On the drive home from Mürren and the Schilthorn, we stopped for a quick visit to the Aare River Gorge (Aareschlucht), just outside Meiringen. We were a bit tired and hot from the morning’s adventures and even though we didn’t know exactly what to expect, we stopped. It was so worth it. The cool breeze along the path and tunnels through the river gorge was the perfect way to finish off a day of sightseeing. Read more →
With some family in town last month we decided to finally take advantage of UBS’s summer mountain railway offer and head off to the mountains. It was the first of our mountain day trips this summer and we chose a classic Swiss alpine destination: Mürren and the Schilthorn. Read more →
After a busy and stress-filled week at work, and on the 
nanny hunt, I’m so ready for a quiet weekend at home. Read more →
The Jungfraujoch has been on our to-see list for awhile, especially since it was also on my parents’ wishlist after the TODAY show broadcast from the “Top of Europe.” Unfortunately, their last few trips here just weren’t convenient for such an outing, at least not with a newborn granddaughter (September) or a three-month old and stormy weather (November). But since Reese had a great trip up to the top of Titlis over Christmas and we had a better chance of clear weather, we went for it when my parents visited a few weeks ago. Read more →
Next week we will be chasing the last of summer to Turkey’s Bodrum peninsula where today’s weather forecast “plentiful sunshine.” We have planned a week of nearly nothing except beach time along the Aegean and will end with a few days wandering the sights in Istanbul. I cannot think of anything I need more than this to top of my summer as Zürich’s summer forecast was essentially plentiful rain. Read more →
As you can tell from my absence here, we have had an excellent summer that has flown by with hardly an opportunity to properly reflect. We have been so blessed to have spent some weeks with our friends and family exploring new sights and returning to old while back in Seattle and Portland. I loved having my parents (and Aunt Jeanne too!) here for two full weeks with plenty of time to see more of Zürich as well as head to the Engadin and Northern Italy for biking, hiking, and lazing by the pool. Read more →
My love of the season is no secret. Perhaps it is my mountain upbringing and many fond memories of the back hill sled run, ski weekends with my family, and homemade snow ice cream. This fondness means that I am a sucker for winter weekend getaways filled with activities in cold mountain air, warming up with hot drinks, and the wonderful exhaustion that comes after a day spent in the snow. It is hard to imagine what could make a weekend even better, except perhaps the beauty of the landscape and architecture of the Engadin valley, excellent company, and some very delicious meals. Read more →
Considering my love for snow, mountains, and water, it is really not surprising that I consider myself extra lucky to live in Switzerland, especially this time of year. Well, we finally took enough naps, deep cleaned the apartment and basement, and ran enough errands around town that the time had come to escape to the mountains. You probably already know that a favorite spot in Switzerland is Rigi. I have already written about it several times about summer hiking, stone throwing, and visiting with the cows, but this was our first winter trip. Read more →
It has been so hot and so humid here over the past week or so that we were excited to leave Zurich for the mountains last weekend. Sunday morning we caught the train to St. Moritz and after 4.5 hours on the scenic rail route with one very patient baby (and mother) in tow we arrived in Silvaplana (just south of St. Moritz by bus). We had a quick lunch and then found a grassy spot on the lakeside to enjoy an afternoon with friends watching all the windsurfers (and tandem windsurfers?), kite surfers, and Tornado catamarans sail around the lake. Read more →
Yesterday was Swiss National Day and we enjoyed a mid-week day off to sleep in, workout (Martin) and take a long run (me), watch the Olympics, and see The Dark Knight Rises. I also took some time to go through the rest of my photos from my mini-vacation around Switzerland with my parents a few weeks ago. Read more →