View near the top
James and I before having fondu on the mountain side
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ski Week Continued
Just a couple more pictures of the amazing mountains we were hanging out on.
View near the top
James and I before having fondu on the mountain side
View near the top
James and I before having fondu on the mountain side
Ski Week - Jan 6th - Jan 12th
A gorgeous view from the mountain
Ah yes, another manditory TASIS travel week. As faculty we get to spend a week in Crans-Montana in the French speaking area of Switzerland, taking ski lessons and enjoying winter activities. We do have some work to do. We are required to be on duty for a shift of a day as well as to chaperone an activity or two. So for example I was on duty on Sunday -the day we arrived - and I had to take part in Snowfest for the 9th Grade. We had a huge snow ball fight outside at night and then walked to a restaurant for hot chocolates. Tough life. I hung around to do evening check in, did lights out and was out of there at 11pm. Then I was done for the rest of the week and could pretty much do as much or little with the kids as I wanted. Our ski passes were paid for so all we had to pay for was equipment rental which was discounted to CH100 for the week. I rented a locker as well to save myself shlepping all that gear up and down the hill. It's really tiring! I think the hardest part of skiing is getting your gear on and together.
We had great weather 3 days and not so great weather the other couple, but it was a good time. Tiring for sure, but lots of fun. Most of the faculty stay up in the center of town in one hotel (which we don't pay for either!).
Though James made the decision to skip the skiing, I couldn't pass up the chance to give it a try. Over the week I took advantage of a couple of the morning lessons. I was in the Never group and basically hung close on the bunny trails till the last day. Then I dared to venture onto a beginners trail down the mountain. I was fairly terrified but thanks to my good friend Charlene, I made it with no major injuries and only a handful of clumsy falls.
Charlene and Keith - two of our good friends here who we spent alot of time with
Amy, Joanna and I on skis - Amy was helping the two of us out a little!
We ate fondu on the mountain, went tubing at night and even had a chance to watch a movie in English at the local theater. One night a bus had been organized to take the teachers and some 12th graders to some thermal baths. My aching body was more than grateful for the soak. We also had a lovely faculty dinner one night and much socializing on the other days including crepes and hot chocolate.
Other fun bits were the faculty vs student ice hockey game. So many people who have hardly ever played or never played just got up on the ice and had a great time. I was happy to watch! I don't think anyone needs to see my lack of grace on ice.
The night tubing with the kids was also great fun. We tied many tubes together and headed down a fairly long track. Of course there had to be hot chocolate to follow!
James and I at the hockey game
Tubing - I was on the end of this crazy train of students!
Ah yes, another manditory TASIS travel week. As faculty we get to spend a week in Crans-Montana in the French speaking area of Switzerland, taking ski lessons and enjoying winter activities. We do have some work to do. We are required to be on duty for a shift of a day as well as to chaperone an activity or two. So for example I was on duty on Sunday -the day we arrived - and I had to take part in Snowfest for the 9th Grade. We had a huge snow ball fight outside at night and then walked to a restaurant for hot chocolates. Tough life. I hung around to do evening check in, did lights out and was out of there at 11pm. Then I was done for the rest of the week and could pretty much do as much or little with the kids as I wanted. Our ski passes were paid for so all we had to pay for was equipment rental which was discounted to CH100 for the week. I rented a locker as well to save myself shlepping all that gear up and down the hill. It's really tiring! I think the hardest part of skiing is getting your gear on and together.
We had great weather 3 days and not so great weather the other couple, but it was a good time. Tiring for sure, but lots of fun. Most of the faculty stay up in the center of town in one hotel (which we don't pay for either!).
Though James made the decision to skip the skiing, I couldn't pass up the chance to give it a try. Over the week I took advantage of a couple of the morning lessons. I was in the Never group and basically hung close on the bunny trails till the last day. Then I dared to venture onto a beginners trail down the mountain. I was fairly terrified but thanks to my good friend Charlene, I made it with no major injuries and only a handful of clumsy falls.
