Spring 2011 in Collex: babies, backyards and birthdays

Ok...this post is simply an excuse to put up a bunch of pics of my kids. Feel free to move to the next post: Rome!

We took a lot of trips in Spring of 2011 but we also had some great times at home, hanging with the kiddos, going to the park or to the lake. We enjoy our backyard quite a bit - having collected various kiddy items such as a sandbox, and a slide/climbing structure from friends whose kids have moved on. Faithful readers will also remember that we put up a swing set in February. Our backyard is now the place to be (if you are under 5)! It helps that it has felt like summer since mid-March.

Sam and buddy Raphael digging in the sandbox

Backyard picnic - a.k.a. excuse to not have to cook anything for dinner

Rhys is getting bigger everyday, and can now hang out in his high chair and exersaucer. This makes us both happy - he can see the world from a new vantage point and I get to have my hands free. He had started cooing at his toys - like Sam, one of his favorites is a ladybug that hangs from his playmat. Sam used to squeal when he saw it. Rhys is a bit more reserved. Sam continues to be nice to his brother, who cannot yet make a move for any of the beloved toys.

Rhys in high chair - taken to try out cool new camera feature

Brothers

Enjoying being vertical

Swinging

The gorgeous weather has meant that we have been able to enjoy the crappy little blow-up pool we bought. Sam liked it for about a day and then the water got gross and I wouldn't let him back in and was too lazy to refill it (where to empty it was also an issue).

'swimming' in his undies

Neighbours Julie and Darren had a better pool...

Cedric, Nadia and Sam

And then there are the wading pools at the Bois de la Batie - another cool Geneva parc with a mini-zoo, climbing structures and these pools. Free. Geneva IS great for families.

Fishy fishy

Can't talk about spring in Collex without talking about the cherries. Lots of cherry trees here in Collex and they are loaded with cherries. Crazy. We had some kind neighbours who gave us some from their gardens, and I'll admit I helped myself from another neighbour's tree since the house was vacant. Was great until I had to pit them all (very messy job). It was worth it though: We made jam, black forest cake and cherry scones in May and June. I still have a bunch frozen downstairs.

Bing Cherries

Rainier Cherries

Aaron's birthday and Father's day both came in June. Liverpool jerseys for everyone. The boys also go their dad a tie. And a new hat (see pic below). Aaron was happy with it, I think. Sam wanted to help make Aaron's cake - he is quite the little sous-chef. We put the cherries to good use and made a Black Forest Cake. yum!

Rhys, you'll never drool alone.

Whipping the cream

Ta-Daaaa!

Placing the candles

Blowing out the candles

Aaron's wasn't the only birthday. Sam's buddy Cedric turned 4 in June and Sam was invited to the party. It was a hot day, but Julie - true to self - had an action packed afternoon planned and the kids had a blast.

Waiting for their turn at the pinata

Party animal

Ooooooooooooooh!

All in all it was a gorgeous spring in Switzerland. Kind of made us feel sad that we would be leaving it all behind to go home for 2 months.

The boys

Lac Leman, with Mont Blanc in the background

Hiking at Mont Mussy

Spring has spring, and what says springtime and childhood more than kites? With the regular winds in the Geneva area, we thought it would be a great idea to get Sam a kite. He also thought it was a great idea, and was keen to head out to the fields surrounding Collex to try it out with Aaron. He was a natural, and was holding the string within minutes. He still talks about his green kite even though it has been weeks since he has had it out.

Sam and kite

Sam in the pea field

Before we headed to Geneva, many colleagues who had had the pleasure of living in the area shared their favourite little corners with us. One colleague told us about 'the best pies', available from a farm with no electricity on a hill above Divonne-les-bains, France. Thanks to the internet (what did we do before?) we figured out that the pies were likely from the 'Farm at Mont Mussey'. We tried to get this famous pie a few times. The first attempt, we learned you couldn't just buy a pie (what were we thinking!) and that we would need to e

ither order ahead, or better yet, make a reservation and have lunch.

It took us weeks to get a reservation, as the amount of food that can be prepared without electrical appliances is limited, and because it is popular. But we finally managed to book a spot and headed up with friends Julie, Darren and their kids. Mont Mussey has a number of hiking trails, so we decided to work up an appetite prior to wolfin

g down what promised to be delicious grub based on the smell. Unfortunately, we are still learning that a 45 minute hike actually takes over 1 and a half hours with toddlers in tow. It didn't help that there wasn't anything to look at - not a single vista. We didn't make it to the 'end' before we just decided to turn back. We did, however, find some interesting orange slugs on the trail.

On the trail to...nowhere?

Ooooh....slug!

If the hike wasn't impressive, the food made up for it. Delicious homemade homefries, salad with perfectly fried lardons, and of course, the pie! They had apple, strawberry-rhubarbe and blueberry that day. Between us we sampled them all. They were all fabulous, but the apple was the best.

