Subject: happy new year in switzerland
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
A visit to the Chocolate factory
No trip to Switzerland with kids would be complete without a trip to the Chocolate Factory!
Not Surprisingly, the factories are situated near lots of milk cows and good water, not conveniently close
to the main railway station. With Angela's expertise as a travel guid, the two trains and a bus we needed
To take to get to the factory happened with perfect connections -both ways. after an animated tour
(We took the one scheduled in English) , we passed along all the amazing machines that shape and
cut the warm, malleable chocolate into pieces, chill it down, pluck each piece up with finger-like precision
And wrap it. Amazing! The last room is the kid's favorite - a U-shaped table with trays of all the
Chocolate candies this Nestlé-Cailler company makes free samples!! Well, I guess you could say the LAST
Room is the sales room- with shelves of every kinds of chocolate candy bars and boxes. who could say
No?
New Years Eve at the top of the world
Getting there was half the fun! A family friend names Rita lives in the Alpin village of Bad Ragaz and invited our whole family to join in their village New Years celebration high up in the Alps. The train trip from Basel gave us a three hour journey to enjoy the quaint houses and green fields turning into beautiful snowy mountain scenes, as our train climbed higher into the Alps. We arrived in Bad Ragaz in the early afternoon and walked about ten minutes to the small and lovely hotel Sardona. After settling in to our room, we continued our journey upward, this time on an enclosed gondola with enough seats for 8 people in a car. Now we were enjoying a 15 minute breath-taking ride to a mountain top community where we would welcome the New Year in a lovely ski resort that had been transformed into a Swiss style New Years Eve party site. The resort has dormitory style rooms where the Rameson, O'Connor, and Meyer families would spend the night with all the kids (7 kids aged 9 and under) and ski on New Years Day. The older generation, Ada, Liz, Martha and Cary, would ride the gondola back down the hill to our hotel.
This was not to be a tourist's version of a Swiss night out, but rather we were welcomed into the German-speaking fold of relatives and friends who have shared their lives together in this Alpin village. Most speak several languages, and did not hesitate switching to English for our benefit, as we were introduced and made to feel at home.
The evening started with a glass of wine in the lowest level of the Chalet, where all the skiers enter to warm up during the day. From there we were ushered upstairs to tables beautifully set for different reserved parties of people, and other tables laden with artfully displayed first course salads, cheeses, cold meats, olives, and a selection of crusty breads. Groups mingled, as friends greeted each other, and a talented accordion player, all dressed in traditional regalia, kept the polka music going. The main dinner was beef Wellington and the most tender cut of roast beef with many choices of vegetables and potatoes - a really delicious meal! The buffet of desserts, which was presented a couple of hours later, offered a tasty selection of sweet dishes to enjoy with very good coffee.
So, getting there was half the fun, and the meal and party was delightful, but OHH, the VIEW! As midnight neared, we all donned our jackets, hats and scarves to go outside and truly feel like we were on top of the world! In one direction we could see the entire country of Lichtenstein, with firework displays popping up around the various villages in this smallest of countries. In another direction were the Swiss Alpin towns, also dotted with fireworks, and around us in all directions were the snowy peaks of the Alps - absolutely breathtaking! As we toasted with champaign, a group gathered together and started yodeling - the perfect final touch!
Sent from my iPad
This was not to be a tourist's version of a Swiss night out, but rather we were welcomed into the German-speaking fold of relatives and friends who have shared their lives together in this Alpin village. Most speak several languages, and did not hesitate switching to English for our benefit, as we were introduced and made to feel at home.
The evening started with a glass of wine in the lowest level of the Chalet, where all the skiers enter to warm up during the day. From there we were ushered upstairs to tables beautifully set for different reserved parties of people, and other tables laden with artfully displayed first course salads, cheeses, cold meats, olives, and a selection of crusty breads. Groups mingled, as friends greeted each other, and a talented accordion player, all dressed in traditional regalia, kept the polka music going. The main dinner was beef Wellington and the most tender cut of roast beef with many choices of vegetables and potatoes - a really delicious meal! The buffet of desserts, which was presented a couple of hours later, offered a tasty selection of sweet dishes to enjoy with very good coffee.
So, getting there was half the fun, and the meal and party was delightful, but OHH, the VIEW! As midnight neared, we all donned our jackets, hats and scarves to go outside and truly feel like we were on top of the world! In one direction we could see the entire country of Lichtenstein, with firework displays popping up around the various villages in this smallest of countries. In another direction were the Swiss Alpin towns, also dotted with fireworks, and around us in all directions were the snowy peaks of the Alps - absolutely breathtaking! As we toasted with champaign, a group gathered together and started yodeling - the perfect final touch!
Sent from my iPad
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