Our First Christmas Tree in Geneva

I don't think we saw a tree larger than 3 or 4 feet in town. We planned on bringing our tree on the tram, but when a local friend heard this she offered to drive us and bring it back to our apartment. She said she didn't want to read about the "American couple" in the newspaper! We put the tree on a box so it would appear larger and got use out of the new ornaments we bought in Germany. Hopefully you can see Old Kris, which is a favorite on both sides of the family. The tree turned out to be okay, but we basically bought it dead. This was no Frasier fur cut from the forest or Alps! When we walk by the tree, the air from us walking by makes the needles fall off. It's awethome! We heard the trees were not great this year for whatever reason. There were a ton with giant spaces between branches (you could only see the trunk). We have slowly been putting presents underneath and we are looking forward to Madeline, Mom and Dad's visit! It will be great to see familiar faces. Hope you all have a wonderful, safe and happy holiday.
love, Dena & Brian

Berlin, Germany - Brandenburg Gate

Ich bin ein Berliner. Well, we contemplated whether we should go to Berlin because we traveled the weekend before, but it was well worth it. When we originally bought the Budapest and Berlin tickets, we didn’t know we were going to get an incredible invitation to Garmisch for Thanksgiving. When we found out it would cost more to change the flight, the decision was made! Germany was great and the people are friendly. Believe it or not, they spoke better English in Berlin than Geneva!!! We stayed in a really cool hotel versus an apartment like we’ve rented for other trips and it was nice. It was on the East side of Berlin (Alexanderplatz) and the location was great. We had TONS of Christmas markets nearby that had great things to buy, candy stands, crepes, bratwurst, beer, hot wine (we don’t like it at all – ssssick), fried dough…needless to say, we did not go hungry! We ate dinner at the market then headed over to a café to hear a jazz group play. The weather was pretty cold and rainy on Saturday morning, but thankfully cleared up in the afternoon. We did more shopping and a little less sightseeing in Berlin which was a nice change of pace. All of the Christmas trees, music and food put you in the holiday spirit….shopping. We both got new coats! We went to a Thai food place for dinner (I know, let me explain) because they original place I picked out was impossible to find. By the time we circled the block for the 5th time cursing, we found it and there were no tables available. We were so tired and hungry that we picked the closest place. It was decent, but the atmosphere was entertaining. They were playing American club music. So funny how American music is played in Europe. I’d say 90% of it is American. Never would have guessed. I find it hilarious how every time we get into a cab (when we travel), the cab driver always changes the radio station to American music!!! Are we that obvious??? Sunday was low key. Went for brunch and visited a few museums. I think Berlin would also be great when it is warmer out, but I’m glad we got to experience the Christmas spirit in the city.
Not sure if anyone noticed, but Brian is growing a beard. We’ve been taking pictures as it progresses. It is amazing how you entertain yourself when you don’t have a TV! HA! Ummm, we will be getting one soon! Last trip of this year. Our next post will be of the chalet we are renting for the ski season. My goal is to only cry 3 times...per day....j/k!
Love always, Dena & Brian

