Wrapping up a great year...

After an incredibly fun summer full of exploring all over Switzerland and northern Italy with visitors, it was time to take a break and have some "us" time, so on a beautiful weekend in October we took our first backpacking trip since we've been living in Europe.
The good thing about backpacking in Switzerland is you can pretty much guarantee you'll be alone once the sun starts going down, since the locals tend to not sleep outside (which I must admit is understandable since there are so many charming little hotels and guesthouses all around).
But to us nothing can beat having our little tent perched on the side of a hill with a gorgeous view and surrounded by nothing but nature. We enjoyed some wine-from-a-box (easier to carry in the backpack) in our REI Lexan wine glasses as we watched the moon rise over the mountain. Dinner was Raclette on our new candle-lit Swiss set. What a great evening in the backcountry!
Soon thereafter we travelled back to the U.S. for a visit - I (Buggie) went a little early and as luck would have it I got the chance to fit in a visit to our good Swiss friend there. Of course it was a very active visit including a cycling event through the horse country south of Gainesville. I brought the Alphorn from Switzerland and we used it to help cheer on other riders while taking a break...
I had no idea how beautiful the area near Gainesville is, especially with the moss hanging from the trees...and there actually were some hills there too - a nice surprise!
It was really great to see her and experience a small part of her new life there. We really miss you Martina! But we are happy that you are in such a good PhD program and look forward to your return to Switzerland when you're finished!

Next stop was the beautiful hills of north Georgia. I wonder if this is the first time a Swiss Alphorn has been heard here...
I always enjoy visiting my parents and their place in the mountains there. The house may be old and just has a few rooms, but it is very cozy. I think this sign says it all...
It was a very nice time together. That weekend, Gustav and I were lucky that a few friends could join us in the mountains for a bike ride...
Actually it was not just any bike ride -- It was the Fourth (almost-)Annual Gaptoberfest! That is: Biking in the Gaps + Oktoberfest in Helen = Great times with great friends :-)

After biking up and down a few of Georgia's famous hills (including our fave, Hawgpain!), we used up any breath we had leftover to share some of the sounds of the Swiss Alps with the Oktoberfest'ers...in the appropriate plaza no less...

It was a really fun time and I hope we can continue to keep the tradition of Gaptoberfest going on every year, as long as we all can continue to ride bikes (which will be forever as long as we can help it!).

Moving on... Every visit to the U.S. tends to include some shopping since you just can't get some "important" items in Switzerland (now you all know what to bring me next time you visit!):
We visited Sam's Club since Mom has a membership, and couldn't get over how huge the store is (you could fit about a thousand European stores in it). The aisles were wide, the selection was overwhelmingly vast... Even the playing cards were oversized!
So to keep the theme we did some post-shopping refreshing with some over-sized beverages :)
The next day was Halloween, which we couldn't wait to share with Gustav's sis and our neice and nephew. Plus it means getting dressed up and forcing strangers to give you candy - so much fun! (the Europeans don't know what they're missing)
As always we really enjoyed seeing everyone and getting to spend some time together. That includes our "furry child"- You'd never guess she is over 15 years old from this picture would you? Playing on the rocks by the river...
There just never seems to be enough time to do everything we want during our visits, but still we enjoyed the time that we did have with you all, and we're glad we can all stay in touch at least "virtually" when we're not in the same country.

Soon after we got back to Zurich, lots of "white stuff" started falling from the sky, and overnight it transformed the area into a winter wonderland... So our friend who is from northern Canada showed me the proper way to make a snowman (we didn't get quite so many chances to practice while growing up in TN!)...
Gustav and I decided at the last minute to take a long weekend trip to Vienna, to take advantage of the fact that we can do just that! It was our first experience on an overnight train, which was great (although a bit cramped!). We really enjoyed checking out the city and its incredibly beautiful buildings, as well as a couple friends we know living there. It was great timing with all the Christmas markets and decorations all around the city, really festive...
When we got back to Zurich it was holiday party time, and we hosted a few of those ourselves, including some Christmas caroling as well as some jazz improv by Jeff and one of the younger guests...
Soon thereafter we got hit by even MORE of that white stuff! It's so different from last year when it didn't snow here all winter (until once in March)...
The good thing was that the white stuff fell in the mountains to, so that meant one thing - It's time to SKI!! So our first day out on the sl0pes was with our good friend from Colorado...
One thing we still can't get over is how people here seem to really appreciate having a good meal. Even if you're at a tiny eatery on the ski slope, they still make your lunch special...
This lunch above is Alpen Macaroni, served with apple sauce, mmm-mmmmm. And topped off with a Carlsberg beer - Their advertising slogan always cracks us up: "Probably the best beer in the world" (well if they're not totally sure, at least they're honest about it!)

