Being foreign again

At an outdoor Swiss museum with all kinds of old houses and traditional demonstrations.


At a restaurant/hotel over a lake near Brienz, before an amazing hike to a huge waterfall.


In the gondola on the way up to see the Matterhorn, which was topped by clouds most of the day.


Playgrounds everywhere! With amazing views and gorgeous weather! Wow - we really miss playgrounds in TZ.


Jungfrau - a very tall mountain. The kids got to play in the snow, and had a blast till their hands got too cold.

We're blessed to have parents who have taken us on a family holiday to Switzerland. My parents helped send us here, and Dusty's parents are spoiling us here. It's fantastic to be with his family again and to have a real vacation surrounded by the amazing beauty of Switzerland.

It's funny to notice and experience:
-straight hair because the dry Swiss air has zapped our Tanzanian curls, even though it's been rainy every day.

-everything happening on time - the trains leave exactly when they say they will, and everything else is beautifully efficient.

-cold weather, fog, drizzle, snow. The cold air was a challenge for our packing since we barely have any clothes or shoes for cool climates.

-summer light - it's 9:00pm here, but feels like it's 6:30 because the sun sets so much later here, therefore we keep forgetting to get the kids in bed on time because it seems so early.

-clean water!! We can drink from the tap - wow! Bath water in the kids' mouths? No problem!

-we look like everyone else here, which feels great, except that they keep speaking German to us.

-mountains, snow, glacial lakes, waterfalls, cows and sheep with ringing bells.

-glorious cheese, yogurt, turkey meat, strawberries, grapes, and I could go on and on. Dusty would add all kinds of beef and pork too. Suffice it to say that we are thrilled with real grocery stores and all kinds of restaurants. It is odd, though, to shop in a grocery store and not be able to read any of the labels.

-all kinds of transportation. We've been in quick, smooth, and fun airplanes, boats, gondolas, cable cars, and buses (not so fun on curvy mountain roads). The kids rode a zipline - does that count?
Jack's in train-heaven, coincidentally matching this one.

Kidisms:
-Tessa looking at a woman in high heels, "She has nice shoes. They have sticks on them."

-Tessa at 7:00pm, "But it's not bedtime! It's morning."

-Jack, "Where's our home now?"

-Tessa, watching a bear and her cubs, "I'd like to have a cub. Ellie could play with it." (Ellie is our dog.)