Our family vacation this year had two determining factors: within driving distance and relaxing. With a 7-month pregnant mommy and a 2-year old you can understand the reasoning... Even though we had a rough start, we had an amazing time. Due to various factors, the drive that was supposed to take 8-1/2 hours took 10 (even with Brandon's driving!). This meant we arrived to our hotel at 1:30 AM, Lydia sound asleep in the car, parents frustrated and hotel closed. You can imagine the panic we felt at that moment. So, we put on our "logical solution hats" (can you believe Engineer Daddy froze under the pressure and it was actually Mommy who came up with the solution to the dilema?!?! Here's to the right-brained species.) We drove to the nearest town, rang the nightbell to the first hotel we saw and paid $200 (ouch!) for 5 hours of sleep. (Mommy slept only 3 hours because sharing the bed with Lydia left a scant 6 inches at the edge of the bed where I could precariously balance my ever-expanding body).
Good news is from there on out, we had a GREAT time. Although our "real" hotel sported the lovely decor of the 70s -- complete with orange carpeted walls and avacado green bathroom walls (apparently the trend was universal) -- we had an amazing view and a nice little balcony. We intentionally went with no intinerary... no "to do list"... just relax and have fun. So how did we spend our time? Visiting playgrounds, a cave, a farm with authentic Swiss farm houses from the 1800s complete with lots of animals, riding a cable car to the top of a mountain and breathing fresh mountain air. The lake at the base of the mountains had the bluest water you can imagine! The getaway was exactly what we needed... for once we did not return home stressed out and exhausted.
Maybe we'll go back sometime for some lederhosen and yodeling lessons...
It's true... In Switzerland, every cow really does wear a bell!
Typical Swiss village in the Alps
No comments:
Post a Comment