Charlene and Keith - two of our good friends here who we spent alot of time with
Amy, Joanna and I on skis - Amy was helping the two of us out a little!
We ate fondu on the mountain, went tubing at night and even had a chance to watch a movie in English at the local theater. One night a bus had been organized to take the teachers and some 12th graders to some thermal baths. My aching body was more than grateful for the soak. We also had a lovely faculty dinner one night and much socializing on the other days including crepes and hot chocolate.
Other fun bits were the faculty vs student ice hockey game. So many people who have hardly ever played or never played just got up on the ice and had a great time. I was happy to watch! I don't think anyone needs to see my lack of grace on ice.
The night tubing with the kids was also great fun. We tied many tubes together and headed down a fairly long track. Of course there had to be hot chocolate to follow!
James and I at the hockey game
Tubing - I was on the end of this crazy train of students!
Winter Comes to Lugano
We saw our first snow in Lugano right before we left for Ski week. I think what gets me most is the snow on the palm trees!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Crazy Christmas Break
London - New York - Boston. It sounds glamorous and oh so jet set, but as it turns out, it was quite exhausting!
First stop London for 3 days. We had a nice stay at Sonja and Theo's and I was very happy to spend a little time with Julie every day. Our first night she had us all over for dinner and cooked a spectacular multi course meal. After 3 months of TASIS food I was really done with bad food by the time we left, and that meal was the start of a good food vacation.
The weather was crap as it tends to be in England. We took a walk in Hyde Park only to find it getting dark at 3:30pm. It also felt freezing to us after our balmy Ticino weather. And of course there is the expense of everything in England - Outrageous! Still, when friends and family are around everything is that much better.
Dinner at Julie's place
On the 19th of Dec we arrived in New York after a pleasant flight over with BA. This is especially noteworthy when we compare it to the Alitalia flight back from Boston to Milan. Besides the terrible turbulence which perhaps wasn't their fault, there were no individual tv screens and then no movie on the main screen. We had no choice for dinner - they had run out of chicken and so fish was shoved apon us. Later for drinks we discovered two options - coke or water. Breakfast was no better. Didn't sleep a wink and arrived to find some other passenger had grabbed our hand luggage and left theirs. The airline didn't take their bag from us, and instead just incouraged us to find them before they disappeared... Great. Lucky for us we discovered an old guy with it about to go through to a transfering flight. That could have been a disaster.
But back to New York - it is all a bit of a daze as we tried to schedule in as many friends and family members as we could. Much revolved around meal times and our mission to eat at all our favourite spots was more or less accomplished. Oh the bliss of eating sushi again! And Cuban. And chicken wings. And ribs. And burgers. Wow the list goes on.
Also in New York I got my first mani pedi since July thanks to Karen and her packing procrastinating. We did get round to doing some packing and moving for her and Matt and we even had a chance to see the house they bought. Very cool. We also had a chance to catch up with Jamie and John and hear about the wedding and honeymoon. We had dinner with Felice catching her right before her own trip to Australia, and we saw an awesome performance of Alvin Ailey. We had dinner with a student's dad and girlfriend, shopped at Century 21, walked around Soho, and had Christmas Eve and day with James' family. All this and more in just 6 days.
Meeting up with John and Jamie
Christmas Eve with the Family
Karen and Matt in front of their new house
We thought Boston might be more relaxing, but it turned out only slightly so. James' parents drove us up which was very sweet of them and also gave them some extra time with James. With Sonja also there visiting, we spent the rest of the week bouncing back and forth between Shirin's and my mom's places which was quite disorienting. The first night we tried sleeping all three sisters in one bed, and lets just say that it didn't work out so well! Bugsy and Samba eventually started to recognize James and I again and then permitted us to pick them up, but at first they were very put out with all the new bodies in their home. It was good to see them all adjusted to their new home though. We spent time with Nana, and when my mom wasn't working, with her too. The rest was a mash of shopping, more shopping, social engagements, meeting Shirin's friends, and generally hanging out and eating. Again lots of good food - more on the homemade front with Shirin and her dinner parties. All in all, exhausting but great trip. We arrived back after the interesting flight described above, and made the mistake of taking a nap in the morning. Jet lag followed, and we spent the following few days trying to recover. We had just 2 and a half days before ski week which was not a whole lot of time to get our minds in school mode. We made it through though, and more on that to come!
