After a little bit of convincing, Dad agreed to come back to Switzerland (Mom of course needed no convincing). I am so glad they did. We had a wonderful two weeks - about one week spent in Switzerland and one week in Greece (Greece post to come after). It was nice being the "only child" for once! They were busy while they were here, but since they'd seen all the "must-sees" last year, we were more free to do what we wanted when we wanted.
I picked them up at the airport on Wednesday morning and dropped them (and their heavy luggage) off at my apartment before heading into work for the day. Dad was so tired, he was almost asleep before I left the apartment. I let them rest all day while I worked and then picked them up for dinner. We ended up going to my favorite Irish pub - Paddy's.
The next morning we were up early to go to Steinach. We didn't rent a car this time, but instead I got them train passes for various days. Steinach is the small town at Bodensee (or Lake Constance) where one of my clients is located. I dropped Mom & Dad off in Arbon (small town next door) to explore and hang out at the lake. They had strict instructions how and when to get on the train to meet me for lunch. It worked out perfectly and I picked them up at the Steinach train station and we went to my favorite italian restaurant in Steinach for lunch. Since I've spent a fair amount of time at this client over the past 2.5 years and the options for lunch are very limited, the waitress at this restaurant knows me. As soon as she saw me with my parents she said "oh these are your parents!".
We had a lovely lunch and then I sent them back to Arbon on the train for more exploration/relaxation along the lake. I met them in Arbon for dinner at Frohsin Brewery, probably my favorite restaurant in Arbon. Since Steinach/Arbon is about 2 hours away, we didn't get home until late Thursday night and then I had to be up even earlier Friday to go to a client in Basel. I let mom & dad sleep in this time and so they spent the day in Zurich, did some grocery shopping, and then prepared to have some of my friends over for dinner, which was really nice. We sat up on the roof and laughed so much.
On Saturday, we took the train to Luzern and then on to Stans, a cute little town. We had lunch there then took this old train part of the way up the mountain:
The main attraction in Stans is the open-air double decker gondola. It is the first and only in the world. My mother (who is really afraid of heights), was a little nervous, but it was great. We had beautiful views.
Mom: "white knuckling it" but still managing to get a picture of the views:
We walked around the top of the mountain and up a little bit the the actual peak.
We watched these crazy guys taking off and flying around too:
On Sunday evening we left for Athens, Greece, and arrived back on Saturday morning.
Saturday night my friends Daniela and Jelena came over for dinner. Mom & dad had met them both last year and mom had made them these USA quilts as a present.
We also drank the wine that my french host father had given to me to give my parents:
On Sunday, we decided to go to the "Swiss Canyon", close to Films/Laax. I had never been here before, but knew it wasn't too long of a train ride away. After having a little lunch in this small town, we got back on the train and took it one stop to start our "hike".
We hiked along the river and railroad tracks from one train station to the other. The views were beautiful and mom & dad were troopers.
The treat at the end of our hike - beer, chocolate cake and our favorite - Paprika chips!
Monday was a half-day public holiday in Zurich, so I took the morning off and took mom & dad to Flumserberg, the place I usually go skiing in the winter because of the proximity to Zurich. So, besides seeing where I ski, the main attraction was the "summer sledding". Dad really wanted to do this after hearing about my friends Katie & Tracey doing it when they were here visiting.
The gondola ride up almost put mom over the edge. I never realized before that it was so scary, but I think the snow on the ground makes you think your fall would be cushioned.
The adventure/adrenaline day continued for us all with the summer sledding. It was really fun. Dad was a happy camper!
Monday night we went to Zeughauskeller, the Swiss german beer garden for sausages and beer. Mom & Dad then re-packed and were ready to leave the next morning after their SECOND Swiss adventure.
Thanks again for visiting mom & dad. You are truly the best parents ever!
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