The Last Adventure Day in Switzerland...

Wow!  How time flies...    We are in the last four days of our stay in Switzerland!

To top off our stay Tom & I decided to do something 'Swiss'. We took a ride to the... 33rd Annual - Festival International de Ballons (an Amazing Hot Air Balloon Festival in Chateux D'Oex - http://www.ballonchateaudoex.ch/en/index.cfm ). This was about an hour ride from the apartment, up into the mountains of Switzerland. We arrived in Chateux D'Oex at about 2pm (local time) to see a single white balloon floating around.  This balloon floating in front of the snow covered mountains led us to believe we had missed the spectacle.  We were soooooooo wrong. Since we already drove there we parked the car and thought we should walk around - little did we know that when we got out of the car we were met by -10 degree temperatures and a wicked wind (@#$%% it was cold). We roamed down to where the tents were set up and thought since it was so cold we would have a cup of hot chocolate or coffee... We asked a local lady if we missed everything and was told that the next show would begin in about an hour. I think the rest can be said with just pictures. So here are some of the amazing things we saw that day. I tried talking Tom into booking a balloon ride but we both decided that if it was -10 degrees on the land it would be even colder high up...so we enjoyed the majesty of the show from the ground.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Just a breathtaking experience...

Next time we go for a ride...



 < It is Baaalloon!

 

 They even had parachutists

jumping out of helicopters >



 

 Up, Up and Away >

 < Just Massive...

 

Switzerland Tidbits...

This blog-post marks one week until we leave for Rome.


I thought posting a nice sunset from outside our kitchen window was appropriate. As of next Friday 28-01-2011, we will be moving officially to Italy. I thought I would end our stay in Switzerland by giving everybody a little insight to the Suisse and their interesting ways...

> For us smokers and/or pet lovers...

 - A smoking lounge inside the mall (right). Cool! 

 - Every corner an ashtray/waste dispenser with pet 'doodoo' bags included (left). I thought Richmonders did a lot with their pets but the Suisse take to a different level (a surreal level). The Suisse take their dogs everywhere: dining, shopping, and on all forms of transit. I am overwhelmed with the decorum they display. They do not bark at each other, they will sit peacefully under a table while their humans eat, and they walk sweetly next to their humans - strolling the streets. 

> Taking things to a different level...

 - Neatness: They vacuum the sidewalks and streets (left).

 - Space Utilization: Due to the refrigerators being smaller in Europe, the Suisse are inventive.  Many keep cabinets, food items, and wine on their balconies (right).  Because of the constant cold temperature and the direction of the sun (not directly on their balcony) they utilize this space to buy extra food and keep it cold...

> Getting Around...

 - The bus and train systems (tl & CFF) are astonishing.

 - In each bus station there is an electronic board telling you exactly when the bus will arrive (and it actually shows when it's supposed to).

 - Everything is prompt, often, clean, and expensive...

 - Just make sure you have a proper ticket or the 'transit police' will ticket you on the spot (basically - $80 per offense).

 - I have to thank the local transport systems for taking me to so many wonderful places.

> Odd-n-Ends...

 - Buying milk (not refrigerated) and having it last for a minimum of 2 months.

 - Different varieties of meat at your disposal: Beef, Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Veal, Horse, Rabbit, Turkey, Ostrich, and Duck.  All these are available all the time at your local Market. 

 - Having a checking account but no checks - the Suisse do not use checks. If you want to pay a bill you bring to La Poste (the Post Office), take a number, and pay it at the counter. They take your money, stamp a receipt, and take care of the rest for you.  PS - Their postal personnel are pleasant and well adjusted.

 - Conditioner?  The hair in this country needs conditioner - nobody uses it.  Someone could make a fortune if they could talk the Suisse into buying and using hair conditioner.  I think Split-ends is a national hair style.

We will be leaving this country in a week but I know I will be back (at least to visit). There are still many more things I want to experience and see. As I have described in the past - it is a Cleaner Disney!  After being able to be here for a short period - I find that Switzerland is an untapped gem of Europe. 

I would recommend to anyone a visit to this beautiful country...just bring conditioner!

