More Goodbyes & Farewells

The kids aren't the only ones saying their goodbyes.  Last night the people that Jenny work with at Dow all treated us to a going away party.  We all took a boat out to an island in the middle of Lake Zurich and had dinner at a Biergarten.  Then after dinner we took a short hike around the island.  Jenny's coworkers are an interesting mix of people from all over Europe.  We really enjoyed getting to know them.

See You Next Time

Yesterday we threw a "going away" party for Ben.  Several of his friends all met us at the skate park after school and the boys rode around and had lots of snacks.  This is the hardest part about moving.  We went through it when we left Midland to come here, and now we're going through it all over again going back.  Once again Ben and Megan have to say goodbye to a lot of great friends.  Kids are interesting when it comes to moving.  They don't see the past, and they don't see the future.  They simply live in the moment.  So no matter where you may be moving to, and no matter how great you might think it is your kids will most likely be sad because they're leaving all their friends and everything they know.  Ben and Megan are a little sad about leaving Switzerland, but they do know that they have a lot of old friends waiting for them back home, so that's helping them keep their spirits up.  Besides, if there's one thing I learned from our move here from Michigan it's that kids adapt a lot faster than we give them credit for.  

I certainly hope all these goodbyes won't be permanent.  We're all going to try to keep in touch with all the friends we've made here, and hopefully someday soon we'll all reunite.  

Ben's "End Of Year" Recital

Well, the school year is coming to a close and that means we're knee deep in going away parties and recitals.  Last night Ben had his "end of year" band recital.  The kids played great.  It's hard to believe that at the beginning of the year back in August none of these kids could play an instrument.  They've really come a long way this year.  Ben chose the trumpet as his instrument to learn, and at the beginning of the year he was very frustrated with it.  But he kept at it and around Christmas time it got easier for him and he started to enjoy it.  Here's some pictures from the recital.  And if you want to watch their performance here's a link on the school's website:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/48701279

Ben's music teacher Ms. Johnson.  Ben really enjoyed working with her.

Vienna, Austria - Day 2

On our second day we toured the Tiergarten area, which is where the zoo and the Palace are located.  It turns out the Vienna zoo is famous for being the oldest zoo in Europe.  It was a hot day, but the kids had fun walking around looking at all the animals.  After the zoo we walked over to the palace, which was where the famous Hapsburg royal family was housed.  The Hapsburgs were the royal family of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, and they controlled most of central and eastern Europe up until World War I.  The palace reminded us of Versailles in France, and I would say the Vienna palace is just as impressive.

Vienna, Austria - Day 1

When we first arrived in Switzerland 2 1/2 years ago we made up a huge list of all the cities we wanted to see in Europe.  Vienna has always been on that list but we've always put it off for various reasons.  Now that we know our European adventure is coming to a close we decided we better pay Vienna a visit while the opportunity is convenient.

As many of you know Vienna is the capital of Austria.  The flight there is less than an hour for us, so it makes for a quick weekend getaway.  Vienna is known as the city of music due to the fact so many famous composers have come through here (Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Schubert, etc.)  The city just seems to hum with classical music.  You hear it everywhere.  Vienna is also home to "Wiener Schnitzel," which is its national dish.  I'm not a big fan of Wiener Schnitzel, but I found Vienna's version surprisingly good.  Vienna is also known for the famous "Lipizzaner Stallions," which are showcased at the Spanish Riding School.  The stallions are the oldest breed of horse in Europe, dating as far back as 400 years.

We spent our first day watching the stallions, and then strolling around the city center.  Later on we had dinner in a Vienna pub for some Wiener Schnitzel and a beer, and then we rode the historic ferris wheel, which has been in operation since 1897.