This past weekend, we had our second group of visitors - two of our good friends from home - watta and katie g came to have so me Swiss and German adventures. Again I was really looking forward to our company - to sharing my experiences with them, and, having some silly girl time!
Katie and watta got in on Thursday. They actually had a bit of drama with their travels - being booked on 2 different AA flights out of JFK to Heathrow (30 minutes apart??!!!) and having a tiny issue with luggage not making it onto the flight to Basel! aaahh!!! they were troopers about it though! we had some lunch, slapped on some coats and went out to check out Basel. I took the girls down the cafe by the Rhien that we like so much and up into the shopping district. And also to the little Wiehnachmarkt (Christmas Market!). The Christmas market must be some sort of German/Swiss tradition. It's a little area where merchants gather to sell their wares. They may be selling candles, ornaments, food - anything! But the one constant is Gluhwein. The translation mean "glowing wine" and it is actually warm red wine with spices in it. Taste to me like warm sangria. It's good and very effective at making your belly warm while you are walking around from stand to stand.
(To see live photos of the Basel Christmas market, go to http://www.basel.ch/en/virtual_basel/webcam/barfuesserplatz )
we met up with Robs then headed back to our place. I made dinner for the girls and we had some regular wine and lots of girl chat! (sorry robs!)
Saturday, we left to head into Zurich where we encountered our second Weihnachtmarkt which was actually in the train station! The highlight of this market was a huge tree (the same one I saw being brought in when Cronin & Karl came to visit) sparkling from top to bottom in Swarovski crystals. Check out my snapfish photos to see it! We spent some time touring around Zurich and the market and then headed to Interlaken for the night.
Interlaken was beautiful! I think that was probably my favorite place we went to. We encountered Christmas market #3 here. This one had much more of a carnival atmosphere to it - with rides and loud music. We found a Gluhwein tent where they were serving it out of a cauldron! The Gluhwein was delicious and we had a pleasant surprise when the guy pouring it, came over to have a chitchat with us. He spoke to us in English - he was from Interlaken but had lived in North Jers near NYC for a couple of years. He was very intelligent and had a much wider perspective on things than most Swiss we have encountered. That he even came over and spoke to us was something unusual for a Swiss native. I really enjoy any encounter we have with someone who is native to the area. They are rare but I feel that they help to widen my perspective as well.
We had a nice dinner of authentic swiss food (except for my poor fajita selection - i miss my taco bell!!) and went back to hotel STEEELLLLAAA for the night.
Sunday Rob and I shipped the girls off to see the breathtaking Jungfraujoch (see Backyard Adventures story) and we spent the day rolling around the Christmas Market.
On Monday, Watt, Katie and I headed up to Mainz to meet Watt's friend Katie W. We didn't really know what to expect in Mainz. It was kind of a dreary day with a lot of rain and not a spectacular town but we had fun anyway! Of course we encountered another Christmas market (that makes 4 for those who are counting) and we found a breathtaking Munster (Cathedral). we had a wonderful lunch and then headed back to Katie W's place near Weisbaden. That night, we went to check out Weisbaden and all of us loved it! It was beautiful! An interesting contrast of new and old. A lot of the buildings looked like those that we saw in Paris with the white stone and wrought iron balconies. And there was also a magnificent Casino complex. we didn't go in, but the buildings were beautiful. We we went to the Weisbaden Christmas market (that's 5) and Katie W. and I introduced our visitors to crepes! we had one ham & cheese and one with nutella. I must say - I think crepes are my favorite thing to eat over here. They are SO GOOD! I could eat them every day. I might become a bit large though. Anyway - of course we washed them down with gluhwein.
That night, we had a nice dinner and went back to Katie W's. She was a wonderful hostess to us and I am hoping to meet up with again before Rob and I return for good.
On Tuesday we had more Basel times. We did some serious shopping! Back to the Christmas market and into many of the shops and grocery stores around Basel. For dinner, we took the girls to a wonderful Italian restaurant (remember, Switzerland borders Italy) where we had some nice wine, good pizza and extraordinary mushroom raviolis!! mmm!! (But not as good as yours Mom!)
I had such a good time with the girls! I don't really have any girlfriends over here. I'm not sad about it - it's just the way it is. I'm not lonely - I talk to my girls very often via email or IM - but it was wonderful to have them here. We laughed and talked about silly things. I loved sharing my experience with them and introducing them to new things.
The first chapter of our adventures is winding down with our Christmas return less than 2 weeks away. But I am having the time of my life. Tomorrow we leave for Heidelburg, Rob's former residence. I can't wait to visit and see in person all the things I have heard so much about. I know it was a special time in his life so I am looking forward to it very much.
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