Tuesday - Our last full day in Suisse

(checkout our third web album for the last week of our wonderful stay at Chez Goudzwaard)
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Tuesday morning it was crepes for petite dejuner and they were tres bon.

Early afternoon Bryan, Troy and I grabbed our umbrellas and walked to Chevannes de Bogis, the adjacent village.  We made dinner reservations at the local auberge for six while Eva and Steph were faithful to their heritage and worked on making olie bollen.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing some cleanup and getting ready for our departure tomorrow am.  I made sure to complete the checklist left for guests of Chez Goudzwaard.  I gave the establishments high marks and suggested they apply for inclusion in the next edition of the Michelon guide for fine places to stay in central Europe.

We finished our time in Switzerland with a great dinner in Chavannes de Bogis with a plus being that we were able to walk there and home again.  Au revoir.

Monday - Skiing at Villars

     This morning Bryan, Eva and I drove to Villars - about 1 1/5 hrs.  Bryan and Eva skied while I sat in the lodge allowing my back to heal some more.  Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?  I decided that even though I'd love to go skiing, I didn't want to be medivac'ed from the slopes (we saw three others leave that way).

Saturday - Trees and Lights

We had a relaxing Saturday at home.  Late afternoon we headed for Geneva to see the annual Trees and Lights displays - artistic works around the waterfront combining the trees of the existing landscape with the creative use of lighting.  This was the first day this week that we could rest assured that our stroll would not be interrupted by rain, snow or hail.

On arrival home, we enjoyed another traditional Swiss dinner, raclette - individually melted cheese on a generous helping of chopped tomatoes, corn and mushrooms, all placed on a lightly toasted slice of French bread.  Of course, there is always plenty of white Swiss wine to aid the digestion.  It's no wonder we sleep so well here.

Once again, we celebrate the light!

Bulletin, with words to the carols to be sung,
 at the Christmas day service.

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Eva, Bryan and I went to Old Town, Geneva for the 10 am Christmas service in the historic St. Pierre Cathedral, the church where John Calvin preached when he lived here.  Though the language was not native to our ears, the message was that which has been proclaimed through the ages - Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem broken humanity.

It was inspiring to celebrate Christmas with people of different languages, in a different country, and in a historic setting.  A unity was experienced that can be a guiding value as we continue our individual paths.

Wednesday - Steak and fries

It rained off and on today and much of the snow that had blanketed our village is now just a memory. However, my sledding crash is not just a memory - my movement was seriously limited. So it was indoor games - Scrabble, jigsaw puzzle, etc.

For dinner we went into Geneva and feasted on steak and fries - the only thing on the menu at Le Relais de L'Entrecote. This place is always packed and usually there's a line to get in, even when it is raining.

The city sparkled like crystal as we walked through the wet streets to get back to our cars.

Tuesday - Sledding in the Juras

Bryan got home from work early Tuesday, approx. 1:30 pm. We all got our snow clothes on, loaded up the cars with sleds and went to a sledding hill in the Jura mountains. The small ski area we went to was not yet open for skiing, but we decided sledding would be worth a try.

We had a number of good runs but finally had to call it quits after my race with Bryan ended in a spill. I limped back to the car and we went home and enjoyed another one of Bryan's famous fondue dinners.

No School this week

This day is almost gone.  First, we slept late, then we shoveled snow from the driveway and finally we went to look for a hill to slide down.  This is the way Troy, Quinn and I spent the day.  It was a very good day!