Three in a bed...
First stop London for 3 days. We had a nice stay at Sonja and Theo's and I was very happy to spend a little time with Julie every day. Our first night she had us all over for dinner and cooked a spectacular multi course meal. After 3 months of TASIS food I was really done with bad food by the time we left, and that meal was the start of a good food vacation.
The weather was crap as it tends to be in England. We took a walk in Hyde Park only to find it getting dark at 3:30pm. It also felt freezing to us after our balmy Ticino weather. And of course there is the expense of everything in England - Outrageous! Still, when friends and family are around everything is that much better.
Dinner at Julie's place
On the 19th of Dec we arrived in New York after a pleasant flight over with BA. This is especially noteworthy when we compare it to the Alitalia flight back from Boston to Milan. Besides the terrible turbulence which perhaps wasn't their fault, there were no individual tv screens and then no movie on the main screen. We had no choice for dinner - they had run out of chicken and so fish was shoved apon us. Later for drinks we discovered two options - coke or water. Breakfast was no better. Didn't sleep a wink and arrived to find some other passenger had grabbed our hand luggage and left theirs. The airline didn't take their bag from us, and instead just incouraged us to find them before they disappeared... Great. Lucky for us we discovered an old guy with it about to go through to a transfering flight. That could have been a disaster.
But back to New York - it is all a bit of a daze as we tried to schedule in as many friends and family members as we could. Much revolved around meal times and our mission to eat at all our favourite spots was more or less accomplished. Oh the bliss of eating sushi again! And Cuban. And chicken wings. And ribs. And burgers. Wow the list goes on.
Also in New York I got my first mani pedi since July thanks to Karen and her packing procrastinating. We did get round to doing some packing and moving for her and Matt and we even had a chance to see the house they bought. Very cool. We also had a chance to catch up with Jamie and John and hear about the wedding and honeymoon. We had dinner with Felice catching her right before her own trip to Australia, and we saw an awesome performance of Alvin Ailey. We had dinner with a student's dad and girlfriend, shopped at Century 21, walked around Soho, and had Christmas Eve and day with James' family. All this and more in just 6 days.
Meeting up with John and Jamie
Christmas Eve with the Family
Karen and Matt in front of their new house
We thought Boston might be more relaxing, but it turned out only slightly so. James' parents drove us up which was very sweet of them and also gave them some extra time with James. With Sonja also there visiting, we spent the rest of the week bouncing back and forth between Shirin's and my mom's places which was quite disorienting. The first night we tried sleeping all three sisters in one bed, and lets just say that it didn't work out so well! Bugsy and Samba eventually started to recognize James and I again and then permitted us to pick them up, but at first they were very put out with all the new bodies in their home. It was good to see them all adjusted to their new home though. We spent time with Nana, and when my mom wasn't working, with her too. The rest was a mash of shopping, more shopping, social engagements, meeting Shirin's friends, and generally hanging out and eating. Again lots of good food - more on the homemade front with Shirin and her dinner parties. All in all, exhausting but great trip. We arrived back after the interesting flight described above, and made the mistake of taking a nap in the morning. Jet lag followed, and we spent the following few days trying to recover. We had just 2 and a half days before ski week which was not a whole lot of time to get our minds in school mode. We made it through though, and more on that to come!
Three in a bed...
Monday, December 3, 2007
Thanksgiving - family time
Having my sisters around is always such a joy and a blessing. Though the weather refused to cooperate all week, I still had a wonderful time. The great thing about hanging out with my sisters is how easy it all is. There are no expectations to entertain and I can count on them to do a lot around the house so that I almost get a break!
I feel like I should have a great list of things we got up to, but really just spending time together was the highlight. Sometimes we were together eating, sometimes sleeping, sometimes getting ready to go out, sometimes playing with leo, but all the time getting to talk naturally and freely. That's what counts most really.