Széchenyi lánchíd - Chain Bridge, Budapest

We say Buda, you say Pest! BUDA...PEST! BUDA....PEST! We say Freeze Your, you say Butt Off! FREEZE YOUR....BUTT OFF! FREEZE YOUR....BUTT OFF!! It was beautiful and we had a great time but I was a little chilly on the Danube. After a short 2 hour flight from Geneva we arrived in Budapest late on Friday night. The guy who picked us up from the airport was very friendly and informative about everything Budapest. I never realized there is a distinction between the 2 parts of the city that is divided by the Danube rive. The West side is the Buda side and the East side is the Pest side. As in Prague, we stayed in a small studio apartment that was nice and centrally located. We saw lots of sights on Saturday including a church inside a huge cave,the "castle district", and the Great Market Hall. All of which were amazing, especially the Great Market Hall where I decided to buy some delicious looking chocolate treats but failed to realize how much a half kilo really is. Needless to say Dena looked at me shaking her head and I was smiling from ear to ear. The people from Budapest are rather reserved and keep to themselves but when you speak with them they are very nice and welcoming. We had dinner at one of the most famous restaurants in Budapest called Gundel. The food was fantastic and the string quartet made it feel even more elegant. We were a little unlucky with the weather on Sunday because it started off raining and turned to snow and lasted the whole day. That still didn't stop us from visiting the Parliament building, St. Stevens Basilica and the Terror House. The Terror House is a museum that tells the history of Nazi and Communist rule over Hungary and it was very impressive and moving. It is actually housed in the old headquarters of the communist party that ruled Budapest. So its rather fitting that it has been made into a monument for those who fought against them. All in all we had a great time and will remember our journey always.

Prague - View from St. Vitus Cathedral

We just got back from Prague and had a great time. We met up with a friend from University of Delaware (lives in Prague) that also brought us to a few local restaurants and bars. Prague is not as overwhelming as Paris, but still has quite a bit to see. Many of the sites are in odd places and can be difficult to find. There were a few instances where Brian and I were walking in circles wondering if we should ask for directions and then we would realize that it was right above our head (the statue called "hanging out"). It can be found in the pictures we sent. The weather was very cold and windy, but beautiful trees and the sky was so bright even though the sun didn't come out too much. Windy and not too much sun. The food and drink was delicious and extremely reasonable compared to Geneva...but then again, most places are more reasonable. The view of this picture was taken from a tower in the cathedral. We had to climb 287 steps to get there. The Prague castle, Charles Bridge and National Museum (scene out of Mission Impossible movie) were very cool. Saturday night we ate at a really nice steak place. We were at this table that was right up against a fake tree in the "rain forest room". It took me a few minutes, but then I realized that it was hollow and had two iguana's in it! They couldn't get out, but the thought of eating 10 inches away from these things was making me nauseous. I got over it and then one of the lizards decided to jump 5 feet to the bottom of the cage and I screamed. Then it peeked its head over this ledge and stared at me while gnawing on some lettuce. Then it stuck it's long claws through the holes in the net covering the tree and climbed up the net really fast. Brian then said to me "do you want to change seats?" We moved! Sickkkk! Who wants to eat a nice meal in front of lizards????? Next stop is Budapest. Stayed tuned!

Geneva Tourists

Last weekend we wanted to check out a few famous places in Geneva. Other locals don't go "because they don't want to look like tourists", but we think you should explore and enjoy where you live, right? We went to the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire and the Cathédrale St-Pierre . The museum was pretty good, but I recommend seeing it before you go to Paris! It had a lot of artifacts from the Middle East and a lot of antique guns, armour and knives (archeology, fine arts and applied arts). The Cathedral was beautiful and we went up 100 stairs to climb to the very top. Well worth it because the view of the entire city of Geneva was beautiful. A cathedral site has been there since the 12th century, but the building you see dates from the 16th century and reflects the style and philosophy of Calvinist times. This is definitely a place we will take visitors. Next weekend we are heading to Prague, so another posting will come soon thereafter. We love and miss everyone!

French Lessons

After a few weekends in a row of travel Dena and I decided to take a break and we wont travel again for a few weeks. So we have not had many things to write about in the blog. Dena has not had any more bad spills on the bus. So instead I have decided to post a picture of my French tutor.
Her name is Madame Lilian Torchet and she is a very nice and enthusiastic French tutor. She waves her arms around a lot and makes the funniest facial expressions. I have only had 5 lessons so far but I have many more to come. I meet with her at 8am on Tues. and Thurs. each week. So far we are just getting through the basics. I am learning how to say my name, where I live, what I do, etc. Very elementary stuff but I need a lot more practice. The other day I was on the bus going to work and this guy standing next to me pointed out the window to some trees and rambled on in French and the only word I could make out was "citrus". I figured out that he was talking abut some fruit growing on a tree but I am not sure why he was talking about it. I just nodded my head, smiled and said "oui" (yes in French). I was totally faking it and pretending I understood what he said and praying that he didnt ask me anything else because then the gig would have been up and I would have had to confess that I didn't speak any French. Luckily for me he got off at the next stop and I was in the clear. So hopefully after many many more lessons from Madame Torchet I will be able to understand a little more and I don't have to fake it. Au revoir!

