March 23, 2006
Lusizzle and a Rapper
On Saturdy we drove into Luzern (or Lucerne if you prefer) to see the sights. Zug is half-way between Zürich and Luzern, so it's pretty easy to get to both places. After walking down to the shopping district and visiting a shop to buy Swiss souvenirs, we walked across the famous wooden bridge. Then it was on to lunch at Mr. Pickwick's, an Irish pub chain found only in Switzerland - kind of like Outback.
Jon, Chris, and Kevin enjoying the sport of kings.
Sunday we rounded out our stay with a visit to Rapperswil, a medieval town across the lake from Zurich. This was our second visit to Rapperswil; we tried to go on Monday, but the Kinderzoo was closed and the freezing wind cut our visit to the castle short. Sunday's weather, however, was marvelous. David had a blast feeding ponies and llamas and camels – they ate right out of his hand! We even rode on an elephant. Then David got splashed by a giraffe drinking out of a bucket above his head.
David sharing his popcorn with a goat.
The offending giraffe after a triple-dog-dare.
March 17, 2006
spending of the green
David's third St. Patrick's Day was probably his most memorable so far as it was spent exploring Zurich with his Irish grandfather. A long lunch in an Irish pub (the Noble Dubliner) gave David a chance to demonstrate some of his Lord of the Dance skills while Granddaddy played "air fiddle" across the table. Before lunch we browsed an art show...after lunch, David led our crew into the local four-story toy wonderland on the Bahnhofstrasse, where he persuaded his grandparents to buy him lots of "treats."
March 16, 2006
Prego! - we were in there
Trying to escape the wintry north, we headed south to Milan, Italy. The train left very early in the morning, requiring a stop at the Starbucks in the train station in Zug. The trip went through a number of valleys with some incredible views. This picture was taken from the window of the speeding train.
Milan, or as the locals call it - Torino, is the capital of the fashion world. Everywhere we looked we saw "fashionistas" sipping lattes and driving Vespas. Not a great combination.
Actually, Milan is a very cool city, with lots to see.
The main activity for the day was to see "La Ultima Cena" 
by Leonardo Da Vinci. They only let a few people in the room at time, so we had to buy tickets for a certain time. While we waited for our afternoon appointment, we visited a public park and the Duomo di Milano, which is a very old Gothic Cathedral. The inside is really beautiful with stained glass, cavernous ceilings, and huge marble pillars. The Duomo took more than 500 years to build. Pictures of the outside show that it is really ornate, but right now it is covered in scaffolding for a renovation. Appropriately, there was also a huge fashion billboard on the side of the scaffolding.
David in the park with a very good dog. We told him to stay and, for all we know, he's still there.
After the Duomo, we found a pizzeria in a back street for some good bruschetta and pizza (what else?) The matron (I like to call her Mama Mia) took advantage of the fact that we didn't speak Italian and lunch was quite expensive, but very tasty.
We then visited a castle designed by Leonardo. Since it was such a nice day we played in the grass just oustide the castle wall. I think it used to be the moat.
David and his Granddaddy plan their escape from the dungeon.
Jon and David wrestling in the grass.
After a stop in a very trendy coffee bar (where David slept through the techno), we headed to the church to see the Last Supper. Due to problems with humidity, getting into the room requires passing through a series of glass airlocks. You have a feeling that you're either about to see something really impressive or be jettisoned into outer space. The door over which the Last Supper is painted has been plugged with concrete. Even with all the 'enhancements' the painting is still pretty remarkable. The tour guide was mostly incomprhensible due to her strong accent and the echoing room. She did mention the claims in the Da Vinci code, and said that the staff thought of it as a good story, but nothing more than ficton. Much to the chagrin of the American family standing beside us. It would be nice if the staff held the subject of the painting in higher regard than the artist. But I think that may be the way with some works of art. If Jesus is just a painting on a flat wall, then there's no reason to care much about what he said and did.
Anyway, we headed back to the train with a stop for some oh-so-Italian cuisine at Ronaldo McDonaldo's Casa de Happy Meals and back to Zug. Today we're just relaxing and getting ready for Zürich tomorow.
March 14, 2006
4 countries in 1 day
So the sub-title of this weblog is "A little baby goes a long way." Well, David's a toddler now, and not very little. But today he did go a long way. Starting near Zug, Switzerland around 10 am, we traveled to Liechtenstein for a cup of coffee. Then we drove through Austria en route to Lindau, Germany, where we walked to an island on Lake Constance for lunch and an in-stroller nap (unfortunately, only David got to nap).
We were back in Switzerland by 7 pm and ready for bed early. Tomorrow, Italy!
Liechtenstein may be a small country, but you need big eyes to take in the view.
They don't build German towns like they used to, which is good because very few people fit in this one. Ashley shows us where we are.
David and Jon stand in the street in Lindau.
David trying to keep warm in his chariot.
Jon, Ashley, and David in front of the harbor to the Bodensee. The lion does an excellent job of protecting the city. The lion and the cold weather.