Suddenly Christmastime was upon us... We were lucky enough to receive an invitation from our Swiss friend to join her and her parents at their mountain chalet for the holiday. This was our first chance to experience a true Swiss Christmas! We had always heard about how real candles are lit on the Christmas tree, but it was even more amazing to experience it in person...
It was a really special time with our Swiss family who has "adopted" us. We all celebrated on Christmas Eve together with some Fondue Chinoise, which involves cooking your own thinly sliced meats in a buillion, and is the traditional Swiss meal for Christmas Eve.

After the Fondue, the Christmas gifts are opened (on Christmas Eve - typically a single gift per person, usually something hand-made, and specially wrapped with lots of care), then a story is read, sometimes songs are sung around the tree (as you make sure no needles are burning from the candles on it!), and then we all walk through the snow to the village church for the service that ends right at midnight. Christmas Day is then usually spent out in the snow and sunshine, walking or skiing with the family.

The view from the chalet is difficult to describe in words, it's so beautiful...
Thank you so much, unsere Schweizer Mami und Papi, for sharing your holiday time and traditions with us!!
After Christmas we met up with our "Abenteuer" (adventure) friends to do some more ski-touring (better described in our opinion as "ski mountaineering", since after all it usually involves climbing to the top of a mountain, or sometimes more than one, and often has its epic nail-biting moments!). This trip ended up being a great adventure without any problems (nor any helicopter rescues).
We took advantage of the extra holidays to do some version of skiing every day -- ski-touring, skate-skiing, alpine skiing... No matter what the activity, it is always worth travelling the 45 minutes or so from Zurich to the mountains to enjoy the wunderschön views and sunshine...
We especially appreciate the sunshine since it tends to be very foggy in Zurich this time of year. Just another reason to get out and enjoy the beautiful mountains...

It has been a great year. We really enjoyed getting to share some of our life in Switzerland with you, either in person for those of you who came to visit, or at least on here "virtually".

We hope you all had a good year as well, and we wish you all a very
Happy and Healthy New Year!!!


Cheers,
Buggie and Gustav

The ski tour with an unusual ending

Today's ski tour started as most all of them do... Skiing up, up, up toward the big blue sky...

Definitely a nice way to spend a Friday! photo by Howard Brundrett

Such a beautiful place, and no one else around...

Our friend Kate puts new meaning in the term "add-on"... Halfway up our journey to the top of Mont Rosswies, our main destination, she challenged us to a scramble up to the top of another nearby mountain (Margelchopf). And boy what a scramble it was... steep with some loose rocks and ice patches... Hang on!

We made it to the top and were rewarded with a view including parts of Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Austria...

photo by Howard Brundrett

Then it was time for the downward scramble, which is always more scary to me. Just have to go one foot- or hand-hold at a time... And whatever you do, don't look down!

photo by Howard Brundrett

Whew, we survived that - Now on to the next mountain...

Climb, climb, climb... Ski-touring actually feels a lot like climbing a long pass on a bike - You just find your rhythm and then keep it going... I like to pretend I put myself in my "easiest gear" and then I'm just spinning to the top... Pedal, pedal, pedal... Ski, ski, ski...

And it worked - We made it to the top of the second peak - Yeah!

photo by Howard Brundrett

Incredible views... All was good - And we were further rewarded by some great powder heading down. The powder was actually the best I have ever had the pleasure to ski in! Felt like floating instead of skiing. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh....

A little further down though, things changed a little - the snow became a little more variable. Actually I think some kind of "snow-monster" must have jumped up and grabbed my ski - I don't know how else to explain it! Something caused me to go down, and right when it did I heard (and felt) a loud POP! Uh oh, that can't be good... I'm thinking as I'm lying face down in the snow with my skis crossed in front of me!

I finally was able to push myself upright, but when I tried to continue skiing down I realized I couldn't put any pressure on my left leg without loads of pain shooting thru it. So, with my friend Howard's help, I proceeded to push myself backwards until I could traverse and ski down on my one good leg to meet up with Kate at the bottom of the gully.

