Lucerne

19/5

Today’s the day for a glacier walk?? Run/ride/breakfast by which time clouds have settled around the lofty mounds. Buggar. Nonetheless, we pack the walking bag and make for the information/train station ,uphill of course, only to learn that the summit web cam says “ no”. Wil’s completely understandable disappointment is muted finally as we stop by the backerei on the walk home and enjoy a hot chocolate,sausage roll,kuchen and citrus tart.

Do we go or do we stay?? The campground host reckons it’ll rain tomorrow...wir gehen. Nice chat to neighbour, pommie Mick a war nut ,who recommends some good books on WW2 & informs us that Tolkien’s books were inspired by this landscape at Grindewald when he was here as a young chap on family holidays.

Lucern bound through endless tunnels & waterfalls. We’re getting a bit of tunnel fatigue  - they’re straight,dark,boring and impossibly long. Sunnies on, sunnies off, reading lights on, then off.

Driving into Lucern had us itching to plug in and hop on bikes to look about. The town is full to bursting with people - for the world rowing championships or the way it usually is on a summer’s weekend holiday?

As is usual for Swiss towns,the lake is utterly gorgeous and lined by running ,walking & cycling paths,tennis courts,climbing equipment, patonk plazas etc. I started the year with am arrogance about Aussie kids & physical pursuits and abilities compared with their European peers. What a fool! The European kids are MUCH more deft,capable,vigorous & skilled. Their opportunities abound & rules of engagement seem MUCH less rigorous. Mst ride to school alone without helmets from about 7 years!

We stop at the famous covered Kapellbrucke bridge, chain the bikes and wander into the medieval part of the town to admire the painted buildings and ornate iron signs  announcing the traditional trade found within.

Back home for end of the day rituals and research into what treasures we can enjoy in this vibrant town.

20/5

sunny 0800 wake up, ma and pa go for a run by the lake into town, stunning morning, the lake is calm, the surrounding snow peaks stand proud and clear, stretched the hammies on the bridge while admiring the vista and then jogged home to the kids, still wrapped up in bed reading their books.

Breakfast (cereal+fruit+yoghurt is the staple) in the sun while our neighbours packed up and left, got into a big school day (<2hrs) and once done the pa went in search of the Aust Rowing Team, here for the World Cup regatta where most of our crews have already qualified for the Olympics but some must do well here to get a London gig.  Found Razor (manager) patrolling about outside the hotel while the rest had lunch.  Caught up with some of them and arranged to meet later at the course where some preliminary races were being held.

Back at Eddie, lunch under the awning (only the 2nd time we’ve used it) and then onto bikes to ride to the Rotsee lake, God’s gift to the rowing world - natural lake just over 2km long, wide enough for 6 lanes + a few practice lanes, hemmed each side by low hills and trees, wildflowers, waterfalls and lots of Empachers and an awesome playground with huge slide for the kids.  Watched the rowers warm up/train in their national colours, Wil loving trying to pick the country, then a few good races, 3 Aussie crews won their heats well, Jared unfortunately 4th in the heat so into the reps - poor bugger, 2km is so far when you are on your own!

Great to catch up with these incredibly talented, dedicated but underappreciated folk.    

Chicks 8 qualify for Olympics!

Kim Crow

huge slide

Back on the bikes to the Lido (campsite) we saw another reason why God did such an awesome job on this course - everywhere else is blowing a gale, like hard to ride into it at any speed and the big lake is fully roughed up - only a km or so from the Rotsee. 

Dinner, the kids washed up and watched a movie, planning the trek north into Deutchland and Holland. 

21/5

fast walk & 3 x 10XB for the over 40s.

Back for Morning Maths Magic & chats with swiss Lars in American megabus next door. He’s a real estate agent and tells of wealthy Europeans drifting this way in fear of their bleeding Euro, buying up and further increasing the Swiss franc. Interesting. Reckon the Japanese are finding this locked land currently as well. Another example of the Swiss remaining uninvolved, non-contributory with their European but reaping the monetary benefits of surrounding conflicts.

Off on bikes to explore the picture-perfect Swiss princess Lucern. We make for the Kapellbrucke with Wil and Kel ducking around us “filming” a James Bond style movie on their cameras. Further up the roaring Ruess river, we cross another covered bridge, the Spreuerbrucke, admiring the crystal clear toothpaste blue glacial waters that in past times clearly powered mills of sorts given the intriguing historical structures that nowadays just shape great photos. Winding along the river, we come across an exquisite fairytale set of 9 turrets /watchtowers trailed up high behind the old medieval town and connected by several kilometres of stone promenade. What a splendid afternoon’s walk, the outrageously beautiful views complete with bursts of heart-thumping climbs up skinny staircases that go as high as the heavens. Kel & Wil are still whizzing about “filming”.

