Vacation 2012!

Bonjour friends,

Welcome to Wiley Vacation 2012- a journey through Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary. J We began our vacation on Sunday evening at Dulles Airport – first reporting to the Star Alliance Lounge to snack on free cheese and crackers, trail mix, and sodas. That’s bird food. I wanted to rejoin my people so we went back out into the airport. Our corridor only had a Subway with a mile long line. We chose to wait in line of course because last time we were on vacation I almost died with that bacterial infection in my intestines and all so I refuse to eat plane food… EVER AGAIN. Blech.

The flight was actually short in comparison to the others- perhaps because I was a little preoccupied with a Mr. Christian Grey reading (thumbs up Bushong). We arrived right on time in Geneva, Switzerland at 7:45 in the morning, their time.

We hopped right on a train and arrived in Lousanne. Lousanne is comparable to Georgetown, on a giant hill. Cobblestone streets, rich college students, the usual. We found a fine dining establishment, McDonald’s, for lunch because Switzerland has got to be the most expensive place on Earth- worse than England!

We crashed big time back at the hotel and Peter woke up craving pizza. We got pizza to go and went to sleep super early.

Onto today… we had breakfast in our hotel in Lousanne- fresh bread with hazelnut spread (their equivalent of Nutella- Jones hold onto your seat, this kind is BETTER than Nutella- I know, stop gaping at the screen). I also had tea- Darjeeling. Delicious.

We hopped on a train and headed into the Swiss Alps. 5 train rides later and a journey 4,000 feet up on a cable car (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH), we arrived in Murren- one of the most beautiful places on Earth. This is a small town of 300 people who make their living off of tourists during the summer and ski season. Our hotel room has a balcony across from the Eiger in the Swiss Alps. I have yet to walk out on the balcony, for fear that I may plummet to my death. It is avalanche season here, I’m just sayin’. This town is full of kitties. I have made friends with a calico, an orange kitty, and a black kitty. Pictures will follow.

Dinner at our hotel’s restaurant was amazing- pizza and spaghetti, holla! Italian food is so universal and that makes me so very happy. After another nap this evening, we decided to wander up into the mountain side for dessert. We found this restaurant with lights still on and a menu advertising homemade chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream and a coffee dessert- coffee ice cream smothered in Espresso and fresh whipped cream. Needless to say, I was ready to eat my face off (not Zombie Apocalypse style, just excitement for really good food).

When we walked in, we happened upon a little tour group- a Rick Steves tour group who was listening to a traditional Swiss accordion player and a horn player. They let us join in to watch the presentation. It was delightful, dessert was fantastic, and now I think I shall take up yodeling when I return home.

Tomorrow’s agenda shall include hiking, eating hash browns smothered in cheese and fondue, and visiting a bakery that is rumored to have the first cupcakes of this journey. A big feasting day so I should probably go do some crunches or something to make room in my belly.

Until next time, here are pictures of the kitties, the Eiger, and my dessert of course.

Yodel-ah-ee-hoo!

Love,

KT and Peter too.

First Kitty... very brave kitty for not falling off the edge of the Swiss Alps...

That would be the Eiger. 

Boo yah! First dessert successful. The whipped cream here is so fluffy and sweet.