Excited to finally taste the pie

The restaurant also had a great big lawn for the kids to run around on while we ate. They sat us in the 'outbuilding' still under construction (as we had reserved an outdoor table but then it started to rain'. The walls were primed drywall, the floors were bare, there was no finishing anywhere and the furniture was basic. In many ways it made me feel like I was back in the Ottawa Valley at one of my Dad's friends' places eating something delicious cooked over a wood stove. A very pleasant experience. We will definitely go back, although maybe not to hike.

Hiking wasn't enough exercise for Sam - burning off the pie on the lawn of the restaurant

Trier, Germany

Welcome back SCR fans -- assuming there are any of you left out there. The publishers would like to apologize for the unacceptable delay in updating the blog but with Europe's mandated 12 weeks of summer vacation things got a bit away from us. En tout cas, we'd like to create the illusion that we've never left by bringing you up to speed on our adventures from the early summer before we launch into year 2 of our European adventure.

At the end of May we elected to manufacture a long weekend and get together with Sarah's old friend Sean and his wife Natalie who are currently living in Ghent, Belgium. We decided to split the distance and meet up in Trier, Germany. So we packed up the kids, loaded up the car, and fobbed the cats off on our neighbour then tackled the 7 hour drive to Germany. We did manage to take advantage of the opportunity to check another country off our list (150-odd to go?) by taking a lovely drive through Luxembourg. It was an enjoyable 15 minutes and they have lovely roads.

En route in Bresse, France - home of the world famous Bresse chickens

Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded by the Romans around 30 BC as a military outpost on the river Mosel at the very edge of empire. It prospered during the Tetrarchy and was for a time a northern capital and residence of the Western Roman Emperor.

Not surprisingly, the city boasts a wealth of Roman ruins, including the Black Gate, the largest surviving Roman gate in the world. Built around 200 AD, it is one of four gates that once guarded the four sides of Roman Trier. It's conversion to a church in the middle ages (a fate that befell many impressive historical buildings in that era) likely contributed to its long term preservation, albeit with some important alterations. The gate formerly boasted matching four storey towers on either end but one was demolished to enable construction of the church's apse.

The Black Gate: Imposing

Trier's old city centre is a pleasing mix of historic cathedrals, medieval buildings and traditional German architecture dotted with crowded squares and open-air cafes. We enjoyed some delicious traditional meat-and-potato based German meals and, naturally, sampled some fine German ale.

Trier's old town, view from the Black Gate

We spent a day wandering around and checking out the sights - or whatever was left of a day after we got Sam and Rhys fed, packed up and ready to go. We told ourselves that we were simply introducing expecting parents Sean and Natalie to the reality of life with kids (and a hearty welcome on that front to their new son!). In any event, we did squeeze some action in.

Sam, continuing his tradition of being terrified by actors in old time soldier costumes

Inside the Black Gate

Trier old town

Sam exploring the flower market

Not a Roman Bath - Sam playing in the German equivalent to a splash pad

Sean and Nathalie with Rhys. Not much older than 3 months here but already a bruiser (Rhys, not Sean)

After a good walk around the old town and a bite to eat, we wandered over toward one of the former Roman baths. While Sean and Natalie checked out the history, we crashed in the park so Sarah could feed Rhys and Sam could nap for a bit. We then made our way back to our pad - another great apartment find by Apartment Locating PhD Sarah Pye - no more than 5 minutes drive from the Gate - and got ready for day 2.

Ready to Explore Cochem

Day 2 took us down the Mosel River to the beautiful medieval town of Cochem. Inhabited since early Roman times, Cochem received its town charter in the early 14th century and is today a very pleasant mix of timber-framed houses, market squares and impressive historical buildings. This is a significant wine producing region and vineyards carpet the steep hills overlooking the Mosel. We, however, saved our wine prospecting for a little later in the trip.

Cochem: Timber-frame and cobblestones

Sam demonstrating the apple does not fall far from the tree: Investigating a bar in Cochem

A Rather Poorly Advised Hiking Route: Rhys Comfortably Oblivious

Cochem Castle dominates the area, commanding the high point overlooking the town and enjoying unimpeded views up and down the river. While an impressive and imposing piece of architecture, the current castle is actually a mid-19th century reconstruction of the former imperial castle, itself a victim of the regular 17-19th century hostilities between France, Prussia and other regional powers. As a result, the building is more chateau than castle, with fortifications giving way to gilded halls and banquet rooms. The castle nevertheless boasts an impressive collection of armour, which Sam found both amusing and (naturally) frightening.