Our exit is via ‘essential’ shopping for lunch/dinner - the local favourite cheese, Appenzeller, the highest regarded chocolate, Cailler, black German bread and to get us through, a Movenpick ice-cream.

Movenpick!!

Home to finish school, BBQd  cervaclet  (the prized Swiss wurst) with all of the above plus yellow capsicum,zucchini and seeded mustard.

Jeff is off to have a few quiet ales with the rowing team whilst the kids and I get up to no good. And the rain comes down. Reflecting on how rain was such a bother in Cozza….not in Eddie.

22/5

run with my man!

Back for our treasured slow brekkie outside ( Wil often going back for a second plate despite the first piled high with oats,bran,yoghurt,dried fruit and fresh fruit!)

Interesting how Jeff and the kids are getting skinnier whilst I gather a central float belt . Jeff reckons it’s ‘cos he’s not eating the easy to make/buy white bread & jam sandwiches, chocolates, lollies, muffins and cakes that are often part of his working week. As for the kids, they’re just stretching like spaghetti. My excuse - being metabolically woman, less exercise and more rich food. 

Whilst making observation of family, what a pleasure that Wil’s allergies are significantly improved. His eczema is gone (!) despite not using immunotherapy or daily zyrtec. Part of the story must be lubricating hormones I’m sure together with improved self management - he is no longer scratching or biting his nails (less stressed post Infinity??). He has such gorgeous big hands like his Dad.

Jeff has pulled up alongside a British couple in their 60s for a chat on the way back from washing up. Turns out they are masters rowers, fit and inspirational. Theirs for a beer tonight.

Jeff’s input - the wife continues to look spectacular - taut and toned (legs a bit furry, no wax for a while now), crappy day for me dealing with TomTom whose dysfunctional devices have left many lost recently, have taken many phone calls and emails to get in touch with them, their call centre is slow and not too helpful - in today’s 2nd call I just wanted the address to send the device to and the guy I got told me today that he needed to transfer me to another person who spoke English because he was unable to help me with my request as he wan’t an English speaker all said in excellent English! (actually he told me to ring another number but having spent 20min on hold to him I made him transfer me directly, and then I waited another 20min to talk to someone with similar English who gave me the address).Then on the bike and did a grocery shop + posted the TomTom while Jen and the kids explored the “Lido” which is a playground across the road from the campsite that you pay to enter.

Man the Swiss know how to extract a buck! The kids whizzed about madly at the Lido for a while and then Wil independently made for home to write his essay.Kel found an Aussie playmate by the pool aged 7 whose family is working/living here for 3 months. Alysia and I compared notes on how ‘strange’ the Swiss are and how she just isn’t assimilating despite being the most gorgeous,soft-hearted girl you could hope to meet. She's not too fussed however as they are on their way to Canada for 12 months soon where her husband is doing an ENT fellowship.

Kel & I get cozy in PJs to write and the boys peel off on their bikes to watch the Aussie Girl Power 8 race at the end of the day.

Dinner, kids to bed, neighbours for chin wag, beer,cheese and nuts...

Rob, Jeff, Elspeth, Irene and Eduard 

23/5

raining - good test day ( maths & spelling).

Still raining so we walk to the Verkershaus der Schweiz ( transport museum) and are met by a superb, probably all time European family favorite, show casing planes,trains and automobiles with simulators of all sorts ( & boats & massive central play station for go-carting,car test driving…..) 

he can beat someone!

Brilliantly interactive and informative. There were so many great examples of inspirational green transport efforts - the trains are 75% hydro-powered ( the rest is nuclear!) and city the planning for bikes is something else. Jeff and I answered a set of questions the answers to which would then place us in one of the many job fields of  the tunnelling industry- we both profiled as explosives engineers (!!?).

Could easily spend a few full days here to before feeling satisfied.

Home for essay writing,showers,light yoghurt and fruit dinner,bed.

24/5

Usual start then into town for a Swiss folk show with Rob & Ilsa.

 Oompa-Loompa Show by Kel

 The Oompa-Loompa show is a swiss yodeling show. We went to it today and it was marvellous. They played melodious songs. There was this instrument that was like a big trumpet but without any buttons. It also had a curl at the bottom and is called an alphorn. One of the ladies asked me to try and play it. It was easy - and fun too. That same lady asked Dad to have a yodel with her. Dad was hilarious when he tried. He doesn’t have the right voice for it. At the end they played a lovely ‘goodbye’ tune. I was sad it was over.