Leo has changed so much since we last saw him in August. He is really becoming a little boy with curiosity and facial expressions to match. As he starts discovering sounds with his voice and you can sense the desire and the frustration at not being able to talk yet. Even more than talking is his desire to walk though. He's young to be so eager, but he's very strong.
James, as the sweetest husband, ended up driving us all sorts of places including making the trip to Malpensa Airport in Milan not once, but twice. I love that I can count on him for that kind of support and understanding.
What was really healthy was taking some time and space away from the campus and routine of work. It felt more than good and I am looking forward to more of that over Christmas break. What I realize in those odd moments when I stop, is how much we are still doing and involved in even when we are not "working". Forcing myself not to touch the essays I had over the whole week was tough, but refreshiing. And now that all that excitment is gone I am shocked to see the end of year in full view. It's somehow managed to get to December without me knowing it. Pretty soon I will be a year older, have made it through the first semester at a boarding school and will be on my way back to the States. Wow, that's a lot.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Vals
Before all the excitement of having family here, we spent a weekend in Vals - a tiny
Swiss town with natural spring water being bottled on sight (Valser water).
Our agenda for the weekend - sleep, eat, soak in water - in any order and combination.
We stayed at the Rovanada - a nice little hotel with an excellent buffet breakfast that even allows you to make your own egg should you choose.
We ended up fulfilling all criteria on our first night there including a nap when we arrived on Friday afternoon, a nice long dinner,and a swim in the indoor pool later that night.
On Sat we got up late enough, enjoyed breakfast, went for a walk in the sunshine, and came back for a wee rest before our scheduled Therme time. The afternoon was spent at the Therme vals soaking in all 6 pools. The range went from 14 degrees to 42 (Celsius). Let's face it, I didn't really get into the 14 degree one, but it was there! There was even a pool with petals in it which was scented. The architecture of the place is fascinating and it takes a while to discover exactly where everything is. We played with the pressure showers and poked our noses into the steam shower areas. What we did not do was roll in the snow and then jump back in the warm water. I couldn't quite bring myself to that point. We did have fun in the outdoor pool watching our heads steam as the rest of our bodies stayed nice and warm though. The area is stunning - this time of year completely blanketed in snow of course.
Three and a half hours later we emerged, thoroughly pruned. Of course that night was a wonderful 4 course dinner to savor and after all our hard work, an earlier night for us. Well we needed our beauty rest so that we could get up early in the morning for a massage!
Yes, we had 8am massages. I wish I could say it was as glorious as everything else, but really it was just alright. James felt the same about his. I guess we are a bit spoiled (miss you, Karen!). Still, it was relaxing enough and a good way to start the day. We enjoyed one last extensive breakfast and headed back to lugano. Probably the funniest thing was seeing the season change from winter back to fall as we came through the mountain pass down towards Lugano. We are lucky to have such mild weather here!
Swiss town with natural spring water being bottled on sight (Valser water).
Our agenda for the weekend - sleep, eat, soak in water - in any order and combination.
We stayed at the Rovanada - a nice little hotel with an excellent buffet breakfast that even allows you to make your own egg should you choose.
We ended up fulfilling all criteria on our first night there including a nap when we arrived on Friday afternoon, a nice long dinner,and a swim in the indoor pool later that night.
On Sat we got up late enough, enjoyed breakfast, went for a walk in the sunshine, and came back for a wee rest before our scheduled Therme time. The afternoon was spent at the Therme vals soaking in all 6 pools. The range went from 14 degrees to 42 (Celsius). Let's face it, I didn't really get into the 14 degree one, but it was there! There was even a pool with petals in it which was scented. The architecture of the place is fascinating and it takes a while to discover exactly where everything is. We played with the pressure showers and poked our noses into the steam shower areas. What we did not do was roll in the snow and then jump back in the warm water. I couldn't quite bring myself to that point. We did have fun in the outdoor pool watching our heads steam as the rest of our bodies stayed nice and warm though. The area is stunning - this time of year completely blanketed in snow of course.
