It was our last day in Switzerland, and our last breakfast with Antje. She went a little wild at the bakery this morning, and there was lots to choose from.
She even got these adorable "hedgehog" rolls for the girls!
After breakfast I went out with Antje on errands. I bought a luggage strap at Migros, then we stopped by the pharmacy and the post office nearby to pick things up for Antje's papa. While Antje was in line at the post office I took our recycling to the collection center. Here in Switzerland you take your glass and plastics to bins outside grocery stores or somewhere in the central shopping district. It's more of an effort for the consumer than curbside pick up with your household trash, but the Swiss have long been concerned about the environment and most comply with the system, just as most Europeans seem to carry reusable shopping bags or baskets when they go to the store.
Back to Antje's, we picked up the girls and Antje then dropped us off at the Wilderness Park on her way to take her papa to a doctor's appointment. (Daddy stayed home and rested). The girls wanted to return to the wilderness park, and it seemed fitting to spend both our first and our last mornings in Switzerland there.
On the map above you can see the Wildnispark. Today we are starting out from the area in the bottom of the photo, called "Hasengarten." The Wildnispark is on both sides of the street, with a footbridge crossing over.
Public toilet at the park. Spotlessly Swiss!
On our last visit we were mostly in the forested part of the park, but today we hiked in the grasslands area.
The people who live in these houses nearby have a great view of the wild creatures!
Silly heads-on display for the kids. Kelsey is having a croissant left over from breakfast.
Guessing game. The girls did pretty well for not understanding the language.
This fox was very curious and came right up to the fence to see us. I wondered if maybe some park visitors had fed him, and now he expects every passing person to offer something. He didn't get anything from us, although the peperoni I had in my bag probably tempted him terribly.
After a lot of animal viewing, the girls wanted to return to the play area they had seen on our first visit.
This time we were not in a hurry and the girls had plenty of time to explore and play.
A hammock. Move over, Kelsey, I think Mommy needs to spend some time there!
It was getting warm and I wanted the girls to see a little more of the animals before we left, so I went into the restaurant and bought us popsicles to lure them away from the playground. These were a favorite of the girls because they were about a foot long, and the "stick" was a plunger style "squirt gun" you could use after you finished your treat.
We followed a school group up into the forest in hopes of seeing some wild cats.
Success! Aubrietta is up on the platform looking at the lynx.
It looks like a moose to us, but here it is an "Elk."
The only way back to the road where Antje would be picking us up was past the playground, so the girls spent a few more minutes there.
Crossing the foot bridge from one side of the park to the other.
Antje suggested we go to the Park im Gruene, which is a public park built by Migros, Switzerland's largest retailing company, its largest supermarket chain and largest employer. As if I needed another reason to love Migros, it turns out they are major philanthropists, providing everything from adult education classes to cultural programs and this beautiful park.
As you can see, the park is located on major transit lines. On the map where "GDI" is located, is the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, which is a "thinktank" of brilliant minds aiming to make the world a better place.
The Oranger Garten is a new installation this year, featuring mostly orange flowers. It is an interactive park with art installations detailing the company's history, as you can see in photo above, with the spiral timeline behind the girls.
I wish we had taken the time to go into the Migros grocery store you see in the photo above, but it was just too glorious to go inside.
Thank you, Gottlieb Duttweiler, for creating the non-profit foundation that built and maintains this beautiful park for all to enjoy.
Migros has a grocery store and the oranger garten on one side of the road, and this Migros restaurant on the other, beside the "green" side of the park.
There was a wonderful playground, and these canvas sling chairs were provided for anyone who wanted to sit awhile.
The girls gave the playground a thorough inspection, but it was fairly overrun with small children, so they quickly moved on.
There was a beautiful waterplay area, and the girls were disappointed that their swimsuits were already packed.
There was also a big puppet theater, with near daily shows through the summer.
The girls watched for awhile, despite the show being in Swiss-German, which they didn't understand. The show turned out to be one of those classic "Punch and Judy" types with sight gags eliciting laughs from the crowd, and far too many instances of puppets getting bonked over the head. Kelsey especially has no tolerance for any type of violence, even to puppets, so she was ready to leave within minutes, so we slipped away to explore more of the park.
There was a beautiful scenic overlook with a panoramic view up and down Lake Zurich.
Large plaques helped you identify landmarks and mountains in the distance.
There was a wide open green lawn, the "Im Grüene" of the park. In the photo above you can see the restaurant, where we would be meeting Antje for a late lunch. She was off with her papa at another doctor appointment and would arrive shortly.
