No Whining on the Yacht!

So after 14 months of not being back, Eric and the boys came back to California on vacation. I started out with the only the boys for a week while Eric took a three day bike ride through the Swiss Alps. He had a great time (albeit a few extra climbs due to getting lost) on his self made journey, getting to see small towns and beautiful natural scenery, riding from Geneva to Interlaken. Eric has officially got the biking bug again (maybe the kids being older makes it easier to excuse himself for hours on end) - anyone intersted in coming to bike in Europe has a willing partner (and he is willing to organize as well)! As for his route, it was one beautiful village after another - I don't think Eric or I will ever tire of the Swiss countryside and mountains - it is as pretty as it gets!
So no reason to feel sorry for me with the kids and work in California- I got greeted at the airport from friends who wisked my kids away as I went to get our rental car - the agent was a bit confused when she asked me how many people the car was for, and I said 4 of us - then she asked, "where are they?" When I got to their house (our neighbors across the street from our house) other neighbors stopped in despite the 9 pm hour to say a quick hi - a true flavor of the next two weeks...

Every night was a pool party, dinner with friends, an impromptu get together with the neighbor walking down the street with a bottle of wine...We were so overwhelmed with all the love and affection - we can't wait to get home and back into the community again - it is nice to know we are not forgotten!

It was great to see the kids in action as well - it was as if they never even had left. Everyone got along great, and the whole two weeks was a duct tape festival of sorts - Karl and Bennett taught everyone the nuances of making wallets, purses, and roses, and between hawking their wares and lemonade, they both left California with fat little wallets of their own!

One evening included an event that really had an effect on me: one dear friend was complaining a bit about the effort it takes to clean their vacation home. And another friend said:

No Whining on the Yacht!

Now, the person really didn't complain that much - but it really struck me there really is nothing for me and Eric to complain about - and yet, we find so much to complain about: I don't like this about my job, it's too cold, why does my spouse work so late, why is it so windy, why is dollar doing so bad, why can't I lose the weight, etc...

This is not about comparing ourselves to starving people in India - it was just so clear to me the power of ATTITUDE, at when things are good or things are bad, it is all about the attitude you carry with the situation to be satisifed - dare I say happy! - with things just the way they are. Life is good - and we should not forget it.

So we left California with our pockets and hearts full of love and appreication and good attitude - we can not thank everyone enough for all the great meals, hospitality, and efforts that made our trip so memorable. And then we made our way to vacation (for me at least) in Sweden...

When in Rome...

Ah, Italy... What can you say. Italy to me and Eric is one of those perfect places - great history, great landscapes, and really great food. As part of the Spring 2011 Somerville Amazing Race that Eric had booked last Fall, we did our final leg consisting of a visit to Rome for the long weekend holiday here in Europe for Ascension. Karl had studied the Romans at school last year (California students study the Missons; the Swiss do the Romans as they had settled here) so we thought Rome would be a great place to tour a little history as well as soak up some great relaxing Italian life. It started with a 6 am Wednesday flight departure out of Basel, and ended with delayed flights that got us back to Basel at midnight on Sunday, but we packed a lot of fun travel in between...

I have to say this might have been my favorite trip to date. I think the combination of things to do partnered well with making the right decisions as we went (and great weather did not hurt). It started out at the Colosseum: young people were pitching tours of the place, which ususally we steer clear of. However, the line to get in was 2+ hours long, and for a reasonable fee not only did you get a tour of the Colosseum and then a later tour of the Roman Forum, you got into both immediately. It turns out both tours were awesome - kind of funny, continuously engaging, and fast paced enough that you didn't get bored. Jason, our tour guide of the Forum, noted at the end that he was doing a street tour that night if anyone wanted to join (only 30 Euros for all four of us for two hours), as well as a tour of the Vatican Museum the next day (same deal - you get in immediately rather than wait in line). We chose to do both, and were fully entertained. Eric and I pride ourselves on our back-packing ways but we had to laugh at how much we liked the tours - we are probably two steps closer to the big geriatric tour bus vacation: watch out old age, here we come!