Three and a half hours later we emerged, thoroughly pruned. Of course that night was a wonderful 4 course dinner to savor and after all our hard work, an earlier night for us. Well we needed our beauty rest so that we could get up early in the morning for a massage!
Yes, we had 8am massages. I wish I could say it was as glorious as everything else, but really it was just alright. James felt the same about his. I guess we are a bit spoiled (miss you, Karen!). Still, it was relaxing enough and a good way to start the day. We enjoyed one last extensive breakfast and headed back to lugano. Probably the funniest thing was seeing the season change from winter back to fall as we came through the mountain pass down towards Lugano. We are lucky to have such mild weather here!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Ahh, Venice
View from our bedroom window
What a beautiful city and what phenominal weather we had! We left for Venice on Friday just over a week ago. Taking the train is definitely the way to go, though we discovered that the direct train without changes is actually slower than switching in Milano. None the less, seated in first class with no particular agenda to get to, we were happy to doze for the 5 hours it took. We arrived after sunset and so we thrown right into the bustle night life of the city. As it was a holiday weekend for many one of our trickier tasks was finding places to eat that would take a late reservation or none at all.
Our accommodation for the first night was a very nice apartment a little off the beaten path but right on a canal. I am passing on the info for all of you because we highly recommend it both price wise and niceness wise. It has been recently renovated and feels homey and clean. The owner, Eva, met us at the apt and was great. The place is well equiped and has a kitchen, living room or 2nd bedroom (pull out couch), main bedroom with queen bed, and 2 bathrooms. If you ever want to go to venice email Eva and see if it's available. For the same quality in a hotel you'll be paying close to 400 euros, she charged us 110 for the night. We were only disappointed that we couldn't stay both nights, but unfortunately she had already booked Sat and we were lucky to find it available for Friday night.
evasoranzo@ngi.it
James outside the entrance to our apartment
After finding our apartment we were hungry, and just enough to be slightly cranky about the reservation issue. Eventually we found our way to Alla Madonna - a place that thankfully doesn't allow for reservations. Even so, we had a good 20 min wait to be seated, but at that point we weren't trying to wander around and find some place else. The place came recommended by a couple of people. It was decent but neither of us were over the moon about it. Lots of fish and seafood, so if you like that you're in the right city.
The apartment is the bottom floor
Saturday was truly the most glorious day weather wise. Sunny and warm enough to be comfortable in a light jacket - you know I couldn't ask for more! We spent the whole day walking and eating - with the exception of our over priced gondola ride at sunset. I think if I'm ever really pressed for money I'm moving to Venice. Those guys charge anywhere from 80-150 euros for a 40min gondola ride! wow. I've discovered that hot chocolate in Venice is like hot chocolate pudding. It normally is so thick you have to eat it with a spoon. For those of you who know it - it reminds me of sheer neshaste but chocolate flavored. Yum. We seriously walked the whole city I think and only stopped to eat or go into little tourist trap stores. We saw more Murano glass than we possibly would have liked, but then that's all part of the experience I suppose.
Dinner was at Al Piron which we thought was this little hide-away place that we came across in our wonderings through the Ghetto. We were a bit mistaken but we still had a very good dinner. The menu is pricey but tasty and we made sure to enjoy the moment.
Me and my first hot chocolate!
Enjoying the day
Our second night was spent at the Hotel Dolomiti - a 2 star number right near the train station. It's a convenient location, but definitely not quiet and definitely not anything but adequate. Breakfast was blach. It's a place you go to when you don't want to spend too much and all else has failed. You know it will be clean but beyond that...
Finally, sunday's weather was good - not as good. We had just the morning to walk around - and so we did just that. Our mistake was to eat lunch in a hurry at a tourist menu joint - yuck yuck yuck. Don't eat at any of those places on the main drag - is my recommendation. If they're there it's because they never see the same customer twice.
Our train was delayed by half an hour which made us miss our connecting train in Milan where we had to sit and wait for an hour. Even so, we still arrived back only a half hour after our original time. Wierd.
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