Auntie Lockett: Trip to the Principality of Liechtenstein

On our way back from Salzburg, we drove through Liechtenstein - the third country we'd driven through in one day (the other two being Austria and Germany) - and the last stretch of a very long drive from Salzburg to Zurich. (To follow this adventure properly, read Eagle's Nest first, then Salzburg, then this one - I entered them in backwards due to lack of sleep).

Liechtenstein, the 10th smallest country (62 square miles), has a population of just over 33,000 people. The capital is Vaduz (would be a good scrabble word if it wasn't a proper name). They are known for great skiing and stamps.

As we had been in the car for four hours, we decided not to stop... so these pics were taken from the car.

Auntie Lockett: Trip to Salzburg

Last weekend we decided to take a weekend trip to Salzburg, Austria, with Brian's little sister Lockett. We believed the drive would take us approximately three hours. It took us four and a half hours (note to self: limit road trips to three hours with a 5-month-old).

So a little about Salzburg ... it is the oldest and most important cultural and spiritual centre in present-day Austria. Although it had already been elevated to the rank of archdiocese in 798 and from the late Middle Ages onwards had formed a spiritual principality in the Holy Roman Empire, Salzburg is one of Austria’s youngest Länder. The development of the region and its ultimate separation from Bavaria, its mother country, was agreed in the fourteenth century but it was not until 1816 that Salzburg was incorporated into Austria. Of Austria’s present-day Länder or provinces, Salzburg is the only one to have been ruled as an independent state by a prince-archbishop and it is the only one of the many spiritual principalities of the Holy Roman Empire still to exist as an independent province.*

I was excited to see Salzburg because it is the birthplace of Mozart and the place where much of the Sound of Music was filmed.















The church where the great escape in the Sound of Music was filmed:



































The courtyard where they sang "Doe, Re, Me:"




















Mozart's birthplace:







































Houses built into a rock wall:















Fountain with the fortress on top:



































































*Information on Salzburg from http://www.salzburg.gv.at/en/en-index

Auntie Lockett: Trip to Eagle's Nest

En route to Salzburg, we stopped over at Hitler's Tea House (a.k.a. the Eagles Nest), which was built for Hitler as a 50th birthday present. After a breathtaking drive up 4 mile road, which runs along the edge of the cliff, we walked through a marble-lined tunnel 406 ft long into the heart of the mountain. We then boarded the original brass-lined elevator for a ride up through the heart of the Kehlstein mountain another 406 ft straight into the Eagle's Nest, which is perched high in the Austrian Alps (6017 ft. ).

Waiting for the bus...


























































On the bus...




















View from the bus window:















Tunnel that leads to the elevator:




















View from just outside the Eagle's Nest:





























The Eagle's Nest:















View from the Eagle's Nest:

Auntie Lockett

Waiting for Auntie Lockett to arrive...

Alice

The first stuffed Mole (think children's stuffed animal, not something in the Museum of Natural History) I ever saw was in England -- which I thought was hilarious, but actually makes perfect sense given the Wind In The Willows was written there by Charles Grahame in 1908.

As a reminder, the Mole was a mild-mannered, home-loving animal, who was initially overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of riverside life, but eventually adapted to it.

I came across the second stuffed Mole a couple weeks ago. This one was super cute and made by a company in France to help "rediscover the traditions of our grandmothers." I saw it, loved it and couldn't stop thinking about it - so now Chase has a stuffed Mole named Alice.

*And yes, it is yet another example of how difficult it is to find children's toys that look like the real thing. The Mole is close, except he has glasses and little sweater. But I figure Moles aren't known for their vision and if there's one thing I learned in England, it's always good to have an extra layer.

Learning To Read

Mission Impossible

When I was a little girl I loved pink. So much so that I convinced my parents (who were such good sports) to let me paint my bedroom walls a bright, glossy pink. The trim, I decided, had to be glossy purple. I loved that room.

When I found out I was having a little girl, I was so excited. I started thinking about what comes with raising a little girl - and wondered to myself what comes naturally, and what is imposed on little girls by society (this gets scary when one really thinks about it -- especially when one has a background in PR and media).

So I decided to try to hold off on pushing societal norms on Chase as long as possible -- to do so, I broke down my plan into four parts:

Part 1: I was determined to dress her in green and yellow from a young age so she didn't have any forced association to the color pink

Part 2: I would bypass dolls as long as possible and offer stuffed animals instead

Part 3: I would avoid gender-biased toys (little ovens would be replaced with butterfly nets and chemistry sets).