Now an interesting thing to note, is that Rome was a zoo. The crowds were truly unbelievable, and most places seemed like a constant ocean of people. It almost had that claustrophobic effect that you can get in sporting events (I think of leaving Giants games) when you are packed in, and if we had any issues (pick pockets, aggresive people) we would have had a really bad time. However, for some strange reason, it was all ok - no hurry to get anywhere, no reason to get the perfect picture with no one else in it - we were going with the flow which made everything enjoyable. Actually, watching the crowds became part of the show. I tried to pick two of the best pictures to show the crowds: the Vatican Museum was truly a circus - the Sistine Chapel was literally standing room-touching elbows only, with guards constantly yelling (no kidding, they were yelling)for people not to take pictures. As I am a rule-follower you won't see pictures there, but instead I got a picture from one of the halls we walked through. To note, that huge bath/bowl on the left side is made from a purple marble from Egypt that the Romans mined until it was all gone - it is so rare that it is worth ounce for ounce more than gold...pricey little bath, I must say... The other photo is of Trevi Fountain - again, circus is the only word that can describe it. In no way is it even remotely relaxing to sit and enjoy the water - it is just a chaotic crowd of coin throwers and snapshots. Maybe if you tried to come out at 3 am you might get a private moment, but even there I am doubtful...

And life in Rome would not be complete without gelato. I think we stopped for the cold snack at least twice a day - pictured here we came across a grand opening of a new store that was offering free cups to everyone - how can you pass that up! Karl stuck with crema and mint - sometimes a caramel if it was offered; Bennett with stracciatella and chocolate, with coconut once in a while. Eric sampled pistachio, while I was always a sucker for hazelnut. In one place I found chestnut gelato - heaven!!
We ended our short trip with a two day jaunt down the coast: we stopped to tour Pompeii (surprisingly not so crowded, and though hot, not as hot as it could have been); from there we continued on and spent a night in Praiano on the Almafi coast. It turned out to be quite crowded, but with the views and the atmosphere you really didn't care. The people at the hotel were so nice and accommodating - life really doesn't get much better than that...

I also have to comment here that my boys are truly the best travelers in the world. They are remarkably well behaved on airplanes (even at 6 am!),and even though they get wild from time to time I feel they are respectful of other people and museums and churches. We actually had a couple next to us at dinner comment on how they were impressed with our conversation - how engaging their questions were, and what interesting comments they had. This is actually the second time this has happened - a guy in Venice stopped by our table as well to comment on Bennett's insatiable curiosity and how he was certain he would grow up to do amazing things. At moments like this it makes all the endless discipline worth it...

But now we stay put. Well, for three weeks at least until the boys and I return to California for a visit, while Eric takes a detour to Ohio...

The European Whirlwind

So everything is a bit of a blur. The kids had two weeks off for Easter, and Eric, as previously mentioned, had spent the fall booking trips for us to take advantage of our proximity. So hold on to your beret:

We took off on the TGV to Paris and spent 4 days enjoying the City of Lights! Eric and I have a love / hate relationship with France - though I must say if you throw money at a problem, it really can make it go away. A great apartment in a great neighborhood, not looking at prices at sidewalk cafes, and lots of gelato to keep the children's whining to a minimum...

We had no real agenda except to see the Mona Lisa - I love how Karl got a picture that makes it look like he was in the museum by himself...
The Louvre was actually fun despite the masses by buying a book with these cards that was at first a hunt through the museum to find the specified artifact, and then a hunt at the item to find out more about it. It really kept the kids engaged, and kept us from that slow death crawl where you go from piece to piece and get more tired with each step. If anyone is going, be sure to borrow it from us!

We had dream weather so ended up walking a lot and then eating a lot. We had a great time, and now know why everyone loves this city! I am ready to go back, be it a girl's weekend or with the family again. We still have lots more at the Louvre to see!!




I then had to say goodbye, and TGV-ed back to Basel while Eric and the boys spent two days at Disneyland Paris (no longer called EuroDisney, for those who care). I spent three days at work with peace and quiet, but then...

