It’s berry picking time! For the last two years, I have wanted to go, but by the time I got to planning, the season was already over. Lesson learned for this year: DON'T DELAY.
We teamed up with some friends. What a lovely morning of picking ... and maybe a little sampling...
Please ignore the Christmas sweater. Six-year-olds dress themselves.
In previous trips to Zurich we had limited time and specific places we wanted to visit so seeing the city wasn't high on the priority list. But this weekend, we wanted to take our time touring the city and getting a feel for "big city life in Central Europe". Here's our 3 day weekend in the three major activities we did.
Part 1: Scenic tour of the Old Town
The tour starts near the Zurich Hauptbahnhof and proceeds into the historic city center with it's tree covered plaza and elevated views to the east across the Limmat river. Here you can take in the lovely weather while your children pester the local pigeons. Further along the path is Fraumunster church with its beautiful frescos covering the walls of the small cloister next to the church. After reaching the lake we crossed over the river and went on a search for playgrounds before heading downstream on the other side of the river to enjoy the treelined river walk.
Later in the evening we went to a local BBQ restaurant named Brisket Southern BBQ to enjoy some Texas style barbeque! It was delicious and the water glasses came with ice cubes. Amanda would also like to point out that there were Margarita's.
Stalking pigeons
I'm told this is an Amanda trait. Looks like it's getting passed down
We almost caught this one!
Silently we wait...
You want me to stand AND smile? But the pigeons are over there
Can we go back to chasing pigeons?
So we turned down a random street and happened across my Mom's favorite paint company
Wooden cat statue at a rather nondescript playground
ICE CUBES!!!
Part 2: Football and Ferries
Zurich is also home to FIFA HQ and has a museum for enthusiasts and spectators alike. We fall more loosely into the spectator category but I had read that there were loads of activities for the kids to do so it seemed like a good indoor activity for what was still a cool morning.
At the ticket desk you can request a children's scavenger hunt to guide the kids through the museum and allow the adults time to read about the history of the game and the achievements of the athlete's, coaches and teams of the past and present. This worked a treat and the girls (all 3 of them!) were fully invested in the activity.
At the end of the scavenger hunt is an indoor skills area where you can demonstrate your abilities in passing, shooting and dribbling around obstacles. It was really quite a bit of fun. In all the museum was very well done and we would definitely recommend to anyone who has even a moderate interest in the game.
someone should tell Olivia we are at a different kind of football museum
this seems a little heavy handed for my tastes but then Europe has a bit more of a totalitarian history than the US
trying to explain a floppy disk to today's kids is far more difficult than I thought
"I can jump this high Charlotte"
"SEE!"
The display of every country's national jersey was one of my favorites and we were able to find all three nations Amanda and I have lived in.
Other things to do down by the Zurichsee are ferry rides! The girls love taking trains and buses everywhere but we hadn't taken a boat yet. Well today was the day. The ferry runs all over the lake and round trip tickets are relatively cheap for a trip that takes around an hour to complete. And when the weather is nice the views of the shore and mountains in the distance are stunning and the air has a nice crisp feel to it as you whip through the water!
Someone may be a boat girl! She hadn't been this calm in months!
Okay maybe two boat girls in the family.
Make it three. I guess I'm buying a boat.
This looks fun!
I think nap time approached faster than we anticipated.
It's for sale. I've got 10 CHF for a down payment. Who's joining me?
Part 3: Chocolate covered ending
One of the things Switzerland is best known for is Chocolate. It's one of the things we have been most spoiled with over the last two years. So when Amanda suggested we go on a "Chocolate Tour" of the city to end our stay the decision was as easy as they get. There are literally dozens of chocolate shops spread around the city but the tour itself focuses on about 10 of them. It also starts by the lake which is quickly becoming one of my favorite areas in all of Switzerland.
First we had donuts for breakfast (because we were worried we wouldn't have enough sugar on the day)
Dupl-kate with her sugary selection of the morning
White chocolate! What a travesty of parenting! There is no hope for these kids!
Quick dance break between bites.
As V once famously opined "A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having"
Ice Cream gets in on the act!
You might notice the Amanda & Olivia have bonus things on their ice cream. It's because they can order in German and ask for them.
Oh wall of chocolate, How you shimmer in the incandescent glow. I think nothing better of late, than to watch this current flow.
With everyone full invested into a chocolaty sugar high it was time to leave Zurich for our own wonderland in the happy valley! So I leave you with what may be my new standard salutation.
