4 Orange Suitcases

When a Friend Visits for 35 hours

35 - fünfunddreißig My good friend Kim passed through Zürich for 35 hours in September. I am so grateful for every minute of that visit. We ran around trying to cram in as much of Zürich as possible in the limited time we had together. I must say we did

The Moon

Moon - Der Mond Last week the moon was spectacular. Two different nights, two different views, both beautiful views. The first two photos are from the Jucker Farm overlooking the lake. The last two photos are from our street at home.

Freiburg

because  - Weil Freiburg was just a quick trip from Colmar so on our way home from our week vacation - we stopped off for the farmer's market and lunch. It is official - the farmer's market in Freiburg is my favorite of all times. It

Strasbourg

30 - dreißig We took a day trip to Strasbourg while we were visiting Colmar this summer. The six of us hopped on a train and in 30-ish minutes time we were there. Another hot day but still worth the adventure.  We walked from the train station to town and

This is 20

20 - Zwanzig Twenty years goes very fast when this woman is your daughter. Strong and determined!  She continues to amaze us with her endless effort in making herself, the people around her and the world a better place. Two years of living on her own in a new country

Colmar

buildings - die Gebäude We spent a week in the Grand Est region of France with the crew. It is right across the border of Germany and Switzerland. We stayed in the city center of Colmar.  Colmar is a lovely little town with streets right out of the Beauty and

July recap

July - Juli July went by in a blur. We started with Miriam's school ball and ended on vacation with the whole crew.  In between, Miriam's friend from the US arrived, Klara and Benedikt came for a visit, celebrated Miriam's birthday and then COVID

Chäserrugg Panorama Trail

ankle - der Knöchel Summer has begun and the adventures have followed. After a three year wait, Miriam's friend from NC arrived. Pandemic be damned - she got her and we are thrilled!  Our first weekend with her - we tried to show her a little bit of

Lötschberg Tunnel

tunnel - Der Tunnel On our way to the mountains the road led us to the Lötschberg tunnel. We did not realize it was not one we would not be able to drive through - but rather be driven by a train. So we paid our fee and drove onto

Grächen

thunder - der Donner The past couple weekends have been long due to holidays celebrated here. So we took advantage of that with a couple weekend trips. I will work backwards. This past weekend our dear friend hosted us in her new Chalet. (Heh Swiss folks - because she just

Mushrooms!

mushroom - der Pilz It is the season for rain and sun - so mushrooms are out and about in the woods! This morning Stephan and I walked to our favorite spot at the lake to sit and watch the ducks and boats.  Few words today- more photos. The views

Six Years

Six - Sechs It has been six years since my mom passed. Today, Stephan and I took a morning walk around town. We walked through the local flea market (my mom would have been proud). We did not find anything to buy (my mom would not have been proud).  It

Hohenems

climate - Klimat At the end of Klara's visit, we spent a day in Austria. Many young people in Austria, like Klara, have a Klimat Ticket. That means they pay a flat rate a year and can use any form of public transport in all of Austria.  So

Yellow Flowers

yellow- gelb Spring  brings amazing colors to the area. The flowers are in full bloom. Today, I will share the yellow hues. I am looking forward to sharing the red poppies that will be coming in May. These are canola plantsYou can see the stripes of yellow canola plants across

Luzern

40 - vierzig On the same day as Bremgarten, we continued onto Luzern. It was a lovely day and it was only 40 minutes between the two. We decided it was a perfect afternoon for a city stroll, good greek food and a little extra sun.

Bremgarten

Easter Monday  - Der Ostermontag Most of the region is closed on Easter Monday. However, Bremgarten hosts a Easter Monday fair on that day. This has been a tradition for over 800 years. We had never been to this medieval village but figured it was time to explore. It is

Live Music

music- Der Musik For the first time since the pandemic we went to a show. From the time, I was growing up and working every summer at the campground - the only activity outside of seeing friends was music. I would go to SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) and get

Grape Juice

Juice - Der Saft We do our best to buy from the local region. I have stopped buying fruit out of season. At first I missed it but now it has become easier. It just feels like the next step in our journey to walk lighter on the planet. I

Spring

Winter is over, Spring arrives - Der Winter is vorbei, Der Frühling kommt The season is changing to spring. However, this spring feels different. It feels more needed than previous one. This was my first sighting of these native flowers. I love how they grow in clumps and then sporadically

Lost Bunny

Bunny - der Hase Years ago, Miriam had a "lovey" named Bunny Bee. This bunny went everywhere with her. And like most kids there is a moment in time, the switch from taking the friend on every adventure - to leaving it at home. For Miriam it happened

Pancake Day

Torn Pancakes -  Kaiserschmarn Tuesday is Pancake Day. It is a holiday that is connected to with Easter. Some celebrate with Mardi Gras and some celebrate with Pancake Day. At least in the UK - it is a day off for most. In Switzerland, Mardi Gras is really big (Basel

Swarovski Kristallwelten

crystal - Der Kristall On Saturday, we took the shuttle bus from the main train station to Swarovski's main location. The factory, the museum, playground and gift shop. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. We entered the museum

Top of Innsbruck

Cable Car - Die Seilbahn There are two options to see Innsbruck from above. First up was the three cable cars to get to the top of Nordkette mountain chain. The view and the trip up made it a perfect outing. Lots of people were skiing. One of our favorite

Innsbruck

Roof - Das Dach The train ride to InnsbruckMiriam is on ski break for two weeks. We decided to lay low and catch up on sleep and rest. However, we got the travel bug and decided to escape for a couple nights. We took the train to Innsbruck, Austria for

Liechtenstein

The End - das Ende The final leg of Birgit and my getaway was Liechtenstein. This tiny state is located between Austria and Switzerland. It is a constitutional monarchy and run by the Prince.  Liechtenstein has a population of under 40,000 and about 6o square miles and much of