_fzFI0uD0AOnPYKfn71y_qnbCIbTGawl9vIoT1Tqhy6usu45gsk1HAVgR0KwsT80uMTRBN4/s640/P1000478.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Looks like a lonely dinner, but the setting is nice.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZMkHQlzLkiHHHqQndXPMkdH13qZYmzS_GfDsLKnYaDuK-7Od9CaUEULyc5RuK78mlZlo-K556h5cG2kTl-MzGVMIDeprlY9_CvgIQVr40xDek7GlZdszay9kB6jQDaO_CGXFoYcYtts/s1600/P1000493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZMkHQlzLkiHHHqQndXPMkdH13qZYmzS_GfDsLKnYaDuK-7Od9CaUEULyc5RuK78mlZlo-K556h5cG2kTl-MzGVMIDeprlY9_CvgIQVr40xDek7GlZdszay9kB6jQDaO_CGXFoYcYtts/s640/P1000493.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Playing in the Stirling Castle gardens. Do you think those women in the background find this view fun or annoying?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvf4QMm54DAgpqGV2VS9p6Pv0cmEb1lj7ZA_J-R4EAhp-7sEvqhoL-RHy3Fd4RzGGEkKhvpr_ZnS0gSRj6hjZgpszD2J2P-FlgUfDsIDLnfKZXCbI2UnpmIx5iNULkqytrEqJtu2hky8/s1600/P1000504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvf4QMm54DAgpqGV2VS9p6Pv0cmEb1lj7ZA_J-R4EAhp-7sEvqhoL-RHy3Fd4RzGGEkKhvpr_ZnS0gSRj6hjZgpszD2J2P-FlgUfDsIDLnfKZXCbI2UnpmIx5iNULkqytrEqJtu2hky8/s640/P1000504.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganc1-HbqQb09sE7yeXV0y4garT4aOy5zxu0tE0ylo3658d1BauwcFgkHoXcNFRRgEgQOSqRAJJH5bsO-QaQbiTRNZaokyeDG11711N-y3lPNPks8-frXhuhpB-9WoAKcRvojAO-h-pm8/s1600/P1000509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganc1-HbqQb09sE7yeXV0y4garT4aOy5zxu0tE0ylo3658d1BauwcFgkHoXcNFRRgEgQOSqRAJJH5bsO-QaQbiTRNZaokyeDG11711N-y3lPNPks8-frXhuhpB-9WoAKcRvojAO-h-pm8/s640/P1000509.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I love the cool things that just pop up behind random parks around here (Wallace Monument).</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNQu1_Y4Ct9pigVmb-97Ejufv_2sMZUbI4_6WR5M3Qylp24UaJdBTSVhIXJxPcu5ma5_5iSEYZJ0UjFjmG1hoCETk0H9AjgfiQw_-ICZmZGRYg6Ro1LyV77QUnHVwP-GhwtpvKaePeyA/s1600/P1000515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNQu1_Y4Ct9pigVmb-97Ejufv_2sMZUbI4_6WR5M3Qylp24UaJdBTSVhIXJxPcu5ma5_5iSEYZJ0UjFjmG1hoCETk0H9AjgfiQw_-ICZmZGRYg6Ro1LyV77QUnHVwP-GhwtpvKaePeyA/s640/P1000515.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nice view from up here!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdT8D6RK9gmHKyz5itQ8pg9p-cVMeD0k3KL9cYMhnDdNKM3oKejjRmD4WWyLxvmFPKD7Uwa7ILNwvgxjv651LoAzi5XTZ1to4G1lIQF9s1PD2A41TyoICaWFsXSgsl9Lpxezv-A6EUs8M/s1600/P1000525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdT8D6RK9gmHKyz5itQ8pg9p-cVMeD0k3KL9cYMhnDdNKM3oKejjRmD4WWyLxvmFPKD7Uwa7ILNwvgxjv651LoAzi5XTZ1to4G1lIQF9s1PD2A41TyoICaWFsXSgsl9Lpxezv-A6EUs8M/s640/P1000525.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>That's Stirling Castle on the right. They think most of it was decorated in that beautiful yellow wash back in the day. It would have been quite the spectacle back when it was the home of the Scottish royalty!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That pretty much covers our whirlwind trip to a corner of Scotland. However, for anyone with young kids who is visiting, I would highly recommend the Holiday Inn Express in Stirling. The hotel was fine but not spectacular, but it shares a parking lot with the EatingInn -- a modern take on the brew pub with a <i>HUGE</i> climbing structure. The boys played and played on it while Laura and I had some time to enjoy with each other waiting for our food. It was such a great experience on Friday that we repeated it on Sunday night. And, it was Calvin's favorite part of the trip!<br />
<br />
<i>BONUS PICTURE:</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
A few weeks ago Calvin lost his Twins ballcap when it blew off his head on a chairlift returning from a hike. I promised a replacement and much to his mother's delight and his father's chagrin he asked for a different team's ballcap as a replacement. After many weeks of waiting (I guess it got shipped by sea?!) it arrived today. I present you with Calvin and his new baseball cap:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nwdMAzlIPHSvuGmEi4TxX4HQxrEl_CK9u88xwdE8snpSJoSgrw_C1evadbeiRFgv3G97-ai0ALHqNeYeTW9i5IYZivdLqDyiwU-9SetzeLwuWKsdgbVdqgQ-ORVcJ_0NfJbprFtzL7g/s1600/P1000544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nwdMAzlIPHSvuGmEi4TxX4HQxrEl_CK9u88xwdE8snpSJoSgrw_C1evadbeiRFgv3G97-ai0ALHqNeYeTW9i5IYZivdLqDyiwU-9SetzeLwuWKsdgbVdqgQ-ORVcJ_0NfJbprFtzL7g/s640/P1000544.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-87034697827899393682011-09-16T11:27:00.000+02:002011-09-16T11:27:34.646+02:00Cultural Norms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Well, we have had a big break here as I found little time to blog while the kids were home from school for the summer and then we spent three weeks back in Maine. I have a whole crush of things to write about, and we'll see if we can get to them now.<br />
<br />
At any rate, I thought I'd restart with a little observation that struck us over the head on our way back to the States...<br />
<br />
We were working our way through the scrum of travelers crushing around the gate to get on the plane in Zurich when I overheard some Americans complaining about how rude it was that people weren't waiting in line. I turned and smiled to Laura, because this is just one of those things we've learned to live with. Whether planes, trains or buses, you just have to push your way in there. But, I got to thinking, is it really <i>rude</i> that they don't queue like Americans and Brits? It's not really impolite, I don't think, if it's not a part of the culture to queue. It's just <i>different</i>. I admit, it really bothered me at first, but now I'm accustomed to it....<br />
<br />
The next day, we were driving through Boston and I nearly had a heart attack when the light turned green at my first intersection and there were another 2-3 cars that crossed my path, running their red lights. I guess I can remember that Americans drive through <i>really</i> yellow lights, and even red lights. That's why there's a period of time where both lights are red, right? But, I'd forgotten <i>how bad</i> it was. Or, maybe it's just <i>really bad</i> in Boston. Or, maybe people have continued to drive through <i>later and later</i> since we arrived in Europe? Laura and I continued to watch in astonishment, wonder, and sort of <i>horror</i> at each intersection as we waited for a few, well, really, <i>a lot of,</i> moments after each of our next lights turned green as a stream of cars continued through the intersection.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlDoev2XjcUrGXXpLtEP9gofQoBrkvrqfS_cVw0izGowqm1KRlT9NWO5WJ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlDoev2XjcUrGXXpLtEP9gofQoBrkvrqfS_cVw0izGowqm1KRlT9NWO5WJ" /></a>In Europe, I've gotten used to these things --><br />
<br />
They indicate that the light is about to turn green and cars are ready to roar through the intersection the moment their light turns. Many <i>real</i> Swiss actually begin rolling through the intersection while the light is still yellow/red. I can only imagine what would be the disastrous result if these worlds somehow "collided" and the norms were thrown together on a mass scale.<br />
<br />
So, is it <i>rude</i> to cruise through intersections many seconds after a light is red? It's just a cultural norm, right? Still, I'd rather not have to adjust to cultural norms too often where the too-late adjustment results in death, injury, or a hefty accident bill! Our friend, Alan, tells us that Switzerland is going to make us soft. Alan, if you only knew, it already has!<br />
<br />
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<br />
<br />
P.S. Another cultural adjustment: In Switzerland, our children have become accustomed to simply walking out into the crosswalk without looking for cars coming (they stop for pedestrians here, even if the pedestrian simply walks right onto the crosswalk without looking, because they all <i>do</i>). This makes visits to cities like Boston or Paris pretty nerve-wracking for the parents!!!Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-77528031091218876242011-07-24T11:14:00.002+02:002011-07-24T11:30:11.170+02:00The most beautiful place on earth?***A word of warning. This post is ridiculously long with an insane number of pictures. But, if you're going to title a post "The most beautiful place on earth," don't you need to justify it? ***<br />
<br />
Apologies again for the big gap in posts, but I'm finding it very difficult to get things done over the past month and a half. Laura has been traveling a lot recently, and there was a lot to do to finish up the school year through June. Then, with the kids at home all day through July, it's been pretty hectic around here.<br />
<br />
We had friends visit us over the first weekend in July. They arrived the same day the boys finished school, and we decided to take a quick trip to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernese_Oberland">Bernese Oberland</a> -- the valley sections of the Alps near Bern/e and perhaps the most famous and "typically Swiss" part of Switzerland. Laura decided this was her "most beautiful place on earth." I guess I can agree, because not wanting to commit to anything, I've decided to have more than one "the most beautiful place on earth."<br />
<br />
A photo-tour of our trip follows:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwU6-xumjWfBiGKKYqsOxvhUCGgWrpGnCWP8MwTN3z7_NorM5NMKePzSzzHxBHUz0oFQeGRGqvxGqafpY62MUYHXB4CnCSYJJU3TYBfwOcNeD1VM7PTpm3f2HN-KXxMhSOPvKXkt55vs/s1600/IMG_0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwU6-xumjWfBiGKKYqsOxvhUCGgWrpGnCWP8MwTN3z7_NorM5NMKePzSzzHxBHUz0oFQeGRGqvxGqafpY62MUYHXB4CnCSYJJU3TYBfwOcNeD1VM7PTpm3f2HN-KXxMhSOPvKXkt55vs/s640/IMG_0862.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking across the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauterbrunnen">Lauterbrunnen </a>valley from Mürren.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQykMdfNEjWeMBbXdW7yNWh6SwNgdY4NKpLSFnm64k_y471BI0yBu6o_Q5KhQa0HCwpUETXwODbYEXy6cPdpjCYtMoZTnAAG45d32mbCvY9Dbz4iJ4xrH9oUl06BP_9PQZhGfx4Xe5sA/s1600/IMG_0867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQykMdfNEjWeMBbXdW7yNWh6SwNgdY4NKpLSFnm64k_y471BI0yBu6o_Q5KhQa0HCwpUETXwODbYEXy6cPdpjCYtMoZTnAAG45d32mbCvY9Dbz4iJ4xrH9oUl06BP_9PQZhGfx4Xe5sA/s640/IMG_0867.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>That's a beautiful valley down there!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwP1s5jRK5-CT1QDuCTB_srOikbAZxso96R1xP61WzlauBoWe5si6OTiMi340bUGn4f1dPWRK1LpDNALukx9wpYWSgirHXro0SDvl9xngT2iR4s4bTNkwGZxAyI_w_zsLFzOJEriYIOc/s1600/IMG_0874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwP1s5jRK5-CT1QDuCTB_srOikbAZxso96R1xP61WzlauBoWe5si6OTiMi340bUGn4f1dPWRK1LpDNALukx9wpYWSgirHXro0SDvl9xngT2iR4s4bTNkwGZxAyI_w_zsLFzOJEriYIOc/s640/IMG_0874.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>In this view, you can see how Mürren sits on a shelf in this side of the valley.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9kZ3VIe8p1trJHCVh3dQJ0VAI0KdwDx6TVc3p2U9zwoPmeFLCSTRGjTXNzq1hW7MPtf4QVygnnx1wJtxs8EdO2X2iSJ8pTV1mXVMZVPoxmrwLNR5wShoobphwSoI-6Y2kwWrZVe84oE/s1600/IMG_0876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9kZ3VIe8p1trJHCVh3dQJ0VAI0KdwDx6TVc3p2U9zwoPmeFLCSTRGjTXNzq1hW7MPtf4QVygnnx1wJtxs8EdO2X2iSJ8pTV1mXVMZVPoxmrwLNR5wShoobphwSoI-6Y2kwWrZVe84oE/s640/IMG_0876.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Three quarters of our family. The boys are at that age where asking them to smile<br />
doesn't always work out too well.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ipLoTjgqgytOgRAU5vOMCr1rwJm1W998WsilbC-MbeyEMwKDo9-0GZLbyRSFHPhcO-QEDuOsWNkVa6C0kVd8Br0r66vdNuHdG92n8VbvmnTQW-pDtconlmYWYaLXI9H3p_ZE3K4hQf4/s1600/IMG_0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ipLoTjgqgytOgRAU5vOMCr1rwJm1W998WsilbC-MbeyEMwKDo9-0GZLbyRSFHPhcO-QEDuOsWNkVa6C0kVd8Br0r66vdNuHdG92n8VbvmnTQW-pDtconlmYWYaLXI9H3p_ZE3K4hQf4/s640/IMG_0882.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Old* friends and the Lauterbrunnen valley (looking the other way).</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">* Not <i>old</i>, you know what I mean!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1-lJBMzBGftLDpbB4rBIhulHDFJA8h2lz4He-mC4aPz3jeo1PA8kjT2rozyS7Ov-pfIB4Y7IZeCR1QAgcZeUTWmY5Vu7EUov4EXJp20B1FewxhRavA7DPyeTtgDvytl7RnZitBBGBms/s1600/IMG_0888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1-lJBMzBGftLDpbB4rBIhulHDFJA8h2lz4He-mC4aPz3jeo1PA8kjT2rozyS7Ov-pfIB4Y7IZeCR1QAgcZeUTWmY5Vu7EUov4EXJp20B1FewxhRavA7DPyeTtgDvytl7RnZitBBGBms/s640/IMG_0888.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Watch out Elliot....</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(If you look closely, you can see a paraglider in the middle distance of this photo.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhEz8IjKbK4iAdyEuddag2dTVrJm-XIyGg8-TEwyCBKcLurmcH_gVQUDiLMqFmr_IlXolN-B3MjKRggy2noAxON83kbUk1WcCRaevmXsO8rALn2vovo-U6gvoi4OxLopZIDODxue7y7A/s1600/IMG_0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhEz8IjKbK4iAdyEuddag2dTVrJm-XIyGg8-TEwyCBKcLurmcH_gVQUDiLMqFmr_IlXolN-B3MjKRggy2noAxON83kbUk1WcCRaevmXsO8rALn2vovo-U6gvoi4OxLopZIDODxue7y7A/s640/IMG_0889.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>...that next step is a doozy!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>These first pictures were taken just after we arrived in <a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/destinations/holiday-destinations-in-switzerland/muerren.html">Mürren</a>, when we decided to take a quick walk around town. We'd taken the train to Mürren, and in spite of making <i>five</i> connections (five trains plus an aerial tram) in three hours and 19 minutes, it was a pretty easy and relaxing journey. It was nice to take a trip with a group of people where I wasn't driving for once and could sit back and enjoy the view!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>The journey was very scenic and kept getting better. First, we rode a train through the rolling hills of the plateaus above Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). Then, took a train from Bern into the Alps that included a run along the beautiful lakes around Interlaken. Then, a narrow gauge rail journey up <i>into </i>the Lauterbrunnen valley. Next, an aerial tram up the side of the valley where we gained over 1600 meters in six minutes. Finally, another narrow gauge railway trip to Mürren, this time in an 40 year old railway car along a track that skirted right along the cliff face above the valley.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We stayed at the <a href="http://www.hoteleiger.com/">Hotel Eiger</a> in Mürren. It was pretty expensive, but had a wonderful room for the family, a superb deck with the most <i>amazing</i> views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, a pool (great for energized kids and weary parents!) and by far the best service we've had at any establishment in Switzerland. It's quite expensive, but if you're ever in the Bernese Oberland, we'd highly, highly recommend the Hotel Eiger!</div><div><br />