Paris, France

We just LOVED Paris! This city has so much to offer and there is just something about Paris that you can't explain - you have to go and see for yourself. Believe it or not, we actually took this picture of the Eiffel Tower. On Friday we went there and saw it during the day and night (worked out perfectly because we got to the top around 8:30pm). Then we went to dinner at Au Rocher de Cancale. Reasonably priced and very good. On Saturday we went to Place de Concorde and Vendome (Vendome is where the JPM office is located) and Eglise Madeleine. Then we hit up a few museums such as de l'Orangerie & d'Orsay (Renoir, Monet, Matisse, Van Gough) and headed to the Jardins of Tuileries. Then we headed over to Place Charles de Gaulle (where the famous Arc de Triomphe is located) and Avenue des Champs-Elysees (tree-lined streets). We both bought some super sweet new shades! At night, we went to a new restaurant called Les Ombres. It's on the 5th(top) floor of a museum with a beautiful view of the Eiffel tower. I ordered this lamb dish with spinach gnocchi and Brian ordered the pork with some kind of pea mashed potatoes. For dessert, I had these mini waffles with fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Brian got this chocolate dessert. Food was outstanding! Sunday was a little more low key. We went to the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris, Ste Chapelle, Musee du Louvre (Mona Lisa, Venice de Milo, Van Gough self portrait). The du Louvre was a 3 hour event because it is just huge! For some reason the museum was free on Sunday and it was insanely busy! We also hit up a few cafes and ate a really late lunch before we headed home. J'adore la Paris!!

Barcelona, Spain

We arrived in Barcelona with Tyler and Sophie around 8pm on Friday night. We freshened-up, changed clothes and headed out to a restaurant Sophie researched. There was an 1.5 hour wait, so we put our name in and went to another place to get local Sangria, which was excellent. We headed back to the restaurant and ordered about 15 different tapas (little appetizers). There were mini-sandwiches, calamari, fried hot peppers, potatoes with mayo and hot sauce, cuttle fish and of course dessert. We enjoyed more local Sangria and called it a night. On Saturday, we got round trip bus tour tickets (the ones where you can sit on top of the bus). The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed the sites all over the city. Looked at the Gaudi buildings and garden, cathedrals, Olympic stadium, little shops, etc. We also walked in the famous Las Ramblas area and visited the huge, local food market. For lunch we all got Paella type dishes. We toured the city for a few more hours then went back to the apartment for a cat-nap. We decided to go to dinner in El Borne. El Born is a quaint, older, cobblestone part of town that is amazing. We got more tapas again and they were even better than the first restaurant. On Sunday we went to the Picasso museum, saw more sites and then headed back to Geneva.

The Bus!

Unfortunately there is no picture for this post. I was on the bus this morning complaining to a gentleman that our new bus driver is horrible! You know, the kind that never keeps a constant speed by pressing the gas every half second! Plus he literally slams on the breaks exactly at the actual bus stop - not a normal few seconds before the stop. SO, after my complaint, we are approaching the next stop, driver slams on the breaks and I literally went airborne and flew back 2 feet! I don't think I've been airborne like that since I flew off the handle bars when I was a kid. Fortunately I landed on a sharp corner right into the muscle in my back. This was not awesome. I can't even begin to tell you how embarrassing this was. There must be 40 people on this bus, three of which all grabbed an arm, leg or whatever they could grab to try and help me up! This happened to me my first day on the bus and I vowed to never let it happen again, but it did! I'm sitting at my computer right now and feel like I have an axe in my back! Horrid! Stupid bus...