Such tremendous fun - we giggled ourselves silly watching them throw flags, play broom-sticks,cow bells,ceramic bowls,mini washboards,bits of tin & yodel in ridiculous costumes with huge smiles. Just when I thought the Swiss had no sense of humour!

mumma shopper

25/5 by Kel : Story of the Day

So, in the morning at 7 o’clock, I woke up.  Then, I got dressed. 

7:30 was breakfast

Breakfast was YUMMY.  After breakfast, I brushed my hair.

8 o’clock, dad drove the van off to the service.  He came back on his bike.  Then, we set of on an adventure at the rowing course.  We rode our bikes to the lake where the rowing was going on.  We watched the rowers for a bit, then Wil and I went on the awesome slide.  To get to the top of the slide, you had to climb a huge hill.  To get back down you went on the slide.  I went whooshing down, the wind whistling in my ears.  At the bottom I decided to go on the swings.  When I sat on the swing, I didn’t swing, I sat and watched life go by.  The sound of giggling and the ripple of the lake made me feel special.  Then, I went to watch the rowers again.  As the Australians raced I sang “ Go Aussies, Go on you can do it!”  

Mum decided to go to the finish-line to see who won.  I liked that idea so we went down to the finish-line but the racers had already crossed it.  By that time it was 1 o’clock.  So, lunch time.  We found some seats and had some beautiful egg sandwiches, for lunch.  After lunch  Wil and I read our books.  When we got bored of reading, we went back to the slide.

At 3 o’clock it was time to go.  We got back on our bikes and went to an ice-cream shop.  Mum didn’t get one, but Wil, dad and I did.  We sat under a tree and licked the delicious drops of ice-cream, YUM!

After about 25 minutes we had finished our fantastic ice-cream.  We got onto our bikes and went home.  The sun still shining, the sweet breeze still going, it was a fabulous ride home, the birds were chirping, the trees were swaying in the breeze and ther sound of cars, was just beautiful.

At last!  Home sweet home, lovely to be back.  

Up early, quick brekkie, no brewed coffee!

Jeff takes Ed round the corner to Ford dealership at 0800 for 1 year service (good spotting and organization)

Back to mount bikes and head for a day at the rowing course at Rotsee. With the Olympic selections now made, the World Cup kicks off.

Races between 10-1400hrs. Aussies did well.

Curried egg & lettuce sandwiches for lunch on German black bread - mmm.

Kids slid down monster slide in playground, read books, wowed at overhead tactical training Swiss aircraft, watched duck/swan ljfe and took in the odd race.

Adults chatted to fellow campers (Dutch - Irene & Edward with son in Olympic 8; Brits Rob & Elspeth - mad masters rowers), Aussie parents and support crew whilst watching one terrific battle after another right there in front of us!

Jeff getting his thrill seeing such tremendous young senior athletes performing their hearts out.  With no doctoring responsibilities, he can drink it all in, wandering up and down the course at his leisure.

Beautiful surrounds allow the day to pass easily for non-rowers.

Home via ice-cream under the blazing sun ( ~30 degrees) on banks of lake Lucerne

Jeff retrieves The Ed ~Sfr375 later. He has a clean bill of health and we now have 12 months of free roadside services anywhere in Europe!

Essay writing and dinner, sunset walk to lake and cuppa tea with Poms

reading...

the big 4

Chicks 8

Daisy chain chickadee

swans hate kiwis

unbackable Olympic favourites?

26/5

Lazy 0830 get up. Adults walk & talk (not always easy to do this) and then do 3 x 10BX. 

Big day of school, laundry, stripping beds etc, grocery shopping ( bike & backpack - Wil comes to help )& cleaning up Ed’s insides.

Jeff goes to the races to hang with ‘ the boys’ whilst the remaining 3 Conn’s complete the above.

Wil whizzes off on his bike a few times to ride into town and back.He comes back flushed,smiling and exclaiming how he has followed Mrs Schreiber’s fitness training orders ‘shocking’ his heart that he felt thumping powerfully in his chest.

Kel and I break things up preferring to make a daisy chain and cut our toenails.

Jeff pops home for fried rice & prawns then rejoins the boys at their hotel for a few ales thus enabling the use of decent internet to download the TomTom iphone app before we set off for Germany tomorrow.

Despite thoroughly enjoying a day to wash & go slow, I am surprised that I can’t wait to leave Switzerland. It’s hideous expense & intolerance for roadside camping make it really stressful after a few days.

To quote an English author Diccon Bewes who wrote Swiss Watching, the red tape here makes every other look pink. Overall this makes the business of living quite tiresome,rigid and overcomplicated. And once again, most experiences ,including a simple coffee out,is nauseatingly & thus prohibitively expensive clipping spontaneity,curiosity and full expression. Sterile. Obsessive. Rules.Contradictory. But quite the most beautiful place on earth.