</div><div>We've found now, after a few trips, that while they enjoy the views, museums, churches, etc., the boys' definition of a successful day is finding a great playground. So, in order to maintain health and sanity of parents, we always try to find a place to stop and play. This was our playground in Mürren (will the kids end up rating European destinations by the quality of its play equipment?).</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOiMmj1nv9Pib5I2dBDj6So-uGYE1377Ez2T2_rYkp-HgvrmJ78Ef8S6j2vkafuUill5W38R4BZ2P6CwKxerX-k4BGyb4XvM3pYTzRLfIoMg1lZW4DE-KenzuZ7LidC3PrISEbYqFW4M/s1600/IMG_0900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOiMmj1nv9Pib5I2dBDj6So-uGYE1377Ez2T2_rYkp-HgvrmJ78Ef8S6j2vkafuUill5W38R4BZ2P6CwKxerX-k4BGyb4XvM3pYTzRLfIoMg1lZW4DE-KenzuZ7LidC3PrISEbYqFW4M/s640/IMG_0900.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kids spent 90% of their time on this, and we have a million pictures of it, but they all look pretty much the same....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-8gxMUJjmrJ5DQZUmDKpG-Ojg1k5-RRE_9PszH89sqo0-mCOIHWQW_dCfNYG5MNdcZjc5sZFF1q1OTD8NH6ukaiMNCxS4K3hM59Au4AfseDx2wT0nl5X6JqRwDps0fQLKPlQqc1pzxQ/s1600/IMG_0940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-8gxMUJjmrJ5DQZUmDKpG-Ojg1k5-RRE_9PszH89sqo0-mCOIHWQW_dCfNYG5MNdcZjc5sZFF1q1OTD8NH6ukaiMNCxS4K3hM59Au4AfseDx2wT0nl5X6JqRwDps0fQLKPlQqc1pzxQ/s640/IMG_0940.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrMhztz5NLCQAi21LgM42opY0EOlrixN3KHH1A6SUtaFDzlQmZi9fXCing1IOK25RpKUpaSNv9-P6CUCtZMKC5wYHl-6uCvz9pMWfyo0QwCyHzT1yTvjGNq8YS5v36eS7cf90FO9_upk/s1600/IMG_0944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrMhztz5NLCQAi21LgM42opY0EOlrixN3KHH1A6SUtaFDzlQmZi9fXCing1IOK25RpKUpaSNv9-P6CUCtZMKC5wYHl-6uCvz9pMWfyo0QwCyHzT1yTvjGNq8YS5v36eS7cf90FO9_upk/s640/IMG_0944.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWZgdSlme7J2weE6LxEcSLy0Wka3QKDizEhD7tibpMrrGpG8cwEx1nQTlNj4dXuuLQoL1PRifJJkFa09ff_NhHB0DFj_w4_twME6oz2wdWVGk_NZrMgadNoCXAKAXLcxVQ8J9Jq0FaXo/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWZgdSlme7J2weE6LxEcSLy0Wka3QKDizEhD7tibpMrrGpG8cwEx1nQTlNj4dXuuLQoL1PRifJJkFa09ff_NhHB0DFj_w4_twME6oz2wdWVGk_NZrMgadNoCXAKAXLcxVQ8J9Jq0FaXo/s640/IMG_0951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7Mf9VmFH2fiLoG4rRkU9tbf5TWARc15kqW6WYFbDCU41U5lJjCoOwmeO9yts-CxUWfx_2ofPkdTkfT67YhDJewzcjxTzfdeATXrnXTcTD_Monyn0D7yp_LCNtrcCmm_sG0AxLP9x6V0/s1600/IMG_0919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7Mf9VmFH2fiLoG4rRkU9tbf5TWARc15kqW6WYFbDCU41U5lJjCoOwmeO9yts-CxUWfx_2ofPkdTkfT67YhDJewzcjxTzfdeATXrnXTcTD_Monyn0D7yp_LCNtrcCmm_sG0AxLP9x6V0/s640/IMG_0919.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Adults can get in on the fun, too!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-hzn5WJyy6-ck49tzJ9YprVKZuOoB8Ufau-mQDhxlNRYU9mA0cWmikDqqnpVir6CemzzCG0g3ROgYiUrcDm-ihCgXFpVgzobeTm4QR1Rk_CkpPv7whY8MIymfG1m2GmsHskaiSF4Q_Y/s1600/IMG_0933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-hzn5WJyy6-ck49tzJ9YprVKZuOoB8Ufau-mQDhxlNRYU9mA0cWmikDqqnpVir6CemzzCG0g3ROgYiUrcDm-ihCgXFpVgzobeTm4QR1Rk_CkpPv7whY8MIymfG1m2GmsHskaiSF4Q_Y/s640/IMG_0933.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Laura took a couple of nice portraits at this park:</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucv9WTtC8v73zfitmPlXh8IiGWKgVAvtZ0QDz6CIfe218m5Ej7-96Yv8XMih9qkHV3pHHG-qxAvbyuhHBmshZQ_dMdETWze4U53xjbxpPKVKhFTwVq8Z7Xra05SdNtapZQjuTDs9WH3w/s1600/IMG_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucv9WTtC8v73zfitmPlXh8IiGWKgVAvtZ0QDz6CIfe218m5Ej7-96Yv8XMih9qkHV3pHHG-qxAvbyuhHBmshZQ_dMdETWze4U53xjbxpPKVKhFTwVq8Z7Xra05SdNtapZQjuTDs9WH3w/s640/IMG_0926.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLxdpV99HNFubDV3apoa3creOVSR49a46dQrEcfocgzSNnWL1NBJ4o7pzpg03-145twEVwTtoaWyefe2grxZVhnrbUjCHxPguwKQn0KLY8h4_s3YzMSNeH8laHgBkaklrDxtnP2FENTw/s1600/IMG_0929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLxdpV99HNFubDV3apoa3creOVSR49a46dQrEcfocgzSNnWL1NBJ4o7pzpg03-145twEVwTtoaWyefe2grxZVhnrbUjCHxPguwKQn0KLY8h4_s3YzMSNeH8laHgBkaklrDxtnP2FENTw/s640/IMG_0929.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1kiSrwVs81prJK6r1r7aQpJY3MTo46DOFhLVIAhZdw4THJoGFeNqrngxw7VFR-eL9-ZP2mf8ugSgAjKqQG6ZCu27wFmihBwXpjglydMM_DrTqgOtTMD23Yjo_b3ggwBwYIYfe9LDzKc/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1kiSrwVs81prJK6r1r7aQpJY3MTo46DOFhLVIAhZdw4THJoGFeNqrngxw7VFR-eL9-ZP2mf8ugSgAjKqQG6ZCu27wFmihBwXpjglydMM_DrTqgOtTMD23Yjo_b3ggwBwYIYfe9LDzKc/s640/IMG_0927.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNpZnkD7ba7GsIpi6VdA14VflQd4S0m85GvjOoyzA4cCsZqJNCgDVkEWAYPCfc7467ZsgFP1r53OTShue7Z1EFwiHCCI0qeQhBoWfiLEAZZ8wphYmMpaQlurS7w9si-LP8egx2tjTPUU/s1600/IMG_0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNpZnkD7ba7GsIpi6VdA14VflQd4S0m85GvjOoyzA4cCsZqJNCgDVkEWAYPCfc7467ZsgFP1r53OTShue7Z1EFwiHCCI0qeQhBoWfiLEAZZ8wphYmMpaQlurS7w9si-LP8egx2tjTPUU/s640/IMG_0930.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>The next day, our first order of business was a visit to the <a href="http://www.schilthorn.ch/en/">Schilthorn</a>. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Ring any bells? No? Okay, how about the restaurant on that peak called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piz_Gloria">Piz Gloria</a>? </div><div><br />
</div><div>No? All right, how about James Bond? Do you remember that hideout the villain Blofeld had that was on top of a mountain, and James Bond got trapped there and tried to monkey-walk his way down across the cables for an aerial tram? The movie was "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," the actor was George Lazenby (the guy after Sean Connery), and the setting was the just completed revolving restaurant Piz Gloria.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We went there. More aerial trams. These things are suspended way high up in the middle of the air, and it feels like you're barely moving until you pass the tram going the other way and you realize that you are just <i>flying</i> up the mountains!</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhout2YVYCsA6nDwDv085La78OGhCPkUbTFhPnIqpw97HgRgS-qkG9-OyMASK2_jdAaN8s5H_2KJLvgniFiKlecw98myrdxLBHzi4NqQuXbr5BJKvx0bi4Rcke67vmYA0-QCyL_gTJ6MGw/s1600/IMG_0978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhout2YVYCsA6nDwDv085La78OGhCPkUbTFhPnIqpw97HgRgS-qkG9-OyMASK2_jdAaN8s5H_2KJLvgniFiKlecw98myrdxLBHzi4NqQuXbr5BJKvx0bi4Rcke67vmYA0-QCyL_gTJ6MGw/s640/IMG_0978.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>That's Piz Gloria we're heading for.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh773DxYZ7dUzfMAk-8kZHzihsK7HMTu6XWPIFu7wqln1uO7H_sx1gCwHgibxMGnvH7Pr6zIc_Mz0yVCryRgi8EhAcXIxBYGgNJ1xfPDtNhbE5yTSTVSWeO-SbHNl1Zn4qIn8rMqhQgNqI/s1600/IMG_0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh773DxYZ7dUzfMAk-8kZHzihsK7HMTu6XWPIFu7wqln1uO7H_sx1gCwHgibxMGnvH7Pr6zIc_Mz0yVCryRgi8EhAcXIxBYGgNJ1xfPDtNhbE5yTSTVSWeO-SbHNl1Zn4qIn8rMqhQgNqI/s640/IMG_0980.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Random view from the tram.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJeiRFkeM7_Oow1mTqkpdDcrCMKXjvm-duo0eI9OxVd349e78Y1dAo21cUrc1XUm0q-lIcqGKuBi-tOq6MOuGfeEUltmt294E2pwnv1KZGlLV8GacgDstCWmek82ySxXnSDcyum1AifM/s1600/IMG_0981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJeiRFkeM7_Oow1mTqkpdDcrCMKXjvm-duo0eI9OxVd349e78Y1dAo21cUrc1XUm0q-lIcqGKuBi-tOq6MOuGfeEUltmt294E2pwnv1KZGlLV8GacgDstCWmek82ySxXnSDcyum1AifM/s640/IMG_0981.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Beautiful view! (And I'm talking about the foreground, not just the background!)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMbXuZqTHy5jXHOfB8s84IS_0A6pIr-dZA2zPnMPAAJrZetWh3DBP78s8QYGDj09scvOLMCw4rvnl5x_b2XmpzhwgZkZVt5Vea6vJVIT_2WThBYaUwp4dW6hHyxlxRHhMr1Cbhyszyy4/s1600/IMG_0984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMbXuZqTHy5jXHOfB8s84IS_0A6pIr-dZA2zPnMPAAJrZetWh3DBP78s8QYGDj09scvOLMCw4rvnl5x_b2XmpzhwgZkZVt5Vea6vJVIT_2WThBYaUwp4dW6hHyxlxRHhMr1Cbhyszyy4/s640/IMG_0984.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Panorama from Piz Gloria. Chrismas picture?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazRNxc857wf-tcQzUgzkR_IZpRJ4cIk04H8nCdA9qDHgH-ftblEYOjUPIN51q54otdD_gXrWE_uYX90GGxm02hpYxzvrB-IcNf6A0Jn3sPyt277S5TXVjoEGz8EOU6bcAT-wFMaO5CmQ/s1600/IMG_0987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazRNxc857wf-tcQzUgzkR_IZpRJ4cIk04H8nCdA9qDHgH-ftblEYOjUPIN51q54otdD_gXrWE_uYX90GGxm02hpYxzvrB-IcNf6A0Jn3sPyt277S5TXVjoEGz8EOU6bcAT-wFMaO5CmQ/s640/IMG_0987.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Big boy enjoying the panorama. You can see the intermediate stop where we changed trams on the tip of the mountain peak above his forearm.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR_VdOCTNKldP9PkSvLO7lryr2V-28xBuNxJ-AzukMw0pqwGTEuzFhuJf892Yb3c9SCFvGljZ8XFb71Cz4U14dL8MQtGGozsVeS5RREe5Cn-PoIryPrErzMPrbcyQxNV7QAiBrFfxtkA/s1600/IMG_0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR_VdOCTNKldP9PkSvLO7lryr2V-28xBuNxJ-AzukMw0pqwGTEuzFhuJf892Yb3c9SCFvGljZ8XFb71Cz4U14dL8MQtGGozsVeS5RREe5Cn-PoIryPrErzMPrbcyQxNV7QAiBrFfxtkA/s640/IMG_0990.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Our fellow travelers head out to the mountain top, should we follow?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6OXpFhTIHT49NYzFeBRRIWPW4b32cUoBZFKgeR79kgGmK9tDXaMBHAr5PNFwdXL4WHqKNEEbNAalLw7-i454nOboUV4LVOTAQLVjAjt43BkML7-fqSv5RhIS58U-Vvvro6bhY-9V4y0/s1600/IMG_1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6OXpFhTIHT49NYzFeBRRIWPW4b32cUoBZFKgeR79kgGmK9tDXaMBHAr5PNFwdXL4WHqKNEEbNAalLw7-i454nOboUV4LVOTAQLVjAjt43BkML7-fqSv5RhIS58U-Vvvro6bhY-9V4y0/s640/IMG_1001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Good looking family!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqPrcSgNM-V-WJ1EHWfyKWM12IkiKuu1N4agjIuUwdDUI-tqU4ZzLMLPoNyMqFfohtmj-m75s1KBOAD_Zc9iXhJovauL-AJuXQySVPiDGJLnuAKmiliYMsB-0Kx6PLoeH8LiebPG6l8k/s1600/IMG_1003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqPrcSgNM-V-WJ1EHWfyKWM12IkiKuu1N4agjIuUwdDUI-tqU4ZzLMLPoNyMqFfohtmj-m75s1KBOAD_Zc9iXhJovauL-AJuXQySVPiDGJLnuAKmiliYMsB-0Kx6PLoeH8LiebPG6l8k/s640/IMG_1003.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Christmas photo? Wait, didn't we already take one of those?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1n4vCf4DMHtX1x80vvFRPsVlcxhHKaAbc7bVTUTxSZjHW-i_TCjM8LrEe-PliA-F_fmP7SQiyAIiP5zniHKvLKNstPmNydBYpml9oR426jbz9vRHlOvHpyDyLgTpFmjjQE0Ibq2Ir2M/s1600/IMG_1008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1n4vCf4DMHtX1x80vvFRPsVlcxhHKaAbc7bVTUTxSZjHW-i_TCjM8LrEe-PliA-F_fmP7SQiyAIiP5zniHKvLKNstPmNydBYpml9oR426jbz9vRHlOvHpyDyLgTpFmjjQE0Ibq2Ir2M/s640/IMG_1008.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking back at Piz Gloria at the top of the peak.</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(You can also see a helicopter in the middle of this photo, against the mountains.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFaZXx-tM9jjTxQ9eSzgwns8jigcdJoCH3sIXGunkWtvxUCQ7GVXCvRpZ5nCDpmYYsVxwCoXucRf3V8ZU-wlno31RtLc5Sb7VAJxQWY-6htv9ggPEi472fEnUk_WUccglfwAPvL9oFws/s1600/IMG_1009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFaZXx-tM9jjTxQ9eSzgwns8jigcdJoCH3sIXGunkWtvxUCQ7GVXCvRpZ5nCDpmYYsVxwCoXucRf3V8ZU-wlno31RtLc5Sb7VAJxQWY-6htv9ggPEi472fEnUk_WUccglfwAPvL9oFws/s640/IMG_1009.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Taking a break.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJTTtdlTc8TAu82Ue2RNjk_qcXyeDSkmw-O5gPxK7ReyEP-3T_RmT13p0Dmc7DWRiz3v2appCowAwZrXQ47sufVfCJdmSGHK_Ez4Z71S70wdKDOq5FoaEri5zyjPlL06d2hoOxRhRHvs/s1600/IMG_1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJTTtdlTc8TAu82Ue2RNjk_qcXyeDSkmw-O5gPxK7ReyEP-3T_RmT13p0Dmc7DWRiz3v2appCowAwZrXQ47sufVfCJdmSGHK_Ez4Z71S70wdKDOq5FoaEri5zyjPlL06d2hoOxRhRHvs/s640/IMG_1013.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The other photographer!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPGbGeu1NWvQY5xjRKREtwxam6T6vGa_0xHurolJs3oxxMnRVJo8VNiajkKDMoUvFb94vGpEr3bQzwNbmrldi2necFienfx4bWw8H0FtGHdQ_vZHZQfZ-InDcFgxM5kHI8MslPIcBKf8/s1600/IMG_1015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPGbGeu1NWvQY5xjRKREtwxam6T6vGa_0xHurolJs3oxxMnRVJo8VNiajkKDMoUvFb94vGpEr3bQzwNbmrldi2necFienfx4bWw8H0FtGHdQ_vZHZQfZ-InDcFgxM5kHI8MslPIcBKf8/s640/IMG_1015.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Snow in July!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBPRCQAHDqdQDgEyjPiXwe_C_Z2MgM8kdFfLBQdABbuc-bosw1kgGqS23Cykq-8f68bzGkFkZiA_wA59MZBgf9hUDJ7lwLTUowTWAqSZe7r49snQ6a002xgJDPeZWrq0-iBI8z7ltDgc/s1600/IMG_1021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBPRCQAHDqdQDgEyjPiXwe_C_Z2MgM8kdFfLBQdABbuc-bosw1kgGqS23Cykq-8f68bzGkFkZiA_wA59MZBgf9hUDJ7lwLTUowTWAqSZe7r49snQ6a002xgJDPeZWrq0-iBI8z7ltDgc/s640/IMG_1021.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Having fun!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rt58tnC1XiF82Nz_Zf3JkX0L1r2WqnGIvCDiufZX5QyO-hl2DgDOsdGcAP_yp5cyw1xV8ioL0LWKr6I6ycQuBFMFEor_ptxJBDEx2UxINHpx3ZtJZDHxM86Mn2D6Ms-TFnLqh0xhvtw/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rt58tnC1XiF82Nz_Zf3JkX0L1r2WqnGIvCDiufZX5QyO-hl2DgDOsdGcAP_yp5cyw1xV8ioL0LWKr6I6ycQuBFMFEor_ptxJBDEx2UxINHpx3ZtJZDHxM86Mn2D6Ms-TFnLqh0xhvtw/s640/IMG_1022.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Two seconds before they toppled over and the smiles disappeared....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5dXr5BREHZoJXGMhWLXNx1f2UnY4Mn_11Td4LH111kFUYW8Rf09GmsoTHpAukhtdjFRoaw95oIDFrB9RWRRlZ6rgawRCNCMANxb9Km8l2kfQ65dUDNRoOfstGGIc92jwvy1OwAfP4Ac/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5dXr5BREHZoJXGMhWLXNx1f2UnY4Mn_11Td4LH111kFUYW8Rf09GmsoTHpAukhtdjFRoaw95oIDFrB9RWRRlZ6rgawRCNCMANxb9Km8l2kfQ65dUDNRoOfstGGIc92jwvy1OwAfP4Ac/s640/IMG_1029.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIJXDscvYOS8nF1Lw1J7qkImaRKnskF9L4adgZn-_SifncY0UMgoGUjByVnYY_6bNcfPZFQ3BeSskImU6nyN-hNqwN3YhMA2A47SdQLSbVgS6UDVdOtq3xFMDknIaYYHF7DQn7KrB49Y/s1600/IMG_1030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIJXDscvYOS8nF1Lw1J7qkImaRKnskF9L4adgZn-_SifncY0UMgoGUjByVnYY_6bNcfPZFQ3BeSskImU6nyN-hNqwN3YhMA2A47SdQLSbVgS6UDVdOtq3xFMDknIaYYHF7DQn7KrB49Y/s640/IMG_1030.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bn-2CEG2mSJzJWGrnMlxhOcspRVQV5xQZlhMpGIryfCq6KY2boPgKsnyRbx_ZY5m3g05rZX0avEOmYAZxrovRFQRNMED2NaYa-70lAtTWB7OebLMCVtkJzZujAYh6Yf66JvzpbzmiHY/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bn-2CEG2mSJzJWGrnMlxhOcspRVQV5xQZlhMpGIryfCq6KY2boPgKsnyRbx_ZY5m3g05rZX0avEOmYAZxrovRFQRNMED2NaYa-70lAtTWB7OebLMCVtkJzZujAYh6Yf66JvzpbzmiHY/s640/IMG_1039.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I took dozens of pictures of the flowers up here, but I'll only bore you with two.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LMpktNOoBY5s8uYEgcNpNDMcRWX3xOLmrRqDem3_EZxXKLzV8y1-CK7Kvf6nGoDJrpnHAz9Rsn5E2VdkLblZsCCoXJmDBEobArlpo0o6c96fBkp9O1dcVU7GeLPchmJMKgb4rWg0AGI/s1600/IMG_1041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LMpktNOoBY5s8uYEgcNpNDMcRWX3xOLmrRqDem3_EZxXKLzV8y1-CK7Kvf6nGoDJrpnHAz9Rsn5E2VdkLblZsCCoXJmDBEobArlpo0o6c96fBkp9O1dcVU7GeLPchmJMKgb4rWg0AGI/s640/IMG_1041.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSMSdA-YvoFM5eqs34W6EEBLXPeB3htvfobksOIjG0b6nFbU2MV20EzXdSPS9lBB_uWdnFvJtgMZHGiZYLuiM4Bwlj5yVXHoV9ehWk_ckT3ypTRukoVUE8bL_DWXYir18Bnq5VVwYrQk/s1600/IMG_1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSMSdA-YvoFM5eqs34W6EEBLXPeB3htvfobksOIjG0b6nFbU2MV20EzXdSPS9lBB_uWdnFvJtgMZHGiZYLuiM4Bwlj5yVXHoV9ehWk_ckT3ypTRukoVUE8bL_DWXYir18Bnq5VVwYrQk/s640/IMG_1043.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLlKfyxTTAZBbQb5L_iw-w7q_QegGBWVDmdZGQ-pd4OQGOFv30GZz26dsEK6Aiy6PzeJaA5yzah9kM04pJAGC9j2IghQ5qJGrs_MHddmM2rz1sWq-5EIchkxBGTWOKqxG99p8zOKma3o/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLlKfyxTTAZBbQb5L_iw-w7q_QegGBWVDmdZGQ-pd4OQGOFv30GZz26dsEK6Aiy6PzeJaA5yzah9kM04pJAGC9j2IghQ5qJGrs_MHddmM2rz1sWq-5EIchkxBGTWOKqxG99p8zOKma3o/s640/IMG_1046.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Random family beginning a walk down toward Mürren. The lake in the background is one of the two lakes<br />