Cochem Castle Courtyard

Cochem Castle

Cochem Castle and Vineyard

A Tasty Reward: Sam says Cochem is #1

On Day 3, Sean and Natalie headed back to Belgium while we took a small(ish) detour deeper into Germany toward Mainz for a bit of wine hunting. We had read some excellent reviews of the Weingut Robert Weil in the small and lovely town of Kiedrich and a bit of searching, an outdated GPS, and an unexpected ferry crossing was all it took to find out for ourselves. The experience completely lived up to our expectations. For once we had the foresight to call ahead and the very friendly and knowledgeable staff were happy to open up the otherwise deserted estate for a private tasting. The region is noted for its riesling and many of the vintages on offer were truly excellent -- it was a challenge not to let our tastebuds run away with our wallets. We did, however, come away with a healthy sampling for our cellar.

Sam Plays On the Estate

Before hitting the open road for the drive back to Geneva we took a bit of time to explore Kiedrich and to enjoy a tasty lunch on a terrace overlooking the Rhine. The village deserved more time than we had to spare, unfortunately. We will certainly take the opportunity for a follow-up visit if our travels take us back to the area.

Kiedrich: floral

Sam: a convert to German cuisine

Eight hours, an ill-advised detour into France, a mind-bogglingly unnecessary traffic jam, and a solid 3 hour meltdown by Rhys later and we were back in Geneva - a little worse for wear but ready for our next adventure. Coming soon.

Bern

Welcome back SCR fans for a belated update on our (not so) recent travels. On Mother's Day weekend we took the train to Bern to visit friends from Ottawa, Mary-Catherine and Andrew and their kids Julia and Gregor. This was somehow our first trip on the Swiss railways and, boy, do they have it figured out. The train offered a family car complete with jungle gym and slide. Sam had a blast and the two hour trip flew by with nary a personal injury lawsuit to contemplate.

The boys on the train

Mary-Catherine and Julia met us at the station and took us back to their place for a nice lunch. We then checked into our hotel and headed back into the city to see the sights.

Julia, Gregor and Sam inspect Rhys. Kids love kids.

Bern is the capital of Switzerland but is a very modest size, easily walkable and with a population of only 135,000 in the city proper, although the greater Bern area is closer to a half million souls. The city has been around since the 12th century and joined the Old Swiss Confederacy in the mid-14th century. Legend has it that the city's founder, Berchtold V, was a renowned hunter and pledged to name his settlement after his next kill -- which turned out to be a ferocious and conveniently impressive bear. In reality, various unciteable reports and internet blogs imply Berchtold brought down an arthritic bunny but, since Bunnyton was a ridiculous and non-intimidating name in an era that demanded a certain air of toughness, the so-called by me Great Lie was born. In any event, the story caught on and Bern has been linked to bears ever since -- the canton's standard is a black bear on a red and yellow background, and the city has kept live bears for centuries. The bear pit has, thankfully, now (like in the last ten years...) been replaced by a more humane enclosure on a hill bordering the Aar river (so named because ol' Berchy also claimed to have been a famous pirate. This guy was too much...) En tous cas, as they say, the bears marked our first stop.

Sarah and Sam overlooking the Aar, central Bern in the background matey

The Bern Bears: Glum

Sam, Daddy and Julia in front of the old bear pit

After the bears, it was time for a walk through the very picturesque medieval centre of town to a market in a plaza near the famous Munster cathedral. Here we took a much deserved break for ice cream (kids) or beer (daddies) while Mommies checked out the stalls.

Sam and Julia share their ice creams

"Really? I thought Ulysses somewhat overwrought, though obviously Joyce was the classic modernist..."

After a quick stop at a park to splash in the sandbox pool and a quick stroll to admire the city's famous apartment cat ladders (Switzerland, your innovations will NEVER cease to amaze me) we called it a night. Well, actually, we called it a day. Between Sam and Rhys and a single hotel room, we didn't call it a night until about 4:30 am. Ahem.

The next day we headed to the city's famous hilltop Gurten Park. Accessible by cog-wheel train (or for more ambitious visitors, walking) the park is a favourite of locals and tourists alike and features rolling green spaces, hiking trails, restaurants, kiddie cars, model trains and lots and lots of play structures. As this was Mothers Day, there were also a lot of Mother-centric activities (ed.: joke deleted in interest of author's wellbeing).

Gurten's Cog-wheel Railway, Bern in Background

Sam and Mommy Ride the Rails!

"I want one."

Right. As if I wasn't going to ride the toy train...

...or the toy cars.

Traditional Bernese Pirates. Aar.

Gregor gets it done on the tractor.

This was a huge great contraption where the kids put balls into the rails and then have to manipulate the various tools to get the balls from one section to the next. Great for children and dads.

The kids had a great time amusing themselves on the various activities. And frankly, so did the parents. We thoroughly exhausted ourselves and then broke for a late lunch before heading back to Geneva. It was a great experience and convincing introduction to the conveniences of Swiss rail travel. As well as of the many charms of the quaint Swiss capital.

Bern from Gruden

Love in bloom. See you soon!

Thanks MC, Andrew, Julia and Gregor. We had a blast!!