SWITZERLAND 2010 LAST WEEKEND

                        I assume, this happens to most everybody. When you first arrive on vacation, your feeling is you have all the time in the world and it will never end,  and then, a few days before the actual departure, you have this sad emotions in your stomach that it really comes to an end. At least we had two more highlights to look forward to, before boarding a plane to go home.

                       1)  Another birthday party and great friends get together at Brigitte`s house on Saturday.

                       2)  A dinner at Andrea and Toni`s house, with Toni preparing the feast on Sunday.

                        Like I said, I had only 3 days left in Switzerland and I made sure to overdose for Breakfast and lunch on Swiss sausage (Servelat), Mettwurst, raw Speck, Appenzeller and Tilsiter cheese, Chocolate and Zopf (the finest of Swiss egg bread) , because who knows how long it will be before I can taste this again.


                        On Saturday around 5 pm, Andrea, Toni, Donna and myself  where greeted by Brigitte and Bene, her fiancee at there house in Turgi and soon after Brigitte`s mother Else joined the party. And what a great party it was! We enjoyed a Cheese fondue made with Most (cider) and for the first time I dunked some fresh pear morsels in the Cheese and to my surprise it tasted fantastic.

Gorgeous day for on outside dinner

Waiting for the fondue to be served

It looks like Else had a wonderful day too

Brigitte and Andrea talking about Toni

 

                          After enjoying the fondue outside on the patio on this sunny fall evening we retired to the dinning room and got served some fresh cut fruit salad with four different flavors of Ice cream and Chantilly.
                          By then I already consumed  two bottle of Epesses and to top it off, Brigitte and Else twisted my arm to drink first some I believe was Traesch (apple schnapps) and a few shots of Williams.
My only saver was the espressos.

Brigitte serving up the schnapps

Bene observing the party

Else and Brigitte laughing at me 

The Williams taste delicious

Else is retrieving for the night

My new buddy Bene

Toni looks concerned about my drinking

                          We had a fantastic night, reminiscing our past experiences and laughing about some funny happenings. It was so good to be together again after a long five years.


                    
                            I woke up Sunday morning with a little hang over but nothing major. With no activity's planed, we stayed around the house relaxing all day and later that evening Toni treated us with a fabulous Chinese chicken dinner he prepared in his wok. On other great day has passed.

The start of Sunday`s relaxing day

It is too hot for Donna to be in the sun

Observe the beautiful back yard

Toni's afternoon nap with the cat

On other view of the pond

Toni, full of energy from the nap, is cooking our dinner

Dinner is served and Andrea is reaching for the bottle

Donna cant wait to start this delicious meal

Monday morning reading of the walstreet journal

Last minute shopping! Ha

 

                            Monday, October 4th,  reality sinks in. This is our last day of our sensational vacation. In the morning Donna and I  went to Bulach to the bank and some last minute souvenir shopping and in the afternoon Toni helped me to bring back the stinky rental car, while Donna started to pack our luggage. For good measure Andrea checked us in over the Internet to save time next morning in the airport. Later we all spend our last evening in a local restaurant with Pizza and Beer.

                               We could not have a better vacation and most of the credit goes to Andrea and Toni who went out of their way to accommodate our needs, even delaying  their planed bath room renovation.
                               Thank you so much!

SWITZERLAND 2010 BIRTHDAY

                            This  is the start of my Birthday month, October 1st. I got up early and enjoyed the sunrise out on the terrace with a cup of fresh ground coffee, watching the approaching planes to their destination at airport Zurich / Kloten. Every morning at around 7:45 am the gigantic Airbus 380 arrives from Singapore, and this morning I captured the flight on video.

View from Andrea and Toni`s terrace



Arriving of Airbus 380 at 7:45 am

Celebrating early

In the backyard of Andreas and Toni`s house, before leaving for today

                             Donna and I left the house at 10am to check out the shopping center Spreitenbach. Mostly window shopping, we walked through the whole complex for 3 hours inclusive a lunch break for a delicious salami sandwich and some beverage. From there we drove a short distance to my home town Vogelsang, where I spent my entire childhood. 49 years ago in 1961 I left Vogelsang for good and I still miss the place, that's why I like to check it out every time I return to Switzerland. Of course a lot changed since then, but our house, the school, the restaurants and other buildings are still there, so are some neighbors from back then.

The back of my childhood house

(notice:  the house and garden need a lot of work, my father would have never let this happen)

The walkway over the train bridge 

The house from across the river



                             Directly in front of our house where we lived, the two big river Aare and Reuss joined each other, forming a sizable island which is now close to gone. Donna has some vivid memories  visiting the island, swimming across the river with me and my brother Toni, about 20 years ago. How many American girls can claim that?

Two tree are left from the fairly sized island

                              After  chatting with our ex neighbor and schoolmate 60 years ago, we went to the restaurant "Landhus", a old hang out of ours.

Enjoying some beverage on the patio of the restaurant "Landhus"

Cruising through my home town

                             Back to Neerach we took the route over Turgi and  Nussbaumen, where my father spent the last years of his life.

Beautification of a traffic circle in Nussbaumen

                               It was still my birthday and I got reminded of it when Andrea gave me a nice present on our arrival at home.