surrounding Interlaken.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_sAEkm8eBIJ9ZJagkJg68tdlX-yVcBmahDlDx63uLHrOzln58Iin0R3asMcYvLK5y4JLaOnR_VwQgNyWaIIEXfMNxIY_-1MlWQmu8YVeTe0u7OuzoTcQJB-wfeXpsLQdbgONxovFFko/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_sAEkm8eBIJ9ZJagkJg68tdlX-yVcBmahDlDx63uLHrOzln58Iin0R3asMcYvLK5y4JLaOnR_VwQgNyWaIIEXfMNxIY_-1MlWQmu8YVeTe0u7OuzoTcQJB-wfeXpsLQdbgONxovFFko/s640/IMG_1051.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I like this because you can see the drop off into the valley. It doesn't quite give<br />
an accurate representation of the plummet, but it's close!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoS66HQOZr8ECIFbkpDtTBqtfmNGsHilZun5NuRLZtUevTAtYrub5PrAcaAwLr-fvSOD3arvZb9nBvyGL7O3PEP_qYE0mWl-fSTWhWyXunYPWba4pN9ZNt3F5mXP0aOUPtuStJUl4glHY/s1600/IMG_1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoS66HQOZr8ECIFbkpDtTBqtfmNGsHilZun5NuRLZtUevTAtYrub5PrAcaAwLr-fvSOD3arvZb9nBvyGL7O3PEP_qYE0mWl-fSTWhWyXunYPWba4pN9ZNt3F5mXP0aOUPtuStJUl4glHY/s640/IMG_1057.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Happy for the handrail. One of the few places in Switzerland that has a safety feature!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-16635zjE5awbjDmOmxlGqxWmA7MBzOO8gzt6qxlHQkZ-U-DzxUpFiKtazerCxPZob9GHdmrTMxLTRd7WtVJyhlKYGY_Kc0P0i34dJY5xyxENsgVHDbm6qN7wq8_g09HEsDkuEYHcZ1g/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-16635zjE5awbjDmOmxlGqxWmA7MBzOO8gzt6qxlHQkZ-U-DzxUpFiKtazerCxPZob9GHdmrTMxLTRd7WtVJyhlKYGY_Kc0P0i34dJY5xyxENsgVHDbm6qN7wq8_g09HEsDkuEYHcZ1g/s640/IMG_1063.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>On the tram heading back down to Mürren. I like this photo because you can really see how Mürren sits on that plateau hanging onto the edge of the cliff.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOpbmJdN5N9hKdX7Bc062TyXtpnYCeJXXBs-qxXwMBajs5wGuJ4aZno5Sfn2uf7i66YjPXOmr11jn1v251hYKM7jGkNRwSnL1FHHy7PS4mKN0klShRQrjduM8FlhTZj0veQxAa7W2jU0/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOpbmJdN5N9hKdX7Bc062TyXtpnYCeJXXBs-qxXwMBajs5wGuJ4aZno5Sfn2uf7i66YjPXOmr11jn1v251hYKM7jGkNRwSnL1FHHy7PS4mKN0klShRQrjduM8FlhTZj0veQxAa7W2jU0/s640/IMG_1066.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Eiger...Mönch...Jungfrau. One of the most famous vistas in Switzerland.<br />
Sorry for the tram cable right in the middle of the picture!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>So, that was just our morning activity. Next, we took a little hike in the hills above Mürren.</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYWv4cPcAEs2a-6sVTV6z4YYLY0LO0uXvKLAh3gvKVR67_lhnKVBrgNfwqULocByF9ZIpaphXVTrJ39Jfjoxp2BhlQc5jWNfJXMtqjMD-kBuYjoaN2KkrWmBNJHPJHckW1OwZs31Nsqw/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYWv4cPcAEs2a-6sVTV6z4YYLY0LO0uXvKLAh3gvKVR67_lhnKVBrgNfwqULocByF9ZIpaphXVTrJ39Jfjoxp2BhlQc5jWNfJXMtqjMD-kBuYjoaN2KkrWmBNJHPJHckW1OwZs31Nsqw/s640/IMG_1069.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>In a funicular singing songs from the Sound of Music. I know, I know, that's Austria, not Switzerland....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8c8MOjF4bAj3dcsTiI5QnNMJp6uovLnj4AjjnKhi8WjNHVMKGWivoVouvvuydVZO3LehyphenhyphenBIi5DtK3y_iy0aQvA2asHULdPvK-ax1vNOgUeN0V0mAxKBlsk5vqS5BiglExPFvK9rRzfEE/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8c8MOjF4bAj3dcsTiI5QnNMJp6uovLnj4AjjnKhi8WjNHVMKGWivoVouvvuydVZO3LehyphenhyphenBIi5DtK3y_iy0aQvA2asHULdPvK-ax1vNOgUeN0V0mAxKBlsk5vqS5BiglExPFvK9rRzfEE/s640/IMG_1090.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Found another park! Important to stop when you see one.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTt37bFfaAwen2C_PIgejS6fwEGlitUz9PkbXPcu4j5D0dKNMe-4J7nic5LzYRwPuUXlu0clvGNm9VixlB1ySt43Ss9RUXagWsMtvVuCLRHX7Htl24wkSPjpdBT_4WF-zb7zl9RHsz33U/s1600/IMG_1098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTt37bFfaAwen2C_PIgejS6fwEGlitUz9PkbXPcu4j5D0dKNMe-4J7nic5LzYRwPuUXlu0clvGNm9VixlB1ySt43Ss9RUXagWsMtvVuCLRHX7Htl24wkSPjpdBT_4WF-zb7zl9RHsz33U/s640/IMG_1098.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Edelweiss. Yes, it grows in Switzerland, too.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iyk4DAiE0Nm76H3MtE4tEoRMTc6UbWut6OXtQlq5Q4j-8ujqYyK4FRiszO8MXw9wYXKWGfLuCZFtzcG_PN5Km5o7pOhLr_O5KRhA0oRi0bFyOjgzejnV5UX1lrYeskAlO2eb8f9cMTM/s1600/IMG_1102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iyk4DAiE0Nm76H3MtE4tEoRMTc6UbWut6OXtQlq5Q4j-8ujqYyK4FRiszO8MXw9wYXKWGfLuCZFtzcG_PN5Km5o7pOhLr_O5KRhA0oRi0bFyOjgzejnV5UX1lrYeskAlO2eb8f9cMTM/s640/IMG_1102.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The hills are alive! Wait, wrong country again! Okay, look, it's Heidi!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPaLYLe5bcZxaXkKJzGPGTZ2Vz4trLdEZwr1P80FbbdHKEnmoHmopng_7DLdcfBFr6PxeCirD_LFOP-1yoE71qGg9FJ5XYVD85POlsr11-lsjSpSbWIuCNgaqx1OAYeX2XJjnyLi17C4/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPaLYLe5bcZxaXkKJzGPGTZ2Vz4trLdEZwr1P80FbbdHKEnmoHmopng_7DLdcfBFr6PxeCirD_LFOP-1yoE71qGg9FJ5XYVD85POlsr11-lsjSpSbWIuCNgaqx1OAYeX2XJjnyLi17C4/s640/IMG_1105.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nature, it's all around me! (Moving from Rodgers & Hammerstein to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKDTLEFcXZw">The Samples</a>.)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_k62MfNPyFAzskeVc6yG3hsewl4tSfJu9nuTAkheyFbUuZVP4VsXng2PNc9-ugu-4eCiXtRCDP4I37Vi2-j-V0xqTJNg5ZunfnUBU-l_qKtyP03uEZchm4XA6CLUaRs3kYnQ24KU83yI/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_k62MfNPyFAzskeVc6yG3hsewl4tSfJu9nuTAkheyFbUuZVP4VsXng2PNc9-ugu-4eCiXtRCDP4I37Vi2-j-V0xqTJNg5ZunfnUBU-l_qKtyP03uEZchm4XA6CLUaRs3kYnQ24KU83yI/s640/IMG_1106.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This was described to us as a flat walk.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhvqv8L_o9IqrXc2b4L6X1glfI6jpPFS_Dk-Y9GLvuJkvG0UPu0SXczdhCNIuY7kuXFrNYZ_o_mXWOz5oeQpz2_BNfoZgJtJeEl3CqpisiV0kGTKTtuGhZfILf5PMwTGtEqvnC8E1eCI/s1600/IMG_1107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhvqv8L_o9IqrXc2b4L6X1glfI6jpPFS_Dk-Y9GLvuJkvG0UPu0SXczdhCNIuY7kuXFrNYZ_o_mXWOz5oeQpz2_BNfoZgJtJeEl3CqpisiV0kGTKTtuGhZfILf5PMwTGtEqvnC8E1eCI/s640/IMG_1107.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Just another random beautiful view!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ2GNQHDCUBR5BAP_cyOneSjgrA6bU1w-Oh99Eqfd8tUTo_KOJJWi66y_CV09hnHkk0j83qSUVk3AjiSnBeq0l061PDZueki9HRI5joOFBGQHvTIcSbFKeMX-EpSjdWnPvsaKgmmXa2E/s1600/IMG_1112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ2GNQHDCUBR5BAP_cyOneSjgrA6bU1w-Oh99Eqfd8tUTo_KOJJWi66y_CV09hnHkk0j83qSUVk3AjiSnBeq0l061PDZueki9HRI5joOFBGQHvTIcSbFKeMX-EpSjdWnPvsaKgmmXa2E/s640/IMG_1112.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFaKfki1cJAySUoMjGt748WRMq4NNhTW_UW0z0jlqmLma-q0rc3bLg9qBeKJ05RypYt2kpSmkGB-K_E9YajU8KKfqm6UXZcugU09PJWX4dB_rzQupu1aUyZiUx3trtXlLzzFyCBRfEx8/s1600/IMG_1113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFaKfki1cJAySUoMjGt748WRMq4NNhTW_UW0z0jlqmLma-q0rc3bLg9qBeKJ05RypYt2kpSmkGB-K_E9YajU8KKfqm6UXZcugU09PJWX4dB_rzQupu1aUyZiUx3trtXlLzzFyCBRfEx8/s640/IMG_1113.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>More nature. Flowers, meadow, trees and mountains all together this time.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IDJjitOnSuc3qIqAKhnSHBX6mzVqwgs3eQJZ3pOAN5GVZYpM4JrMfMtwW_9l74GAyXeT5zc3m8fQsUxH7auaWDfVUImKgDKOpyb9F3xgVeDBSY5JpuShwqsZ-dKh2ge0N3tZClzFD4Q/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IDJjitOnSuc3qIqAKhnSHBX6mzVqwgs3eQJZ3pOAN5GVZYpM4JrMfMtwW_9l74GAyXeT5zc3m8fQsUxH7auaWDfVUImKgDKOpyb9F3xgVeDBSY5JpuShwqsZ-dKh2ge0N3tZClzFD4Q/s640/IMG_1124.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The two big kids leading the way.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY8LcQXYWlbKWA5U7iByzTNC5JWbEgGgKMDYwKl91sOrZBjbtR13TNVnYRDDSGKftrd6zoYXZmlrBjVqXUxpl7fiznzfcBvfbJxtCEYSPvxcKfGi4NF1yOR19uxe40jZiFX2OUH5OlkA/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY8LcQXYWlbKWA5U7iByzTNC5JWbEgGgKMDYwKl91sOrZBjbtR13TNVnYRDDSGKftrd6zoYXZmlrBjVqXUxpl7fiznzfcBvfbJxtCEYSPvxcKfGi4NF1yOR19uxe40jZiFX2OUH5OlkA/s640/IMG_1128.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hmm, looks like we'll be sharing the path with cows if we want to continue with our plan.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6vXgnpDZIVFXDdhVrN96MlSfwkTp_XN4LtVdz9OkIek5D08UEn1im2ildU7WoAhwaqdCKJzf7N5uSsyx0FE5KbP93pB11OyQsVGrAReg8BD-XZuHDMPLvvJFXI9ENignq9JBv-u-56I/s1600/IMG_1134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6vXgnpDZIVFXDdhVrN96MlSfwkTp_XN4LtVdz9OkIek5D08UEn1im2ildU7WoAhwaqdCKJzf7N5uSsyx0FE5KbP93pB11OyQsVGrAReg8BD-XZuHDMPLvvJFXI9ENignq9JBv-u-56I/s640/IMG_1134.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Yep, those are cows.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0FDwVbEImrXw7eEXDztLEwkGpQ2IarSEpL3TWYzYSKzGmE7Eng6nC_F5CwHh_KRmmS9faKDAv-s6w1NPB80PsJa0_t6Dl5tw-rHWzNIMU79P9sbOandSHVzd_mx40CfHatF1mBR_DMQ/s1600/IMG_1137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0FDwVbEImrXw7eEXDztLEwkGpQ2IarSEpL3TWYzYSKzGmE7Eng6nC_F5CwHh_KRmmS9faKDAv-s6w1NPB80PsJa0_t6Dl5tw-rHWzNIMU79P9sbOandSHVzd_mx40CfHatF1mBR_DMQ/s640/IMG_1137.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mürren again.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSfar3ozG3s1mSXOvUdvIvyqlboK4cmMuUl5Tc7BEhf5_xJfjIlexhg_YQch94nS5F9TTOGcK2F0CMUNZQbxrP-sB0AqaqMtBaVH7RZkUYbKYPQg2Smg8n2QGiozenDVxP1AkoXOa6_I/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSfar3ozG3s1mSXOvUdvIvyqlboK4cmMuUl5Tc7BEhf5_xJfjIlexhg_YQch94nS5F9TTOGcK2F0CMUNZQbxrP-sB0AqaqMtBaVH7RZkUYbKYPQg2Smg8n2QGiozenDVxP1AkoXOa6_I/s640/IMG_1142.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This is why Calvin doesn't mind these hikes. This won't last forever; he's already getting pretty heavy!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5Ia3vgYEGftGMLQ68i2QdxW1Haa4mOWaP0H0nw5lH5zz2riaOW4JbBSK5tJ_OJjKzEiFKOnkJnngSmxsaJb_6t6ERQBKszxKOYNbX3iuQtfA7g4kXZuGoaqFCyBL6mMN4Uo6Ez4rLUY/s1600/IMG_1146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5Ia3vgYEGftGMLQ68i2QdxW1Haa4mOWaP0H0nw5lH5zz2riaOW4JbBSK5tJ_OJjKzEiFKOnkJnngSmxsaJb_6t6ERQBKszxKOYNbX3iuQtfA7g4kXZuGoaqFCyBL6mMN4Uo6Ez4rLUY/s640/IMG_1146.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Time for a break. Should we have lunch here?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisitrlwqfq4zRayMQZodDktak9vefNYYn0PmCq88el0mBFibcYYKesm90nxEQeiyQjtY1zDCsCbvzk1WJNG1I86cu6K37xhzAgSng-criwZbtvJ_DTcC9WEmVbuRyS3Wd_Ou7gXJw7p7o/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisitrlwqfq4zRayMQZodDktak9vefNYYn0PmCq88el0mBFibcYYKesm90nxEQeiyQjtY1zDCsCbvzk1WJNG1I86cu6K37xhzAgSng-criwZbtvJ_DTcC9WEmVbuRyS3Wd_Ou7gXJw7p7o/s640/IMG_1164.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>More nature. Laura went crazy on the flowers this time....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSjLaZr1nq4-878jS3NuXLVc_EQhxDXr4AJNsiskXLH95K_-B1SdbASFva05Pxwro4B2KzzIvSGD7qEfyqe2iJRWRKTyGByAe2__iZ9WwyDl5WHD8h21XPrG02jmZiwkxkOIt7qzqDec/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSjLaZr1nq4-878jS3NuXLVc_EQhxDXr4AJNsiskXLH95K_-B1SdbASFva05Pxwro4B2KzzIvSGD7qEfyqe2iJRWRKTyGByAe2__iZ9WwyDl5WHD8h21XPrG02jmZiwkxkOIt7qzqDec/s640/IMG_1165.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>First, let's try this with Elliot.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdcOHAnv73cl2UfTpbzEh1zesGp841E8NT5_UC0cQTPeoF19BVygquLgWDfpTUBOwt9DjI_2VsQfrgMujSywE-cDY7LxiHG0f-2DhWXwh872aiswU9D4zRxDu_QKf2CaerFLPd_naVsI/s1600/IMG_1166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdcOHAnv73cl2UfTpbzEh1zesGp841E8NT5_UC0cQTPeoF19BVygquLgWDfpTUBOwt9DjI_2VsQfrgMujSywE-cDY7LxiHG0f-2DhWXwh872aiswU9D4zRxDu_QKf2CaerFLPd_naVsI/s640/IMG_1166.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Add in Laura.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbnyWr_dTN4RCn0uUyXG7mLsLfbL5bp1yO9SzQ1tM4tq5BOqSrvjyXJLqmJ4L5YHn8Qum-B4gmFvViIqLAaHzgsimbiyn8QQXVzy4UAbaeyuiAlXgcF5Tsejr8AjF9wABOx7SsKDlk9Q/s1600/IMG_1167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbnyWr_dTN4RCn0uUyXG7mLsLfbL5bp1yO9SzQ1tM4tq5BOqSrvjyXJLqmJ4L5YHn8Qum-B4gmFvViIqLAaHzgsimbiyn8QQXVzy4UAbaeyuiAlXgcF5Tsejr8AjF9wABOx7SsKDlk9Q/s640/IMG_1167.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Let's get that same picture, but be able to pick out your faces this time!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkDL3bFpxksLimBijuvrq0zxCM7vN8U7BoSN7RU4oPqky2vFOHoNZmFxLhcp1IebS3R90XkONyEOhfEz_NPNdOWGCuFuZNNQOgJXmxf3W_cK8P-xqXgIqNFWUuJDl3o3WzCXO_EEFcOs/s1600/IMG_1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkDL3bFpxksLimBijuvrq0zxCM7vN8U7BoSN7RU4oPqky2vFOHoNZmFxLhcp1IebS3R90XkONyEOhfEz_NPNdOWGCuFuZNNQOgJXmxf3W_cK8P-xqXgIqNFWUuJDl3o3WzCXO_EEFcOs/s640/IMG_1169.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Yep, nature again.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJH3uEk8Ifc1isaYkiOu9AV91S7eip7vzxKLqNCs_hw0ptTWP1GHMIXI28gzJyNIks4oNZQN3Pye2lViiI2CG8OTXnGzY4IZVIRjn1PTXnUdiWDJMpkzYzYK5LvVAOMNPcboUFYFSRXbg/s1600/IMG_1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJH3uEk8Ifc1isaYkiOu9AV91S7eip7vzxKLqNCs_hw0ptTWP1GHMIXI28gzJyNIks4oNZQN3Pye2lViiI2CG8OTXnGzY4IZVIRjn1PTXnUdiWDJMpkzYzYK5LvVAOMNPcboUFYFSRXbg/s640/IMG_1175.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Where's <strike>Waldo</strike> Elliot?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqiju6FSXYD2amShK-6NPT-vYxr8o2nMddk0BrU_8TCUWg9WGi51DTA7vZX0A3-K8YYZY8v6PWKsNVrZ0KznQsfX1KiHOWAau69alZT7pzw9dJt6ymu8ElveUlA96fyviotiyFpqD5hw/s1600/IMG_1176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqiju6FSXYD2amShK-6NPT-vYxr8o2nMddk0BrU_8TCUWg9WGi51DTA7vZX0A3-K8YYZY8v6PWKsNVrZ0KznQsfX1KiHOWAau69alZT7pzw9dJt6ymu8ElveUlA96fyviotiyFpqD5hw/s640/IMG_1176.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>What, I'm carrying him around on my back and he's <i>sleeping?!</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpZAqI88nZXQwcc9qji2NULWxWM916whAcr5OALcHX_dIorsCRkTmTKWsLCU2hE4mKMLbh-HszHNRMh30LLVMjLoYDkdCcW3MQA4nJRs67fUjZmxH4Q3EJinsUGDuChgHbFxdswJv5rs/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpZAqI88nZXQwcc9qji2NULWxWM916whAcr5OALcHX_dIorsCRkTmTKWsLCU2hE4mKMLbh-HszHNRMh30LLVMjLoYDkdCcW3MQA4nJRs67fUjZmxH4Q3EJinsUGDuChgHbFxdswJv5rs/s640/IMG_1187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We found a cute little mountain stream.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0GPVkWDsuaS4pfdxd5gBhbykAkg17OmfjOuDTOkkOzt9xSfFnsRfEdRgoypFmmW802a8YFE0PbW0-ZB9Iw7NRj3snUWYmKN6_ow2z9HA2-fhiWrHpSaRp6m9zzezbyj8bczWDzurUU4/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0GPVkWDsuaS4pfdxd5gBhbykAkg17OmfjOuDTOkkOzt9xSfFnsRfEdRgoypFmmW802a8YFE0PbW0-ZB9Iw7NRj3snUWYmKN6_ow2z9HA2-fhiWrHpSaRp6m9zzezbyj8bczWDzurUU4/s640/IMG_1190.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Calvin wants to touch the water.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7M9v71jaJ1Ge9W3jxnHRygCACoin3mDuqikhW6H6nRFKpsOVG8gecjxjiQIbtOfSDlfeNSHc7Igrb4pJULLdRJzO3G_5-NaLFiqtADoA8Hf0StcvWw-Hy-8a9gyYQsAVn6zBirtMVTao/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7M9v71jaJ1Ge9W3jxnHRygCACoin3mDuqikhW6H6nRFKpsOVG8gecjxjiQIbtOfSDlfeNSHc7Igrb4pJULLdRJzO3G_5-NaLFiqtADoA8Hf0StcvWw-Hy-8a9gyYQsAVn6zBirtMVTao/s640/IMG_1191.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Watcha doin'?