Geneva vs. Zug

Last night we attended the playoff match between the Geneve Servette Hockey Club and the Zug Hockey Club.  Geneva won 6 to 3 and it was actually quite exciting even though we know little about the sport.  The sold out crowd was chanting, waving their flags and whistling up a storm (they do not boo, instead they whistle).  It was interesting to attend a Swiss sporting event and to compare it to something we would attend in Portland, below I tried to capture a few of the differences.

The view from our seats in the corner

Not the best photo, but this man carried a keg around on his back and had a cup dispenser

The entertainment between periods were two Volvos spinning around the rink

It's all over!

Photo of us taking by a photographer outside the arena

Swiss Housewife

Today I am back to being a Swiss housewife for the reminder of our time in Geneva.  My contract with Lexmark expired on Friday and it was the perfect timing to end that chapter in my career.  I am grateful for the opportunity to work abroad and learn more about myself in a foreign work environment.  I look forward to seeing what happens next for me with my career.  In the meantime I will enjoy exploring Geneva more on my own this time around and being the best housewife I can for Scott.  Which means, it is time for me to tackle that laundry!

Congratulations to Walker & Amy

Congratulations to my brother Walker and his new fiancee Amy!  They became engaged last night and I was so happy when I received the official text message saying, "We are engaged!"

Friday Night

Yes, we had fondue again on Friday night.  I keep saying I am never going to eat it again.  Kyle and Ashley hosted a group of us for dinner Friday evening to see a former Columbia Sportswear colleague, Cisco, that was passing through town.  Thankfully, Kyle and Ashley also made a pork roast, potatoes and green salad to balance out the meal.  As always we shared lots of laughs, wine and stayed out way past our bedtime.

Cisco, Alexey, Kyle and Scott digging in to the boiling cheese

We finished the pot off "Swiss German" style by scrambling some eggs at the end

Typical Pete on his phone.  I was finally able to snap a photo of him!  He is the most camera shy person I know.

Last photos of Rome

Just had to share a few more.  Happy Friday...

The Pantheon

Huge statue on top of "the Cake"

A great piazza to people watch

Three Amigos

Adam G., Jeff G. & Scott

Ken's Artisan Pizza, Portland, Oregon

Thank you Jenny for the photo.

The Ruins

Cobblestone pathways can really wear on your feet!  I was limping around by the end of each day.

The Colosseum

Day two in Rome included a trip to The Colosseum in the morning.  It was simply amazing to see and walk around.  The history of the building is mind blowing.  

The Modern Day Cucu Clock

This reminds me of my grandparents so much.  They had so many clocks in their home chiming every 15 minutes it could drive you crazy at times and want to shoot all of them!

St. Peter's Basilica

How do you capture St. Peter's Basilica?

Papal Altar & Baldacchino (canopy) - Only the Pope celebrates Mass here

Statue of St. Peter - People rubbing his toe

The St. Helen Statue

St. Peter's Square

St. Peter's Square was designed to be a square for Christians to gather, it opens up before visitors from the narrow side streets of Rome.  Like most monuments we saw, it is simply massive.  

The Vatican - Part II

I had a hard time photographing many of the rooms within the Vatican museum due to their massive size.  Half way through the museum I stopped trying to take photos of an entire wall and instead started capturing part of a scene in some of the paintings.  Below are just a few of those photos.

This painting was on the ceiling of one of the rooms

Just one of the stained glass windows we saw

The Vatican - Part I

During our first morning in Rome, we rose early in order to make our 9:00am time slot to visit The Vatican.  I had taken the advice of our travel book and purchased our tickets online in advance in order to avoid standing in line.  If you visit The Vatican, do the same!  After riding the tram from our hotel, one of us had the brilliant idea to walk the rest of the way since we could see it (not me).  Mind you the basilica is quite large, so it can be deceiving just how close it may be.  After walking at a very brisk pace for 40 minutes, we finally arrived and were able to walk past the hundreds of people waiting in line.  Once inside a calmness came over both of us and we were able to enjoy the museum.  There is so much to see it can be very overwhelming.  It reminded me of the Louvre in that you could spend a week there and still have more to see and read and learn.

One of the many halls that was full of marble statues and artifacts.  Notice that every inch of the room is decorated, from the marble floors to the entire ceiling.

Heather & the busts

The detail of this hallway was incredible from the ceiling to the maps that lined the walls.

Happy Birthday Scott

Happy Birthday to my best friend and travel buddy.  I love you.

Seletti Milk Jug

Our one purchase in Rome, a Seletti ceramic milk jug.  Something fun to have on the table when we host people for dinner and have our after dinner decaf espresso with milk or cream.  The shade of white is almost a perfect match to our other white dishes.

I was pleased to find that two shops in Geneva carry the brand, including my favorite La 3eme.  I might just have to stop by to pick up a few other pieces that Scott and I enjoyed.

Proof that it is still cold here ...

The ice effect of Lake Geneva

Photo taken in Versoix, Switzerland on March 10th

swissinfo.ch

Sneak Peek of Rome

Scott and I had a wonderful time in Rome!  We made it home very early this morning and unfortunately, Scott had to turn around and go back to the airport to head to Portland.

Here is a sneak peek of some of the highlights of our trip.  More to come...

Saint Peter's Basilica

Trevi Fountain

The Colosseum

A sunny afternoon in a piazza