Good-bye Switzerland

This is it…the last entry of the Millie-meter. We are so appreciative of the support from our family and friends along the way, including all those people who regularly checked-in on us through this blog.

Our lives have forever been changed from our Switzerland experience. We will never forget the beautiful places we visited and the wonderful people we met along the way.

Au revoir Switzerland and hopefully à bientôt.

Adjusting

We’ve been back in Minnesota for about three weeks now. Most of our free time has been spent with family, and we are now starting to reconnect with friends. We have been asked numerous times how the transition is going. To answer that question, it’s been a bit of an emotional roller coaster at times. I think we’re doing the best we can considering our belongings are still somewhere on a ship in the middle of an ocean and we’re living out of suitcases.

A lot of people are also asking what we miss most about Switzerland. Our list is already kind of long. More than anything we miss the beauty of it. It really did feel like a postcard with the mountains and vineyards and lake. Matt and I are both struggling with the driving here. Matt is missing his 15 minute commute to Lausanne. He’s now in the car for over an hour one way and it’s only going to get worse with the snow this winter. I’m in the car everyday to run any errands, which is a big adjustment from our time in Switzerland. Plus it’s cold here and that’s only going to get worse. And of course we miss our friends.

There are some things we’re enjoying back home. It’s great to be able to understand what everyone is saying. I’m going to keep up my French if I can but it is really nice to be able to communicate everything I want. Finn and I are also having fun with all the activities that are available to moms and children, and they’re affordable! We’ve also enjoyed a few meals out, which is a fairly new experience for Finn. We rarely went to restaurants in Switzerland, mainly due to the crazy expense of it.

A Different View

Finn and Millie are often in this pose as they take in the view out our front window. Very different from the mountains and lake we had for four years. Finn enjoys watching cars and trucks go by, especially on garbage day. I prefer the boats we used to see out our window when we lived in Switzerland.

Our Last Désalpe

We spent our last weekend in Switzerland with a very traditional festivity. We returned to the village of Saint-Cergue for the Désalpe (the return of the cows from the mountain pastures). We were spoiled the first time we went several years ago with a beautiful sunny day. This time we were not so lucky with the weather. It was cold and rainy but it didn’t stop us. Despite the weather we enjoyed a few rounds of cows parading through town.

We will miss these Swiss festivities. Where else in the world do you find cows with treetops and flowers decorating their heads and enormous bells around their necks being herded through town while people drink wine and eat cheese?

Goodbye Cain Girls

Finn had one last outing with his good pals, Eva and Zoe, before we moved. We spent a nice morning at the local zoo together. As they always do, the girls kept Finn thoroughly entertained.

We are missing our frequent playdates with Zoe and Eva’s babysitting skills. They could make Finn giggle like no one else. Sure wish we had them right next door again.

Hello, Mickey!

We took Finn to Disneyland Paris for a long weekend in September. It also happened to be Matt’s birthday that weekend so he got to celebrate with Mickey and the gang. We spent two full days at the park with our friends, James and Leona, and Leona’s brother’s family. Although Finn won’t remember the experience, we always will.

Some of our favorite rides were It’s a Small World and the Slinky Dog Zig Zag Spin. We also went to a show at Mickey’s Clubhouse and several parades. There were lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from Finn as he watched the parades. He did great with the lines and crowds and even managed to stay up late for most of a light show.

I think the highlight for Matt was the one-liter beers he and the other guys enjoyed while the kids took a nap.

Chaos

Whew! The last month has been a bit of a blur. We packed a lot into our last month in Switzerland.

No matter how much we tried to prepare for the chaos of moving house, it was still overwhelming. We were physically and emotionally exhausted by the time we got on the airplane to return to Minnesota.

Fribourg

The other day my friend, Leona, and I ventured out with the babies to Fribourg for the day. Both of our hubbies were traveling for work that week so it was a perfect opportunity to get out and explore Switzerland together. It was about an hour drive there so just the right amount of time for the two babies to squeeze in a nice nap.

We spent the day walking around the city as well as viewing it aboard the P’tit Train. The ride provided headphones to listen to the history of the city, but we missed all that because we were too busy trying to keep two wiggly 13 month olds contained on the train. Not an easy feat but we managed to keep them both safely aboard. The babies also cooperated as we did some shopping and toured St. Nicolas Cathedral, dating from the 1200s.

Our only snafu for the day was getting Isobel’s carseat stuck in my car. Between the two of us we could not get the thing out. Luckily, Leona didn’t need it for a few days. Matt popped it out with no problem when he returned from his trip to the US. He made it look real easy, too, which I didn’t appreciate.

Four

That’s the answer to the question, “How many letters has it taken to terminate our housing lease?” I’m not sure what was wrong with the first, second or third letters. I’m hoping the fourth one does the trick.

Also on our to-do list for the move was to de-register with the city of Morges. Today we received our ‘Attestation de depart’ which is a document stating we need to leave Morges by the date we provided them.

Bon Voyage Millie

Millie made the big trip back to the US last Friday. Matt had to go to Minnesota for work so we decided it would be easier to take Millie now rather than when we all go in a month. The idea of Finn, Millie, carseat, dog crate and suitcases all safely getting to the airport made my head hurt. Hopefully this simplifies things a bit when we make the final trip.

It was very sad to see Millie leave Switzerland. I think she really enjoyed her time in this country. It’s a dog’s dream here – dogs are allowed everywhere – public transportation, cafes, stores, hotels. She’s going to miss hiking in the Alps and daily walks by Lake Geneva.

The flight was uneventful this time. (When Millie came to Switzerland the airline somehow managed to lose her for a period of time in Chicago, so anything is improvement over that experience.) She did well on the flight and was happy to see Matt at the baggage claim.