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cln5yIoMVYb5lLa7p9CahL362ynQ83iu-nJYK2s-6T_Of8zpiT47b0D_kjOX7r8Qb13upiz_4jcC9s54vaxfZZHDaBShCyo1VzP56xJszwGG8G_Oiyi9PylAgLNl8atW3zQanu3OiOc/s1600/IMG_1192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cln5yIoMVYb5lLa7p9CahL362ynQ83iu-nJYK2s-6T_Of8zpiT47b0D_kjOX7r8Qb13upiz_4jcC9s54vaxfZZHDaBShCyo1VzP56xJszwGG8G_Oiyi9PylAgLNl8atW3zQanu3OiOc/s640/IMG_1192.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ooh, that's COLD!!!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAZZkMdMKyanekEIzstqoPbRP6fZELB5kiPusAlwlue2_s4_pKnqofxCpdcrBxlDaMFOF_CpxEEpVVXFUuUI8W3741ni7-4bM-lfgjA-_9bMo7aFqKK2Eh7HRP0zfhoItpHY_gU5DRxQ/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAZZkMdMKyanekEIzstqoPbRP6fZELB5kiPusAlwlue2_s4_pKnqofxCpdcrBxlDaMFOF_CpxEEpVVXFUuUI8W3741ni7-4bM-lfgjA-_9bMo7aFqKK2Eh7HRP0zfhoItpHY_gU5DRxQ/s640/IMG_1193.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I'm getting out of here!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeINXx_p_vYFy3yuX3ICoDaZduMJpUtsWrNo7XS0ITbZrOGzFK0JKdELaMy5s0fD89CYy5dYCH5YicknDxZBcTFVXQMu0-u9erZ6YJ8GrprZRDrJzXibbVcBqRTHzuYQwFSfbrQhTPsU/s1600/IMG_1195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeINXx_p_vYFy3yuX3ICoDaZduMJpUtsWrNo7XS0ITbZrOGzFK0JKdELaMy5s0fD89CYy5dYCH5YicknDxZBcTFVXQMu0-u9erZ6YJ8GrprZRDrJzXibbVcBqRTHzuYQwFSfbrQhTPsU/s640/IMG_1195.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Very proud girl found a butterfly and walked with it on her hand for 10 minutes!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xmnAQVXq22_XApLtuAcgtEl3w13rLAvKaYbHpM4hJ2UBn0JIN_6lmV_jpMBe55_C9wrWDt0U46nGepscGyVaQoRYR8_4FbTShPlPmpizGjJs77swWfAYdfpCjt05vDVXnmjnI6BwP5k/s1600/IMG_1198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xmnAQVXq22_XApLtuAcgtEl3w13rLAvKaYbHpM4hJ2UBn0JIN_6lmV_jpMBe55_C9wrWDt0U46nGepscGyVaQoRYR8_4FbTShPlPmpizGjJs77swWfAYdfpCjt05vDVXnmjnI6BwP5k/s640/IMG_1198.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Showing off her discovery!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr8BJ_omooODz-iDBOR9bIsldyXreAa6Z-DpWPIw30QUr7daLlxwRBVxdV-BpylgCV7Uto0-S00vxxPdENFwCCZhHc_LOHkPxSKYsmhvOM1DltG35hkQApMlrbmC2RCGZ-CKIIDGDszE/s1600/IMG_1201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr8BJ_omooODz-iDBOR9bIsldyXreAa6Z-DpWPIw30QUr7daLlxwRBVxdV-BpylgCV7Uto0-S00vxxPdENFwCCZhHc_LOHkPxSKYsmhvOM1DltG35hkQApMlrbmC2RCGZ-CKIIDGDszE/s640/IMG_1201.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Almost back to Mürren. Christmas photo #3?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd0bm4myxnth7RpArcDc0Pnm0tgJ_pLjV2vXMsgqBy0Dz9Wb9cDKLggoxYi5V-zCkT8KSz6da2nFc2O6OWDr8mNIkQ_Bq7QkOkvj9IODePe7hzS7EV-MMI6WEtQ00YPY9ENc8-Q-TYiA/s1600/IMG_1203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd0bm4myxnth7RpArcDc0Pnm0tgJ_pLjV2vXMsgqBy0Dz9Wb9cDKLggoxYi5V-zCkT8KSz6da2nFc2O6OWDr8mNIkQ_Bq7QkOkvj9IODePe7hzS7EV-MMI6WEtQ00YPY9ENc8-Q-TYiA/s640/IMG_1203.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>More nature. Laura didn't notice the caterpillar until after she was looking at the flower on the camera display.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZa2rW7UPBx4bOBtpNlUu-XWL76u0mEeAgYPGv9vQAoTjwhG8baFCqlmk76txO0jC83Dgu_VEoX00P_lS9ez3Ubjma0JcPR9TtRomOochmFcx9gkWSupBzLwryKJdltQm22Jwi9fyni94/s1600/IMG_1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZa2rW7UPBx4bOBtpNlUu-XWL76u0mEeAgYPGv9vQAoTjwhG8baFCqlmk76txO0jC83Dgu_VEoX00P_lS9ez3Ubjma0JcPR9TtRomOochmFcx9gkWSupBzLwryKJdltQm22Jwi9fyni94/s640/IMG_1205.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Just finished our hike. Tired, but happy!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>I should mention that half way through that hike we stopped at a little farm where they made ice cream from their own cows, probably some of the same cows that you saw in the photos above. That was fun, and it helped with the kids to promise them that we'd have ice cream part way through the hike.<br />
<br />
That's pretty much our adventure in Mürren. We were only there for two nights and one full day plus a half, but we'll <i>definitely</i> be returning again!</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-22744571012232203952011-06-08T20:40:00.000+02:002011-06-08T20:40:46.220+02:00Notice for those using mobile browsers!Hi, are you reading this on an iPhone, Android device, Windows phone, or other mobile device? If so, I've activated mobile settings to optimize your experience. I've checked it out and I like it this way better, but if you don't, let me know in the comments and I will deactivate it!<br />
<br />
Thanks!Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-87266946344583104632011-06-08T09:59:00.003+02:002011-06-08T10:09:34.177+02:00June 5<strike>Confidential</strike> for Laura.<br />
<br />
I was planning on posting on "active driving" that's required on Swiss roads. But, Laura's in the middle of an eleven day trip to the US, so I figured she'd like some pictures from while we're gone. This is for you, honey!<br />
<br />
Sunday happened to be my birthday <i>and </i>Swiss Fathers Day. The boys made Fathers Day presents at school (once again, thanks Haut Lac!) and while I thought we should delay until Laura came home, both boys wanted to celebrate on Sunday. It was fun for them to go digging in their school bags and pull out cards and presents for me. I later realized that the reason Calvin was <i>so</i> set on celebrating is because he wanted to give me his present (chocolate hearts) so that <i>he</i> could eat them!<br />
<br />
Anyway, after breakfast and Fathers Day presents, we drove down to the Pully park/marina/pool complex to do three things:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Ride on a Lake Geneva steamer</li>
<li>Ride on the little kiddie-train in the park (kids)</li>
<li>Ride bikes around the park</li>
</ul><div>First, the steamer. I was a little annoyed at the start of this because I couldn't find Elliot's Jr. card, which meant instead of riding free, it would cost us CHF 42 (about $45) to take him. It didn't set me in a great mood, but I decided this was a special occasion, so let's do it!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Then, I got annoyed all over again when it was one of the new diesel boats instead of the super-full-of-character 100-year-old paddle wheel steamer that the schedule promised. Then, I looked at the schedule more closely and realized that while the route is filled by a steamer there's a footnote at the bottom of the schedule that says, essentially, "except when it's not." Thanks, guys!</div><div><br />
</div><div>In spite of the annoyances, soon we were riding on the deck of the boat, and it was a beautiful day. A rain squall came up and we ducked inside to eat lunch in the dining room. This was a <i>mostly</i> pleasant experience, but when I asked for a coffee to finish up, the waitress didn't return for 45 minutes! Then, I asked her to skip the coffee and just bring the bill. It never came. After one hour and nine minutes, I gave up, wrote a note on what I'd ordered with the cost, and left the money on the table. It's a good thing I didn't decide to try to collect the bill shortly before our stop! Over an hour, can you believe it? Needless to say, the boys were going a little bonkers sitting around the table by this time. It was good to get back to the park and expend energy biking. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Pictures follow.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOJ5xaBgR-kYjfMTsoOZkD0NRsh0vVBc3FoUf1KpKqTQORdFQ_rkemIyaymeHjevauA_wdrdLjd3ZhhCwtU9NuFVfgaZ04BhzUt9sHAnD58uFVGIaXlSUX3Y6csRD-KbipfBWsp9yEpE/s1600/IMG_0586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOJ5xaBgR-kYjfMTsoOZkD0NRsh0vVBc3FoUf1KpKqTQORdFQ_rkemIyaymeHjevauA_wdrdLjd3ZhhCwtU9NuFVfgaZ04BhzUt9sHAnD58uFVGIaXlSUX3Y6csRD-KbipfBWsp9yEpE/s400/IMG_0586.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Boys having fun on the boat.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpYmE5Tiy6JfMOSCCNUfexjC4r4oZwyK6Vrs9j4vyf5TxsyTjPGYoBPXpzfcwkZZijl8Ub1-vp-XkGpdNnjPYraZJpx8D8RC_dq0C3B93VbFrHkGCH2p5Kt24jnAaVtQNQOQu-jYGdVQ/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpYmE5Tiy6JfMOSCCNUfexjC4r4oZwyK6Vrs9j4vyf5TxsyTjPGYoBPXpzfcwkZZijl8Ub1-vp-XkGpdNnjPYraZJpx8D8RC_dq0C3B93VbFrHkGCH2p5Kt24jnAaVtQNQOQu-jYGdVQ/s400/IMG_0587.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A brief moment of rest in between runs up and down the deck.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRCRrF-aG6hovXF2DUWTQgCMm31kKBY4llSv1hYTx70l3qDBfhh2cZWNOb7VoUU_UUvvVAWzBkWCaY0xyVjgOyAvVZVwu9ZNDVyOrXSVFWCPM5v6498-YCtFi0RDHaQ_QHIR015EumFE/s1600/IMG_0589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRCRrF-aG6hovXF2DUWTQgCMm31kKBY4llSv1hYTx70l3qDBfhh2cZWNOb7VoUU_UUvvVAWzBkWCaY0xyVjgOyAvVZVwu9ZNDVyOrXSVFWCPM5v6498-YCtFi0RDHaQ_QHIR015EumFE/s400/IMG_0589.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Smile, please!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmd7IwKiTO27-5w59KWkQuYwhhoTMS41TN7ZGYH4SUaUFErfoL4f8Mx5T9wtadrWdK1xkclMDrxj8i7oHGucwine31LowT8FhN4PmUkR7rVSLv9UIr5JXsviCe8H8eUGFlGd6g6xse9Y/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmd7IwKiTO27-5w59KWkQuYwhhoTMS41TN7ZGYH4SUaUFErfoL4f8Mx5T9wtadrWdK1xkclMDrxj8i7oHGucwine31LowT8FhN4PmUkR7rVSLv9UIr5JXsviCe8H8eUGFlGd6g6xse9Y/s400/IMG_0593.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lavaux wine growing region. Hard to believe we live here.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvOOAHuhR5OEzUg_jww7RH5EJmGn0HxhdYMPyZfuZMVLU18bNeEH371TvlOYHAnPW3BUufjZg2Xkxvvv6_uA0KohORgqNbH1gdVZi3PUP2XCpbPgUXejU_9S0dQWaOaSQsFI30fPFz6o/s1600/IMG_0594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvOOAHuhR5OEzUg_jww7RH5EJmGn0HxhdYMPyZfuZMVLU18bNeEH371TvlOYHAnPW3BUufjZg2Xkxvvv6_uA0KohORgqNbH1gdVZi3PUP2XCpbPgUXejU_9S0dQWaOaSQsFI30fPFz6o/s400/IMG_0594.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lake, terraces, vineyards and mountains.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithHtcAmjUoYMa7OhlnvWPYdTrbc0KiekDzhi3OTjQjv7v-FF7EuAKb-2oPfAlQDn6qj8Cm4CtMFWKqi77IOGW5KLigRr-_lnhr3yjMBx64E8n_nczBIU2IarEUjGs9h7iQVxzht6zcaQ/s1600/IMG_0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithHtcAmjUoYMa7OhlnvWPYdTrbc0KiekDzhi3OTjQjv7v-FF7EuAKb-2oPfAlQDn6qj8Cm4CtMFWKqi77IOGW5KLigRr-_lnhr3yjMBx64E8n_nczBIU2IarEUjGs9h7iQVxzht6zcaQ/s400/IMG_0596.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cully, an adorable little town on the lake. Next year we'll go to the Jazz Festival.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRhL7EbFszIIDsuILvD404MjEHRy-TlpithWJmhnpJVTSo_29SiXgOO08-V50iaLfMLbikdH9rX0wCeqdbrkPxoAQmS5WwqUPadLYx5RCtt2hkl37zKmWvWFs95kI17hxWmPcklCgc4E/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRhL7EbFszIIDsuILvD404MjEHRy-TlpithWJmhnpJVTSo_29SiXgOO08-V50iaLfMLbikdH9rX0wCeqdbrkPxoAQmS5WwqUPadLYx5RCtt2hkl37zKmWvWFs95kI17hxWmPcklCgc4E/s400/IMG_0585.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mr. Calvin.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-rZw0xpihcO-Wshv58lRnFPsQ1WgY-I17Clfp70r87McgKBjpOXGhzBs6w0hOtysNRnrR21r6ZXHKIYZ61BSwXDcbikE4fFxHo9U2fBGtsy-UILHzToUQ0fszCco8DlULvhG2LEFm8g/s1600/IMG_0603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-rZw0xpihcO-Wshv58lRnFPsQ1WgY-I17Clfp70r87McgKBjpOXGhzBs6w0hOtysNRnrR21r6ZXHKIYZ61BSwXDcbikE4fFxHo9U2fBGtsy-UILHzToUQ0fszCco8DlULvhG2LEFm8g/s400/IMG_0603.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Action shot of Elliot.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWA_bfR33piOL2Uz77MXT23eaMibLCw4N4rPEey6mO47OucnMGM6QnvQQJSZsJK8xSPE0FEgRwOALgMeX17O6SLcAOBN2DmIlTzwAiizgOtgZ1M4MJWHggZdCiinIFx-3tPfBCyUDAhA/s1600/IMG_0651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWA_bfR33piOL2Uz77MXT23eaMibLCw4N4rPEey6mO47OucnMGM6QnvQQJSZsJK8xSPE0FEgRwOALgMeX17O6SLcAOBN2DmIlTzwAiizgOtgZ1M4MJWHggZdCiinIFx-3tPfBCyUDAhA/s400/IMG_0651.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Concentration.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0g2SuWH8mETeyHaeTsnueM7KdGE2icDZ_yF6youGvsSZlrMUJPKae6z05bV9WLHFMBBgRh8eQWKZdI4W-gBARi5sufF-rB-1yZjOn_ZEXtzHBJdmVVIiB-KN8J9f2QYTSO4U7rXUl4G0/s1600/IMG_0639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0g2SuWH8mETeyHaeTsnueM7KdGE2icDZ_yF6youGvsSZlrMUJPKae6z05bV9WLHFMBBgRh8eQWKZdI4W-gBARi5sufF-rB-1yZjOn_ZEXtzHBJdmVVIiB-KN8J9f2QYTSO4U7rXUl4G0/s400/IMG_0639.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mr. Cool. You can't quite tell, but every time he sees me taking a picture of<br />
him on his bike, he puffs up with pride.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkasFr4CTcvx6FhiPtX4Xfd8z0lsrGwau22UvHBz47WbD-sl6JZM_jGVNoTmax-E4oXkgwx2svswdGOHFW1qrj2a9-WDgCE6GkoVb18GlbgBbcp5Ky5HVHmHxiTfkeRuo_c70_bClGNU/s1600/IMG_0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkasFr4CTcvx6FhiPtX4Xfd8z0lsrGwau22UvHBz47WbD-sl6JZM_jGVNoTmax-E4oXkgwx2svswdGOHFW1qrj2a9-WDgCE6GkoVb18GlbgBbcp5Ky5HVHmHxiTfkeRuo_c70_bClGNU/s400/IMG_0613.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>We bought this bike for Calvin on Saturday. It's his first time on a real<br />
bike. Laura will be thrilled when she gets to see this in person.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQ1SPJOd-yf1eJkuF-QfgSwIGhdIJ096PcbqGRAkL9qCnMwQB7MxT4MpJfc8p0ppOqib_TLspFX94ndESTqgolxZ2V2wSyco0Z4taHQS7EFLE_OndYKsFmZxXTImQw0wCoPSzU5VHQ1k/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQ1SPJOd-yf1eJkuF-QfgSwIGhdIJ096PcbqGRAkL9qCnMwQB7MxT4MpJfc8p0ppOqib_TLspFX94ndESTqgolxZ2V2wSyco0Z4taHQS7EFLE_OndYKsFmZxXTImQw0wCoPSzU5VHQ1k/s400/IMG_0624.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Still figuring out how this works....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxsKSAvmRbdbRvLpBSJKL1m10DGlNcV184EcN-34lIIp5FJT9oYvCE16LpvhY-oOSoyu3q8IqdICiwBMlecVToV2KjCT2Wwva4v_JT-E5eYVtGpO8-i8hO04WIrmSUTDjEl7WQYwge5E/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxsKSAvmRbdbRvLpBSJKL1m10DGlNcV184EcN-34lIIp5FJT9oYvCE16LpvhY-oOSoyu3q8IqdICiwBMlecVToV2KjCT2Wwva4v_JT-E5eYVtGpO8-i8hO04WIrmSUTDjEl7WQYwge5E/s400/IMG_0645.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Taking a break.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL90z0wJH5ISnVjLxUSSuMNC-17ou_BpCQ-4hAYTo4okTowmWUXFAX-VSrmy6CwilKCnJop1ZsBTMRQRuTrBiB47UjIRde9LGhOEnrDWYUp8rCH0OGEwXaDkruYa6A19qSXGdd49Ep2c/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRL90z0wJH5ISnVjLxUSSuMNC-17ou_BpCQ-4hAYTo4okTowmWUXFAX-VSrmy6CwilKCnJop1ZsBTMRQRuTrBiB47UjIRde9LGhOEnrDWYUp8rCH0OGEwXaDkruYa6A19qSXGdd49Ep2c/s400/IMG_0646.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Daddy, did you see _______?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ58Y0bBJrF631koM6QBSX0sZWsRQxtTuM7pzc80G7gVDbyIVlpAWmEUEPwMIWiStFSqnHzgdCwRaBlzX87UKnfd_Br4WVdRNtWmKhV9HUIC7BDpI4COC_jhd35b-CAzRjEIIYNgiUuh4/s1600/IMG_0655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ58Y0bBJrF631koM6QBSX0sZWsRQxtTuM7pzc80G7gVDbyIVlpAWmEUEPwMIWiStFSqnHzgdCwRaBlzX87UKnfd_Br4WVdRNtWmKhV9HUIC7BDpI4COC_jhd35b-CAzRjEIIYNgiUuh4/s400/IMG_0655.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Our younger son is easily distracted.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxihPb4KE2CgWQx9KTkXPo_SSQu8_hlPDAW4plgg_UUi4ilkrBleKXok1Se8NpeHXUWBPAAzoO2EBO8R21TAa4xNeg4Ogd9ZL8ZzfIJqnL5siGWJ-wRLRcYOm05LC2IeEaDNmAGueC4g/s1600/IMG_0657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxihPb4KE2CgWQx9KTkXPo_SSQu8_hlPDAW4plgg_UUi4ilkrBleKXok1Se8NpeHXUWBPAAzoO2EBO8R21TAa4xNeg4Ogd9ZL8ZzfIJqnL5siGWJ-wRLRcYOm05LC2IeEaDNmAGueC4g/s400/IMG_0657.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brothers on bikes. Sorry it's out of focus, but it's the only picture I got with<br />
