It is hard to top a 5 week trip around Europe, but things seem to be just as great! February kicked off with a day trip to Saanenmoser (a Gstaad Mountain) with TONS of new snow and me on tele skis! I'm not sure if Kaete (4 years old) or I had a more difficult time but we still had fun!
Emily also visited from CT. We had a beautiful day in Basel, stuffed our faces with food (it wouldn't be us if we weren't always eating!) and had an AMAZING raclette dinner! We had a beautiful blue bird day in Montreux visiting Chateau Chillon and cruising the Olympic Park in Lausanne, both on Lake Geneve with GREAT views of the alps! Unfortunately we weren't lucky with clear weather while in the Jungfrau in Interlaken area the next day! Total blizzard so Emily can say she was in the middle of the Alps, but didn't see them! We still had a great day walking all over the mountain walking trails and taking various cable cars! Luzern was beautiful, again no clouds! Right on the lake with beautiful huge mountains, the city is so majestic! We stayed with one of my Swiss girlfriends and ate fondu...again with the great Swiss food! It was a wonderful power tour of Switzerland and I was so glad to catch up with such a great friend!
After Emily left, I went to Jungfrau snowboarding with my Swiss friend Priscylla. We stayed in Interlaken and had the most amazing day! Possibly the top 5 best days I have EVER been snowboarding! It was so sunny, the Alps are breathtaking, and the runs are all long, wide, groomed and end at huts with great food and cheap beer! Pris and her dad also weren't bothered by my frequent stops to take photos or just breathe in the beauty of the place. You know the scene when Julie Andrews is singing "The Hills are Alive" and she is SO happy dancing in the fields, well that was me, but I wasn't singing or dancing but snowboarding!
When we got back from Jungfrau the HUGE carnival of Fasnacht in Basel was kicking off. In all of the towns there are parades, music, and TONS of confetti. It is a very traditional celebration in Basel with drumming, piccolo players, costumes, wagon floats and parades. I'm still figuring it out! (more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Basel ) I also went to the fire parade in Liestal (near Basel). It was really cool. Men carrying huge fire torches, beautiful lanterns and floats and the HUGE flaming wagons that go through the tower tunnel whisking away winter and welcoming in summer. Again, another weird but cool tradition that I'm not to sure about the history but it was cool to go to! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chienb%C3%A4se ) After going to the 4am Morgestreik parade...the official beginning to Basel Fasnacht, we headed home to get in a nap before 3 days of more skiing at Gstaad with the girls.
Fasnacht is a week long holiday for students and there are 2 official days off for businesses in Basel so we spent them skiing. Again, the snow was great, skies were clear (one day) and the girls had a great time. I am improving on my tele skiing but need to get in better shape to be able to make tele turns all day!
February was a busy month and VERY fun! Now I'm all ready for March...which will but equally as busy and fun with trips and snowboarding planned!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
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