I don't think I would ever tire of the view from their backyard (below, and a back view of their house followed by Raegan and Travis playing in the backyard).
The Shopps were fantastic hosts and kept us busy exploring their area. The kids picked up right where they left off in July when they saw each other last in Copenhagen, including the appearance of the beast we call "Ravis" which sometimes exists when Raegan and Travis are together (when they team up against the adults and talk about how rough they have it "Why do the babies get everything?!" :-) Actually, we didn't see too much of that ...they were all really good.
On weekends there is a vendor market that opens up in their town of Vevey, a quick walk down the hill towards the lake. We enjoyed the walk through town and eating a picnic lunch outside at a nearby playground.
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| This is my Saturday "uniform" right now. Gig 'em!... |
We quickly discovered that even though we get frustrated by the inability to read Danish here in Copenhagen, most people speak English so you can get by without ever learning the language - (google translate is a lifesaver!). However, where the Shopps are, everyone speaks French, it is not common for them to know English so just trying to buy something from the market or ordering at a restaurant is difficult. My hats off to them for working diligently at learning the language - the whole family will know French by the time they move back to the US!
We took the kids to a place called Labyrinth Adventure in a nearby valley. The kids played while we enjoyed mountain views.
The kids dressed up and we went to a Halloween event at Chateau de Chillion, an island castle on Lake Geneva that dates back to the 1100s. It was a really interesting place and very spooky all decorated for Halloween.
We were lucky and were in town the one weekend the Knie Circus came to town. It was really well done; we all enjoyed it. Quite a step up from the mom and pop one we saw in Copenhagen back in May!
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| Cotton candy was a highlight of course! |
We let the kids go on the double decker merry-go-round by the lake afterwards (Raegan and Travis are up on the 2nd level, hard to see)
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| The walk back up the hill to the house - they all got to ride on our shoulders |
We also took a 2 hour boat ride around Lake Geneva later in the afternoon - it was relaxing and a very nice way to see the area.
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| The Castle we went to for the Halloween event |
We went out in the Swiss countryside to Gruyères for a traditional cheese fondue meal. It was so funny, Wyatt actually started crying "Mom, it's too stinky in here!! I want to go back outside!" Ha! It was VERY stinky, but you got used to it. And the fondue was great, although the kids would not eat it - I guess they need a milder cheese.
The village was very nice, with cobblestone streets and a castle. The surrounding countryside was very pretty.
We finished with a visit to the Cailler (Nestle) chocolate for a tour and tastings. Yum!
After a great time at the Shopps, we boarded a train for a 3 hour ride to the mountain town of Zermatt, home of the famous Matterhorn. It was gorgeous and the town itself was very nice. We stayed at a traditional chateau with a view of the Matterhorn out our window. Beautiful!
One day we took the mountain train about 10,000 feet up to Gornergrat. We enjoyed the views and the kids played in the snow.
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| Wyatt spotted these igloos first from the train ride up |
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| We wore out Wyatt, he was actually snoring here! |
Another day we took the cable cars up to Trogner Steg, which turns out to be a base for skiers. This ride was not nearly as relaxing as the train was, they packed you in like sardines. People were actually skiing already and watching the skiers actually jazzed the kids up to want to learn to ski! We enjoyed playing in the snow and the views from this mountain as well.
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| Raegan really enjoyed the cable car, but Wyatt did not. Here he is sitting on the floor of the cable car that has standing room only, just trying to get through it. Poor guy... |
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| Below is the town of Zermatt |
We even got our picture taken with a St Bernard for fun. Wyatt is actually straddling him like he's riding the dog. The photographer would take a deli sandwich out of his pocket to get the dog to look at the camera. A very sweet dog!
Switzerland was absolutely gorgeous, we had a great time and could have spent a lot longer there!