them both in the same frame.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>Completely unrelated to this post: it is <i style="font-weight: bold;">pouring</i> rain here right now, the hardest I've seen yet in Switzerland. 60 degrees and rainy yesterday, tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile it's sunny and 103 degrees in Minnesota!</div><div><br />
</div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-64840293376749444312011-05-31T12:11:00.003+02:002011-05-31T12:22:55.981+02:00Sport DayTwo weeks ago, Calvin's class had a Sport Day, and last Wednesday, Elliot's did, too. Yes, that's "Sport Day," not "Sports Day." For further information, check out <a href="http://ledeckview.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-sons-will-say.html">the last post</a>.<br />
<br />
Anyway, there's not a lot to discuss, but I thought we'd post some pictures so you could see the boys in action!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sport Day #1: Calvin</span></b></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8CzaLSz42rzji3AkTYhR2d-bmH-hQqpBo0rroYkJkZOnr6xLy2E7LNPET2Ef_SflyLHUFcifVXzoKtrK7kpmaG7i5o5fT5ADVjxbbH6Y-_DHurkMzoLtkVaKgI-5LRaKLb6z6MObzbI/s1600/IMG_0143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8CzaLSz42rzji3AkTYhR2d-bmH-hQqpBo0rroYkJkZOnr6xLy2E7LNPET2Ef_SflyLHUFcifVXzoKtrK7kpmaG7i5o5fT5ADVjxbbH6Y-_DHurkMzoLtkVaKgI-5LRaKLb6z6MObzbI/s400/IMG_0143.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Our super-fast Motor Mouse runs in the Shuttle Race.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtmQjYIYud0pgAzfhJ0dCsGcWhZNHuGBL08nFar_npknQKYDxnz3cYpVP8KLnGnSK8Esjy5UARM6e9v3j8MCbHoNgrEjyYErElNylVTNy8A24CE2rnvaJcGZXc_yr50UpSLA0wJURDv8/s1600/IMG_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtmQjYIYud0pgAzfhJ0dCsGcWhZNHuGBL08nFar_npknQKYDxnz3cYpVP8KLnGnSK8Esjy5UARM6e9v3j8MCbHoNgrEjyYErElNylVTNy8A24CE2rnvaJcGZXc_yr50UpSLA0wJURDv8/s400/IMG_0141.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>He's a fast runner but lost a lot of time on the pick-ups!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGU-nQ-yTqiumbirGOXs9OxRWOnvq8bHfwt86_ZCgrqz29BueUoFsEt4KSKfqT3innLt5AEwhVa0kTIO69IbbkBNjL33KYGk0RN59gf7WtueTUyLjlT1pQudHc5e8HSvdnzRI2Tdf0Uo/s1600/IMG_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGU-nQ-yTqiumbirGOXs9OxRWOnvq8bHfwt86_ZCgrqz29BueUoFsEt4KSKfqT3innLt5AEwhVa0kTIO69IbbkBNjL33KYGk0RN59gf7WtueTUyLjlT1pQudHc5e8HSvdnzRI2Tdf0Uo/s400/IMG_0147.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Just finished Over Under. He was quite fast at this one!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsgC8Y4-36HekBLF2gEn8TQjkr-NPIYt8OnLxLBlz_kr8qcs6TPbD3NQeePVN9huIdxQuzk_7Q2opKt94CSImHTTbuqw6SvRIQneuJeQzqIrQd59tgUpAr_n0FRbcsQJuUQZBUkjgKOY/s1600/IMG_0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsgC8Y4-36HekBLF2gEn8TQjkr-NPIYt8OnLxLBlz_kr8qcs6TPbD3NQeePVN9huIdxQuzk_7Q2opKt94CSImHTTbuqw6SvRIQneuJeQzqIrQd59tgUpAr_n0FRbcsQJuUQZBUkjgKOY/s400/IMG_0153.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Space Hopper. Not Calvin's best event.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFtsrOqT2WsvqektDflHAn131znOYMmRuOik7sVb8h7U54VtpnjxMxMzKexXmQORpnlH0eb89LFU-B45ayQXFlYLF3VeTm0KBo1DTdGdx_9CA39PgY02mrSid7pfFhzhEt3uvFgwEz-I/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFtsrOqT2WsvqektDflHAn131znOYMmRuOik7sVb8h7U54VtpnjxMxMzKexXmQORpnlH0eb89LFU-B45ayQXFlYLF3VeTm0KBo1DTdGdx_9CA39PgY02mrSid7pfFhzhEt3uvFgwEz-I/s400/IMG_0155.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Long Jump. He did great on 2 of 3 jumps. Of course the one jump that I</b><b> properly timed</b><br />
<b></b><b>the shot was the one where he landed right on top of the crocodile....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Bpb967yQKO936uxHIYjQZczJYfr5DWzdmdnG3oi52SmsWSDCF8yCzmjbq6ySc82gEEklbZjPN9ZuCeUcVxRi1rUF3bDn-SQwIWoY9jwh6hXl4dFDBJGINB1qU097UTK0b_XsQbEsJ8I/s1600/IMG_0157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Bpb967yQKO936uxHIYjQZczJYfr5DWzdmdnG3oi52SmsWSDCF8yCzmjbq6ySc82gEEklbZjPN9ZuCeUcVxRi1rUF3bDn-SQwIWoY9jwh6hXl4dFDBJGINB1qU097UTK0b_XsQbEsJ8I/s400/IMG_0157.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Medal winner! Miraculously, all five of the teams <i>tied</i> with the exact same<br />
number of points! What an amazing coincidence!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sport Day #2: Elliot</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUBvMjIMubSqRClGLBPvHoKzXGR7ewgbrfy43dAz-Cz69w8EfTfVDaRrCQ1LPtUVadNWBgJFyPjnrekXkqmzxEgRDOKz7iuKVvAO7miJ8Wf5xzVVvMsBVdqaz-Gdztzo1tuMInO0kqiw/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUBvMjIMubSqRClGLBPvHoKzXGR7ewgbrfy43dAz-Cz69w8EfTfVDaRrCQ1LPtUVadNWBgJFyPjnrekXkqmzxEgRDOKz7iuKVvAO7miJ8Wf5xzVVvMsBVdqaz-Gdztzo1tuMInO0kqiw/s400/IMG_0047.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Do you think Elliot is skinny? Check out that left leg!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAGPwNbnjtTHhgM7tsq6eQaCpbhM3RysLldp6TzGnvSJyiK7oJ5VFmGkzCWUm9A38yioYU_EVXcR8m4lvNOBj7mB7YOToN4aQ9wtChDX06VIrFRcjIowexrq11qhGH0tBxLdRRUL1bf4/s1600/IMG_0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAGPwNbnjtTHhgM7tsq6eQaCpbhM3RysLldp6TzGnvSJyiK7oJ5VFmGkzCWUm9A38yioYU_EVXcR8m4lvNOBj7mB7YOToN4aQ9wtChDX06VIrFRcjIowexrq11qhGH0tBxLdRRUL1bf4/s400/IMG_0063.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Long jump.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhl4sPE85pQz1BA19uN2meNiVkvxnNEHnzVw5nKrFCh5aDgSL5k39SCIGXLLJ6Yp3AnWv1CSoV2gj93MG5spnsLgPjmSdGNxERPt7ZyyoZ58tW2jn6jpPeUfBs9pqNxmiQM3J9URD5Jo/s1600/IMG_0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhl4sPE85pQz1BA19uN2meNiVkvxnNEHnzVw5nKrFCh5aDgSL5k39SCIGXLLJ6Yp3AnWv1CSoV2gj93MG5spnsLgPjmSdGNxERPt7ZyyoZ58tW2jn6jpPeUfBs9pqNxmiQM3J9URD5Jo/s400/IMG_0064.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sticking the landing!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92JaVUMqV4FI-Y1bmaw_lHKE3yISZlx6Ag80nNJESvY2Mtzl1_elPhgboocUmK9NTJFZ4ThcIu-tmya-nlViFetfeQ6J8JOdYxAtCCElVvjddAwPCjPqc62nZ2GlDothDyslNQd3u-SE/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92JaVUMqV4FI-Y1bmaw_lHKE3yISZlx6Ag80nNJESvY2Mtzl1_elPhgboocUmK9NTJFZ4ThcIu-tmya-nlViFetfeQ6J8JOdYxAtCCElVvjddAwPCjPqc62nZ2GlDothDyslNQd3u-SE/s400/IMG_0097.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot was <i>very</i> careful on Over Under. Not fast, but he didn't lose his ball!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_y_XSdIQ9elaezDLSbN-Y-_xMtghbCKdgkoz8PmQ2a44SORt1JW9XOvNxmwZw8dujWdlEYnTWfD8x-KJNlhA7CMA4977Z266yM6R6no9PXWByM57TW49QXpN2Gq3b3oc6wymMJOSpeI/s1600/IMG_0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_y_XSdIQ9elaezDLSbN-Y-_xMtghbCKdgkoz8PmQ2a44SORt1JW9XOvNxmwZw8dujWdlEYnTWfD8x-KJNlhA7CMA4977Z266yM6R6no9PXWByM57TW49QXpN2Gq3b3oc6wymMJOSpeI/s400/IMG_0110.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rocket Throw. Point where you're aiming...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1Fz4LZByvexRfCSB6LEjWWP4BR8SVP30ilCUR54YMrUMPHze1XzUJBvTf3ZYcSZFA3DADxbh2rL5A1QCpvZfW6Z5_2jNj7mf8d1dXbgFGFlP8J31NpWYJ55tvyWi69jEJ34yk093THA/s1600/IMG_0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1Fz4LZByvexRfCSB6LEjWWP4BR8SVP30ilCUR54YMrUMPHze1XzUJBvTf3ZYcSZFA3DADxbh2rL5A1QCpvZfW6Z5_2jNj7mf8d1dXbgFGFlP8J31NpWYJ55tvyWi69jEJ34yk093THA/s400/IMG_0111.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>...follow through...</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6W_W_knszlVFhOaYOcdoP_y-CeWVzPZA6st5w6ZQMVP5e-RAPyMSKi9KQhgR9ZZoEFdHUcdFl6R2XD8_WC8zdbfB7KG3AlPAegqQr6AMoiUM12fxVPZBXbYjIDbUCMd9bg_IICU6rVw/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6W_W_knszlVFhOaYOcdoP_y-CeWVzPZA6st5w6ZQMVP5e-RAPyMSKi9KQhgR9ZZoEFdHUcdFl6R2XD8_WC8zdbfB7KG3AlPAegqQr6AMoiUM12fxVPZBXbYjIDbUCMd9bg_IICU6rVw/s400/IMG_0112.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>...release!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnWV_8f6jYkHuqC_rHhqnkBkpXnRTwnYlZOIEd3cDely9e8K6hqrtr209yHz407sHGc3ACfMmlzouoIJR_IE8IDS8cHtY1DjW0-gnN6fPwsjiFzZu8rw3RPXggYNlkRWpXqPuPaKPUjE/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnWV_8f6jYkHuqC_rHhqnkBkpXnRTwnYlZOIEd3cDely9e8K6hqrtr209yHz407sHGc3ACfMmlzouoIJR_IE8IDS8cHtY1DjW0-gnN6fPwsjiFzZu8rw3RPXggYNlkRWpXqPuPaKPUjE/s400/IMG_0171.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>To those who remember him best, doesn't this runner look remarkably like Bob Cooley?!</b><br />
<i>Elliot does his best impression of his maternal grandfather....long and lanky.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ0O96YYkCeXnnIzbF0UDjnLk5GKo_N7rWrauyqzH5to-ou20wdPE8CcVlBzXpJIbEbEx1bAIzOSObwB8kc9KqDg2d_WgdS5EvBMi1aIdu26_aKz-jz2OEt8No1Ri0YWvca0Xo3jLHC8/s1600/IMG_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ0O96YYkCeXnnIzbF0UDjnLk5GKo_N7rWrauyqzH5to-ou20wdPE8CcVlBzXpJIbEbEx1bAIzOSObwB8kc9KqDg2d_WgdS5EvBMi1aIdu26_aKz-jz2OEt8No1Ri0YWvca0Xo3jLHC8/s400/IMG_0188.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot tied for first in bowling!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpmoSEjW7F6jizf-mf0urWuS0U7YndxQKS2SWeTFlNu-rfZdAuXwtUl-JLARRcukh9aZ1sKeRcWG-N3zfgLy8KHKa-Ee6U2eH7cRPTca27ujtHyVeuDpT-yD5OkgCe36BUJkMdco9WPE/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpmoSEjW7F6jizf-mf0urWuS0U7YndxQKS2SWeTFlNu-rfZdAuXwtUl-JLARRcukh9aZ1sKeRcWG-N3zfgLy8KHKa-Ee6U2eH7cRPTca27ujtHyVeuDpT-yD5OkgCe36BUJkMdco9WPE/s400/IMG_0264.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brother imitates brother. Space Hopper is also not Elliot's best event....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPA1NEKZoFONK47sIAHfyKczOk-f809f-eDEXoVvly_d_1MqtMQyXJ8f5xeVx1QSiEk4HcqXjSFDPwDG4FFApEJyuXP671mtNWrtEfgwJktHuKDeOKo-9EPvOxZf7efR6h3yIdoVkrwI/s1600/IMG_0363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPA1NEKZoFONK47sIAHfyKczOk-f809f-eDEXoVvly_d_1MqtMQyXJ8f5xeVx1QSiEk4HcqXjSFDPwDG4FFApEJyuXP671mtNWrtEfgwJktHuKDeOKo-9EPvOxZf7efR6h3yIdoVkrwI/s400/IMG_0363.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot's class post-races.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdVuhaCUD0GYD08n4tJiUrRhLQDjKAvrDpZCsqEcSPzeVg-jIFg_EN2gzy4ud1nxzwyr5Pk2B7PsPWP76J3a0VrZlVYgZ1l0Zgj_y0NhyphenhyphenMQ5-5cUMH89kpaV_s7XVZPw60cmADDjXa8Q/s1600/IMG_0177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdVuhaCUD0GYD08n4tJiUrRhLQDjKAvrDpZCsqEcSPzeVg-jIFg_EN2gzy4ud1nxzwyr5Pk2B7PsPWP76J3a0VrZlVYgZ1l0Zgj_y0NhyphenhyphenMQ5-5cUMH89kpaV_s7XVZPw60cmADDjXa8Q/s400/IMG_0177.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Check out those mountains. We're not in Minnesota anymore!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The Camera</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul><li>Hey, why are there so many more, better pictures of Elliot's Sport Day? Simple! Because we like him better! Hahahahahahaha. Haha. Ha. ...excuse me? Oh, you're right, that's a <i>spectacularly unfunny joke</i>.</li>
<li>Okay, here's the real answer: We lost our camera in Salzburg, so we used a cruddy old camera that Calvin's been using since Christmas* to take the pictures of his Sport Day. Then, the next week, two days before Elliot's Sport Day, I dropped entirely too much money on a new digital SLR camera at a department store here. It was expensive, but it's the best toy ever! (And, the continuous shooting mode was remarkably useful for Sport Day!) As you can see, we <i>may finally </i>be able to take pictures that do Switzerland justice! Stay tuned to future updates to see if we can follow through with our commitments....</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div><div>*Actually, this makes me think of a potentially good topic for another post! Post some of the pictures that Elliot and Calvin have taken on their cameras. Switzerland/Johnson life through the eyes of a 6 year old and a 4 year old.</div></div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-9962439191657901202011-05-26T01:13:00.000+02:002011-05-26T01:13:02.848+02:00$#*! my sons (will) say<i style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</i><br />
With apologies to a certain <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/shitmydadsays">Twitter feed</a>, although when it comes down to it, this post doesn't really bear much of a resemblance....<br />
<br />
I've <a href="http://ledeckview.blogspot.com/2011/01/haut-lac-et-les-ecoles-suisses.html">written </a>about the boys' school before. Haut Lac is a fairly unique school. It doesn't quite follow the English system (for that, head down the road toward Montreux and take a right into <a href="http://www.stgeorges.ch/mainpage">St. George's</a>, with Harry Potter-esque uniforms and all), nor is it really a typical international school system. But, it has a lot of English teachers, and hews closest to the English style. This is really going to ruin the boys' American English skills.*<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<ul><li>They're already saying they'll do something "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>straight away</b></span>" when they're going to do it with some urgency.</li>
</ul><ul><li>What do the the Brits have against <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">articles</span></b>? </li>
<ul><li>Here's a sample sentence from Elliot's most recent "Reading is Fun" book: "People who have been injured are taken to hospital in the ambulance." </li>
<li>Maybe it's not the absence of articles that's a problem, but the lack of consistency. Shouldn't it be <b>either</b> "People who have been injured are taken to <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">a</span> </b>hospital in the ambulance," <b>or</b> "People who have been injured are taken to hospital in <strike><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">the</span></strike> ambulance?" </li>
<li>Another example: Under the British scheme, when the kids grow up, they will go to university, not to <i style="font-weight: bold;">a </i>university....</li>
</ul></ul><ul><li>Photo quiz: What's this?</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W7G_1XOEfKoFSPY1eCUoDIXGKl-u0YYrcXqgsK0UxIcmQJdXIsQCKJHWXb4-9lPeskYHjcEn9zansArmAJFpknFL-e5JIc8uTQ893rZz60DBIagT-KNPUa1eZsAENr1cyRtuZTYgWSA/s1600/ladybug1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W7G_1XOEfKoFSPY1eCUoDIXGKl-u0YYrcXqgsK0UxIcmQJdXIsQCKJHWXb4-9lPeskYHjcEn9zansArmAJFpknFL-e5JIc8uTQ893rZz60DBIagT-KNPUa1eZsAENr1cyRtuZTYgWSA/s320/ladybug1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><ul><li style="text-align: left;">No, it's not a ladybug, it's a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>lady</b></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>bird</b></span>. </i>You know, because of the beak and feathers and all....</li>
</ul></ul><ul><li style="text-align: left;">Photo quiz #2: What do you call the green part of the uniform that the boys are wearing in this photo?</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88b_77LqPqzczbJachNb91tZxk5WHktfMMc9E_gAC6EEBULIyNsYt3kJLemuN_3xArR88rTKY7mR5cs4AKyAn0EONDk4Fl7KkdHV7QUKtwfp5mUBPSbBoI5Kgu9rTzlTQdXcFTxW_-Hk/s1600/DSC00045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88b_77LqPqzczbJachNb91tZxk5WHktfMMc9E_gAC6EEBULIyNsYt3kJLemuN_3xArR88rTKY7mR5cs4AKyAn0EONDk4Fl7KkdHV7QUKtwfp5mUBPSbBoI5Kgu9rTzlTQdXcFTxW_-Hk/s320/DSC00045.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><ul><li>A lot of you may have gotten this right. It's not a sweatshirt, it's a <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">jumper</span></b>.</i> Actually, the Brits may have something here. Sweatshirt is a kind of gross word/description when you think about it!</li>