My birthday present  from Andrea and Toni

( it arrived safely home in St. Charles and we already enjoyed halve of it)

                              After freshening up, Andrea, Toni, Donna and I went to a fabulous Dinner in the "Wilde Man" Restaurant in Neerach, ordering Salad, Filet Mignon, Dessert and some good wine. Afterwards we celebrated some more in the Cow Bar next door. ( a Cow stable converted in to a night club).

Happy birthday dinner party

Not so happy

(must be the photographer)

Donna and Andrea in heavy Cow Bar conversation

Bacardi coke and a "foofoo" drink

Great after dinner Party



Sorry there was some alcohol involved

                              Tired but very happy we turned in for the night. I had a great Birthday !

SWITZERLAND 2010 BACK TO NEERACH

                        Thursday morning, September 30th, we had to pack our car with all our belongings, clean the apartment, close the storm shades on the windows and balcony door and lock up the place. Last but not least, we had to dispose of and recycle our garbage in to glass, plastic and regular junk. Not knowing the location of the recycle places, we had to drive all over the town to find  the right place for each item.



                        Shortly after that ordeal we took the highway to Bern via Thun and stopped in "Grauholz", a famous highway rest stop with restaurants and shops, to meet up with my best friend of 51 years. Heinz and I did our apprenticeship together as cooks and for the next ten years worked together in the same hotels all over the world. He then settled down in Switzerland and we visit whenever there is a chance.

By the entrance of a highway rest stop

                         He reserved a table of 4 in a very popular restaurant in Mattstetten. It was venison season
and we ordered  "Reh Pfeffer" with "Spatzli" and to start with a Nussli salad. It can not get any better.

Donna, Margaret and Heinz waiting for "Reh Pfeffer"

                                                     After lunch, Heinz and his wife Margaret showed us there new home, not far from Bern, in Schonbuhl. Soon after we had to leave. The visit was short but great.

At Heinz and Margaret`s home

Two old, well traveled, former Executive Chefs

Donna and Margaret

                           Traffic on the highway to Zurich was horrendous and we arrived 5:30 pm in Neerach, deciding to go first for a drink and a snack in the restaurant Sternen , before going home to Toni and Andrea.

Back in Neerach

                            We where received with open arms again. They just finished working an the renovation of there upper bathroom and started cooking some mouth watering, delicious looking Entercotes and very special potatoes. I wished then, that I would have given them my arrival time. I would have some of that too.

                            We called it on early night, because tomorrow will be a special day for me.

SWITZERLAND 2010 DAYS OF RELAXATION

                          After traveling through half of Switzerland the past two days we needed some rest. After all we are on vacation. We got up late and stayed home all morning, enjoying a brunch containing of sausages, dry meat,  assorted cheese,  fresh bread from our bakery,  nutella,  Hero marmalade and butter. Fabulous!

A good view of Grindelwald from the balcony

                           About 1 pm we went up to Grindelwald for last minute shopping and some drinks.
Drinks came first and we went to Grindelwald sport center. We had a corner table in the bar with glass windows, on one side with a view of the tropical pool area and on the other side of on arctic ice rink where they played hockey. Pretty nifty.

The tropical side

10 year olds had a coaching session

Donna is ready for shopping

                            Afterwards we walked up and down the main street, buying some Swiss souvenir clothing for ourselves. Taking it easy we soon took the train back home. For the last time in this vacation we had dinner in the restaurant Grund, just 200 yards from home.

View through the window from our favorite "Restaurant Grund"



                             That night we were out of Bacardi but we still had a refrigerator full of "Rugenbraeu", a local beer. Donna enjoyed some champagne and I reduced our beer inventory, together with my usual Krumme.

    * * *

                               Wednesday, September  27th,  we decided to drive the car to Interlaken  to take a boat ride on the lake of Brienz.  Half way down the hill our drive got interrupted by some cows, going home from the alps. Luckily we had to follow them only about 15 minutes before there turned on to their home pasture. The cows where acting very happy, being home for the winter. 

We had to drive very slow,  it would be inconsiderate to pass the cows

Happy cows turning into there Pasture

                           

                                  Soon we boarded the Boat in Interlaken and stayed outside on the upper deck to enjoy the view. Beautiful sunshine and no clouds made for the gorgeous scenery. But the cool breeze from the lake made us move inside in to the restaurant. With windows all around we still could enjoy the view and on top we had lunch and a bottle of Epesses. The round trip took exactly 3 hours, and we had a great time.

Ready for departure

Leaving the dock

Beautiful, but breezy

Boats build for tourists

Check out the sky and the water



Prost !

Enjoying the ride

Wienerschnitzel and pomme frites with lots of Swiss Ketchup

                               Coming off the boat, we had a quick espresso on the terrace of the boat dock restaurant and Donna detected and loved a great car she would like to buy to go back and forth to work.





Street legal

Just the right size



                                On the way home we had to visit a grocery store to purchase more Epesse for our enjoyment on the balcony. Still full from our late lunch, I only fixed some penne pasta Alfredo and Nussli salad for dinner.

                               Sadly this was our last night in Grindelwald, but our most precious one. It was unreal as our (we consider them the best pictures of our entire trip), will prove.

My face is in this picture to prove I was there

Mountain on fire ! our best picture



Click on the picture to see for real

Wetterhorn, the name of the Mountain

The sun is disappearing





You really had to be here to appreciate this show !