Vienna and Zurich

One bad thing about living in Houston (as opposed to New York) is that I can't fly direct to Vienna....boooooo connecting flights!

Looking down at Austria....Hallo Osterreich!

To start the trip, I flew from Houston to Amsterdam...then from Amsterdam to Vienna....ahhhhh home!

I didn't waste anytime getting back into the groove either. Richi picked me up at the airport, we hung out at his house (my home away from home in Vienna), then we went out to Schloss Neugabaude.

Schloss Neugabaude is a mid-16th century imperial hunting lodge/castle within walking distance to Richi and Anita's house. Kelly and I have been there many times with R and A....there is a great beer garden and good food!

Richi and I had some chicken, potato salad, cabbage and beer....we caught up and discussed our plans for the weekend. A great first night in Vienna.

...did I mention September is also the Sturm season? Oh yes....young wine, rapidly fermenting giving it a slight carbonation.......yummy. Nothing goes better with hearty, rich or savory food like a cool mug of Sturm!

Over the weekend, I had National Team camp, got to see a lot of old friends and, as expected, I spent a good bit of time at the pub of friends Gary and Inge.

On Sunday night, I hopped the overnight train for stop #2.... Zurich!

Its been a year or more since I have visited cousin Michael, Gabi and the kids, so I was looking forward to this leg of my trip.

As everyone knows, they are no fun and very, very boring.

I spent 3 days with the Swiss Haltigans enjoying every minute of their company. I always enjoy sitting and chatting with Michael and Gabi....and eating all the good things coming out of their kitchen.

...and of course, playing with the kids...holy cuteness with their little swiss accents.

Michael and I got to spend a lot of time together which was nice.

Goodbye Zurich and Swiss Haltigans...hope to see you soon!

Next up were two countries I had never been to! Stay tuned.

M,M & K do Z

Mercer's 2010 quality of living survey rates Vienna as the number one city in the world to live in. I like to think me living here helped nudge her into the top spot.

Zurich is number two on the survey.

I think that's because of these folks.

After 3 1/2 days in Vienna, Mrynn, Moira & myself boarded the Zürich-bound overnight train. Like three monkeys in a cage, we nested ourselves down in our bunks for a series of short naps. I'm fairly certain there's no such thing as a full night's sleep on a train.

But zleep or no zleep - Zürich iz a lovely Zity, with a tram zystem that'll get you anywhere (if you can figure out how to buy the ticketz.) It'z a zity full of friendly, helpful Zwiss people, yodeling away and zpeaking English cheerfully to vizitors.

And if you get lost in the surrounding mountains they'll send up a St. Bernard with this on his neck to rescue you. I'm telling you, they're a very helpful people.

Zo, what did we do in Zürich? We had a wonderful neighborhood World Cup BBQ at Michael's church.

We heard Beethoven's fifth in the old city.


We strolled the shores of Lake Zürich where we met a band of Hari Krishnas dancing, singing and throwing free fruit to the crowd.

We hiked along the hilltops on the outskirts of the city where we met this dapper fellow...

...saw some spectacular scenery...

...ate some delicious mountaintop food...

...and took a gondola down towards home just as a wild, windy storm blew in. Maryanne almost s*** her pants in fear while me, Michael & Moira alternately teased and reassured her.

About the halfway point in our hike, we went from the tower in the distance to another tower a couple hilltops away. It was a glorious (though sweaty) day.

Of course the REAL highlight of any trip to Zürich...

...are these little babushkas. Here Moira shows off her new dress as Silas prepares to enter the runway wearing his special World Cup jersey.

World's most patient older brother Juri poses for Silas who spent about an hour snapping artsy shots on Mrynn's camera after dinner on our last night.

Actually that last night was a highlight of the trip for all three of us. The kids had really loosened up with us, and dropped the last of their shy schtick. The sun set, the evening cooled off, the food was delish, the wine & beer flowed and we chatted and laughed as we took our time and really relaxed into the lovely summer night.

You can tell Moira enjoyed herself too - look at those happy eyes!!!

Michael hammed it up (as usual) and Silas even got the nerve up to look straight at the camera! Maybe it was his new haircut?

All told, it was a marvelous three days. Many thanks to Michael & Gabi for juggling three guests, a flooded basement, three kids, a neighborhood party and one cat with style and grace.

Stay tuned for the final installment of The Adventures of M,M & K in which our heroines tackle the city of lights (and by tackle I mean sit at sidewalk cafés and eat cheese.)

