Switzerland and Italy Trip

Sorry for the long delay in posting about the Switzerland/Italy trip. I had over 1000 photos to go through, and I'm not a genius when it comes to the blog technology, hence the delay. All of you with your baby blogs are way ahead of me. I have no idea how you do it and chase around little ones. In any case...

We made it to Zermatt, home to the Matterhorn. It was breath taking. One of my Georgetown professors had recommended we go, as well as the hotel (Coeur Des Alpes) where we stayed. We had a view of the Matterhorn from the hotel. The service was impeccable and the design was modern but so warm. The best was the floor of the lobby - all glass looking down to the pool/hot tub. Can you imagine how great it is during ski season? Here is one of many shots with the Matterhorn. We did the obligatory ride up Europe's highest mountain lift, made it to the "Glacier Paradise" and had fondue and raclette.

Then we headed to Florence where our Italian adventure began. I think I had more pasta, pizza, risotto and wine in one week than I've had years. Incredible. We stayed at a quaint little pension (B&B). The owner, a 80 year old former doctor, collects 15th century art and his wife tends to the place. She was lovely and took to calling my dad Arturo, which we called him the rest of the trip. The art was amazing. This little statue was a bit creepy until Mom had a sweet photo with him.

Actually, Mom really grew as a person in Florence. She overcame her fear of heights by climbing to the top (well, almost) of the Duomo and the tower. No small feat for this little lady. But she also learned a valuable lesson on tourism in Italy. She made reservations for us at the Boboli Gardens and to see The David. As it turns out, you don't need those pricey reservations when it's the low season. As mom said, "We could have bought two VERY nice Italian purses for what we paid for the reservations." You can see where her priorities were. I still don't think Dad knows how much was spent on these reservations, but that's probably for the best. His low point of the trip is probably just now hitting - the credit card bill...

We also made it to Pisa for a day trip. Mom and dad had fun holding up the tower. Then we headed to Siena, which was lovely. We stayed at another local joint where the owner was convinced I understood and spoke Italian - at one point asking me to translate for him. As my Italian roommate can attest, neither are true. But my Italian may be better than my French still...And I learned on this trip that I got my language skills from my mother - we both have mastered the English language, but tend to butcher all other languages. It even hurts my ears.

We also made it to a San Gimignano, a beautiful old midieval town with towers guarding it's treasures - namely more amazing Tuscan food and wine. Dad made friends with a stranger on the bus who happened to know one of my friends from school. Such a small world.

Throughout our time in Tuscany, we found a new appreciation for wine and food. We fell in love with Chiantis from the region and discovered that risotto really varies - it's the style of cooking rice, not necessarily the type of rice as we had previously thought. We also tried osso buco, tripe, rustic cantucci with sweet wine, and traditional Tuscany white bean soup. Dad indulged in comparing stuffed pastas along the trip, while I became quite the connoisseur of Italian pizza.

After Italy, we headed back to Geneva where Mom and Dad got to experience the wind. 20 mph. did an over night trip to Montreaux, known as the Swiss Riviera. The Chateau de Chillon is worth the visit. It's a 12th century castle where Bonivard was imprisoned for 6 years and the inspiration for the famous poem "The Prisoner of Chillon" by Lord Byron.

All in all it was such a great trip with the parental unit. They're planning to come back in February to celebrate Mom's 60th and their 40th anniversary. They both deserve a nice treat! I hope to one day celebrate the same.