</ul></ul><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Brilliant!</span></b> Okay, I always thought this was the British way of saying "great!" But, I've come to believe it means something more along the lines of "okay, that will do" or "that's acceptable" or "it meets my needs." I guess it's been watered down over the years? In that case, it's no worse than how we Americans have utterly ruined the definition of the word "<a href="http://stancarey.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/how-awesome-is-awesome/">awesome</a>."</li>
</ul><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Mum</span></b>. Okay, this one is really cute. The kids have not taken to calling Laura "mum" yet, however.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Brits don't play s<b>ports</b>, they play <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Sport</span></b>.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Of course, you all know <b>cookies </b>are <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">biscuits</span></b>.</li>
</ul><div>Well, there's more, but that will do for now. The boys haven't picked up everything. They are mostly amused by the term ladybird, although Calvin sometimes uses it interchangeably with ladybug now. They do say straight away, jumper and sport. Not brilliant or mum. They day they stop using articles will be the end of me.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>* We've been reading the <u>How to Train Your Dragon</u> books in which the protagonist speaks the dragon language called Dragonese. Ever since then, Elliot has taken to calling British English "Britishese" and American English "Americanese."</i></span></div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-89345360312272929212011-05-23T01:23:00.000+02:002011-05-23T01:23:05.374+02:00English Muffins!There are good things and bad things about adapting to the food that's available in Switzerland.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Good things:</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul><li>The produce tastes really, really good.</li>
<li>Less processed food = need to make more from scratch = better tasting and healthier</li>
<li>Fewer preservatives = food doesn't last as long + longer distance from car to grocery store = more walking + better food and few processed snacks so not as much food = Laura and I have both lost more than 10 pounds since arriving in Switzerland</li>
</ul><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Bad things:</span></b></div><div><ul><li>More expensive</li>
<li>Hard to know exactly what you're getting when products are labeled in only German/French/Italian (also means my grocery visits seem to run at least 2 hours)</li>
<li>Missing some of our favorite foods. For Laura, this means Aunt Jemima syrup (seriously, Laura?) and English Muffins. </li>
</ul><div>In the US, <a href="http://www.bays.com/">Bays English Muffins</a> were a breakfast staple for Laura. And, a fill-in for a missed dinner staple. And a random snack staple. It didn't seem like a big deal when we got here, but going on five months without them has been hard.</div></div><div><br />
</div><div>I tried making English Muffin bread in the bread machine. It was okay; it sort of collapsed and was therefore dense bread, and it turned moldy <i>really</i> fast. But, in any case, English Muffin <b><i>bread</i> </b>just isn't the same as English <i><b>Muffins</b>.</i> Yes, I know there are expat-focused groceries somewhere not too close to here, and they'd be sure to carry English Muffins, but I just haven't been able to work that one out.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But, last week, I stumbled across <a href="http://ruhlman.com/2010/12/english-muffins-recipe/">this blog recipe</a> for English Muffins. And this weekend I decided to surprise Laura with some homemade English Muffins!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I have to admit, the recipe looked a bit daunting. Setting the batter aside for an hour and a half to let it rise. Scooping (free form!) onto the corn meal scattered griddle at "medium" heat (can you define that please?) and cooking for a variable amount of time? More details, please! When are they done? How is it that I won't be able to tell until 10 minutes after cooking? Well, this morning I decided to just dive in and try. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Time for some photographic evidence.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisITRb-T31B0jS-wa0Qn8u7d6kih_K-I97YR4RSMPtKBQrs2XPktWSgFnSqVii93sA3AdA7qGvHg8bQpSZ7gvFb3KCNXc2FOTOif_uAIXECQ161toLQoesFKB7fckmCvkE0lsATX82VDs/s1600/DSC00059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisITRb-T31B0jS-wa0Qn8u7d6kih_K-I97YR4RSMPtKBQrs2XPktWSgFnSqVii93sA3AdA7qGvHg8bQpSZ7gvFb3KCNXc2FOTOif_uAIXECQ161toLQoesFKB7fckmCvkE0lsATX82VDs/s400/DSC00059.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>First batch. Three have just been flipped and the rest are still on the first side.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinruT4If9vD8bvxopGO2cdFoutIdPPS7I0X54vksAi5C9YxHbtUfAAnfh7Y-8HaM4dgJmj9ntGJxw-LR5Ud_IUcouDvPhgvXufO9ZIIAFiTnESOxN_J2dVlegfyHARBwo6aUkSmj_Jkvk/s1600/DSC00060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinruT4If9vD8bvxopGO2cdFoutIdPPS7I0X54vksAi5C9YxHbtUfAAnfh7Y-8HaM4dgJmj9ntGJxw-LR5Ud_IUcouDvPhgvXufO9ZIIAFiTnESOxN_J2dVlegfyHARBwo6aUkSmj_Jkvk/s400/DSC00060.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Not too bad. The left one even <i>looks </i>sort of like an English Muffin!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbKpU1K9yoXVv4Bsvfl7-l_0fDSbB0ilv4ilARqSo4LEw9rZvGEiamCpkH1d2D28yJ4uVhGLWOpWpT_feitLwqImyYqHxE65QCE2QJQXWMmoWvb-tIVA9RQyvb_ifJHvI4YLEh_Osicc/s1600/DSC00065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbKpU1K9yoXVv4Bsvfl7-l_0fDSbB0ilv4ilARqSo4LEw9rZvGEiamCpkH1d2D28yJ4uVhGLWOpWpT_feitLwqImyYqHxE65QCE2QJQXWMmoWvb-tIVA9RQyvb_ifJHvI4YLEh_Osicc/s400/DSC00065.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Half-way done and the first seven on the plate. I made the mistake of not drying them<br />
on a rack at first so the ones touching the plate are soggy on the bottom. </b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(The big black box is our converter that drops the voltage down to 110V for our US-spec electric griddle.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>I have to say, they turned out pretty well! I made the first group too small, so they were quite thin and dropped down inside the toaster, but they <b>tasted great</b>! (Of course, that might be because we're five months removed from a taste comparison!)</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, what is one to do with fresh new English Muffins in Switzerland? Make Jared's favorite breakfast!</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mAegJzELgvYxIihN-1YEFHZ0PGj_dR0IDgfJ2PV2PvL5utqY0rOWI8tYOu4C01kGj29qbxtxiFTriIWZ8Vbacjleg7u6GefnHiMpcr-CjVlEdA8z5BQQRAYAgBbriDmlFq6OLdRopHA/s1600/DSC00066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mAegJzELgvYxIihN-1YEFHZ0PGj_dR0IDgfJ2PV2PvL5utqY0rOWI8tYOu4C01kGj29qbxtxiFTriIWZ8Vbacjleg7u6GefnHiMpcr-CjVlEdA8z5BQQRAYAgBbriDmlFq6OLdRopHA/s400/DSC00066.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mmmm, Eggs Benedict!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpha2dieXUPG5P_oN1FpcsNax7gxL__M3JXybZ1thY1A7H4KdCMXuHEgFbhhf1vLulgo99ORYIdqcKEeeYycNUBSe1lzK7vodRpuaK1Y5gKaQ15xBI2uTAjHc8DdLkuEoObiGqAefGvI/s1600/DSC00068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpha2dieXUPG5P_oN1FpcsNax7gxL__M3JXybZ1thY1A7H4KdCMXuHEgFbhhf1vLulgo99ORYIdqcKEeeYycNUBSe1lzK7vodRpuaK1Y5gKaQ15xBI2uTAjHc8DdLkuEoObiGqAefGvI/s400/DSC00068.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Happy wife!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1dSHxCym2wC7oUxUlnjatH4O8bnrccvGrS7bNKKcn7E5O6nsvm6Nba-3nCpQcDeOYLvN8EgTK_zEJXy5LyOelsG_21r8Pb5vVmr_scJkXvMb9ewoEfwLkd6p1acvS9dispGrBknjY8U/s1600/DSC00069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1dSHxCym2wC7oUxUlnjatH4O8bnrccvGrS7bNKKcn7E5O6nsvm6Nba-3nCpQcDeOYLvN8EgTK_zEJXy5LyOelsG_21r8Pb5vVmr_scJkXvMb9ewoEfwLkd6p1acvS9dispGrBknjY8U/s400/DSC00069.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Our kids don't like Eggs Benedict. But, it's amazing how when you break it down<br />
into the separate components, all of a sudden they love it....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMkhn-kPyGBIV3VRXWw9sBO7tMU15tt91eNd0SxK21kRUxNSFylMclRPxYuE-ShhU0BYiiN0SeupMoYQTaHx0w0hJ-qAvU-5XvXES2ilZIAAHOIQtWPnefsAs0eVBDNzyil3MwyVLdGk/s1600/DSC00070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMkhn-kPyGBIV3VRXWw9sBO7tMU15tt91eNd0SxK21kRUxNSFylMclRPxYuE-ShhU0BYiiN0SeupMoYQTaHx0w0hJ-qAvU-5XvXES2ilZIAAHOIQtWPnefsAs0eVBDNzyil3MwyVLdGk/s400/DSC00070.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Okay, obviously I told him to smile!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>So, why did I find a recipe for English Muffins this week? Well, I was perusing Michael Ruhlman's cooking blog after he made quite a buzz for himself this week. I haven't tried <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2294849/">this recipe</a>, and I'll certainly not review with you my attempt, if any, to try it in the future, but I can tell you that I heartily endorse it. Bon appetit!</div><div><br />
</div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-25041191867686002042011-05-22T10:44:00.000+02:002011-05-22T10:44:27.536+02:00Okay, okay, we're backThank you to all the people who have just *reminded* me that I haven't posted since April 8! I know it's been a long time, but there are so many things now that have happened, I don't know where to start! I guess it will be with our breakfast this morning: we've been missing English Muffins so decided to make them from scratch. That post will take a while to put together, though (look later today), so in the meantime, here is a little something to tide you over:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzNKQTPj-nFUYxk-Zg7OZA3Xiu5WuCY6d1ealr7AYING--_XPiz6IBddGksSYD08nbbZq_GgyH3Jn8AJOFFPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Here are a few ideas of some of the entries that <i>may</i> be added in the future:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Visitors!</li>
<ul><li>Cameron in February -- our first visitor from the USA!</li>
<li>Mom and Dad over Easter break, including a trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria</li>
<li>Alan visits from Paris!</li>
</ul><li>Billy and Catherine, our <i>tour guides</i> in Switzerland (car and GPS, respectively)</li>
<li>Swiss food</li>
<ul><li>Made in Switzerland</li>
<li>Organic <i>and</i> UHT?</li>
<li>Lots of other possibilities here</li>
</ul><li>Swiss walks and hikes</li>
</ul>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-14199062278150553652011-04-08T00:21:00.001+02:002011-04-08T00:22:29.550+02:00I finally learn to appreciate StarbucksThere aren't a lot of <a href="http://www.starbucks.ch/en-US/">Starbucks </a>locations in Switzerland, but they occupy <b>primo </b>locations in the major cities. If you're walking out of a train station in a major Swiss city, plan to find a Starbucks occupying the corner of the nearest main square or tourist destination. Until now, I haven't found myself compelled to enter one. That changed today.<br />
<br />
Overall, I wasn't a big Starbucks guy in the US. Generally, I found their coffee a bit over-roasted, maybe a little bitter in general. Not bad, but a little too <i>forward</i> for my taste. So, I would be more likely to stop by a Caribou, or Dunn Brothers, or even better, a <b>local coffee shop</b>. If I stopped at a coffee shop at all. I'm more of an at-home coffee brewer. <b><i>Ten to twenty</i></b> <b><i>cents</i> </b>for a good cup of joe vs.<b><i> two-plus</i></b> <i><b>dollars</b></i>. So, here in Switzerland, I've been brewing at home, too.<br />
<br />
Now, let me take you on a brief diversion. I would be remiss to neglect the fact that you can make <i>excellent</i> and <i>easy</i> espresso drinks here. Have any of you tried a <a href="http://www.nespresso.com/#/ch/en">Nespresso</a> machine? We were fortunate to get one cheap from a home-bound expat. It's an incredible piece of equipment. If you want to make great espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, buy a Nespresso machine. It will set you back $300+, but after that you can have <i>amazing</i> espressos for fifty cents a cup.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3wt2PFN5S7bgdolnZBFAYHbuNeAC9awnRgAyGbLvkP00-p2LF9ZUZKpaDygGW8M1zjpr3_Pvz9Ki3qpjKA67kc58A268XnUl2sQqHv2KCD6iHJ39hiei1JGNoDDTRT7Veu3Im3TijyA/s1600/DSC00031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3wt2PFN5S7bgdolnZBFAYHbuNeAC9awnRgAyGbLvkP00-p2LF9ZUZKpaDygGW8M1zjpr3_Pvz9Ki3qpjKA67kc58A268XnUl2sQqHv2KCD6iHJ39hiei1JGNoDDTRT7Veu3Im3TijyA/s400/DSC00031.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The nifty Nespresso machine: provider of amazing<br />
espresso-based drinks.</b>When I took this, I didn't know the artist would be featured. When <br />
I'm rich and famous this "self-portrait" could fetch millions!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
But, back to our regularly scheduled programming: Sometimes I want some good old <b>American-style<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_brew"> drip brewed</a> coffee</b>. Our <i>first purchase</i> in Switzerland was a 220V drip-style coffee machine for about $40. Ah, now we're ready for good, cheap, standard fare coffee in the home, right? <i style="font-weight: bold;">Not so fast!!!</i> Where are you going to get the beans? Well, the grocery store has a whole aisle of coffee. Okay, most of it is already ground, but they sell by the bean, too. Laura and I like to mix decaf and normal beans for a "half-caf" experience. That's the <i>first</i> problem. Coop doesn't seem to sell decaf coffee, but I find decaf beans at Migros. Okay, that problem is solved. Now, for the regular coffee beans. This is where we ran into the obstacle.<br />
<br />
The Swiss simply <b>don't like</b> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">bold</span> flavors</b> (except in their cheese, which may be occasion for another post). Read the labels on Swiss coffees, and you'll find they <i>all</i> describe their "mild" and "soft" flavor.Even the <b>espresso </b>and <b>ristretto </b>blends are soft and mild. The Swiss seem to think that variety comes in the finish -- look at the foam/head on top of the coffee. Is it creamy? Never mind that coffee doesn't finish this way in a basket brew or "American" style coffee pot. Also, where are the fruit/floral flavors vs. the spicy vs. the earthy chocolates etc. <b><i>I</i> </b>can't taste them. Maybe I don't have the same refined palate that the Swiss have. They don't like spicy food, either, which is why Old El Paso has developed an <i style="font-weight: bold;">extra mild</i> salsa for Swiss palates, the <i>mild</i> is just <b>too spicy.</b> Or, chocolate: most Swiss eat milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate with its <b>bitter </b>after-effects. The Swiss don't seem to like anything too obtrusive. No harshness, no bitterness, except in their cheese and the finish of their lager beers (another Jared "not-favorite").<br />