In a complicated maneuver I would only recommend to advanced travel arrangers, Eric and the boys flew from Paris to Venice, where I flew five hours later from Basel and met them there. We spent the weekend enjoying getting lost, hanging on the beach at the Lido, and, no surprise, eating!

The kids got addicted to "fireflies": these little helicopter-like contraptions that you slingshot into the air, that with a LED light attached makes it a fun sight at night. They reached into their own piggy banks to buy 3 each and we talked of the business idea of our kids selling them on the street corner when they get back to California. Lemonade stands are so yesterday...

I will say, though, that we were surprised how "beat up" Venice was looking. Maybe the glamour from our backpacking days had worn off, but it really seems that Venice is full of absent landlords that are sucking their investments dry. Sad, really, that it won't be long until all the charm is really gone...

So the week was crazy - whose life are we living? This can't be the Somervilles...

On the flight home, Eric and I admitted to each other that we were traveled out. It is actually nice that we have stayed put in Basel and surrounding Switzerland since then, but watch out Rome, we are coming in June...

A funny thing happened on the way to Frankfurt...

Most people know I don’t enjoy flying. I should actually stop saying that, as I have flown so much in the last two years that it increasingly feels like a really long, boring bus ride: not exciting, but at least not anxiety provoking. I know things are bad when I can compare and contrast business class amenities between four different airlines, and every week when I talk through my schedule with my assistant, we always have to review my next trip.

As noted, though, most of my flights have been boring – smooth flights (have those wing tips changed turbulence or what?) with little or no delays – if anything I would say I was averaging earlier arrivals. But then that finally changed…

My flight back from my last trip to San Francisco was changed at the last minute due to a schedule rearrangement to visit my doctors at home from Thursday night to Friday night. So instead of flying British Airways via London, I had to switch to United via Frankfurt to get off the standby list and have an actual seat on the plane. So after a week of workshops and meetings, I get to the airport to find two coworkers on the same flight as me – other coworkers are sprinkled on the Swiss Air and Lufthansa flights via Zurich and Munich respectively. Unfortunately, one was having trouble as he had been rescheduled on the flight to California due to ground fog in Munich, and his switching between Lufthansa and United had created a brain freeze in the booking system – he had a reservation on our United flight, but a ticket and no seat on the Lufthansa flight. As flight time was approaching, Mark, the other coworker, and I wished him the best and left him behind so we could get in our comfy, reserved seats and head home.

I am fine with United with the exception of one plane configuration on the 777 – the seats are just Laz-Y-Boy recliners, and the movies are on a reel somewhere so you don’t get to pick to start when you want (talk about the stone ages...). So low and behold, Mark and I get on the airplane, and it is the dreaded 777 – I gag at sight of the seats, and begin the dread of the 11 hour flight… But I am not so easily disheartened – I am exhausted from the week, and pop an Ativan before takeoff to just get drowsy in time to sleep by the time we are at altitude until we are virtually there (I have actually averaged 6-8 hours of sleep, leaving enough time from breakfast just before arriving). We are also dismayed that we don’t see our coworker – doesn’t look like they sorted out his reservation mess, at least not to get on our flight…

Well, I popped the Ativan as we were taxing onto the runway, which turned out to be about 10 minutes too soon, as the pilot turned us around and apologized – mechanical difficulty and we would have to go back to the gate to fix it. So half drowsy, I am talking to Mark about what a drag this is while he is texting others on the Lufthansa flight that they are boarding and doing just fine. Assuming all will be fine, I lay down (as much as I can in the Laz-Y-Boy) and decide to start my nap as I am sure this repair will be fast.

An hour and a half (and a good nap) later, they still can’t fix the issue, and ask us all to disembark and wait in the gate lounge to see if they can fix it or change our plane. By this time it is 9 pm Friday night – Mark is still texting the others who say there are empty seats on their plane, but with the confounded rules that you have to travel with your luggage, options for us to ask to be transferred are nil – besides, this will only take a few more minutes to fix, no?

