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Kristi
The Boy, 2 Muttleys and I have finally realized our dream of living 1 mile from the Lindt Chocolate Factory. Leaving Atlanta (the World of Coke) for Zurich (the World of Chocolate) hasn't come without challenges, incredible fun or giggles. Follow along as I chronicle our adventures as we acclimate to this new Swiss lifestyle.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I'll Tumble for Ya

Over the holidays we had three sets of friends visit us from the States. All flew from Atlanta to Zurich, all arriving on different days at 7:45 am. As indicated in a previous post, the Boy and I believe the only way to get rid of the jet lag hangover is to treat the first day as a real day. No nappy naps, no sitting on the couch relaxing and above all, no whining. Chris and Lygia were our third set of friends to arrive so we figured there was no better way to keep them awake than take them sledding at Rigi.



Rigi is a mountain in the Alps and it is referred to as "the Queen of the Mountains". I am not sure why it gets this moniker, but I believe it has to do with the stunning views of 4 lakes including Lake Lucerne. We got a couple of the lakes in this pic, but don't ask me which ones...I am directionally challenged and can barely find my way out of a paper bag.

The weather that day was less than optimal for sledding. As you can see in the above pic, there wasn't any snow at lower elevations and we were informed they were experiencing "April Weather". The term was immediately unsettling as it was still frackin cold out, but more so for the fact it meant a portion of the sledding runs were closed. This was a bummer, but we couldn't be stopped. We needed to go down an Alp, on pieces of firewood, at break neck speeds, STAT!

For those who don't now know me, I am a certified, grade A wimp. I promised myself I wouldn't let my inner wimp stop me from trying new things, sledding included. To quiet the fear, the Boy and I rented a larger sled and went down as a team. The moment we hit the sledding trail and started to go, I quickly reverted to my 8 year old self. I giggled, howled, guffawed, screamed and made all sorts of other guttural noises...but while doing so, I had the time of my life. Here, take a look-see:


As you can see, the moderately slushy conditions slowed us down a bit but at times we did generate enough speed, granted these were some rather steep hills which I elected to not video for obvious reasons. I believe the Boy and I crashed 5 or 6 times, each time with the sled somehow knocking me in the head...but I felt no pain, just joy. The next video is a little lengthy, but it consists of a solo run featuring the Boy. It contains an ending that is equivalent to a Mary Lou Retton dismount, circa 1984:


No first day with friends is complete without a trip to the mountain restaurant. We felt obliged to feed them fondue, cured meats and beer. As you can see, the meat was the star of the show:



I know what you are thinking, not the best look for me. I suffer for my blog art you see, oh and I really like meat. Chris and Esther were taking a photo shoot of not me, but the meat as well. It truly was the star of the show, complete with paparazzi outside ready to snap a pic.

I bet those who have yet to visit are now starting to wonder what we have in store for you on your first day. What will the Remicks do to you to keep you awake? If there is a country full of thrills, this is the one...bwawawawa!

5 comments:

Deborah said...

You guys are dorks! I love it.

lwelsh said...

I love the videos!!! Keep posting 'em. It's great to hear your laugh and see David's smile.

Unknown said...

Hi! Your blog is being really useful for me, I'm just goin to move to Zurich also for my Boy during 3 years, any useful tips??

Kristi said...

Hi Julia. I am more than happy to help you, send me a PM to fromatlantatozurich@gmail.com

The Goldest said...

Good to hear your voices and see Dave's smiling face. As for the face you gave the meat...I can imagine Chris and Esther had to endure something like, "Hi Mr. Meat. Don't you want me to eat you. Yes, you do...". Sorry, I could not finish having thrown up on myself. I kid. I actually miss hearing you talk to food. Maybe :)