Saturday, August 25, 2012

Picture Perfect Swiss Souvenirs



These things caught my eye:



Cupboard carvings.



Lacy linens.


Rustic restaurants.



Breakfast buns.


Funky fountains.



Cozy corners.



Decorative doors.



Gorgeous gastronomy.



Quaint Kitsch.



Ancient architecture.



My main man.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Photo Tour of Switzerland


Arrive Zurich, Switzerland
8:05 AM.


"Oh my gosh, you guys!
Are you here, too??"


Zurich Hauptbahnhof.

Hannah freaks.


Mack fades.


"You won't believe this train ride."


Two hours of alpine villages ...


Swiss meadows and lakes before we arrive in Luzern.



Right across from the train station is the Chapel Bridge, built in the 1300s. Paintings representing Christ line the ceiling. The oldest part of town is on the other side.



"Come on!"


The architecture is my favorite part.


How old do you think that roof is?



We can't give in to jet lag—
Keep walking!


The whole city of Luzern is an art museum.



"Are we there yet?"


Süsse Träume!



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Kidspeak



While we were gone, baby Seth joined our family.
Marta is Seth's mom, and Dan is Seth's dad.


Benji is Seth's big brother, and he came for a sleepover last night. Dee graciously let Benji share the master bedroom with me, and I made him a comfy bed on the floor with a feather tick, quilts and several fluffy pillows.

"Who's sleeping there, Oma?" he asked.
"You," I replied.
"Well," he said, "I could sleep in the bed."
"I thought I'd sleep in the bed," I said.
"Well, it's big enough for two," he said.
"Really?" I said.


He's learning to share his mom and his dad.
It might be too much to expect him to share his bed!
(The floor wasn't that comfy, by the way.)

Welcome to Seth Wells Dansie
Cousins Club Member #22


Read Marta's beautiful new-baby post here.




Thursday, August 2, 2012

Message from München

We're on the trip of a lifetime, showing our favorite places to one of our favorite families. Our son Josh, his wife Christie and their three kids McKay (14) Chase (almost 13) and Hannah (10) met us in Switzerland. (I put a bunch of photos of Lucerne on Instagram, and wrote on Facebook about our stay in Salzburg, Austria.)

Now we're in Germany, and the WIFI in our hotel is $25 a day! Luckily there's a computer in the lobby so I can keep this trip journal going. On a daytrip from Munich Stie, Hannah and I toured the original Sleeping Beauty castle (Neuschwanstein) and Linderhof, another of Mad King Louis' fairytale castles.The weather was perfect and the crowds were non-existant! We stopped and shopped in Oberammergau, a tiny town famous for its painted buildings, wood carvings and Passion Play.

The guys spent three hours looking at historic BMW motorcycles and watching BMW cars being made. Chase and McKay are now planning to build themselves a car. They searched online all evening for ideas. The only thing that could pull them away from car websites was a huge selection of Bavarian pastries. The food so far has been a major attraction! Tomorrow we fly to England where the restaurants aren't so tempting.

It's amazing how well this family gets along. No arguing, complaining, pouting, tension. Even when it's hot and there's a wait, or a long-ish tour with a strange-ish tour guide, nobody whines. There is constant laughter and good-natured teasing. I'm not exaggerating. We're into our second week together and I haven't heard a cross word.

Travel, especially foreign travel is stressful--close quarters, constant togetherness, no privacy, unfamiliar conditions and different kinds of people. These guys are all great sports, patient, looking for fun, ignoring irritations. Every night a different kid shares our room and it's a party. We split a coke and a cookie from the minibar, and try to be the last one awake.