Prague, Czech Republic

Last weekend we knocked Prague off our "must see" list. The capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, Prague (or locallay known as Praha) can be described as beautiful, old, impressive, and vibrant. Despite the large number of tourists, it remains friendly and even feels like it could be home. Similar to many European cities, Prague is full of small, winding streets that always seem to spill onto a main square that is identified by its church or cathedral. We found the buildings in Prague,to be particulary intersting. They all had different but interesting facades with unmissable details that included things like doorknobs and house signs. Yes, there is lots of sights to see in Prague and we did not leave without visiting most of them. We crossed the Charles Bridge, meandered through the Prague Castle, had brunch in Old Town Square, and shopped in the modern Wenceslas Square. However, due to the somewhat chilly (but bearable) weather, we also found ourselves ducking into many fabulous cafes and pubs for a both a drink and warm-up. Since Prague is a relatively inexpensive city (especially compared to Geneva) and is increasingly being considered one of best culinary cities in Europe, we were able to enjoy some wonderful lunches and dinners. One vegetarian restaurant was so good that we went twice! We also enjoyed a traditional Czech meal and night out with one of Jignesh's EY Prague co-workers. Ok, I have talked about the food and the sights. What I have not mentioned is the shopping! It is impossible to walk more than a few blocks without stumbling across some adorable little shop filled with Bohemian glass, marionette puppets, or other handmade Czech products (ask Jignesh about the hand painted eggs!). Prauge is one of the cities that I could visit time and time again.

Au Revoir.

Soft Towels Never Felt So Good!

For the past year, we have gone Euro and dried all our laundry with good ole' natural air. With only one small drying rack to our name, some items got a first class seat on the rack while others were regulated to second-class and draped on furniture, layed on beds, and hung from the bathroom shower curtain rod. As you can imagine, these clothes literally took over the flat. Even worse, many items would take longer than imaginable to dry and remained scattered about for days. It has been so long since any our clothes have seen a drier that we almost became accustomed to crunchy towels, stiff t-shirts, and jeans that could stand on their own! All of this, of course, was not by choice. When we originally purchased a washer/dryer, we headed to Fust, a well-kwown electronics and home goods stores. After looking at several models of washers and dryers, we decided to save some money and select a combination washer/dryer (yes, one machine that does both)! Despite the length of time it took to do one load, our first batch of laundry came out clean and crisp with on apparent problems. After that, it was all downhill. After completing the wash cycle on the second load, the machine displayed what would become my worst nightmare after only a few minutes of starting the dry cycle....ER12. No worries, right?! The machine was under warranty so we promptly called the repairman. A nice French-only speaking technician was dispatched and "claimed" to fix the machine even though he had never seen the ER12 display before. Well, our fixed machine worked for all of one load. Again, on the second load we received the same ER12 display on the dry cycle. So, after another call to the company the repairman returned. And returned. And returned. After several months, multiple calls to the company, and countless visits from the same French-speaking repairman, we finally received a replacement machine. Story done and over with? If we could only be so lucky. AGAIN, after only one load, my worst nightmare returned on the new machine! So, the repairman returns. And returns. And returns. He is baffled. We are baffled. The company is baffled (and of not much help). So, finally, we decided to do away with this model and replace it with a new seperate washer and dryer. Our machine arrived last week and (I don't want to jinx it) but so far, so good. While a working dryer has been wonderful, the rack will not become obsolete. I will continue to go Euro and dry most things on the rack. However, there are certain items that are simply not the same without technology. Soft towels have never felt so good!

Au Revoir.

Wonderfully Little To Do

An hour from the busy city of Milan, Lake Como is a popular getaway for both Italians and tourists. We headed there last weekend for my birthday weekend. Although the weather was not ideal (rainy and overcast), it really did not matter as we wanted to do nothing other than relax and take in the sights in a leisurely pace. To accomplish this goal, we decided to stay at a family run bed and breakfast (our first experience at a B&B). Located in a sleepy hill town (Trezzone) on Lake Como, Villa Tres Jolie is an absolutely stunning stone property that was painstakinly restored by the owners about 6 years ago. This was not just a bed and breakfast but a retreat as it has multiple terraces overlooking the lake, a hot tube, a turkish bath, an extensive library, a complete gym, and mountain bikes for guest use. Dani and Giulio were a wonderful resource on the area and were always willing supply information or ideas. Schlopy even made friends with their dogs Judy and Dido.

While it would have been very easy to not leave the B&B for the entire three days, we did manage to explore the area a bit. We travelled on the lake ferry to the small, quiet town of Varenna where we walked along the lake as well as the more posh town of Bellagio where we did some window shopping and had a great lunch. We also visited the medievel town of Chiavenna where we went for a short hike in the hills and enjoyed a wonderfully rich hot chocolate. On the last day, we drove the entire length of the lake through many small villages and finally saw the sun while bumming around the larger town of Como. The best part of the weekend was the fact that there was no big sight to see or artwork to stare at. We basically slept, relaxed, ate some (ok, lots!) great pizza, drank some wine, and enjoyed the scenery. Now I know why George Clooney loves this area so much!

Au Revoir.

Lake Como, Italy Pics

View from our Bed and Breakfast

Hiking in Lake Como

Small town of Chiavenna

Another view from our B&B

Village of Bellagio

Impulse Shopping and a Good Cup of Joe

I am neither an impulse shopper (some people even call me cheap!) nor a huge coffee drinker. So, this makes yesterday's events a bit unusual. While out and about with the intent of running a few mundane errands, Jignesh and I headed to Interdiscount with the hopes of finding an adapter to replace one that recently blew out. Well, we did not leave with an adapater but with a Nespresso coffee machine! Yes, we have been wanting one for quite some time. Yes, it was on sale and very reasonably priced. Yes, it is a small, basic model. And yes, it is the beginning of my birthday week. Despite these excuses, there is no denying that this was an impluse buy. When (if ever), I do make an impulse buy, I hold off on opening the package or tearing off the tags in case I want to return it (which I usually do). However, these was no chance this was going to happen this time around as Jignesh tore into the box as soon as stepping into the house. He also fixed a fuse that has been broken for weeks and rearranged our kitchen all to accomodate our new gadget. I have to admit that for the first time, I am not thinking twice about this impulse buy. I am looking forward to waking up every morning, popping a small capsule to the machine, and enjoying a tiny but delicious cup of joe!

Au Revoir.

Desalpe

Since moving to Switzerland, I have developed a huge love for cows. So, of course, we could not miss Desalpe! One of the most well-known moutain festivals, Desalpe celebrates the end of the grazing season for all the local cows. After spending four months in their moutain homes, flower decorated herds parade through the streets as they return to the lowlands for the winter. Adorned with thundering bells, huge groups of cows leave their mark (literally) on the village. St. Cergue, a small village at the base of the Jura and only a short drive from Geneva, is where we witnessed this Swiss tradition. We had sun filled morning watching the cows take over the streets, browsing the booths selling local specialities of chesse and meats, and listening to folklore music. Except for Schlopy getting kicked by a cow and finding it impossible to avoid the overwhelming cow dung (it is like sand from the beach...you find it everywhere for weeks!), it was a great way to spend a Saturday!

Au Revoir!

Desalpe Pics

Let the cow parade begin

A cow bell display...some of them are huge!

Moooo over, cows are coming through!

Do you like my hat?

The St. Bernard, a common dog in Switzerland

Using cow bells to make music!

The Alphorn, a traditional Swiss musical instrument