With Love Always, Ciao

Ron

Via Giacomo Puccini 10 - First Look

Bon Journo all!

Welcome to Via Giacomo Puccini...Tom and I took a weekend trip to Rome to get the keys for our new apartment, take some measurements, check out the neighborhood, and just take a look around. We wanted to post a few of the photos we took to let everybody get a first look at our new digs...



We are located on the northern side of Rome adjacent to the Ville Borghese a magnificent park in honor of the Cardinal Borghese ( a favorite of the Pope of the time).



Here you can see the front of the building (above right) and an up view of our terrace from outside (left).



La Cucina
(or the Kitchen)



La Cucina (part II)



Far side of the Dining Room
Looking back at the Foyer

 

La sala da Pranzo (The Dininng Room)
off the Terrace



         

Tom 'sitting' in the

Living Room (Soggiorno)

 

La Terrazza Principale
(The main Terrace)



La camera da letto
(The master bedroom)
with a beautiful picture window

  

 

Master Bedroom (part II)

   

The Guest Bedroom



La camera degli ospiti
(the Guest Bedroom)
one of them...

I have many more pictures and videos but we do not wish to give away all of Rome's secrets at once...
Our furniture and stuff is presently sailing across the Atlantic on its way to Naples where it should dock by the 31rst.
We are amazingly happy that James, Greg, Angi, and Maya have already booked their stays at the Barrington Resort & Spa Europe.  We can not wait for the rest of you to book your trips!

For now...Arrivederci! Vi vogliamo bene e perdere tutti voi (Goodbye! We love and miss you all)
I will leave with a small video of Tom leading his first tour...

(Make sure to turn the volume up to hear Tom)

Note:  Aunt Helen - you will either have to have Mom & Dad over for coffee to see this or just explain it... Thanks...Caio 





A Very Special Post...

This is a very special post...not an adventure day and yet a very special day!

On Wednesday the 12th it was Tom's Birthday!!!!

He woke to find an assortment of presents and cards throughout the apartment...

Then he went to work for the day.  That is something I will never understand...corporations should make a persons birthday a day off.  It's their day, give it to them!!! 

It was nice that everybody at Tom's new job knew it was his birthday so he was greeted and congratulated during the course of the day.  When he got home we went of to a very special dinner...



Tom's associate Gaby made us wonderful reservations at the amazing Philippe Rochat, the restaurant at the Hotel de Ville Crissier (www.philippe-rochat.ch).  Gaby's brother, who knows the chef, called ahead and we were treated like kings.  We received a wonderful tour of the kitchen, we met Chef Philippe Rochat, and had the most fantastic meal!!

It was a wonderful experience for a wonderful man - My Love...Tom

Happy Birthday and I Love You!!




Starting with a wonderful glass of Champagne
compliments of the Chef

 

Tom & I with Chef Philippe Rochat



 



Tom's Birthday Dessert

  


Tom eating his
Birthday Dessert

 

Dual Adventure Days (one not so good, one great)...

I apologize for not updating the blog sooner.  As some of you know I (we) were back in the States for the Holidays and to pack/load the container of our items to be moved to Italy.

To start we had a WONDFERFUL Time on our little vacation.  We need to thank everybody for everything!!!!  Seeing everybody we were able to see was the Greatest Holiday Gift we could receive (even though I was ill for the first few days).

Once we were down in Richmond then the fun began. 

I can't believe it fit in our driveway!

   - Finalizing what we were packing to bring to Italy and what would stay in Richmond (to be lovingly cared for by Tabitha, Freida, Sunny, and Frisco).

   - Tom left to go back to Switzerland. Then more fun...

   - Then came Packing day.  Two guys showed up for about 8 hours and packed everything.  At that point the house was no longer a big mess of piles but now a big warehouse of boxes/crates.

 - Finally, load day!  Four guys arrived with a huge 40 foot container, backed it into the driveway, and started wrapping/loading the Barrington Resort & Spa for it's trip to the Barrington Resort & Spa Europe!  About 8 hours later they were done and the house became very big once again.

 - As of the 14th our belongings will be on their way to their new home!

