Ski Pig

I'm four weeks away from heading back to work and I still haven't completed one of my major projects - to get all our digital photos in one place. Sadly I will not be able to show you scenes from 20o7, when we put Pig in skis for the first time. Below are from last year's vacation in Leogang.


This year, we knew we wanted to take this ski school thing seriously. As part of our hotel booking we arranged for 5 days of ski school in the morning and afternoon, as well as pick up by the hotel staff for the kids to have lunch. The bunny hills were directly before our balcony.

So the first day we spent the morning with Pig at the ski school, where of course there were more wails and flailing body parts than you could count. It also dawned upon the Pig our plans were for him to spend the days skiing without us (gee kid, don't you know your parents by now?). He didn't like it one bit.

The second day we picked him up at the end of the day and was told he went to the ski school in the morning but refused to go in the afternoon. Boring, he told us.

The third day we got a call on the slopes and it was the staff telling us Pig was refusing to go to ski school. We told him he had to go if he ever wanted to take the gondola up the mountain. We went to pick him up in the afternoon and indeed he did go, but they confirmed it was too boring for him and we should arrange for him to join the ski school on top

He spent the last 2 days riding up with us to the bigger ski school area.


And I don't think Jochen could be prouder.



Each day I asked both Jochen and the Pig whether they missed the Monchi, and they just looked at me blankly. Oh I missed my little sweetheart!

Short Stop in Zurich

On our way to Serfaus we were able to make a quick overnight stop in Zurich to visit Sinead, Roland and Roisin - our first visit since they left Cologne last year. They now live in a lovely neighborhood on the "Gold Coast" of Lake Zurich, which we won't hold against them. The best part is now seeing Roisin walking all by herself!

After breakfast we strolled to the lakeshore to feed the duckies. The view is amazing. The block of red buildings to the left in the picture below is the Lindt factory outlet. Sinead stocked up before we arrived and Jochen made a big dent in the supply.

I hope we get to come back in the summer to enjoy the "Badi" - a Zurich custom where each neighborhood on the coast has its own swimming area on the lake - only for the use of its residents (and their guests).

Felix was able to play with his favorite football buddy.

Still can't believe you guys moved away...

Proud Grandparents

How I Survived the Parental Inspection Tour

Port in Antalya

My parents' 10 day visit ended this morning and I have to say all in all it was a resounding success. Although my mother has visited me in Cologne several times in the past, this was my father's first trip and I had my doubts about how he would take to being on my "turf" and dealing with the grandkids for such an intense period of time. Turns out he was much more flexible than I gave him credit for and accepted a lot of things a lot better than I would have expected....it all goes to show that your own family may still have the ability to surprise you, after all.

Pig's affectionate greeting of his grandparents despite nearly a year's absence played no small part in making sure the visit got off to a good start. They were thrilled that he warmed to them immediately, and of course they were especially excited to see Monchichi for the first time. This charm offensive meant they managed no-real-Chinese-food-the-entire-visit without a single complaint. Pretty incredible!

We all had a great time at our resort in Turkey.



And ate too much the entire time...


So now the REAL vacation begins...that is, after I get the laundry done and ourselves packed for the drive down to Serfaus this Friday. I'm a bit sad because Monchi will stay with her grandmother in Frankfurt - our first time really apart!!

44

Ice Cream Cone, Claes Oldenburg sculpture at the Neumarkt Gallerie in Cologne


So I've been trying to think of things to do with my parents when they arrive for their state visit this Sunday. I know they're here to see the grandkids, but I think it'll only take about 24 hours to remind them again that in real life they are not as cute or smiley as they are on this blog, and they cry louder in person. I know they know that, but I think they (especially my mother) suffer from grandparent amnesia so I'm trying my bestest to ensure everyone has a good time...

In preparation I went on the Cologne tourism website earlier to get some inspiration and, lo and behold, it trumpets the fact that Cologne has been selected among the "44 places you should visit in 2009" - by the New York Times. Much as I love this city, it just goes to show such lists are complete and utter nonsense. Then again, Mike and Chelsea, your fair city of Buffalo ranks in this illustrious group as well! Chicago too, but that's more than understandable.

The gothic cathedral aside, there are a lot of pleasant things to see and do in Cologne, but they're hardly headline attractions on par with the Eiffel Tower or say the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As the locals say, "Köln ist ein Gefühl"- Cologne is a feeling, and I'm afraid one that may be lost in the translation of constant rain and gloomy skies in March...

(Incidentally a lot of Cologne's written history was lost earlier this week with the collapse of the city archives. The painful project of adding a new subway line is currently being fingered as the culprit for weakening the building foundations. Lost under rubbles are documents dating back to 900AD, ranging from the works of Albertus Magnus to the literary estate of Heinrich Böll.)

In the end, I decided for half of their 10 day visit instead of trudging through downpours or getting stir crazy at home we're hightailing it outta here and heading to...Turkey! For this we've had to get Monchichi a passport already, and now that we're due to leave next Tuesday I'm wondering if this will be an easy trip in the sun or a complete logistics nightmare...you and I will have to find out!

In the meantime, keep thinking of them as cute and smiley
And the cold weather can be held at bay with some savoy cabbage rolls.