Ski-Less Weekend

Better grab a cup of coffee, and hold on, we've had a busy weekend:

Friday night was spent at home. It was our first evening at home all together since J had abeen away for the week in the UK. T couldn't wait to play with his dad/bff. He was asking continuously when/if dad would be home early. After the twentyth time, I explained that I didn't know what time dad would be home and suggested, "why don't you send him an email from my (wifi Iphone) email?" So, dutifully, he did. A while later, I happened upon my iphone and checked for messages, and saw one from J that said, "ok- heading home now!" I scrolled down and saw that T had sent him a note, sounding urgent, "Can you come home early, please?" with no signature, and I could see how J thought it was send from me. J thought I was in trouble, and dumped a conference call to rush home. I felt bad that he thought it was an emergency, but of course, we were glad to have him home relatively early (6:30) : )

Saturday, J&A had a scout hike commitment, leaving K&T&I on our own. I was very productive, and completed my Usual Run early. We stopped at "Die Post" office and send a few items to the US. Then, we took the train to Adliswil where we took a cable car ride to Felsenegg. This cable car hauled us up to the Albis mtn for a lovely view of Zurich and Zurichsee (Lake Zurich). There are great hiking trails available but the kids weren't much into hiking on this day. The weather was chilly, damp, and misty and did not offer a great view on this particular day....but it gave me a great idea. "Let's head to Zurich!"

This was quite a coup for me. I'd wanted to bring the kiddies to Z for a couple of suprises for them, and for a bit of shopping ....for me! I'd only been in Zurich without J a few times, and those trips had produced more frustration than satisfaction due to my lack of navigation skills. Having been lost there several times and meandered lost for long periods of time, I thought perhaps I finally figured out what I've done wrong and could successfully navigate it....and I was right. : )

We took the train to Selnau Station and when we popped out onto the street, the kids were so happy to see "Subway," the American sandwich shop! K& T love Subway and were so happy to get a kids meal for lunch. Although it smelled SO GOOD, I passed on lunch, intending to save my calories for something more delectable. (This is where a coffee would have come in handy).

Next, we went to Athleticum, sporting goods store. We picked up a Ski helmet for J, some socks for A, a hat for K, and ski goggles for K that will fit over her glasses. Feeling quite confident in my navigational skills, and with the kids still happy with their Subway high, I decided to push the envelope a bit and pitch them on short walk to the Banhofstrasse. With the expectation of more surprises, they readily agreed and followed me like ducklings following their mama.

The Banhofstrasse is THE shopping mecca of Zurich. It is also one of the top shopping districts in the world. It ranks #3 (I'm not sure who measures these things), right behind NYC 5th Avenue, and Hong Kong. It has all the high end stores Chanel, Tiffany, English bookstore, Claires, Armani, Hilfiger, Apple, Jelmoli, tons of other high-end luxury shops, and Globus, which is like a Macy's or Bloomingdales.

I was a woman on a mission, with 2 kids in tow. Since I had just been lost here for an hour 2 weeks earlier(....I'll save that for another post) and traipsed around these streets aimlessly, I knew the way decisively. We headed straight for Globus to the Thomas Sabo jewelry counter.

Thomas Sabo is a jewelry designer and has a collection of beautiful silver charm bracelets and charms. I admired one worn by an acquaintance who explained the bracelet to me, and showed me the charms that marked her travel milestones. There was an Eiffel Tower for Paris, a Double-Decker Bus for London, etc. I thought this would be an excellent souvenir for K&me to commemorate our "European Years." I had scoped it out a couple weeks ago, but now that I had my partner in crime, K, with me, I was ready to pounce. We each picked out a bracelet and 2 charms. K picked out a K and a William Tell Apple with the arrow thru it, to mark her arrival in Switzerland. I picked out the William Tell Apple and a blingy cross which reminds me of the center of the Swiss flag. I was ecstatic to start our collection. K was equally happy and we discussed how we would keep these forever. She said that when she is a teacher, she will use the bracelet to introduce herself to her students and tell them about her life and travels. She's such my little bff. She happily carried the bag around all day.

Next stop was the electronics store. We picked up a toaster for our poptarts and toast. It toasts a cute little smiling sun image onto the toast. I thought it was time to spoil T, who'd been such a trooper, shopping without complaining. He picked out 2 Remote Controlled Cars for him &A. I think the batteries cost more than the cars and neither will likely last long. He was so excited and we couldn't wait to get home and surprise A.

We couldn't rush home, however, there was more work to be done. We stopped at some other little shops, picking up a new scarf for K& m to share, and I took them thru the basement of Jelmoli to feast their eyes upon the nice grocery shop, and treats. This didn't interest them the way it impressed me. They had already spied the next stop, and like a Swiss train, there was no stopping them. They directed me back to street level, over to McDonalds. McD's Really? When there's all these amazing freshly baked treats and chocolate, they want to go to McDs? However, once they ordered their McFlurries, I folded and ordered one too. : ) Yum!