By 10 pm they finally call it – this flight is grounded for the night, and we need to go back to check-in to get vouchers for hotels and dinner. That is right – dinner, as by now we have been served no food (and the flight was supposed to depart at 7 pm…). Mark is cursing , and I am trying to accept the situation. I ask him, as we wait in line for our vouchers, if we should try and switch to the Lufthansa flight the next afternoon. Our flight is rescheduled to 1:45, about the same time, so Mark says: why bother – you would have to figure out how to get your luggage (all you get to go to your hotel is your carry-on – it is rumored to be another two hours at the airport if you want your bags), and besides, what else could go wrong…

I couldn’t believe he said it.

I told him, anything else that went wrong was now his fault…

So we get to the hotel at about 11:30 – bar closed, no food – so I drag myself (Mark is done and goes straight to bed) down the road to the Hyatt where the sports bar is still full and work my way through a cold beer and a plate of wings and just accept my exhaustion and the situation.

After a moderate night’s sleep I awake to Mark’s text – he is downtown buying clothes to wear, and will meet me at the airport. I had decided that my existing clothes will have to do, and slowly shower and get myself down to the airport.
So here we are again, deja-vu, same passengers in the same clothes (with the exception of Mark) getting on the plane to go to Frankfurt. To my delight the plane was still a 777 but a new modern configuration – coming into the 21st century with lie-flat seats and movies on demand. Maybe this situation wasn’t so bad after all??

So rumors started that this plane was the one left behind from a flight to London the night before that was grounded due to problems with the toilet. We actually had an additional 10 minute wait at the gate due to fussing with the toilets, but I was already thick into watching “Date Night” , so a delay at this point wasn’t really going to phase me – I had my lie-flat seat and movies… Mark is even in a relatively good mood sitting next to me in his new clothes, and quickly we are up in the sky and on our way to home.

About an hour into the flight I get up to use the restroom, and low and behold I go to flush the toilet, and it does not work. What a drag, I think, and get the attendant who puts an OUT OF ORDER sign on the toilet. Mark congratulates me on breaking it, and we think nothing of it until…

A half hour later the pilot comes on the intercom – I imagine this was not a message he was thrilled to deliver – to announce that the toilet sensors were broken, thinking the tank was full when it actually was empty, and that due to FAA regulations we would have to land in Chicago to change planes.

This is not possible.

This can’t be happening - AGAIN. I turn to Mark to tell him this is his fault, as he say "what could go wrong?". He tells me it is my fault, as I broke the toilet.

So now we fly another 1 ½ to Chicago, which gives people way too much time to think about options and what to do – I am convinced at this point that I might never make it home. So the attendants come on the intercom not once, but twice, to let us know that another plane is waiting for us in Chicago, and if ANYONE stops to ask about their specific situation – transfers in Frankfurt, etc. – we will not board the plane on time and the flight crew will expire, leaving us stuck in Chicago for another night. Pity the poor person not smart enough to get the message – I think the rest of us would have lynched him/her on the spot.

So upon arriving in Chicago we literally got off the plane and got on a plane at the next gate – everyone was flawless in their execution and speed – I would say it took less than 30 minutes, and no one screwed up. Humorously, the flight crew had changed (so the expiry threats were probably to get us all to behave) to the crew intended for the plane the next day to Brazil – so they were chipper and helpful with us on-the-verge-of-a nervous-breakdown passengers. Jokes went around that the next issue would land us in Iceland…

To my dismay we were back on a Laz-Y-Boy 777, but my plan now was pure sleep. As the seats switched around I lost Mark to three rows back, and the lady sitting next to me was commenting that this was the third time this had happened to her (being stuck overnight) - so then I told her that this was her fault, as an airline-trouble-magnet…

We all slept and we all arrived. Though a few more incidents caused a little heartburn (didn’t actually have boarding passes for the flight to Basel, etc.) Mark and I willed our way through to arrive in Basel late Sunday – with the only real salt in the wound was the gorgeous weather we had missed all weekend.

Better luck next time…

Coolest City in the World

So last fall, in preparation for this spring, Eric started booking a whole slew of vacations. First there was our ski week from our last post - the next up was a weekend in Berlin, of which, in his arranging glory, he had arranged with my cousin Britta to join us there. Less arranged and more by happenstance was that our trip was the same weekend as good friends here in Basel - so a full weekend of fun, guaranteed!