Vevey, Switzerland

Getting up for this day trip was a little difficult based on the party we went to last night. I was offered a margarita and when I took a sip, I thought maybe someone tried to poison me. I felt the alcohol travel through the rest of my organs. After half a glass I couldn't feel my legs so I changed to wine. Unfortunately Brian did not. We found out that the people who made the margaritas had ZERO margarita mix. The concoction consisted of Tequila (90%), lime juice (5%) and water (5%). SSSickkkkk! Anyway, we went to Vevey for the day which is only 1 hr away. We ate lunch at this restaurant on the mountain top. It was amazing and the food was great - minus the 22 dollar bloody mary Brian had! Lesson learned, don't order a drink until you know the price! Ha! We have lots of beautiful mountain scape's that we will be sending on as well. I might post just a mountain pic above this post to show everyone. I thought we should post at least one picture of us since we have not done that yet. After 9 years of being together, we are finally taking pictures of other things besides just "dena & brian poses" for each shot (my father-in-law should be so proud). Love to everyone!

Last Night of the Festival

These fireworks put Penfield, and better yet, Washington DC fireworks to shame! Just amazing! They were right over Lake Geneva and were choreographed to music and were over an hour long. Just amazing. We plan to send these pictures and a few grand finale videos as soon as Bri figures out why snapfish won't work lately. We went for drinks with a few friends and caught a late dinner at the "Chicken place" called Chez Ma. We plan to visit the Swiss Rivera on Saturday for a day trip. There is a restaurant at the top of a mountain called Le Patio. Apparently you have a view of the valleys, mountainous ranges and vineyards. We heard the brunch her is fantastic and quite pricey, but so is everything else, so we don't really care. We also plan to visit Barcelona and Paris the following few weekends, so more pics to come! We miss everyone and can't wait for visitors!

Old Town - Place du Bourg-de-Four

Last night Brian and I went to a bar in Old Town called the Demi Lune Cafe. Nice bar that only serves one kind of beer and you can get a "Beef burger with fromage". A co-worker of mine was celebrating a Birthday and we had a good time. We left at 11:30 and thought we really rallied, but I found out the next morning that most of the people were out until 2-4am! In Delaware on Wednesday we would have eaten dinner while watching Seinfeld, continued to watch more TV and then upstairs around 9:30. Of course Brian would be ironing and I would be getting ready for "Nelly White's Party". For those of you who do not know what that is - it's bedtime clothes or jammies! We were going to go to Interlaken, which is a 3 hour train ride from Geneva, but the weather is not going to be nice. Interlaken is known for their lakeside setting and magnificent Jungfrau & Eiger Mountains. If the weather is not clear, you miss a lot of the views. The ending of the festival is this Saturday and there are supposed to be millions of dollars worth of fireworks. We will take pictures for the next post!

Fêtes de Genève - Geneva Festival

Brian and I went to the Festival last night and met up with a few friends. The festival is every August and starts after the 1st. August 1st in Switzerland is the equivalent to July 4th in the US. The festival has tons of vendors for food and drink, carnivals rides (which is not my thing) and music concerts.
It is so hilarious how American music influences other places. We heard a band last night play 70s disco music and people were getting down! And of course there is always a Bon Jovi song to enjoy, a little ACDC (which Bri loves) and a DJ at the end that plays just dance tunes - total Dance-offs with the locals. You would have loved it!!!
We had a bit too much last night as Brian is still sleeping and it is 1:45pm GVA time!! Prior to going to the festival, we had a bottle of wine , special cheeses, salami and spicy mustard. My favs (cheese and italian meats) are so good over here! We were planning to travel somewhere in Switzerland today, but think we are just going to go to the local markets, do some shopping and eat!!! We eat out a lot here. So expensive, but it is about the experience, right? You will know what we are talking about when you come to visit! That's all for now. love, dena xoxo