Once I made it to her I knew there was no way I could ski all the way down to the car. There's no ski patrol or other help around since we weren't at any ski resort, but luckily there is a helicopter rescue service called Rega, that is ready for situations just like this. I just never thought I'd actually need to use it - But it looked like this time I would! The really amazing thing is that I had just joined Rega the previous day, which includes insurance to cover the expenses for rescues like this. Is that lucky timing or what!

We didn't have any cell phone coverage in the gully we were in though, so we couldn't call the helicopter from there. Kate decided to ski ahead and down to the village so that she could call from there. Meanwhile I needed to put my skins on and ski to the top of the pass in order to meet the helicopter there. It was a climb that seemed to last a lifetime! Since it was icy in places I needed to use my ski-crampons, which I had never used before. The pain shot thru my left leg so bad, I felt like I was going to pass out at times, but I knew I had to make it to the top to get out of here, so had to keep pushing on....

Needless to say I was very happy to get to the top and sit down!

photo by Howard Brundrett

I had just enough time to put on some warm clothes and take off my skins when the helicopter showed up -- What a wonderful sight to see!
(video)

this is Howard Brundrett, who helped get me to the helicopter!

I was so relieved to not have to ski (or hop) all the way down the mountain --This was a much easier way to travel...

photo by Howard Brundrett

I was at the nearby hospital within minutes, where they quickly determined I had broken my left ankle, and I would need an operation to insert a metal plate. They said it was best to do the procedure right away, but first I proceeded to display my one-legged hopping skills around the hospital halls... must be a symptom of being in ski clothes way too long...

photo by Howard Brundrett

Well the operation went very smoothly - I was awake during the whole thing, just trying not to think about them screwing a plate into my body (ew!). That first night afterward was a long one - lots of "Schmerzen"(pain) and not much "Schlafen"(sleep), but in the morning I was surprised by a really nice Swiss scene outside my window...


The mountain on the left is actually the first one we climbed on Friday!

So now I am just pretending that this is my "spa weekend", full-service with sponge baths and good meals...

I am thankful this "adventure" happened in Switzerland - One of the best places in the world (if not THE best) for backcountry rescue as well as medical services. And as it's been said, "Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker" (What doesn't kill me makes me stronger)!

For more pictures click here. Special thanks to Howard who took many of the photos I have included, and of course for helping me get up the mountain to be picked up by the helicopter. What an "Abenteuer" (adventure).

Thanks for all your well-wishes!!
Becky

Our first Swiss New Years Eve

On New Year's Eve day we went skiing with our favorite "Abenteuer"(adventure)-loving couple...They led us down a bunch of off-piste stuff... living up to their name! I even got to climb down a snow wall at one point...Also we did some practice using our avalanche rescue gear. We ended up being the last people on the mountain, and were pressured by the local ski patrol (or whatever they call it here) to get down before dark... They were eager to get out of there and on to the New Year's Eve parties! So we skied down the whole mountain with them at our heels - Very interesting considering it was only Jeff's fourth time ever on skis!

After all that, when we got home I had to take an hour-long nap just so I could make it to midnite! But I'm soooo glad I did -- The fireworks here in Zurich were incredible. The landscape is perfect for viewing something like this -- Lake Zurich is large and long, and along each side there rises up a hill where all the village homes are situated, so that the maximum number of homes have a view of the lake. It seemed like every single one of those homes was setting off some kind of firework after midnight - Everywhere we looked there were fireworks shooting in the air. And not just a simple bottle rocket - These were the serious kind!

We just stood on the terrace and watched in amazement while fireworks kept going off all down the lake -- From one end to the other, they kept going and going... Everywhere you looked there were fireworks. Then, as if that wasn't enough - The church bells started ringing!! It was a beautiful moment. One that seriously brought tears to our eyes. That all kept up for about half an hour, and then around 12:30am Zurich had their grand finale so there was a big fireworks display down on that end. It was simply amazing. The Swiss seem to do everything to the extreme, and this was no exception!

The video might help share the experience somewhat, but it's one of those times you really "had to be there". We wish you all could have been there with us! Happy new year!!

(sorry for the stumbling beginning of this video - we were frantically running outside to catch the moment!)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

It was a sunny day here on the ski slopes, and the locals were celebrating the holiday with some local tunes, so we had to "do as the locals do" of course... don't forget the Glühwein :) ...



Happy Holidays to All!