We had to make one final stop on the way home to complete a promise I made to the kids. We stopped in Adliswil station to go to the 2chf (2 franc) shop. This is Zurich's answer to the Dollar Tree. T picked up some new foam swords and some casino games, roulete and a dice game. Yesp casino games. I never saw casino games for kids before....and how did he ever know what these are? I can understand him needing the casino equipment....how else is a child going to earn some money? More swords ? ugh!

We reunited with J&A at home and heard about their hiking day. The hike was vigorous and they both pushed themselves and enjoyed it immensely. They enjoyed the view from the Albis and learned about the amazing Swiss Watchtower system. They had a great time with the Scout troop; A likes the boys and they have met some very interesting global kids.

That night K&T created the Shining Star Casino in T's room. I was simultaneously impressed and perplexed about how well they knew to create a casino. They wore uniforms - red & black clothing. They shut the lights off and we played some casino games by the dim solar lights. They got rid of the clocks so we wouldn't know what time it was, and played great music.. They dispersed fake Euros for spending, and wouldn't let me take pictures (ever the rogue, I managed a few shots...just of my kids!). We had a great time and played roulette, the dice game, and bingo.

Sunday turned out to be cold and rainy, but the weather couldn't dampen our planned tour of the city with Bill Hovey Fleet of Foot Tour of Zurich. Bill is A's Social Studies teacher and he and his family are so knowledgeable about Zurich and living here as ex-pats. We are so grateful for the help they have offered us and we were very excited for Bill's tour. We started at the main train station "Banhof HB" eating delicious mega pretzels for lunch : ) while Bill offered a short history of the trainstation and its art. Then we walked around the Banhofstrasse learning about the history which is largely commemorated in various fountains, statues, and placques found throughout the city. We learned about the Roman origins of the city and saw the ancient Roman baths, the history of the churches and religion, and stained glass art, that influenced the development of the Swiss culture by visiting the Fraumunster & Grossmunster Churches, we saw St. Peter's the largest clock face in Europe, the start of the funky Dada Art movement, the home of Lenin, the mistreatment of the Jews in Zurich, and the legend of the 3 Saints. Bill did a great job of conveying the highlights to give us an understanding of the city, and even managed to keep the kids engaged the whole time. He brought his trusty dog, Roscoe, with him and when he quickly lead the way thru the alleys and streets, he reminded me of the Pied Piper with all the kids eagerly in tow to keep up with him & Roscoe. It was a wonderful tour and I can't wait to take another.

After the tour, we were fairly soaking wet, but our fun was not yet over. We had a Sitter scheduled so that J&I could go out to dinner - alone at last! We headed over to Hiltl, an amazing fab Zurich restaurant. It is an historic institution, founded in 1898. In addition to being one of Zurich's best restaurants, it is also Europe's oldest Vegetarian restaurant. We enjoyed the buffet, eating a vast sampling of the tasty Indian -inspired dishes. There was curried cauliflower, Jasmine rice, nut and raisin muesli, couscous, hummus, guacamole, delicious breads, all sorts of salads, fennel apple, slaw, hot pasta dishes, quiches, apple crumble, all sorts of exotic fruits, breaded and fried jalepeno peppers...way too many for me to recall. It was so tasty that it was hard to believe that it was all vegetarian.

Of course, nothing seems to transpire without incident with me. When we arrived at the restaurant, I was a bit of a mess from our 2 hour tour in the rain. I started at the washroom to freshen up and attempt some damage control. As soon as I arrived in what I thought was the Ladies Room, I heard a man talking to a young child from behind a stall door. They were speaking German so I did not know what they were saying, but it all sounded like regular parental-speak. I immediately panicked, thinking I erroneously entered the Men's Room and turned to quickly exit, when in walked another woman. With the door open, I checked the wording on the door. It clearly said "Damen" and had a picture of a baby as well. I was quite confused. The large man creature with curly wiry hair was now at the sink with the child, washing, and acting totally normal and didn't address me. I was so confused; I couldn't make eye contact, and jumped in a stall, lest I be accused, by this man creature in the Ladies Room, of wierd bathroom behavior. I was so perplexed, and soon returned to my table to tell J what happened. I was certain it was a man....could I have been wrong? No, I'm certain it was a man. I asked the waitress about it....wondering is it possible that men with female children use the ladies room? She brushed it off and said that it wasn't normal, but that "Switzerland is not like the US - we don't have to worry about men...about the things you worry about it the US." I was not insinuating anything of that sort of perversity, I was merely inquiring whether it was the custom that men would enter a ladies' room. So much for her shedding light on my caper. I continued to scan the restaurant hoping to spot the man and to justify my experience to J& the waitress, but I never caught a glimpse.

It was a very nice early evening and I was glad to spend some alone time with my best guy. When we returned home, we found the kids in a happy chaos with their teenage boy Sitter. He did a great job with the kids, and diligently fed them a snack dinner of poptarts and popcorn. They were quite happy with him. A later said that it wasn't like having the other (girl) sitters; it was "fun, like having an older brother." I'm sure they'll be asking him to come back soon and J will be glad to oblige and have some more quality time.