ON THE MOVE AGAIN

Friday, September 10, 2010

Madrid Pics

Palacio Real

Plaza Mayor

El Rastro

Segovia's Roman Aqueduct

Parque del Retiro

Sunday, August 29, 2010

A few weekends ago we were invited by Jignesh's boss to spend the weekend at his amazing mountain chalet in Megeve, France (Yes, this is the same boss who has a house in Corsica!). A massive 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms complete with a ski room bigger than our living room, the chalet is located a short drive from the main village with amazing views of the upscale ski area. The chilly, rainy weather gave us all an excuse to curl up by the fire playing games, reading, and enjoying both the scenery and company (the entire Corsica gang was reunited!). In the evenings we were spoiled by our hosts with amazing meals of grilled meats, fresh salads, and mouth watering cheeses! Oh, I cannot forget to mention the endless supply of wines from the huge wine cellar. The weekend was filled with two main events. The craziest was Friday night's dance party USA in the living room while the most epic was our Sunday afternoon "walk." Somehow, the short "walk" turned into a trek down the mountain on one very suspicous looking trail. With rain coming down by the bucket loads and not quite fitted with proper hiking gear, we found ourselves crossing large rivers and climbing steep banks. Three hours and one extremely cold, wet dog later, we finally made it back to the parking lot where a dry, warm car awaited our arrival. The moutain, however, did take one victim in Jignesh's brand new sunglasses. All I can say is that we had another memorable weekend that we will certaintly have to repeat!

Au Revoir!

Monday, August 9, 2010

A Whirlwind Trip to the States and Fete De Geneve

I have been offline and out of touch due a long trip to the States. The whirlwind vacation started with a long plane ride from Europe to Denver where I got to spend the night my sister, brother- in-law, adorable niece Sam before meeting up with Jignesh (who had been in D.C. for work). The next four days were spent in the Colorado mountains hanging out with Jignesh's family at Rivendell. With seven adults and six kids (our nieces and nephews are growing up so fast!), it was quite the crew. Despite sharing two small bathrooms, it was great to all be together at the same time. We hit the outlet malls, played lots of games, and enjoyed the mountains. The next leg of trip took Jignesh and I to Boston to see my Grandparents. At 92 years old, my grandparents continue to amaze me. My Grandfather still putters around the house fixing things, tending his garden, and socializing with the neighbors. My Grandmother still makes three meals a day and gets dressed up for simple meal out. After three nights in Boston, Jignesh and I parted ways for the rest of the trip. Jignesh headed to Chicago to spend some more time with his family and to see some old friends while I made my way to my parent's house outside of Knoxville. As always, the lake was pure heaven. With my whole family there, we simply relaxed and enjoyed long hours on the water skiing, swimming, playing some Dorosz family tubeball.

Returning to Geneva last Friday was a bit of shock. I am not sure if it was the jetlag or the fact that I was back in a french speaking city but I was a bit confused and completely exhausted. I am surprised immigration control let me through as I looked like a complete zombie passing through the airport! The timing of my return, however, allowed us to experience the last few days of the Fete De Geneve. A huge 10 day annual festival, the Fete de Geneve brings out more people that I have ever seen in Geneva. The entire lakefront was lined with games, rides, and food booths. Stages throughout the city provided various concerts and other entertainement. The highlight of the Fete, however, is the amazing fireworks display on the last Saturday. Almost an hour and half in length, it was the the best display I have ever seen. The best part? We got to enjoy it with one of my long lost college friends and her husband who were visiting Geneva while on a European vacation!

AHHHH...the our trip to States over and the weekend done, it is now time to catch up on some much needed sleep and slowly return to everyday life in Switzerland.

Au Revoir.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Corsica

Another weekend, another trip! This one was last minute and unexpected. Somehow a 5 day business trip for Jignesh turned into a Corsican getaway when Jignesh's boss invited us (along with a few others) to his beautiful holiday home. Situated west of Italy and southeast of the French mainland, Corsica is full of unpaved (and very bumpy) roads, hidden houses, and remote beaches. As one of my friends said, "it is a whole bunch of nothing and simply fabulous." With Jignesh's boss as our host, we found some quiet beaches and did nothing except for build sand castles, swim in the sea, find shade under beach umbrellas, and picnic on local specialities (Corsican ham and cheese served with an amazing fig spread). During the evenings we either grilled on the terrace or dined on fresh fish (head and all) from beachside restaurants. Except for groceries, we did not step inside a store the entire weekend nor did we bump into a single tourist. While I am usually someone who gets bored easily and would rather explore villages rather than sit on the beach, I have to admit that it was completly relaxing and peaceful (ok, it did not hurt that Jigneh's blackberry was broken and out of service) and now understand why so many people escape to seaside resorts for their annual holidays. The scenery, company, food and accomodations were all fantastic. It does not get any better than that.

Au Revoir.

Corsica Pictures

The scene from a beachside restaurant that we tried

One of the quiet beaches we visited

A Corsican sunset

The incredible terrace overlooking the sea

Monday, July 5, 2010

Weekend in Zermatt

Since our last few trips were outside of Switzerland, we decided to explore some more of our host country. This weekend's destination of choice was Zermatt. Nestled at the foot of the Matterhorn (one of Europe's most recognizable peakes with its steep point) and surrounded by moutains over 13,000 ft, Zermatt is a ski paradise in the winter and a center for hiking and mountaineering in the summer. Since Zermatt is completely closed to motorized traffic, we did not see a single car for 2 days!

Located about 2.5 hours from Geneva, the drive to Zermatt is almost an event all on its own. The first half covers the entire length of Lac Leman while the second half winds through the back roads of the Swiss countryside and foothills. What amazing scenery! The town itself did not disappoint either. A main street provides all the restaurants, bars and shopping that you need while the side streets are full of typical wooden chalets complete with A-frame roofs and perfectly manicured flower boxes on every balcony. There is also a beautiful town church and cemetary honoring those killed while climbing the Matterhorn.

With only two days and one night in Zermatt, we did our best to do and see a bit of everything. On Saturday, we walked the streets and ducked our heads into some family run shops. We enjoyed the views of the Matterhorn and people watched as the very mixed crowed did their own thing. We ended the day with dinner at Le Mazot and drinks at a local pub while watching the World Cup.

On Sunday, we (Schlopy included!) took the Gronergrat railway to Switzerland highest open air railway station. At the top, we spent some time taking in the views and enjoying a declicious lunch. Instead of opting for the return trip back to Zermatt via train, we decided to take in some nature and hike down! With Schlopy in tow and happy as a clam to be off leash with an entire moutain to explore, we took our time making our way back to town. About 4.5 hours and two sore butts later, we arrived in Zermatt after a perfect day of hiking complete with sightings of sheep, deer, and badgers! Before heading home we were able to catch the last few games of the Wimbledon final while enjoying a cold drink on main street.

Au Revoir.