 

The next thing I needed to do was go to DC and get my Visa for our new country...  I must say the Italian Embassy in Washington DC is a really nice place.  I had a 10am appointment to get my Visa.  As in true Italian fashion they did not open until 10am (I am also sure they will be at lunch from 12-2).  It was a very interesting experience in that you basically walked up to, what can best be described as, a bank teller station with a thick plexiglass partition between me and 'the teller'.  It all went very smoothly and now I IS LEGAL! 

Watch out Italy, here I come.... 

^  Official Seal of the Italian Embassy in DC

The last thing I needed to accomplish was getting back to Switzerland and Tom... (this is the not so good adventure day)

At 8am, the day I was supposed to leave, I received a phone call from my airline.  I will be nice and not mention their name...though it is 5 letters, starts with a D, ends with an A, and my brother is a pilot for them.  The call was automated telling me that my flight that afternoon was canceled and that they were booking me on a flight later that evening.  No explanation was given for why the flight was canceled, no consideration was given to the new flight getting me in later than my flight to Switzerland.  So, being the good geek that I am, I found another/better flight, spoke with a rather odd person (I am being very nice here) at the airlines customer service department (might I add - it is REALLY hard to find that airlines phone number on their website - hiding I think!).  Unfortunately, the flight I found was less than 2 hours from the point of my re-booking.  I must thank Tabitha, who had agreed to take me to the airport, for rushing me there much earlier than originally planned! 

Now I am at JFK airport about 7+ hours earlier than I need to be.  I decided to go to the gate agents of Swiss Air in the international terminal, check my bag, and go to the Swiss Air lounge to relax for long wait.  My half full glass then shattered...  After taking a self-imposed trip around the airport on the AirTrain, I attempted to find the counted/gate agent I required to check my bag.  After about thirty minutes of bad directions from about six supposedly trained and qualified airport personnel I found the area the counter was in.  No one was around so I asked an Asian American lady behind the counter where the Swiss Air was (she was sitting under a sign for Swiss Air), she told me she didn't know and walked away.   Finally, I found someone with a brain who told me that the counter did not open for Swiss Air until 2:30pm.  I decided to find the Swiss Air lounge and hang out until that time.  After another dose of JFK personnel ignorance, I found the lounge on my own.  I walked in found someone and was told that they were closed until 2:30 also...  I will stop there.  I think I made my point.  I also think I will never fly through JFK, if possible, ever again.  It's a truly nice looking airport but their hiring and training practices need some drastic updating!

Caio Richmond (my last view Richmond from the plane)

I was met at the airport by Tom with a wonderful cup of coffee!  One of Tom's favorite blends - a cappuccino with a chocolate something on top (Tom calls the topping Swiss crack-cocaine).

So now I am back in Switzerland, with Tom, and all is Good!  We are planning on going to Rome this coming weekend to get the keys to our new place.  I will post pictures upon our return.

Another Great Adventure Day in Bern Switzerland, Enjoy!!



A model of Bern at the Museum



The town crest.
Note: Bern is the Capitol
City of Switzerland

Before I left for the States I did have an adventure day in Bern Switzerland it was a wonderful day in another beautiful city...  Bern, the city of the Bear was in full Christmas swing.  They had an amazing Holiday village and magnificent shopping but the most fun was the Einstein Museum.  The museum was just intense.  I knew that Albert Einstein was brilliant but I never knew some of the things he invented.  I was shocked to find out that he is credited with inventing something we flush everyday...the toilet.  His life, in my eyes, can be best summed up at that he was a modern day Leonardo da Vinci. 

Because of my babbling above I will keep verbiage to minimum and just show you a few of the wonderful images...

< What I found the most fun was the entrance to the exhibit, it was a staircase with mirrors and video screens showing all aspects of Einstein's life...way cool! > 

 Where else can you find a Holiday Camel ride but in Bern >

< Reminded me of George & Andy's house at the holidays. 

The architecture of the buildings is amazing.  The detail unbelievable >

< The main street was lined with beautiful fountains all decorated for the holidays, just festive! 

The state capitol, like everything else, Wow!!!  >

I would like to end by wishing Tom a Very Happy Birthday!  I Love You!!!

Until my next posting I wish everybody an amazing 2011 and the best of health always...

Caio Ron