Fall at it's Finest

First of all - If it weren't for Kelly taking over the cooking, cleaning, and child rearing, I could not have neglected my motherly duties this past week and played with Jana 24/7.  I am so proud of Kelly and Josh for being so independent, but I am a little concerned that things seem to run even smoother when I am gone.  

Friday, we started the day with chocolate croissants and hot chocolate. Then Jana and I took a train to Fribourg, a bus to Bulle, and then another train to Gruyere.  It's not easy to get there but it is sure worth it.  We had lunch at the Maison Cheese Factory, then headed up the hill to the town of Gruyere.  Jana took a quick tour through the Geiger Museum and then we spent time at the Gruyere Castle.  I had been there in the summer but it was a whole new experience with the beautiful fall colors.

Bulle

We walked and shopped in the cute town of Bulle.

The Castle of Gruyere

The town of Gruyere

The pictures do not do the colors justice.

Geiger Museum

Saturday was an extra spectacular day!  We slept in and got a late start.  Got on the train that I thought was headed to Murten, but I made my first mistake as tour guide and we ended up in Neuchatel.  We walked down to Lake Neuchatel, took a few pictures, then got on a the right train for Murten.  The best part is, we both love riding the trains and talking for hours, so it doesn't really matter where we end up.

I love the town of Murten.  It is such a beautiful little town right on the lake with quaint little shops.  We had a wonderful lunch of fresh caught fish, salad, and fries at a restaurant that overlooked the lake.  Afterward, we walked around town and Jana found some fun Christmas decorations.  We would have loved to have shopped longer but the stores closed at 4:00.  We headed home to find the family sitting  down to a nice dinner Kelly had made, a clean house , and happy kids thanks to Keith taking them to an outdoor ice rink and into the woods to build a fire and roast marshmallows.

At lunch - Is my head really twice as big as Jana's?

Josh's Birthday

Within seven days we have - Kelly's birthday, Halloween, Jana's Birthday,

 and Josh's birthday.  This week is always busy, but with Jenny leaving and

 Jana coming, it was extra busy - and fun.

Wednesday, Jana and I did some shopping for Josh's birthday.  Later, we met the kids downtown to take them to lunch, did a little more shopping 

and walked around downtown Bern, then headed home to cook Josh's

favorite dinner and birthday cake.

Thursday Jana and I got our fix of pastries and diet coke and then headed to Luzern.  We saw the Lion Monument, walked around the beautiful old town, and then took an incredible two and a half hour boat ride around Lake Luzern.  The boat ride was so beautiful and we had a wonderful relaxing time just visiting and enjoying the view.

Let the Party Begin

Jana flew in on Sunday and even though she has only been here two days, we have had an incredible time.

  We found each other easily at the Zurich airport and then it was off to my place.

Monday we woke up on the early side, grabbed some pastries and diet cokes for breakfast and then headed to Lauterbrunnen.  The train ride is one of my favorites and riding past Lake Thun and into Interlaken was extra beautiful.  The leaves are at their peak.  We had lunch in Lauterbrunnen, sitting outside enjoying the perfect fall weather.  We split a pasta of course because I always have to split.  After a nice relaxing lunch we took the train back to Interlaken where we walked along the river and then shopped in town.  We were home by 3:30, just in time to grab Josh and go to the American Embassy for a Halloween party.  After the party Jana and I walked around downtown and stopped for a quick dinner.

Today was Jana's birthday and we made it a good one.  

We started off by going to a bakery for more pastries and then the store for some diet coke and enough chocolate to get us through a two and a half hour train ride.  We took the train to Zermatt and then walked through town and were happy that we could see even part of the Matterhorn.  On the edge of town we found a bench with a perfect view of the mountain and close to the cutest little lambs with bells.  As we sat and ate our yogurt we noticed a gondola that was heading up one side of the mountain.  We bought a ticket and took the coolest ride ever to the highest point.  It was beautiful!  We went into the Ice Caves that were really cool, and by the time we made our way down all the clouds covering the Matterhorn were gone.  We ended the day with a wonderful dinner of fondue in a cute little restaurant in Zermatt.  As we were leaving we stopped by an art gallery and Jana bought a watercolor of the Matterhorn so she can always remember how she spent her 29th birthday.  

It was a great day.