Dublin

Off to Dublin today and will be back Sunday!  Bon weekend!  (Good weekend in French)

US Embassy

Scott and I took a drive to Bern today so he could have more pages added to his passport at the US Embassy.  We wished we would have had more time to explore the city and visit the Bern Bears, but work was calling Scott's name.  After successfully finding the embassy in one easy shot (we can get lost at times), I was promptly denied entrance because I was carrying a purse.  While Scott was busy sitting around inside the Embassy, I was busy outside sitting on a sidewalk.  After a little over a half an hour he emerged with a thicker passport, which brought both of us relief that our mission was accomplished.  Now off to Dublin for the weekend!

Today's sunrise - Photo captured by Scott

My purse that got me denied to step on US soil in Switzerland

Out of all of the Embassies we saw in Bern, this one had to be the ugliest.  Can't we find a building with some Bernase architecture?

Clean Air starting May 1st

The nationwide smoking ban for all of Switzerland starts on May 1st, no more smoke in bars and restaurants!

Spring

Spring has arrived in Geneva.  Not only are the temperatures warmer (mid seventies over the weekend), everything is blooming!  I took a few photos today during my daily walk around the village.

Buds are sprouting on the grape vines

Lots of fields of yellow around Soral.  You can also see there is only a very little amount of snow left on the mountains.

My favorite street to walk down because it smells ever so good!

Pink Sunset & Sunshine

Last night's sunset over Geneva

Scott capturing some sun rays this morning

Playing Pitch

Wednesday evening we arranged a picnic and playing the card game, Pitch, down by the lake with Shauna and her parents.  Her parents have been in Geneva for an extended period of time due to the volcano erupting in Iceland and Swiss airspace being closed, so they needed a night out to mix things up.  It was a gorgeous night on the lake and a fun night was had by all.

Today's Message

While loading the car with groceries I noticed a message was written in the dirt on our back window.  I called Scott and he confirmed with his coworkers the message was to wash the car.  After waiting in line for 45 minutes and asking for help from a kind stranger, I was able to figure out how to work the drive through car wash at the BP station.  The car is now gleaming!

The message

Look at that shine!

Sunny with a chance of haze

Don't worry folks the haze is not volcanic ash!  It has been sitting in the bowl of Lake Geneva for over a week and we hope that it clears up soon.  Today we found a gem of a hike.  Seriously, we are surprised we did not know about it sooner.  We hiked from Lutry to Riex along the Lavaux terraces.  These terraces were first made by monks many years ago and then over time farmers acquired the land from the Churches and nobility.  The paths are on the world heritage site by Unesco and the views of the lake and mountains would be gorgeous if not for that thick layer of haze.  We still managed to enjoy ourselves and hope to return next weekend and complete the second half of the path.

What are these purple plants?  They were everywhere and beautiful.

Looking back at Lutry, the beginning of the hike was quite a climb

Scott on a winemaker's roller coaster

Scott's signature pose

I love pink blooms

Change of plans

Who would have ever imagined our travel plans to Dublin would have to be canceled due to a volcano erupting in Iceland?  Aer Lingus notified us last night that our afternoon flight to Dublin was to be canceled.  Luckily, we were quick to contact our hotel and were able to change the date for free and change our flight for free.  We now plan to visit Dublin the last weekend of April!

Now what to do this weekend....

On the auction block

A Sotheby's employee shows off an extremely rare 52.82 carat white diamond at the auction house in London on April 11. The gem, with an estimated worth of SFr7.4 million, will be auctioned off in Geneva on May 11. 

source:  swissinfo.ch

George Patrick Decker

Two of my closets friends became parents last week to George Patrick Decker.  He weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces and his Mom says he is gaining weight fast due to being a big eater.  I can't wait to cuddle and coo to him.  Congratulations Lisa and Steve!

Bring on the sunshine!

Our last day in Saint Jean was gorgeous and warm.  We did our very best to soak in as much vitamin D from the sunshine as possible.  Scott even took a dip in the ocean.  We were sad to say good bye on such a beautiful day, but the road was calling our names for the long drive home.

One last look at our hotel

Not a cloud in the sky

The beach was not very crowded at all

What to do when it rains...

Two of the days we were in Saint Jean it rained, but we didn't let it dampen our vacation.  We spent one day in Monaco and then another day purely relaxing in Saint Jean.  Scott and I went for a walk around the point that morning and finished the afternoon playing a few games of Pitch and Hearts in the hotel bar.

The daily weather update from our hotel's turn down service

Charlie Chaplain's former home

Paloma Beach

2010's Fishing Season Has Begun

Saturday afternoon was spent down by the river so Scott could fish and I could sit in my handy lawn chair and read.

Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco is a great stop in Monaco when it is spitting rain outside.

The Museum

Day Trip to Monaco

Saturday brought rain showers, which led us to hop on a bus to Monaco for a day trip.  The town/country was already far along in setting up for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix that starts May 13th.

The Palace

We walked through the botanical gardens on our way to the aquarium, of course Scott enjoyed watching the fish swim.

A bright umbrella on a dreary day

The Magical Place of Saint Jean Cap

While planning our Easter holiday, Kyle, Scott and I all agreed the one place we wanted to return to was Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.  It is magical.  Last year we found the town by pure coincidence.  This year we found an awesome deal on a luxury hotel due to the wonderful time of year called "the low season"!

After getting settled Friday evening, we decided to walk to the city centre to find a restaurant serving fresh seafood!  None of us eat seafood often here in Geneva, so it is a very special treat.  The restaurant, Captain Cook, caught our eye and we were pleased with all of the dishes we chose.  Then we did what Europeans do, we strolled our way back to the hotel...