Part 4: I wanted to provide Chase with as many natural looking toys as possible - so no make-believe animals (pink rabbits, yellow bears).

Five months in to my plan and I'm finding it exceedingly difficult for the following reasons:

Part 1: 99.9999% of children's clothes are pink or blue. Any green or yellow clothing usually has funky colored butterflies, flowers, etc. Plus, I've realized that when one has an entire wardrobe that is pink, it is super easy to change out dirty clothes quickly because they all match.

Part 2: Working so far, but I don't hold out much hope. I think I should probably start picking my battles and just try to steer her towards Groovy Girls and away from Bratz.

Part 3: So far, so good.

Part 4: I feel utterly defeated. It is simply not possible to find real looking animals, mobiles, etc. Plus, I didn't realize that you wipe out fairies, gnomes, etc.

Ah well.

Heidiland

It's funny because it's true.

Zurich Street Parade

Once a year Zurich goes WILD. I passed on taking Chase down into the madness; Brian braved the crowd to get these pictures for the blog.

Weekend Away: Klosters

We decided to spend the weekend in Klosters, a well-known ski resort close to Davos.

Recognizable to Britons as the favoured winter getaway of Prince Charles, Klosters sits about 9km northeast of Davos. Klosters is peaceful and quiet, with lovely dark-wood chalets and a village atmosphere.

Klosters is a destination in the Summer for hikers, bikers and outdoor types. There are magnificent vistas from cable cars and gorgeous Alpine hikes. We were lucky enough to be offered keys to a friend's place. The drive out was beautiful. We were so looking forward to a weekend away.

When we got there the clouds and rain set in (which is why half the pictures are in color and half are in black and white). We ended up only spending one night, as it was quite chilly and wet, wet, wet outside. We headed home a day early ...















Small mountain town:















View from the apartment:















Out on the town (we had about 15 mins between rain storms):

Daddy's Little Girl

The Kiddie Park

I have taken a real liking to the local kiddie park. It's filled with mums and kids of all ages. It's a large green park with a sandbox, a wading pool, swings, play structure, etc. I find it extremely entertaining to watch people there (an inexpensive, amusing way to spend a day). Following are some of the characters I've come across. I really wanted to take pictures but it just wasn't appropriate. Maybe I should look into secret spy gear.

The man with the orange nike sneakers (white swoosh): Looks like a secret agent. Mousy. Dark glasses. Mysterious. Looks around constantly, as if to see if anyone is watching him. Pushes stroller to a bench, sits down, looks around. Reaches into stroller. Pulls out a newspaper. (I'm wondering if there is a baby in there or if he is a pedophile). Looks around. Nervous. Reaches into his pocket and pulls out cigarettes. Starts smoking. (Are his hands shaking?) Looks around. Reads paper (pulling up paper high to cover his face). Still smoking. Baby cries (so there is a baby in there after all). He extinguishes his cigarette. Picks up the baby. Takes off his glasses. Coos and kisses baby. Behaves like normal, loving father for about 5 mins. Then puts baby back in stroller. Glasses back on. Paper goes back into stroller. He looks around again. Pushes baby in stroller out of the park. (I haven't seen him since)

The family with red scarf hats: Three women. Seven children, all with red scarves for hats. Brian thinks it's a way for three women, with separate husbands, to keep track of their kids. I think it's a way for three women, with one husband, to keep track of their kids.


The pregnant man: okay, so he's not really pregnant. But the first thing I saw was two expecting women, pushing strollers, and then just behind them came a man with a bit of a gut, pushing a stroller. Hence, I have dubbed him the pregnant man.


The naked circus performer: A boy about 10 years old. Buck naked. On the swing set. First sitting normally, then getting adventurous and twisting his body about so his feet are up in the air, his back arched on the seat of the swing, his head so low that his hair just sweeps the ground.


And those are just a few...

*Nike orange shoe photo is courtesy of www.commotionworld.com
*Photo of red scarf woman from www.allparty.co.uk
*Beer belly photo from abc.net.au
*Swings picture from Cirque du Soleil

The "Crib"

After doing quite a bit of research on cribs, I decided to move forward with the "Montessori bed" (a mattress, on the floor, with no rails).

I thought the concept was a good one (although it terrifies some people I know). The child has full visibility and complete freedom of movement. When the child wakes up, she can amuse herself by exploring her room or playing with her toys. This approach is supposed to foster independence and creativity in the child.

As the child gets older, you slowly increase the distance between the bed and the floor.

Note: The key to "Montessori bed" success is your ability to childproof.