I enjoyed watching this little tot run in the grass, back and forth, full of energy.
After our lunch at the Migros Restaurant with Antje, the girls had one LAST ice cream. We thought the one at the Wildnis Park earlier in the day was the last one, but when another opportunity presented itself, we couldn't resist.
Aubrietta discovered Navina's scooter, which is much larger than the scooters we see back at home. Antje stands beside her car, at the ready for us to load our bags for our journey home. Antje drove Daddy and the girls to the train station down the hill where they'd take the train to the airport, while Antje and I would drive together with the luggage, and have one last conversation.
Things hadn't quite worked out as we'd planned. The girls didn't get along well initially, poor Antje was overwhelmed with her papa's care, there was drama and strife around the end of Navina's school year and her sudden, early departure to visit her father, and we weren't the easy houseguests I'd hoped we'd be, between my husband's need to lie around and rest his knee, our need to do laundry, and Aubrietta's multiple allergies which complicated mealtimes. Whew! Antje is a loving, generous person and an amazing host and tour guide. She opened her home to us, and I am so grateful.
On the way to the airport Antje and I had a good heart-to-heart talk as she wove us through the narrow streets of Zurich during rush hour. We arrived at the airport before Daddy and the girls, so Antje double parked the car to help me get our 4 bags into the terminal. She wanted to wait around, but I sent her on her way because I didn't want her to get towed or get a ticket for leaving her car in the loading area. Just as she started to pull away the girls bounded up the escalator from the train station below, and I redirected them outside to wave farewell to Antje as she passed by, waving back.
We made it through security with only Daddy getting the "free massage" from the security officer, and had about an hour to pass before our flight. Like other airports we'd passed through in Europe, you exited security directly into Duty-Free shopping, and you had to thread yourself through the maze of people squirting perfume at you and towering displays of liquor to reach the concourse. Daddy decided to buy a Swiss Army Knife, which he was allowed to carry onto the plane without question. How odd that you go through security at the airport only to be allowed to buy a weapon with a sharp blade in duty free! And it wasn't as if it was sold in some impenetrable warehouse-club blister-pack packaging that is impossible to open, either. It was neatly tucked into a little cardboard box, so you could take it out and trim your nails while waiting for your plane.
Still smiling after nearly 6 weeks away from home. The girls are looking forward to returning to their friends, their own beds, our kitty cats, and another month of summer before school begins again. Kelsey plans to finish up the Little House on the Prairie series and go camping with her best friend when she gets home. She would have liked a week of Girl Scout camp as well, but we couldn't afford that on top of our trip abroad. Aubrietta is looking forward to sleeping in, catching up with friends, her weekly movie matinee date with Grammy, and spending one-on-one time with me while her sister is camping. All of us are looking forward to wearing something other than poly-nylon travel clothes!
Farewell, Switzerland. I've always loved how Switzerland has little villages interspersed with productive fields and patches of protected forest. Despite the distance between villages, they are all connected by transit, so even if you live in a tiny village, you can hop a bus or train and be in a city in less than an hour, all without need of a car.
Approaching the Oslo airport.
There was the most beautiful sunset as we approached Oslo.
After arrival, still a bit of pink in the sky. And true to the Oslo we knew, it was raining.
It's 10:45 at night and still light out! Notice how snugly Kelsey's pack is against her back. Ever since her fall in Copenhagen when the too-loose pack flew up and knocked her on the back of the head as she fell forward, she's taken my advice to keep those straps tight. Aubrietta, on the other hand, has let hers get a little loose again. As we've passed through airports, run for trains, and packed and repacked between locations, I've thought a lot about how this all has been good preparation for the girls to travel on their own one day. If they want to be exchange students or join the Peace Corps they'll be ready and capable.
We walked from the airport gate to luggage claim, then directly to our hotel, the Park Inn by Radisson. That's right, we walked to our hotel! It was located nearby, connected to the airport by a covered walkway.
The best part about being in a hotel that is located IN the airport is that you can take your luggage carts from the airport right into your room! The girls each had a comfy twin roll-away, while Daddy and I shared a big King size bed (to the left of the black suitcase above, out of the photo). Our room was on the corner, so we had windows on two sides. It was well past midnight when we finally tucked in. The beds were very comfortable, and I slept well knowing that we didn't have to check out until NOON!
Next: Day 41 -- Loooong Transit Day: Oslo-Reykjavik-Seattle -- Tuesday, July 24th »
>>>>>>Click Here to go to the Index<<<<<<