<br />
So, I'd resigned myself to drinking soft, unobtrusive, non-confrontational, <i>tasteless</i> coffee in the morning. (Again, unless I want to make myself a yummy Nespresso!) Then, I was talking to our friend Simon the other afternoon about how you can't find anything but bland Swiss beans around here, and he asked me a ridiculously simple question, "Why don't you buy some beans at Starbucks?" Um, I really am an idiot. This had never even <i style="font-weight: bold;">occurred</i> to me before!<br />
<br />
Today, I bought beans at the Starbucks in Vevey (and a $4+ <s>tall </s>small black coffee to go. <b><i>Four dollars?!</i></b>) and immediately drove home to brew a cuppa. And, I have to say, I am in heaven! Now, it's not that my previous quibbles with Starbucks roasting have changed. It still seems a bit burnt, forward, maybe even "in your face," but I'll take that over an overly-refined, subdued, soft-almost-to-the-point-of-disappearing flavor of the Swiss beans any day. Being a bit <i>too</i> assertive can be better than being <i>overly </i>non-offensive.<br />
<br />
So, anyway, I'm extremely happy. Today, I had a <b><i>real</i> </b>cup of coffee!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1e5kAMZS_cRF2tusktReTmDDqmO-78RlT2icO4Cd5AtLuaM8Hqzn5Gd2MLCnD2tE5zDfscGLpwxc7shBY-CwYbzTrr_baM3h8wXSt7zxExxpEGuG9aBV3oCUNMvbYK_Go5_ynRlcxDak/s1600/DSC00025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1e5kAMZS_cRF2tusktReTmDDqmO-78RlT2icO4Cd5AtLuaM8Hqzn5Gd2MLCnD2tE5zDfscGLpwxc7shBY-CwYbzTrr_baM3h8wXSt7zxExxpEGuG9aBV3oCUNMvbYK_Go5_ynRlcxDak/s400/DSC00025.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Evidence of my first Swiss visit to Starbucks. I'm digging the new branding.<br />
Obviously, the new cup sleeves haven't made it here yet.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
P.S. If you're visiting us and want to make a friend for life, you may want to stick a pound of<a href="http://www.peacecoffee.com/"> Peace Coffee</a> Guatemalan Dark Roast in your carry-on....Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-89962520088866257822011-03-15T14:17:00.000+01:002011-03-15T14:17:31.793+01:00A beautiful spring morning<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyNNYaLznlQ-OC6SWyI5BGi7q_6XOrfOaAT5PUda7Iy5u1f5rtSuhKOFqYjwtsEsw48WWigc88qQAgcu7ZB1w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br />
</div>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-42275278682148509592011-03-12T15:56:00.001+01:002011-03-12T16:01:02.279+01:00Milan, Part 2: Milan Castle and Duomo CathedralI mentioned in the<a href="http://ledeckview.blogspot.com/2011/03/you-might-be-in-italy.html"> last post</a> that our trip to Milan was a wonderful short get-away. I don't have a lot to share in words, but did want to share pictures from the trip.<br />
<br />
A few points to begin: It's <i>really</i> easy to get to Milan from here. We are a two minute trip from the Lausanne train station, and then there's a fast, modern train that gets us to Lausanne in less than 3-1/2 hours. We really liked train travel with the kids. Most of the time they played with some new die cast toys they got, and we also read some of one of the <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> books.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83WmsI0qcP2HK0M8uZ0tsKr0v7Z-42RO7i-VWj3cHuz5KTp15ckV3B6PPkm1m_GkZfVPkxfrGVs7SxTaLw84LZqCa4v4aM1gDPisVxpSu0cuFtxOdfMTgIPE4OH7-cSC__LPIpHphkrU/s1600/P1020443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83WmsI0qcP2HK0M8uZ0tsKr0v7Z-42RO7i-VWj3cHuz5KTp15ckV3B6PPkm1m_GkZfVPkxfrGVs7SxTaLw84LZqCa4v4aM1gDPisVxpSu0cuFtxOdfMTgIPE4OH7-cSC__LPIpHphkrU/s400/P1020443.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Calvin plays with a new die-cast toy. He loves the boat.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigj43zpDUUeNHjA9KqPOfjFI6jMzwLZmNq7smBdL_4DUgq1bQJhWycAuSpPZF5xVhCe4Cg8Y7Csstvf8pwnz2ZnTEZdHJedshe5gtLYODYgLe9ANP1WKcJwb_0ckyvRgpEhZNx2vOdeBQ/s1600/P1020444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigj43zpDUUeNHjA9KqPOfjFI6jMzwLZmNq7smBdL_4DUgq1bQJhWycAuSpPZF5xVhCe4Cg8Y7Csstvf8pwnz2ZnTEZdHJedshe5gtLYODYgLe9ANP1WKcJwb_0ckyvRgpEhZNx2vOdeBQ/s400/P1020444.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>My beautiful and out of focus wife.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi177H7k5oJeJLXmIytHNrvYteMwlbYjT2Hlv8JERLGuDgT1R9F-lPmDN0NeC-X7XdF6Alpb25lIv54foICQcYf0h2h_4PiaN07UF-fUY34CQmhq8qIife3ebwObUqrvKwDU2LJqCeXXHg/s1600/P1020446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi177H7k5oJeJLXmIytHNrvYteMwlbYjT2Hlv8JERLGuDgT1R9F-lPmDN0NeC-X7XdF6Alpb25lIv54foICQcYf0h2h_4PiaN07UF-fUY34CQmhq8qIife3ebwObUqrvKwDU2LJqCeXXHg/s400/P1020446.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Family having fun in the train.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFqNbcr6v_kM2WK-TebstJOu7b_HkVUfOUu4pAhAtxgH082Grec9U7VzDS_4mhNu64r4AmEcbrB02qz9PGwLYSgwv7J0Wt5mkMhysU-oAM9X6438mWMd9EEMoNr6uLgtsD5KbZcUvMCY/s1600/P1020457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFqNbcr6v_kM2WK-TebstJOu7b_HkVUfOUu4pAhAtxgH082Grec9U7VzDS_4mhNu64r4AmEcbrB02qz9PGwLYSgwv7J0Wt5mkMhysU-oAM9X6438mWMd9EEMoNr6uLgtsD5KbZcUvMCY/s400/P1020457.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Train shed at National Museum of Science and Technology. I had forgotten<br />
how massive big steam engines are. It's hard to get your head around what<br />
huge pieces of equipment these were. Keep in mind Elliot is over 4' tall.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We visited the Milan Castle on Thursday afternoon. Elliot thought the castle was really cool because, as he put it, "I like violent things." There was also a museum in the castle, and we were very impressed that Elliot was so interested in the old furniture and art that was housed in the museum. It was so fun to watch him walking around the museum actually being <i>interested</i> in the paintings and commenting on what he thought about them. Who would expect our six-year-old to express an interest in art?*<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOzRW655vLo3vKpusbwniwzcdvt2OKe-HuQq07vLUjqpvphrDWt7vXL2TGhzpDZRSa1gdOOrUH5j_abft5R-hpNF7PCiUIusKUgst4DN-UK30OOGHY2WsupC4BYuab1HrDYH8fBlMnec/s1600/P1020465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOzRW655vLo3vKpusbwniwzcdvt2OKe-HuQq07vLUjqpvphrDWt7vXL2TGhzpDZRSa1gdOOrUH5j_abft5R-hpNF7PCiUIusKUgst4DN-UK30OOGHY2WsupC4BYuab1HrDYH8fBlMnec/s400/P1020465.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Inside the castle. Can you tell Calvin is tired?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51ZqE3vIZstEDOMX4tYrsPX21lN-dylZSnWhZbTt1DCcGr2xVluk1Ao7s5OIQmJqmDMtFYhKkjV-yVLiOHLpaNwdrE6ZmTyxIJADU9gNuAVrH1mOl_lZSE7231UIhFxTMtGUly-DvGDw/s1600/P1020470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51ZqE3vIZstEDOMX4tYrsPX21lN-dylZSnWhZbTt1DCcGr2xVluk1Ao7s5OIQmJqmDMtFYhKkjV-yVLiOHLpaNwdrE6ZmTyxIJADU9gNuAVrH1mOl_lZSE7231UIhFxTMtGUly-DvGDw/s400/P1020470.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot is interested in this one. This was Jesus' birth, and<br />
Elliot told us that he wasn't born yet so he must have still<br />
been up in heaven, so he was one of those angels at the top.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We visited the Duomo Cathedral on Friday. We hadn't realized before planning our trip what an amazing cathedral this is. Third largest church in the world, largest gothic cathedral, and it's made of beautiful marble. It's also recently been cleaned and reworked on the outside, and they've done a beautiful job. I haven't seen a lot of cathedrals, but it was easily the best I've seen. Laura was also extremely impressed. After exploring the outside, we bought tickets to climb up to the roof. Both Elliot <i>and Calvin</i> walked up the stairs by themselves. We were very impressed!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nasoY2FWuX72yro8zSC2kW15l3GwE_U6rUU8bpqfGSMmvzqc9tao57bmBjYXsJ3JyTqu5Mkf-_4h-t4_jFl7DDU_0w_EMdktVoKBL98KBbVer370kLrNZZK_yMosiQ5Bh8L0zKZBe0U/s1600/P1020476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nasoY2FWuX72yro8zSC2kW15l3GwE_U6rUU8bpqfGSMmvzqc9tao57bmBjYXsJ3JyTqu5Mkf-_4h-t4_jFl7DDU_0w_EMdktVoKBL98KBbVer370kLrNZZK_yMosiQ5Bh8L0zKZBe0U/s400/P1020476.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Right at the top of the metro. This is the <i>one</i> metro stop<br />
that drops you off right where you want to be.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNloZlmeMTEUXwmeNeVH45gRb03Fl6LcAAHrwhqJX6rEKF3gF3msDUUNC2XL9deZpubjT29qCQtHbPRj-MbrbcO5syeuMnX2bjMZ1dkhYM_kujihBL9wY6o9YWJk4N8WMRs5dGAdOt51A/s1600/P1020478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNloZlmeMTEUXwmeNeVH45gRb03Fl6LcAAHrwhqJX6rEKF3gF3msDUUNC2XL9deZpubjT29qCQtHbPRj-MbrbcO5syeuMnX2bjMZ1dkhYM_kujihBL9wY6o9YWJk4N8WMRs5dGAdOt51A/s400/P1020478.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sitting on the roof of one of the aisles. We don't have any<br />
pictures inside. We seem to have been the <i>only</i> tourists<br />
following the "no photos inside" rule.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITl_zhaMAp7MJmKFWJ6Q5mbooExQ9m8o8QAbQY0d5nNDTCUi500Xh8f0Sy667pxHCy_qxpWEKHcNPyB7GnJQ_UlLYx3uPttSd6MAvpn_vfT_hvpjWwitdVgEcB4AGjRKhKn8D9AI81ko/s1600/P1020480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITl_zhaMAp7MJmKFWJ6Q5mbooExQ9m8o8QAbQY0d5nNDTCUi500Xh8f0Sy667pxHCy_qxpWEKHcNPyB7GnJQ_UlLYx3uPttSd6MAvpn_vfT_hvpjWwitdVgEcB4AGjRKhKn8D9AI81ko/s400/P1020480.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I think on the roof above a transept. You can see the long nave running<br />
along behind us to the left.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zYFw2GWiB3cpiIc5zpnJOv3QiiiDWgl28JcIwnYs2WN-mZKBE81d0TDGFx6JW5w5Ozsvk2xtUHkJdMd6vnbTj-CSNeR288La9zUvVphyphenhyphenkkBFgyJKJfkqXnDIZzGQ99eE3pOL65lgwWc/s1600/P1020481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zYFw2GWiB3cpiIc5zpnJOv3QiiiDWgl28JcIwnYs2WN-mZKBE81d0TDGFx6JW5w5Ozsvk2xtUHkJdMd6vnbTj-CSNeR288La9zUvVphyphenhyphenkkBFgyJKJfkqXnDIZzGQ99eE3pOL65lgwWc/s400/P1020481.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Not sure why, but I like this photo of Elliot and me.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNXVg4Ligywa_-K0Ms_T1BAlHEN0Z2JVfE0__uXYPrAdtkjnciSkLTe6kGBL03p_8lqyDxTqjV2TlUgcE1qYJYNWhgj_f1612YR-37WSo8DsuYaZKLNTWf8mpYuheBBKLSqHKwytBLUQ/s1600/P1020486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNXVg4Ligywa_-K0Ms_T1BAlHEN0Z2JVfE0__uXYPrAdtkjnciSkLTe6kGBL03p_8lqyDxTqjV2TlUgcE1qYJYNWhgj_f1612YR-37WSo8DsuYaZKLNTWf8mpYuheBBKLSqHKwytBLUQ/s400/P1020486.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Calvin having fun on the roof.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSBaCiaItSHmv-NiETIr-6lBZNNy41sdwpSvQoyy5BNaGop53fgQr0PCT79tcuEgEhMOAAzJoSJGAf-PRncy3yN2HpQianSMEnoaTifu7B69mGdUfKrcc9GHwPL-5f4PQx30MdXVjrtg/s1600/P1020491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSBaCiaItSHmv-NiETIr-6lBZNNy41sdwpSvQoyy5BNaGop53fgQr0PCT79tcuEgEhMOAAzJoSJGAf-PRncy3yN2HpQianSMEnoaTifu7B69mGdUfKrcc9GHwPL-5f4PQx30MdXVjrtg/s400/P1020491.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Now we've climbed further up and we're on top of the nave, looking out at<br />
the view of Milan, or....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGLJEs2VU3bbcvBqCLLm7fflXlZQ7JjuMNOf8g_k1n2XhSkeRVR6iVi84rYc6FJqGIesyXH43cRcX1-Uj3nESQpJs1W_xVDpUOuUZQU_jPly4RdaMpxFXPiAJ2ugplnMJ3PuIqOcBwFA/s1600/P1020493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGLJEs2VU3bbcvBqCLLm7fflXlZQ7JjuMNOf8g_k1n2XhSkeRVR6iVi84rYc6FJqGIesyXH43cRcX1-Uj3nESQpJs1W_xVDpUOuUZQU_jPly4RdaMpxFXPiAJ2ugplnMJ3PuIqOcBwFA/s400/P1020493.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>...looking down here over the roof of the aisle, between the flying buttresses<br />
toward the square on the south side of the church. (The big square the<br />
the cathedral faces is to the west.)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVCdWiISEEcIYh7FYIYJ9SEaoaodZz1P3NpNbRNB9_4L57Zdq7oNmENbLT_RETQhlhJ3tUE4wa2HGVYfljE_uqxgRhkjrw2OId3JcREAjdVI0GHbv9BRvYJz-75OdhxXQjnsWszf9MdI/s1600/P1020505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVCdWiISEEcIYh7FYIYJ9SEaoaodZz1P3NpNbRNB9_4L57Zdq7oNmENbLT_RETQhlhJ3tUE4wa2HGVYfljE_uqxgRhkjrw2OId3JcREAjdVI0GHbv9BRvYJz-75OdhxXQjnsWszf9MdI/s400/P1020505.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The roof of the nave. Nearly as high as you can go if the tower isn't open, as<br />
it wasn't on this day. We were blessed with our one clear, sunny, warm<br />
day on this day. We lucked out!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYGVs1vPrzXNMk2qe4q3ry3qcYodRvBLYVfS5Ckjw1J2-lLxZdvKw5YVDu4_tA1XFxM4b8-p4f93NDNiRY26Ybeyq1_Pr5r0-YVI6zeLt31OeieC_AyVfTUh26DWWunYNdxCr8Pu9pPy0/s1600/P1020506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYGVs1vPrzXNMk2qe4q3ry3qcYodRvBLYVfS5Ckjw1J2-lLxZdvKw5YVDu4_tA1XFxM4b8-p4f93NDNiRY26Ybeyq1_Pr5r0-YVI6zeLt31OeieC_AyVfTUh26DWWunYNdxCr8Pu9pPy0/s400/P1020506.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Taking a break on the top of the cathedral. Looks like Calvin could use it.<br />
(He <i>had</i> just walked up a few hundred steps!)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>After finishing the cathedral, we found a restaurant to have a late lunch at the top of a department store across the street. It was a beautiful day to eat outside, and we were sitting across the street and even with the aisle roof of the cathedral. Not a bad lunch....<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfyeglde2IO6TUJBUHuVpl3rsYPIZhM09mxYF2uhflmG10gxdmQ2ckaWCiyQpQ62zzawlfTIEdtwp_oKVM539diygif1JuD1BNfvbpiHYl9buaETvZdn3_UNjaS3ti2doU9mAgrQMRvo/s1600/P1020513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfyeglde2IO6TUJBUHuVpl3rsYPIZhM09mxYF2uhflmG10gxdmQ2ckaWCiyQpQ62zzawlfTIEdtwp_oKVM539diygif1JuD1BNfvbpiHYl9buaETvZdn3_UNjaS3ti2doU9mAgrQMRvo/s400/P1020513.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lunch across the street from the cathedral. The food was good, too. What<br />
else could you ask for?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQJCzfxftXARtCsM_pwXWiSPqP5a1whRdv7dCC_3i-z21rYu_WY-VX-kJcQZScq0jgO4dnC86hPHYTZ5CPoyGxAHRV8LkVxnI_16PaF2TPG21LOBqUsS89nAdvcShQsAVf25xpbNvMQY/s1600/P1020514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQJCzfxftXARtCsM_pwXWiSPqP5a1whRdv7dCC_3i-z21rYu_WY-VX-kJcQZScq0jgO4dnC86hPHYTZ5CPoyGxAHRV8LkVxnI_16PaF2TPG21LOBqUsS89nAdvcShQsAVf25xpbNvMQY/s400/P1020514.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot and Laura have taken off their coats. This is on March 4th. I wonder<br />
what the weather is like in Minnesota?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ElBFAFvPuXyu5OpQf2G6Eec_WxfMd4jHLrD8_z91LPijn6P5kaYmrl9VPJmE0rjwb6RSRZMCQCWBAWLWYWNCbahxMdZRlVsWZu2_eHO55ooUgHek2XSwXxX-OwMA3cdPWWDR3ctpeEQ/s1600/P1020515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ElBFAFvPuXyu5OpQf2G6Eec_WxfMd4jHLrD8_z91LPijn6P5kaYmrl9VPJmE0rjwb6RSRZMCQCWBAWLWYWNCbahxMdZRlVsWZu2_eHO55ooUgHek2XSwXxX-OwMA3cdPWWDR3ctpeEQ/s400/P1020515.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This is what passes for a "shopping mall" in downtown<br />
