Swiss/German Homecoming, Pt. 1

When it rains, it pours! Continuing with our fortunate abundance of visitors in May, my parents spent four days and nights with us in Switzerland as one segment of a grand month-long European tour in May and June. They conducted a similar trip three years ago, their first-ever visit to the continent on a whirlwind tour (you know the type, every day crammed, Americans excel at them) of as many European cities and countries as possible. Ready for a second go around with new destinations, this trip included Spain, southern France, Zürich (yay!), Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany (twice), Poland, Czech Republic and Romania. Nuts!!

I welcomed them at the Hauptbahnhof on a Friday afternoon rush hour, a slightly surreal feeling at first. They loved their first 10 days in both Spain (spending time with my younger brother, sister-in-law and her parents, a full group!) and France's Provence region before arriving in Zürich. We enjoyed the apartment patio view with a few beers catching up on their stories to date, and laughed it up opening their various wonderful French food gifts for us once Steph arrived home from work (they know the way to our hearts). We cooked at home and relaxed that evening, grilling the same fare as for Mr. Mssrli the prior week (hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it).

Sleeping well in (my whole family excels at it), we began our assault on Zürich late Saturday morning beginning with the serendipitous discovery of a fantastic café on the way to Zürichhorn park on the lake (Hobbes's favorite swimming spot) for the absolutely mandatory Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and baked items); we over-ordered about 10 items for four people including the Swiss signature Schoggigipfel (chocolate croissant), Chäschüechli (savory warm cheese tart, forget about it!) and müesli cereal to accompany the apple tart, pretzel sandwich and whatever else. Definitely a worthy addition to my discriminating and ever-growing list of top Kaffee und Kuchen establishments.

Always interested in shaking up our city tour methodology, we boat cruised from the southern Zürichhorn up the lakeside and river to the city's northern part--an excellent sightseeing option and freely accessible like any other bus or tram. Nice system! We meandered through Old Town Zürich's shops and sights, earning a halt at the city's only expansive traditional German beer garden for said beer and additional Kuchen but grimacing at the live lounge-act band on stage. Not yet satisfied, we hit the best sausage stand at Bellevueplatz for out-of-this-world bratwurst (my parents appreciate the nuances after living in Wisconsin for 20 years).

We couldn't resist a stop at gourmet food temple Globus, but isn't it funny how parents can always embarrass the children regardless of age? That's the enduring prerogative of the parent in exchange for raising the kid. For this European trip, learning from previous experience, my father had bestowed upon my mother her very own camera to allay her ad infinitum requests of him to snap pictures. The displays at Globus are truly grand, and with her camera's flash stuck in the 'on' position my mother enthusiastically descended on the produce, meat, fish and every other food counter like a one-woman paparazzi. As my father and I toured in a separate circle, we noted the sudden absence of the peripheral flashing and figured something was up. Sure enough, after disappearing for fully five minutes, my mother returned sporting her Official Photo Pass as newly granted by store security. Politely accosted by an employee after generating her initial light display, she was escorted to the service desk. After verifying the woman spoke English, my mother said, "I was told I need a photo pass."

"Yes, you do!" answered the service woman. "What's the purpose of your photos?"

"I'm a tourist," said my mother.

"Ah. Personal...," wrote the woman alongside the date on the Official Photo Pass, handed it to my mother and released her to flash anew. Steph and I got a kick out of the very Swiss regimen--every activity is enhanced by an authority's certification--that is, after I recovered from my mortification.

Scrapping our restaurant dining plans that evening, we instead purchased and ate a smorgasbord of Globus Swiss cheeses, breads & antipasti and grilled more bratwurst (not the first visitors to develop an instant addiction) back at home.

Part II will encompass the weekend's subsequent ventures outside of Zürich to nearby Luzern (Lucerne) and Rapperswil, for which you'll see a sneak preview in the first group of pics here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=2hd8fyj.cepsmmw3&x=0&y=dlrgqf&localeid=en_US