Notre week-end en Suisse!

We decided that since we had a few days off, we'd throw some kids in a bag, no wait, throw some clothes in a bag and load the kids in the car, yes, and head out to Schweiz! Right! Now we're cooking! We drove out of town...the kids with their pillow and blankets, me with mine and of course, my handy-dandy book on Switzerland! Wes, bless him, was dutifully driving 'the sub'. As per our tradition, we try to learn about a place before going to it, so as we're journeying onward, I'm reading aloud to the kidlings and they are ooh-ing and ahh-ing about different facts about the Swiss Miss...things like all the tunnels are lined with explosives incase another country attacks, they can blow the tunnels to keep them out...and all the houses have bunkers to sustain them in case of being at war...the reason you see CH on their tags (country code) etc. is because it stands for Confoederatio Helvetica which is the formal Latin name of Switzerland! All interesting tidbits that give you a unique view of the country you're going into...a new way to see it!

One thing I've really tried to teach my children is that while it's fine to get a sourvenir and shop a bit, culture is the point! Now don't get me wrong, I do like to shop some and I always want a token of where I've been, but what gets me going is knowing what has gone on in a place, knowing about the people...making it come alive! That is what I want my children to experience. So, we read about places, we watch shows about the places, we talk to people about the places and like now, we go to the places! Now, when we get there, the things we see and do have much more meaning to us! So, we get to Biel and it is beautiful! ..peaceful...just what we need!!

We check into our hotel and the staff is friendly, the rooms are clean...we have to 2 rooms, which we have gotten used to finally! lolol In 2004, Gunnar, our youngest was 9 years old. Now, I was in one room fiddling with the TV and getting iller by the minute becaue the TV wouldn't come on much less turn station or anything else. In the other room, the older boys had at least gotten the TV on, but that's all...they couldn't get it to change channels or do volume...but it was on. Meanwhile, I'd gotten fed up and threw the remote on the bed. Gunnar came out of the bathroom, jumped up on the bed, grabbed the remote and **BAM**. In less than 1/2 a split second, he had the TV on, flipping the channels and had it to his fave cartoon and laughing it up! I walked back over to where he was, the other boys walked into my room...Gunnar is oblivous....just laughing away. The rest of us are just standing there with our mouths open and then we all start talking at once about 'how did you do that'...blah blah blah!! lololololol So the 9 year old boy genius had to show the rest of us how to work the TV. What a way to start the vay-cay! So, on that embarrassing note, we decided it was better to get out of the hotel room and scope out the town! :D

Wandering down to the harbor area, we saw several anchored boats, a pier and a restaurant. The pier led out a ways where you could fish or have a lazy stretch and read a book! Over in the grassy area, people were playing soccer; on the sidelines they were watching, laughing and enjoying each other's company. After meandering all around, we finally strolled on over to the restaurant, Joran! Since it was already late in the evening, we decided to eat and get back to the room.

Waking up to a beautiful Swiss Sunshiney morn, we popped down for a yummy breakfast and then out the door to snoop around Bern! One of the best features of this trip was that there was no push to do anything...we simply were just moving at a leisurely pace...it was glorious!

We parked at the train station with loads of brightly colored graffiti marking the spot (where we parked! lol) and we walked into town! Of course, one of the first things we checked off the proverbial list was a Swiss Pocket Knife for the boys...8D Bern, the capital of Switzerland and founded by Duke Berchtold V of Zaehringen in 1191, is represented by the Bear! When the Duke was building the city, he swore to name it after the first animal he brought back from the hunt...and that animal turned out to be a bear! You'll see the bear in statue form, on flags and in the ever popular bear pit! We absolutely loved it!!!! We bought food there at the little concession area that sells 'bear food' and dropped food down to her. Feeding the bear was so fun! The kids were squealing with delight, laughing because they got the fruit in her mouth....it was just a very enjoyable experience!

Walking up and down the streets thru the new/old town was a pleasurable experience. The water that ran thru it (Aare River?) was beautiful and we stood there for a time just to watch it! Ahhhh...peace and tranquility! Heading on down the marktgasse, we marvelled at the many statues and local threads of history. Speaking of history, Albert Einstein lived right here...or there...in that house on Kramgasse 49 from 1902 to 1909! WOW! In that very apartment is where he developed his theory of relativity and the law of the equivalence of matter and energy!!!! DOUBLY WOW!!! Now, that apartment is a museum!!! **eyes doing that exaggerated blink**

About this time, the familia is worn down and giving in to base needs...food, food and oh, um, food! So, we found a local restaurant and plop in for the yummies! Wrapping up the day, we find ourselves in Zurich tomorrow and then heading home!

Heading home, we told the kids we'd swing in to Zurich (ok, it was a bit out of our way, but who's counting, eh?!) and take them to the zoo! Our kids--this a parental brag moment, are wonderful travellers....not usually whiny or things like that, we entertain each other and have a good time of it! So, here we are in the sub and we play some sort of game, sing a song, do something to pass the time--of course we look at the scenery and yell if there is anything of unusual appearance!

The trip to the zoo was rather uneventful and all of us, except poor Wes--it was admittedly rude of us, but we saw no way around, mind you as he was driving, decided to take a nap. When we got into the outskirts of Zurich, I woke up and took a few snapshots, but nothing of real spec-tacularity...but still, it was Zurich!

I figure I can get some real shots once we leave the zoo!

We arrive at the zoo...lovely little jungle area....the kids are excited...us too...we go in...take some fun shots...lovely critters abound...frogs, snakes, the penquins SO ROCKED--we stayed there quite awhile. They dove and dove on the rocks...great fellows..knocking each other off, it was hilarious. 'Nyhoo...I love ele-PHAMPS and ca-MELLAS....and I was so happy to find them and oh OH OH...MY CAMERA DIED!!!! NO WAY!!!!! I mean, did you notice how the shots just stopped? Yes, well, the old battery just kicked up its heels and said no more! What kind of respect is that? The nerve.... I was just plain sick to realize that not only could I not finish photo'ing the zoo, but I couldn't photo ZURICH!!!! **forearm is now thrown across the forehead and the intense possibility of a swoon is at hand*** Then that nagging little voice that always wants to intrude began to tell me that had I recharged the battery when we were at the hotel this wouldn't have happened. THE ABSOLUTE INSOLENCE!!! I clamped down on that nonsense so hard my head spun...oh yes..lolololololololol----oh the pain of admitting that it was my fault hurt more than I wanted to say. OH well, gave me a reason to have to visit Zurich again, right?! Right!