Millie is staying with my parents for the next month. Besides waking them in the middle of the night because she’s jetlagged, she’s adjusting well.

It’s Official

Our four-year adventure in Switzerland is coming to an end.  The McCarthy's are moving back to Minnesota.  Matt accepted a job at the Corporate office there so we’ll be leaving in just a few weeks.  We’re looking forward to being closer to our family and friends again, but we also feel sad to leave our home here.  There are so many things we’ll miss about living in Switzerland.  It’s been an incredible journey. 

A Very Swiss Holiday

Earlier this month we spent a week at a chalet in the small village of Saas Fee. We had a great time exploring the area by foot (no cars are allowed in the village). The scenery was amazing with the mountains and glaciers. We had all the Swiss fixings, too – alphorns, yodeling, Rösti (a traditional potato dish). It was a wonderful holiday.

Weekend Hike

We headed out for a hike on Saturday to the Great St. Bernard Pass, which is the third highest pass in Switzerland and links Switzerland and Italy. Our final destination was Lacs de Fenetre.

Matt had been on this hike once before with a neighbor so he knew what to expect. I did not. I thought it was a hard hike, especially the first part. I guess I voiced this opinion multiple times because Matt said my whining was at a 7 out of 10 for the day. I like to keep my whining to a 5 but this was a hard hike for me. Luckily I had Millie to help pull me up some of the inclines. Finn, on the other hand, never complained once. He loves being in the backpack.

We had a gorgeous view of the mountains and lake for our picnic.

Happy Birthday Switzerland

We celebrated Swiss National Day on August 1st. Even though it’s a holiday here Matt had to work so Finn and I joined our friends, the Ogdens, in Ouchy. We spent an afternoon swimming at Bellerive Plage and then a walk along the lake, which was made complete with ice cream.

We thought the fireworks in town would be cancelled with all the thunder and lightning but they still had them. We were able to watch a great fireworks display in all the villages around us from the comfort of our own terrace.

Finn showed his Swiss spirit with a new hat. Happy 721st birthday, Switzerland!

Joyeux Anniversaire

We celebrated Finn’s first birthday earlier this month. It was a joint party with Finn’s little buddy, Isobel, who is just four days younger. We had the party at the Bellerive Plage in Lausanne, which is a park with a beach and three pools. Highlights for Finn were playing in the sand with Daddy and eating cupcakes. We had a great time celebrating our little boy with wonderful friends.

Visitors

July has been a good month for visitors. Our friends, Didi and Suzie and their girls came back from Malaysia for two weeks. It’s been a little over a year since they left Switzerland. We had a great time hanging out with them. It felt like they never left. Our friend, Dan, also came for a visit as part of a work trip. It’s been two years since Dan and Jen moved from Morges back to Milwaukee. Didi and Dan’s visit overlapped by one night so they enjoyed a few beers and a lot of laughs on our terrace with Matt that night. Just like old times.

My friend, Cassie, was in France for several weeks so she hopped on a train to Lausanne to meet Finn and me. Our afternoon consisted of strolling along the shores of Lac Leman, taking in the pretty scenery and eating ice cream. A perfect afternoon! I’m so happy she made the trip to see us and to meet Finn.

Haircut #2

Finn’s first haircut back in May didn’t go so well. He screamed the entire time so I was dreading the next one. My friend, Christina, was brave enough to attempt haircut #2. Overall it went very smoothly thanks to the help she brought with her. Distraction #1 (Eva) and Distraction #2 (Zoe) kept Finn thoroughly entertained the entire time.

Lookin’ good! Thanks, Christina!



Ça suffit

That mean’s ‘Enough!’ in French.  This is how I’m feeling about the construction work that has been going on in our backyard for two years.  It is constant jackhammering every day.  The noise is better when the windows are closed but we’ve had some hot and humid weather the last few weeks.  No air conditioning makes for a really warm apartment with the windows closed.  Even Finn agrees that the noise is too much some days. 

Road Trip

Matt went on his annual hiking trip to Montana so I decided Finn and I needed a change of scenery, too. We took a road trip to Colmar, France, which is in the heart of Alsace wine country. Our hotel was in a perfect location, smack in the middle of the historical center of town. Except for the tiniest elevator ever (tight fit with a stroller) and the room facing the center of town, which made for loud music at night from the pubs below us, it was a decent hotel.

We spent two days wandering around Colmar and taking in the sights. The architecture was beautiful with the half-timbered houses painted bright colors. We enjoyed exploring the different quarters of the town. My favorite was Petite Venise (Little Venice). Our second day there was their market day so we had fun wandering through it and finding some local treats. Finn discovered his love for croissants and kugelhopf (a turban-shaped sweet roll, stuffed with dried fruits and nuts – actually ours had chocolate chips in it). Another local food I really enjoyed was the tarte flambee, which looked like a pizza with really thin crust and was covered in bacon, onion and cream.

Other highlights included Finn’s first ride on a carrousel, wine tasting at the local wineries, and the Musee du Jouet (Toy Museum). Finn enjoyed watching the model train displays. We also saw a puppet show. Finn liked the puppets but they freaked me out a bit. They looked like zombies. Creepy looking things!

The third day we ventured to another little village on the Route du Vin (Wine Route) called Ribeauville. We walked through the old town, did a little shopping and had a picnic before making the three-hour ride home. Finn slept the entire way home. All in all it was a very successful roadtrip for mama and son.

We Made It

Finn and I were home alone for 12 days while Matt was in the US.  It was tiring at times, especially when he wasn’t sleeping well some of the nights, but we made it.  I have a lot of respect for single parents who do it all the time.  We were both very happy to see Daddy at the airport.