The whole exciting weekend started on Friday morning, where the entire 4th grade had their science fair - Karl was so proud and did a great job with his presentation - again, all our energy is going into making our two kids future scientists!

Later that afternoon we caught the EasyJet flight to Berlin with our friends here in Basel, and then enjoyed a great dinner with them and their kids (95 euros for dinner for four adults and four kids - complete with a few rounds of beer and wine - unheard of cheap compared to Switzerland!)

We stayed in this cool apartment near Checkpoint Charlie - themed with Boxing and Chess, which really was fun - from the wall murals to the inspirational quotes above all the beds. It was quite a fitting place for such a surprisingly cool city: lots of unique boutiques (be it clothes, furniture, home decor, or even funky flea markets!) - the kids loved their beds, and Bennett's quote shown here was quite fitting for such a confident boy... And I have to say, the beds, despite their thin appearance, were the best sleep Eric and I have had in years - we have to work on all that mattress company hype - thin and hard seems to be the way to go...

We met up with my cousin the next morning (she was staying at the Ritz Carlton - I am sure her bed was nice, too), and though she has done a lot of business in Berlin working for Deutsche Bank, she actually had not done a lot of sightseeing. So off we embarked to Checkpoint Charlie and one of the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. Eric was blown away - such recent painful history, and so well documented to try and get close to feel how it must have been. What if you were 40 years old, trapped in East Berlin with kids you wanted to give all the opportunities in the world?Or could you not even go there? The kids got it some, with lots of questions of Hitler and why people let him do the things he did - hard to answer without feeling the overall fear that came from so many personal freedoms being taken away. Clear lessons that I know some feel we should just move on from - but still valuable to remember as you don't know how fast things can deteriorate...

So enough heavy stuff. Britta suggested we swing by the "Bank Branch of the Future" - a special Deutsche Bank branch in the neighborhood that tests out lots of concepts that are then later introduced (or not) in other branches. When was the last time your bank served you fruity drinks, walked you through your investments on a a touch-screen table, and let you pick the meeting room decor of your choice to ensure you had the best banking experience possible? On top of that there was a full cafe, a kid's playroom, changing shop fronts that get you to spend more time and lure you in - it was super cool (and getting the special treatment for being with Britta wasn't too shabby either).

From there we went around the corner to a Ritter Sport Chocolate "Factory" - with truly a MULTI million dollar idea for you entrepenuers in the US: for a mere 5 euros you can pick your "add-ins", and by choosing milk chocolate or dark chocolate, they whip up your own personal chocolate bar - after 30 minutes in the fridge, which you spend touring the mini factory and the extensive gift shop, you walk out with your own creation. The kids loved it (almost as much as I did) and I am certain this would be a super hit in the US.

The next day (after another phenomenal night's sleep)was a tour of the Pergamon Museum - a stunning display of Greek and Persian artifacts.It absolutely makes you question - why are these things here? The Greek temples were in some ways more extensive than what we saw in museums in Athens! To be clear, these were not war plunders - most of the objects came from German excavations during the era at the beginning of the of the 20th century when it seemed to be fair game to take home anything you found. You can see us here next to parts of the Ishtar gates/ walls of Babylon - the kids loved it, and if you are in Berlin, be sure to not miss this.

We then ended our trip with a stop for currywurst - a local delicacy (though not sure it was invented in Berlin) but so special they even have a special museum dedicated to it. We didn't get around to the museum on this trip, but will be sure to catch it on our next visit...

Getting the Skiing out of our System...

The last days of Winter are upon us. Oh, we have been told that we can still get snow in Basel as late as in April, but at this point it would be surprising. The weather next week is forecast for sunshine and over 50F, and all the bulbs are coming up and starting to bloom - a one way ticket to Spring.

Basel celebrated Fastnacht this week, and regretfully we were not there. The school holiday was only one week at the same time, and any vacation rentals in Switzerland only rent Saturday to Saturday, so it was a choice of staying in town all week (and doing no vacation), vs going away - so off we went. Our Swiss neighbors wanted to give us a hard time for missing Fastnacht, but they, too, were packing the car to go skiing, so they laughed that they couldn't get any more mad at us as they would to themselves... We have been enjoying all of our friend's Facebook pictures of the festivities, and I am vowing that next year we will figure out a way to split the week and get away as well as get to enjoy the celebration.

