Alicia Altmueller

Elba

Island - Die Insel The walk to the beachTaking time to relaxAfter a week of heat and cities- we hopped the ferry to the Island Elba. We parked the car when we arrived and only touched it when it was time to pack up and head to the ferry. We

Florence

Florence - Florenz We ended our city tours in Florence. It was unbelievably hot there. It hit 105F (40.5C). With the heat, we decided not to see as much as we initially planned and slow our pace. However, we did walk to the Piazzale Michelangelo. The stairs were many

Gondola

Gondola - Die Gondel Our last night in Venice we took a Gondola ride. It was spectacular to go through through the canals. As the sun was setting and the city canals were getting quieter by the minute. (Other than the local singing out his window). This was the highlight

Venice by Night

By night - durch Nacht

Venice

Venice - Venedig Venice is beyond words. As a child I remember seeing the gondolas in a book. I remember seeing the striped shirts and the straw hats. To see it in person is even more.   I will share more photos than words for this post.

Trieste

Trieste - Triest Our Italian tour starts in Trieste. We spent 2 nights  there, walking through the the city.  The first day, we got there just as evening was setting in. We walked the city, had an amazing dinner at Casa Pepe Pizze e Cucina [https://www.pepepizza.it/] and

Graz

To begin - anfangen German classes are completed (for this month) and vacation has begun.  We packed the car, said goodbye (for now) to Vienna and headed to Italy.  Our first stop in Italy is Trieste.  About halfway there, we took a break in the city of Graz. We spent

Vienna Central Cemetery

Cemetery - der Friedhof I realize that these are the first photos I am posting of Vienna from this stay.  I promise the cemetery is not the only place we have visited. It is however, one I want to write about - because it is so interesting. The Vienna Central

Storks

Stork - der Storch Of all the neighbors in our new area in Switzerland - the storks are my favorite. (For the record - we have very nice human neighbors). When we moved in - we knew there were storks in the area - but we didn't realize

Sing with Me

Folk Songs - Das Volkslieder As part of the school where I am learning German in Vienna- they offer additional opportunities. They range from walking tours to additional class time. My friend in class that has been a teacher of languages, suggested the singing class. She said it would be

Return to Wien

lernen - to learn the view from the corner of my classroom Summer is here and with borders opened more - we made some plans! On Monday morning, I hopped on the train to Vienna. Klara was waiting for me when I arrived 8 hours later. We had a great

Austrian Anniversary

Wedding Anniversary - Der Hochzeitstag Stephan and I have been married - a few times... First we had a private ceremony with only about 12 people in my parents backyard in front of a judge. Later that evening we were married with family and friends in Florida, where my parents

Storm

Storm - Der Sturm The start of the summer has been filled with rain and thunderstorms.   We have found that waiting for the rain to pass before heading out for a walk - isn't worth it. We are enjoying the lake in all types of weather. Some walks

My Grandmother's Sofa

Sofa - Das Sofa sitting on the porch in CarrboroWhen moving here, we had to decide on what items we really needed/wanted to bring with us. That included what had sentimental value. Stephan insisted on my dad's bookshelf and the game table he got from his mother

Two Years

Two Years - Zwei Jahre the new neighborhoodToday marks two years for three out of four of us in Zürich. Stephan arrived 6 weeks before us. I still can remember that long, emotional day of flights. We were exhausted, anxious and excited all in the same breath. It was an

Natural Surroundings

Nature - Natur The natural beauty of the new neighborhood is beyond my expectations.  Each day and most nights - we walk to the lake - or to the mountain roads near us. Either direction there is some form of nature waiting to share its colors with us. On good

Neuhausen am Rheinfall Part 2

repeat - wiederholen Last week Stephan, Miriam and I took a quick trip to the Rheinfalls. It was a workday and school day for most  (not my two) so we took advantage of the smaller number of visitors. Miriam and I had been there with our castle buddies [https://www.

Uster-Maur-Riedikon

spontaneous - spontan After what feels like weeks of rain and cold - Saturday was perfect. Stephan and I went on a short walk that turned into a half a day of pure enjoyment. We decided we would take our usual walk to the lake and walk to the badi

Wild Flowers

Wildflowers - Die wilde Blumen This is our first year experiences spring on the countryside in Switzerland.  The flowers are amazing.  They are all over. On the side of the road, near a field, in the preserve and just about anywhere you turn around here - there are wildflowers. There

Sunset

Sunset - der Sonnenuntergang Stephan and I try to take a walk each night to regenerate from the day. In the new area we live, we are just a quick walk to the lake or to the hills overlooking the lake. One particular night, the colors really struck me. Unfortunately,

Spring

Spring - Der Frühling Even though our temperatures have been quite chilly at times - spring is definitely here. The colors on the trees and the ground are swiftly brightening the days - even on rainy ones. I see baby animals in the fields and all the birds in the

Where should I move it?

Where - Wo Stephan looked over at my grandmothers singer sewing machine and said, "Hmmmm....  it looks like we moved it too close to the wall, the tile border is pulling off the wall." I responded, "Bummer - where should we move it?" And with that

Sunset

sunset - der Sonnenuntergang Often Stephan and I will take walks together. It is our time to talk - or to walk in silence and just be...  For this post - I will just write a brief introduction. These are photos from walks in the new neighborhood. The photos above

So this is 50

50 - fünfzig Recently, I marked my 50th birthday.  I started this post early that morning surrounded by moving boxes. (We moved to the new apartment just a couple days prior). This is not the 50th birthday I ever imagined, not 1 year ago, not 10 years ago, not even

Roses

Roses - Die Rosen It has been a while since I posted. A lot has changed and yet, not much has changed. We moved, Passover happened and well, we are still in a pandemic.  I have a few more wordy posts coming but felt a check in would be a