Monthly Archives: May 2012

Gratitude Friday: An Amazing Year of Marriage

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This upcoming weekend marks one year since our wedding day.   It’s simply crazy to think that this year has passed so quickly.

Saying vows….May 7, 2011

It’s been a big year.  A move around the world.  Living with each other for the first time.  In the same house.   Or, even in the same city for that matter.  Now, in a foreign country.   Making a home.  Culture Shock.   Amazing travel.  Laughter.  Smiles.  Tears.

A special thanks to my husband for all his compassion and love.  Being married to him is a joy.    I am lucky and grateful to be his wife.

Bon weekend, everyone.

Painting for Jake

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I haven’t been painting a lot lately.    Thus, when I was asked to donate a painting for the Annual Jake Boyle Memorial Golf Tournament again this year, I offered one that I did last year in Umbria, Italy.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get “Dusk in Umbria” it into E-dawg’s suitcase to deliver back to The States.  Shipping the canvas from Switerland would be over 100 CHF which sort of defeats the purpose of a charity give-away….

So, today, I did a small 9″ x 12″ acrylic that can easily fit into the next suitcase that will go Geneva –> Charlotte*.   Unfortunately, an “I owe U” will have to do for the silent auction.  Sorry guys!

Recognize my inspiration?  Yes, none other than the Fête de la Tulipe we visited in Morges last week.

The reception & auction will be at Havana Social Club in Huntersville, NC this Saturday – 2-5pm Eastern Time.     Wishing them a beautiful day and a great one on the fundraising front.  I’ll be missing them for sure.

*Anyone who would like to volunteer to take the canvas with them on their next trip back to Huntersville or Charlotte, it would be greatly appreciated!!

Alpine views in Zweisimmen and Château D’Oex

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As mentioned in the previous post about our trip on The Golden Pass, we stopped in two towns on the journey back.

The first of the towns was Zweisimmen.   I’ll be honest that I had no idea what to expect (not listed in my tour books) but I suggested to E-dawg that we hop off the train and spend an hour there until the next train would pass.

We found an adorable German speaking village, full of cows.   We wandered around its quiet streets enjoying the fresh air.

This is Zweisimmen!

We caught the train an hour later and hopped off again at Château D’Oex.  Readers might find this town familiar as we stopped there twice for the Hot Air Balloon Festival.  After the Friday night “Night Glow” show  failed to produce any balloon pictures, I begged Gabe to go back the following Sunday for more.  And that is when I fell in love with this little village known to be the Swiss capital of ballooning.

 

Welcome to Château D'Oex (pronounced Shat-oh Day)

It was really neat for me to see the difference in winter vs. spring.  The town is totally different.      Originally, I was going to sit at a café and rest my feet while E-dawg explored.   But I couldn’t help myself wanting to climb up to the top of the chapel with her for the views!

Streets of Château D'Oex

Climbing up the steps of the chapel, greeted by amazing spring flowers

After reaching the top, E-dawg relaxed near the chapel walls.

 

On the way back down, we decided it was an opportune time to open the mini bottle of Swiss wine we had brought to picnic on the train.   We popped our shoes off, sat in the grass, and enjoyed the magnificent panorama in front of us.

After experiencing it in multiple seasons, this little village quickly lept up to one of my top Swiss places to visit.

Back on the train. Goodbye Chateau D'Oex...until next time!

The Golden Pass

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On E-dawg’s last day, we took a panoramic train.   I am a big fan of these trains – you get to see a lot of the beautiful Swiss landscape.   It also provides a nice relaxing day if you have been busy.

As you may have read on the blog, there are are four scenic trains:  The Golden Pass, The Bernina Express, The William Tell Express, and The Glacier Express.  Gabe and I have taken the Glacier Express twice, with The Captain and Swiss Miss, as well as with The Fam.

This time, we took The Golden Pass.   We chose it because of its proximity to Geneva, as we wanted to do the entire thing in a day.    We bought tickets to ride just until Zweisimmen in the German speaking part.

Cool map courtesy of goldenpass.ch

 

So, we took an hour train from Geneva to Montreux in order to catch the Golden Pass.   One interesting thing about Swiss trains is that they are beautifully timed.   For instance, as our train from Geneva rolled into Montreux, the Golden Pass sat awaiting any passengers.  Moments later, it departed.   This isn’t by coincidence.  The entire system is designed for efficiency and there are rarely wait times or “layovers”.

After boarding, The Golden Pass ascended above Montreux.   I had not been this way yet so thoroughly enjoyed being a tourist as it winded around, giving glimpses of the lake below.

Leaving Montreux on The Golden Pass

 

E-dawg enjoying the ride

 

Passing gorgeous pastures and rolling green fields

 

Passing Château D'Oex, home of the hot air balloon festival.

 

Fields of dandelions

 

Typical Swiss backyard.

 

Keep that delicious milk, cheese, and yogurt coming, cows!

Passing Gstaad and The Palace.

 

An enticing road

Descending into Zweisimann

 

This view never gets old to me.

 

Back to Lake Geneva....

 

God shining light through the clouds onto Lake Geneva

 

This entire route took six hours of travel time from Geneva.   We did stop twice on the way home to explore Zweisimmen and Château D’Oex so it took us a bit longer – about nine hours.   I’d recommend doing that to break up the trip.  If you don’t have reservations*, you can hop on and off wherever you like.

 

*For our trip, we did buy reservations from Montreux to Zweisimmen not knowing if they were required.   We were the only ones with reservations and could’ve saved the $$ by not doing it since it was a low tourist season.   It also made it handy not to have them on the way back as it encouraged us to live in the moment and hop off at whatever towns looked neat.   However, on the way home, we didn’t get to sit in choice seats when hopping back on.

Thus, if you are in a big group or sitting together is important, its a nice benefit to purchase the reservation.

 

 

La Tour du Molard

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The Tower of Molard is a wine bar located in Place du Molard – literally located in the tower in the square.   I have been meaning to check it out, so E-dawg’s visit provided a perfect opportunity.

There are two main bar rooms, but there are small seating areas overlooking the plaza side and the lake side on each turn of the staircase.      Thus, you can either be sociable by gathering in a bar room, or more intimate by finding a quiet overlook above.

We arrived around 8pm and it was quite lovely to watch the sun set and the pavers light up in Molard square.    We enjoyed a regional Gamay and a Pinot Noir  (they only serve local wines) while catching up on old times.

E-dawg in Molard square at twilight. We took our time walking to the bus so we could read the different languages expressed on the lit-up pavers.   You can see the patrons of the wine bar silhouetted in the windows. 

We’d recommend this place for a cocktail – especially on a rainy evening like the one we had.  It provided a lovely backdrop of the city while we could remain warm & dry.