Fall Break Cruise

Maisie on our balcony

For fall break this year Michael treated us to an eastern Mediterranean cruise!  We'd never been on a cruise before so didn't know what to expect (didn't seem my style of vacation) but we had lots of fun.  We took the train from Sion to Venice, Italy (about 6 hours) which was our main port.  It was a lousy, rainy day and getting to the ship was miserable but once we were on board, the good times began.

Our first stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia.  It was a little rainy but not so much that we couldn't enjoy the sights.  We walked the wall that surrounds the city (about 2km long) and visited a couple of churches.  This is a rugged and beautiful place and I'd like to go back and kayak or snorkel.

 

Our next stop was Kusadasi/Ephesus Turkey.  Kusadasi was the port city and we took an excursion up to Ephesus to see the amazing ruins.

Maisie's favorite part of the ruins was all of the resident stray cats (yes, we used lots of hand sanitizer).  My favorite part was imagining how glorious this city must have been (before the earthquakes and the silted up port) and how much work went into making something so dense and so beautiful.  The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (Diana) which was completed around 550 BC and was one of the Seven wonders of the Ancient World.  My second favorite thing was the tourist shops.

Cup of corn anyone?

Next we were on our way to Greece.

To be continued.......

Fall Food - better than A.J.'s

I made this apple pie today.  It tastes even better than it looks.  The neighbors gave us a bag of apples and pears that they picked at a nearby orchard.  The plan was to give the pie to the neighbors but I had never made an apple pie before and I thought I should make sure I could do it before sharing.  Guess what....?  I can do it!!  Hopefully the next one will turn out as well.

Is this really my life?!?!

The school has an activity committee that organizes weekly outings for the parents.  I still get excited every time I get to do something cool in the middle of a week day which is proof to me that since the excitement hasn't worn off I'm not yet ready to go back to work.   This week's activity was a visit to the oldest winery in Switzerland which has been in business since the early 1400's.  We got a tour of the facilities and an explanation on how the wine is made and of course, a little taste.  It was a beautiful day and so nice to get out and enjoy the Fall weather.

Here is a view of the vineyards looking toward the Lake and the town of Lutry.

This is a shot of the just-picked grapes going into a machine that separates them from "their wooden pieces" or, as we stay in English, stems.

Here are the barrels that are in the old cellar.  This part of the house was built in 1397.

This next photo is of the brand new (not quite finished) addition.  The details are simple and beautiful and, according to the tour guide (and owner) the new barrels take a few years before they are cured and no longer give the wine an oak-ey flavor (at least that's what I think he said).

Also of interest is that Switzerland consumes 95% of the wine they produce and very little is exported so if you want a taste, you'll have to come here and get it.

Europa Park!

This past weekend Maisie and I went to Europa Park in Rust, Germany.  We had to go to Basel to pick up her new harp (rental) and Europa park was just another hour north so we decided to make a weekend out of it.  This is now my favorite amusement Park of all time and puts Disney to shame.  We met the Edmonds (Noah's family who are from Phoenix too) and had a total BLAST!

We rode the water coaster

Lost every game on the midway (go figure),

Joked around (Maisie and Noah are not actually being eaten by shark, it's not real),

did some white water rafting.

and nearly died of anxiety when Maisie decided to ride this beast.  I must admit I was impressed but she had to ride this one with Noah and his Mom and Dad.  NO WAY was I getting on that sucker.

My favorite part though was the fact that Maisie is old enough to venture out with her friends a bit and go on the rides without me.  I love that she's growing up but wish I could pause here at 10 for a while.  I know I'm going to have my hands full in a few more years.

Cloudy with the chance of a nap

Today was a beautiful but cloudy Sunday.

Aren't these hydrangeas beautiful?  I've never seen this color before.

Maisie wasn't feeling well (and still isn't) so we just stayed home and took it easy.

I made blueberry cinnamon muffins and burned a loaf of bread (while putting this blog together).

I also did my French homework (good girl).

Tomorrow is a Holiday here Jeûne fédéral which gives Maisie an extra day to get well before going back to school.

As if she weren't angelic enough....

Maisie had her first harp lesson today.

The teacher is letting us borrow this harp until we can rent our own from a store in Basel which is a mere 3 hours away (unless someone wants to send us one from Milano's!)  If all goes well we'll post some video of her actually playing in the not too distant future.

So far the biggest challenge is the language difference but the teacher's English is better than our combined French so hopefully we'll all improve our language skills and the music will speak for itself.

Go Maisie!!

First Day of 5th Grade

Maisie is officially a 5th Grader!  Well, actually she's in the Year 6 class at her school; the oldest kids on campus.  Here is a photo of her waiting for the bus on the first day, getting ready to rule the school.  

Join me in wishing her all the best for another successful school year.  Go get 'em Maisie!