-k.

p.s. Happy birthday Momma.

What not to do on a Swiss streetcar

A recent trip to Zurich found myself & two traveling companions riding the city's phenomenal tram system. Though I'm partial to Vienna and will argue its superiority in all things (including streetcars) Zurich's system is still pretty bad ass.

We noticed there were a few rules, which was alright by us. You don't get a world-class, city-covering trolley system without a few rules in place. Pretty standard stuff really. No smoking, no feet on chair. No, ummm, empty pockets? No playing guitar? Ohhhh-kay.

And no...wait a minute, what? Really? This is a problem? Alright, alright, it's your tram system Zurich. Have it your way.

No sawing the tram seats.

I suppose I can live with that.

-k.

Swissyland!!

This past Friday found us on the overnight train to Zurich. Chris and his Cherokees were playing in the Swiss Open box lacrosse tournament so I tagged along to catch up with everyone's favorite cousin, Michael. I finally got to meet Gabi and their two kids Silas & Moira. I was utterly charmed by all of the above. The only disappointment was not getting to meet oldest sibling Juri, as he was with his Dad for the weekend, but I am holding out hope for the spring!

It's been about 10 years since I last visited Zurich, so I didn't remember much. My first impression this time around?

Holy mackerel it's snowy here!!

Second impression? My cousin has a ginourmous head o' hair on him!

I was calling him Jock Ewing the whole weekend. Which I guess would make Silas J.R. But pirate Silas prefers a saltier setting than Southfork...

Old Silas Red Greaves said "Your hook is pitiful, ye grog-snarfing landlubber. Blast ye, ya scurvy dog! " Or at least I think he did, since he said it in German and I'm a little, ummm, rusty. (Read: have been lazy about doing my language studies.)

My German was more on a level with two-year old Moira. Mainly because only 3 out of every fifteen words she says are actual words. We got along swimmingly. Plus she likes to climb up on your lap and just hang out. 'Nuff said.

What with all the snow and the hair and the cute kids lying around, we decided to get out of the house and...

...go sledding!!

After a few well-aimed snowballs of course.

Mommy & Daddy do all the grunt work. Isn't that nice?
See that extra sled Gabi is pulling? That's the one us grownups took turns using. Woooooo!

It was a wee little hill in the park just beside their house, tres convenient for an hour's worth of snowy fun. But wee little hill or not, I wasn't brave enough to accompany Moira down the slope. That cargo is way too precious for me to take responsibility for.

After all the sledding and snowball throwing we came home to meet Chris, back from the lacrosse tournament (ahem, first place!) just in time to start the Moira throwing....

...and to challenge Ol' Silas Red Greaves to a duel. A duel fought in, quite literally, every room of the house (basement too!) Chris is a great one for revving up any available children to a fever pitch until that they are bouncing off the walls and screaming their heads off with laughter just before bedtime. That comes with the territory of "Professional Uncle." But to his credit he also took a quiet moment with the little ones to check out a book...

Look what happens when you occupy both children's attention for a few minutes. No wonder Michael & Gabi are happy to welcome guests!!

For reals though, people, these guys were great hosts, I felt welcome, comfy and at home. It was so nice to spend time with one of my favorite people and get to know his favorite people. The kids are big, giant mushes who were easily entertained and delightfully pleased to have a visitor. I tell you, those little monsters are good for my ego. So vielen dank, Michael & Gabi. Hope to be able to return the favor soon.

-k.

Swiss Family Haltigan

My time in Switzerland was centered around home base at Haltigan Haus in Zurich.

Centrally located and easily accessible by public transportation, I was able to hop out to other locations easily from the Zurich main train station.

Michael & Gabi already have a full house with 3 kids, but they made room for me....but you have to be careful, cause lil' Moira is always underfoot ! She logs about 100 miles a day and brings her smile to wherever the action is.

Gabi had to work much of the time that I was there, which means Michael was HausFrau, making meals etc...and a great job he does indeed.

My little buddy Silas was the star of the show, he's at that perfect age where you can barely stand how cute they are....especially when they just want to spend time with you.

It wasn't all fun and games, there was serious business as well...like starting the boys' lacrosse training...Silas & Juri got a few lessons and I left a stick there with a rigid training schedule.

Somehow I didn't get a picture of Gabi...(sorry) but I thank all the Swiss Haltigans for their hospitality.... Vielen herzlich Dank

Ladies & gentlemen....presenting Silas...enjoy