Milan. Not quite the Mall of America....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>As we were walking past the cathedral again, Elliot noticed a white statue on the street. Then, it <i>moved!</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMHEUeO4XpjWhnLCuH-BPUl9Jp-i3DgpKqZcw3swW1znsZ-sRkEEdsFbYjUePwbYspJf-bOV8Zn3ALusr-e9WBzjMQgOW8P4wDcFZonab-8yxUHkOrZf2NFwYZTGXgAa7H_neQ3idHwI/s1600/P1020510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMHEUeO4XpjWhnLCuH-BPUl9Jp-i3DgpKqZcw3swW1znsZ-sRkEEdsFbYjUePwbYspJf-bOV8Zn3ALusr-e9WBzjMQgOW8P4wDcFZonab-8yxUHkOrZf2NFwYZTGXgAa7H_neQ3idHwI/s400/P1020510.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elliot joins the statue on its platform.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-K2f34WjikaVhCKY3Jb488HGZN_0CCNQwavuWsz58AKHY1SfTpnTnEnLj353e39M9kGdQJJS5-QvNy1UM4i0tFWpPE0KLlH5nQxm6J0ZEwXMURbXugn0NX-d-kgh_R7p5GshKluaf5I/s1600/P1020511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-K2f34WjikaVhCKY3Jb488HGZN_0CCNQwavuWsz58AKHY1SfTpnTnEnLj353e39M9kGdQJJS5-QvNy1UM4i0tFWpPE0KLlH5nQxm6J0ZEwXMURbXugn0NX-d-kgh_R7p5GshKluaf5I/s400/P1020511.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Well, you need to make a living somehow....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, that's Milan. There are a few other stories and adventures to tell, but maybe not here. Next time we're going shopping in Milan, though, I hope we do it without kids. And a lot of money. Not sure where that's coming from.<br />
<br />
Milan. Second largest city in Italy. <b><i>Highly recommended!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
* About a month into our stay here, something happened that made Laura and I decide we <i>really</i> appreciated <a href="http://ledeckview.blogspot.com/2011/01/haut-lac-et-les-ecoles-suisses.html">Haut Lac, the kids' school.</a> She asked Elliot what the best part of his day was. He said, "I learned about the art of Paul Klee. He speaks German just like you, mommy."** Laura went to the computer to find some Paul Klee images. She went to Google Images and Elliot got all excited. "Yeah, <a href="http://www.google.com/images?q=paul+klee&hl=en&rlz=1G1ASUTCENUS395&prmd=ivnso&source=lnms&tbs=isch:1&ei=Xol7TcPzCon1sgbOsPTTBw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAsQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=643">this is what we saw!</a>" And he took control of the mouse and clicked here, clicked there, and showed Laura various aspects of Paul Klee's art. This is the same kid who has the fine motor skill delay and couldn't properly grip his pencil four months ago. They're obviously doing something right at Haut Lac!<br />
<br />
** She also expected his answer to be something like, "Recess," or, "Making a picture of a monster in art." Double points for Haut Lac!Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-49478248828461465982011-03-06T08:34:00.003+01:002011-03-06T09:28:04.610+01:00...you might be in Italy.We just returned from a <b>delightful </b>trip to Milan. It was a really fun little trip and extremely easy to get to (nice, new, comfortable, clean (except for the WC's) modern, fast train direct from Lausanne in less than 3-1/2 hours). I think this trip will spawn a few posts, but to start with, we were struck by the very diametrically opposed cultures of Switzerland and Italy. Switzerland is efficient and the people are friendly, but <i>not</i> warm (it's hard to explain, but I may try sometime). Italy is full of warm, effusive, emotional people, with not a lot of regard for efficiency (although our trains <i>did</i> run on time....).<br />
<br />
So, with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy and his <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">redneck jokes</span> (you remember: If you've ever been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog...you might be a redneck. If you think "loading the dishwasher" means getting your wife drunk...you might be a redneck. Etc.), here are our initial thoughts of what it's like to be in Italy.<br />
<br />
1. If the <i>first thing your waiter does</i> before greeting you or bringing a menu is creep up behind your child, reach around the chair and <b>tickle him on the ears</b>...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
2. If every room is maintained at a <i>minimum temperature of 85 degrees</i>....<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
3. If every street is <b>lined with barricades</b> to keep people from parking their cars on the sidewalk...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhY_CVn-1_Y3iCFCaO7Xa8K2DsdPFova_f9QGTp5AsqmNiHZ3IY15iykavsr-DrcgbQ9Kvr4x5PoRnZEYxwCjxB5ItvLYeG9cXdveu4yA6-T02FnxhYpvh3qWnGiLH958Mk3fZRRM9Zs/s1600/P1020474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhY_CVn-1_Y3iCFCaO7Xa8K2DsdPFova_f9QGTp5AsqmNiHZ3IY15iykavsr-DrcgbQ9Kvr4x5PoRnZEYxwCjxB5ItvLYeG9cXdveu4yA6-T02FnxhYpvh3qWnGiLH958Mk3fZRRM9Zs/s400/P1020474.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The barricades in the neighborhood near our hotel</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9_fMSSlPdrO03rgPrTyVctD-y8rAwUWI4_aMjFhHjchkX5ElRpJVLKICXiDDvp6sCJUPACxEXl6PQD0V9ObSdBawA0kT2hYRZXy2K61q29H4RhJO8rwL1IqUHHF_je6qvfGjl5YGrq4/s1600/P1020475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9_fMSSlPdrO03rgPrTyVctD-y8rAwUWI4_aMjFhHjchkX5ElRpJVLKICXiDDvp6sCJUPACxEXl6PQD0V9ObSdBawA0kT2hYRZXy2K61q29H4RhJO8rwL1IqUHHF_je6qvfGjl5YGrq4/s400/P1020475.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>They don't stop the motorcycles....</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
4. If when your child knocks over a wine glass, breaking it into pieces and drenching the table in wine, three waiters materialize out of nowhere to strip the table down to bare wood and build it up again, all the while <i><b>apologizing themselves</b></i> and repeating "no problem, no problem, this can easily happen, please relax, don't do anything"...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
5. If all of the waiters and shopkeepers want to hear your life story, know where you're from, what you're doing in Italy, all the while <b>oblivious to the new tables/line of customers filling up behind them</b>...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
6. If your metro stop brings you up out of the ground one block from Milan Castle (or the National Museum of Science and Technology or any other landmark aside from the Duomo) <b><i>without even one single sign, arrow, diagram, map or wayfinding solution</i></b> to tell you which way to go to get to the extremely large and important tourist site one block away...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mw25w6CeDoExB4H02uD5E35cKSPPCbNbkGbP1UwewDXHRaY46WkF3ekezPS2WUBi0VztQN02Z3yx74nLGJF7CKopVhko5b_n2MGGOjCJkBX3WTFt4OpyoiRKPtEvzSQRmZiYQ8c85zw/s1600/P1020472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mw25w6CeDoExB4H02uD5E35cKSPPCbNbkGbP1UwewDXHRaY46WkF3ekezPS2WUBi0VztQN02Z3yx74nLGJF7CKopVhko5b_n2MGGOjCJkBX3WTFt4OpyoiRKPtEvzSQRmZiYQ8c85zw/s400/P1020472.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Is it too hard to put up <i>one</i> sign to direct you here from<br />
the metro stop one block away?</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
7. If the first train you enter in the metro is occupied by a band of scruffy characters with a strange set of instruments playing a particularly...artful? interestingly tuned?... representation of what you can just make out was once Mozart's <i>Eine Kleine Nachtmusik </i>for stray change...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZHOgvSGirMpXjdqvWQlhzu7ObooVhXMdV9KHqNdfOsYNn-Ta7JU2nRk_iXspvPY5JlERufbSpbCy8gjPdkdMuXPUBBOh9EEp8YcYap7Z_UZtTbC33tgJ-u8raJhMoBi_-LY9a7iZPk8/s1600/P1020448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZHOgvSGirMpXjdqvWQlhzu7ObooVhXMdV9KHqNdfOsYNn-Ta7JU2nRk_iXspvPY5JlERufbSpbCy8gjPdkdMuXPUBBOh9EEp8YcYap7Z_UZtTbC33tgJ-u8raJhMoBi_-LY9a7iZPk8/s400/P1020448.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Milanese "musicians" on the Metro.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
8. When the shoe saleswoman keeps pinching your son's cheeks and telling him she want's to <b>eat him up</b> (yes, it happened <i>again!</i>)...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
9. When you're woken up at <b>four o'clock in the morning</b> by a drunken man in the room below you with his window open <b><i>belting out opera at the top of his lungs</i></b>, and he's quite <b>good</b>...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
And, my personal favorite,<br />
<br />
10. If the <b><i>interactive </i></b>exhibits at the National Museum of Science and Technology <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">don't interact</span></i></b>...<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">you might be in Italy!</span></b><br />
<br />
The <b>National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo DiVinci </b>was a real mystery. So much promise and potential unrealized. It was a fun visit, and occupied the kids for a half day, but<i> it could have been so much more! </i><br />
<br />
<ul><li>As mentioned above, the interactive exhibit on telecommunications had long since given up the ghost (interesting because it was supposed to demonstrate the better reliability of new modes of communication, but when your answer to the questions posed there was that the call didn't go through, just like the earlier more complicated forms.... hmm). But, there were lots of other things, too. </li>
<li>For some reason, they have a third of the exhibits roped off and closed. <b>Why?</b> </li>
<li>A huge exhibit building filled with old trains and train cars. But, you can't go <i>in</i> the train cars, and there aren't platforms to allow you to see inside the windows! So, you can see what the outside of the trains look like, but not the inside. </li>
<li>Ditto the closed submarine. (Granted, we weren't there during tourist season.) </li>
<li>Models of Leonardo DaVinci diagrams that are promoted loudly in advertising and tour books, but they don't mention they're <i>miniature</i> models. </li>
<li>A fresco that's billed as a reproduction of Leonardo's <i>Last Supper</i> which is in Milan but nearly impossible to get tickets to, but it's a fresco by another artist <i>inspired</i> by Leonardo's masterpiece, with the same size and format, but completely different artistic style and interpretation of characters. </li>
<li>Beautiful, clean exhibits, but missing something big. And a building that's nearly <i>impossible</i> to navigate. Forget about trying to <i>find</i> an exhibit, just try to cover the whole building.</li>
</ul><i></i><br />
<br />
I don't want to give the wrong impression. We had fun and it was a good stop for the kids. But, diamond in the rough, man, diamond in the rough!<br />
<br />
<b>NEXT ENTRY: </b>Inside Milan Castle and the famous Milan Duomo!Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-41705094209210192682011-03-02T12:19:00.000+01:002011-03-02T12:19:36.469+01:00Ski WeekThis week all of Switzerland has school off. We are told this is NOT a winter or spring break. It is Ski Week.<br />
<br />
So, we're going to Milan.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIdBh8vnPhwLOaiTi5yc10fMcOiE3nXpnfiBbijWZvOvRX50k7_Sb1-8SnpfAaK1Tb43SqEFjHj91o-7fxjXyXwJedepmR5vmRADeXIGTkYBQup38SwAFuFLGHbcI5Cb0e0fRWIInn6s/s1600/milan+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIdBh8vnPhwLOaiTi5yc10fMcOiE3nXpnfiBbijWZvOvRX50k7_Sb1-8SnpfAaK1Tb43SqEFjHj91o-7fxjXyXwJedepmR5vmRADeXIGTkYBQup38SwAFuFLGHbcI5Cb0e0fRWIInn6s/s400/milan+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Train leaves in an hour and a half, so I don't have time for more. But, I <i>hope</i> to post each day during our mini-holiday.<br />
<br />
Au revoir!Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925838366960016479.post-85530287763860784242011-02-14T22:14:00.003+01:002011-02-14T22:25:49.488+01:00Switzerland decides to keep its gunsIt was interesting to see the Swiss referendum process in play this weekend. On Sunday, Swiss voters decided in a referendum that they'd be able to keep their automatic weapons in their homes. We've seen signs in opposition to the referendum along the roads here. (Picture below is the same as the sign we see except in German rather than French.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjM8Yx1dxeP52GuXFwLpc80CmmNJ0FEd2EdLV1KHtmSd6r9FnPRp0oLhKGfcRaRXqTW4xMe3eZS700zELBqyYflFtuo6mIlNXgp-fUim1hwMMkPoEEVyS3FWhUyJxoZ_sd3YxN2WgoRo/s1600/swiss+guns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjM8Yx1dxeP52GuXFwLpc80CmmNJ0FEd2EdLV1KHtmSd6r9FnPRp0oLhKGfcRaRXqTW4xMe3eZS700zELBqyYflFtuo6mIlNXgp-fUim1hwMMkPoEEVyS3FWhUyJxoZ_sd3YxN2WgoRo/s400/swiss+guns.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Opposition poster to the Swiss gun control.<br />
Why do you think they chose this guy?</b><br />
<b>(Basically, it says, "Do you want criminals</b><br />
<b>to be the only ones with weapons?")</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here's a link to a news story on the <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/swiss-vote-to-retain-guns-after-army-service-exposes-gender-gap/story-e6frg6so-1226005715376">failure of the gun control referendum</a>. I'm copying a few of my favorite quotes from the story.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"Pollsters said the referendum was backed by a majority of women but overwhelmingly rejected by men. One poll taken shortly before the vote found a 24-point difference between the sexes, the widest ever recorded in Switzerland. Exit polls indicated that men turned out in greater numbers than women to swing the referendum their way."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Ueli Maurer, the Swiss Defence Minister, had marked the campaign by claiming that women "don't know anything about weapons", sparking a wave of anger among female voters."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Debate centred on the right of Switzerland's conscript army to keep weapons at home when their military service, which is compulsory for all men aged between 18 and 34, ends. The policy is designed to ensure that Switzerland is ready to fight off invaders at the drop of a hat since men only have to take their Swiss SG 550 assault rifles out of the cupboard to start shooting. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">But critics point out that the country has not been invaded since 1798 and that the law is a source of danger."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And, the <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">money quote</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">There are an estimated two million weapons in circulation for a population of eight million, the <b><u><i>third highest rate in the world behind the US and Yemen.</i></u></b>"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> [Emphasis mine.]</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWddEI1OVdt5JqMLMNzSdzDG6u50PcpM-9mko6AcZEw5PKLMKL1lpMpLoPge78TbzP-Ys-xs3rbxgnijLhiN7HR9lGJ_5h05r6burwzBq1LwS5gZUPuCuSx9vRdiTBZc5WMua5E0NOq48/s1600/Swiss+guns+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWddEI1OVdt5JqMLMNzSdzDG6u50PcpM-9mko6AcZEw5PKLMKL1lpMpLoPge78TbzP-Ys-xs3rbxgnijLhiN7HR9lGJ_5h05r6burwzBq1LwS5gZUPuCuSx9vRdiTBZc5WMua5E0NOq48/s400/Swiss+guns+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"Protect families." One of the pro-gun control posters. You can see<br />
why the other side won....</b> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span>Jaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00009801121255483398noreply@blogger.com0