So to keep Winter going a bit longer, we went of with the Galias and their two boys for a week of skiing at Sass Fee, a resort in the Valais region of Switzerland.

Eric was in Ohio visiting his family, so we started the week without him. Day one was windy and snowy, so we took our time to get the skis to lockers near the slopes (see Aslam's ingenious idea, as we couldn't find the trolley at our rental house), and get the ski lessons and tickets for the week sorted out. And of course, there is the food - lots to eat and snack on, and lots to drink. No one was missing the snow.

But the next day we had tremendous sunshine (and I have the chapped lips to prove it). The mountains and glaciers here are gorgeous! The kids all went off in lessons, and Frauke and I managed the extremely large beginner slope, while Aslam went off to the top of the mountain on his own. Eric arrived my mid day, so then Karl and Bennett spent the afternoon with him on the mountain, while the rest of us practiced further on the bottom.

The next day was not so sunny, but respectable nonetheless. I was finally beginning to get the hang of skiing (thanks Tom for the great lessons in Austria - I think I am finally getting the natural feel for where all my body parts need to be!)so Eric took me up the hill - visibility was tough, but I was proud that though not elegant on all parts, nothing was so hard that I couldn't get down the hill. More practice on the bottom followed, but slowly I think I am getting it. Dare I say I might be enjoying myself??? Let's not take it too far...

The week, with a few days here in the middle with not so nice weather, there has been a lot of lounging and eating. The kids have been obsessed with purchasing free apps for the set of iphones / itouches we have here - for a day and a half they were all fixated on a restaurant game where they had to cook things for certain lengths of time (5 minutes for an omlete - 24 hours for chocolate fondue) and then serve them in a timely fashion. They couldn't put the things down for risk of ruining the food!

And speaking of food, without a real plan we ended up doing "Mexican theme" for most of the week: chicken chili one night, homemade salsa during the week, and fish tacos on two occasions (hey, when you have something that works for everyone, why mess with it?). Despite being in a region of a lot of cheese, we have enough chesse-dislikers in the house that we avoided it. Could it be that we are done with Swiss food? But as I said, Spring is on the way - so that means grilling in the forest, and asparagus and strawberries - maybe Swiss food isn't so bad afterall...

Death and Life

This year, so far, has been rather tough on us. Being away from family and friends does not help at times like this, but our local friends are have been a helping support. Our hope is that as spring comes, these months of bad news and difficulty will come to an end.

It started with reductions at my company announced in November, with actual people notified at the end of February. I have never had to let people go - it was really emotionally trying for me in the months finalizing decisions and then actually telling people that their job had been eliminated. I was shocked how draining it can be - perhaps too sensitive, but I can't imagine how the George Clooney's of this world can do it on a regular basis.

The week in California to let people go, I heard about the tragic death of the 16 year old son of one of my best friend's from high school. I can not explain what a punch to the gut this was - waking up in the night thinking I had dreamed it, and then realizing it was real. He and his friend went for a raft ride down a swollen California canal, not realizing the danger ahead. Amazing, bright, caring kid. I can not fathom the pain for the family - it still causes me pain just to think about it.

And then this weekend, I was awoken in the middle of the night by Eric's dad Dave telling me that Marilyn, my mother-in-law / Eric's mother had passed away. She had just been moved to a nursing home, but this was a real surprise that she declined so quickly. Her passing was peaceful, but has left us with a hole where "grandma" used to be. Eric has flown back to Ohio to be with his family, and the rest of us mourn from here.

So I really think I hit my limit. I can't handle any more bad news, tradgedy, hard issues. But this weekend, walking Karl to a birthday party, we saw the signs of spring: crocuses blooming scattered across a lawn; daffodils starting to bloom; blossoms forming on trees. The sun has been out as well, and despite being cold, all signs are pointing to the fact that winter and all this "bad" might just be starting to be over...