Christkindlmarkt in Salzburg, Austria

Figuring that we might never be in Europe in December again, we decided we should take advantage and go see a traditional European Christmas Market. We narrowed our choices down to Munich or Stuttgart in Germany, or Salzburg in Austria. After seeing some pictures of Salzburg, we decided the extra two hours or so of driving was worth it - and off we went. So quickly did we go, in fact, that we forgot to bring our passports. After realizing this fact a few hours into the drive, we decided to throw caution to the wind and keep going. After a few nervous moments at the Swiss-Austrian border, we were waived through by a customs agent without needing to show our identification. After that, part of our route took us into Germany, and onto the infamous German Autobahn. I have to admit, driving on the Autobahn was probably the highlight of the trip for me. We were going pretty fast, but even still, we were getting passed by cars that made us feel like we were standing still.
Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, and is also where much of the movie The Sound of Music was filmed. The old town of Salzburg is a beautiful collection of baroque buildings along the Salzach river, overlooked by a huge 10th century fortress at the top of a hill in the center of town. Pretty much the whole city gets decorated for the Advent season, and every open square turns into a Christmas market. Vendors sell their handmade ornaments and decorations, along with sausages, pretzels, pastries and mugs of hot, mulled wine. With all the christmas lights hung around town, the whole scene was pretty amazing at night. In the main square, musicians were set up on the top of buildings, and they took turns playing pieces by Mozart around the square.
Mason seemed to enjoy himself among the crowds in Salzburg. We don't think he quite understands that there are other foreign languages besides French, as he said "bonjour" to most everyone. He especially liked all of the "special treats" the vendors were selling. We all shared a huge, cream-filled, chocolate covered bavarian pretzel, complete with an edible likeness of Mozart. Mason devoured the picture of Mozart, and then exclaimed, "Eat Mozart! All gone."

Mason Turns Two!

Mason officially entered the "terrible two's" a few weeks ago, although we actually believe his de facto tenure began several months earlier. In an apparent (but not unprecedented) lapse of judgment, we invited about 10 other two-year olds to celebrate Mason's big day at a local children's educational center. The resulting scene can only be described as "total mayhem," but it was fun, in a sort of masochistic way.

Mason and his friends enjoyed making and decorating crowns, and all was going surprisingly well until Mason decided it would be a good idea to squeeze the tube of glue he was holding. As Nicole attempted to take the tube away from Mason, he simply squeezed harder, causing Nicole, Mason and all innocent bystanders to be sprayed with streams of white glue. After cleaning up, Mason sat silently while his friends sang "Happy Birthday" and his birthday cake was placed before him. He was apparently so quiet because he was concentrating so hard on his next task - "Mason blow candles out!" Then came the gift opening, where Mason finally began to show some interest in his gifts for the first time. Each present was opened with a rousing "oooooh" by Mason, before asking for "anoder one? More presents?"

Zermatt - Ski Season Begins!

Ski season is officially upon us in Switzerland. Last weekend, we went to the ski village of Zermatt, located at the base of the most recognized mountain peak in the world - the Matterhorn. We joined a group of my co-workers, one of whom has been going to Zermatt with a large group the first weekend in November for the last 9 years. The whole group totalled about 30 people, and we basically filled a small hotel that opened that weekend just for our group.
You can only reach Zermatt by train, as no cars are allowed in the village. We arrived late Friday night, under a perfectly clear sky lit by a full moon. With the moonlight, the Matterhorn was visible and the balcony of our hotel room looked directly at it. We had prepared Mason that he was going to see the Matterhorn by showing him pictures, so when he stepped onto the balcony, he immediately pointed and exclaimed - "Mattercorn!" The rest of the weekend was filled with him asking every ten minutes, "See it? See it? Mattercorn?" I guess he was as impressed with it as we were.
After dropping Mason off at a daycare on Saturday morning, Nicole and I headed off to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise to get our first taste of skiing in the Alps. The skiing was not bad for early November, but Nicole and I both had a rude reminder of how out of shape we both are. I think we will need a little training if we plan to ski most weekends this winter. Besides the skiing, the weekend was the most clear weather we have had in the 3 months we have spent in Switzerland, so we had the best views of the Alps yet. After skiing, we dragged Mason kicking and screaming from the daycare, where he apparantly wanted to spend the rest of his life. A group fondue dinner capped off the evening in Swiss fashion, before we collapsed from exahustion until the morning when we were awoken by the familiar ring of "See it? Mattercorn?"

Halloween in Switzerland

This was Mason's first "conscious" Halloween, and we didn't want the fact that the Swiss don't celebrate Halloween to prevent Mason from enjoying it. So first, Nicole threw a small Halloween party for Mason and some of our new British and American friends living here. It was Mason's first time really having a group of friends over, and he pretty much freaked out as soon as everyone started playing with his toys. I guess we need to work a little harder on the sharing thing.
On Halloween night, we dressed Mason in his costume again, and with nowhere to go trick-or-treating, we just kept sending him out into the hall of our apartment and had him knock on the door to trick-or-treat for candy. He got quite a thrill out of this. So much so that he still drags his costume out a few times a day and asks to put it on and "go knock on door?"

Mason's First Haircut

It only took just under two years, but Mason's hair was finally long enough for us to take him for his first haircut today. With promises of a "special treat," Mason was willing to give the new experience a try - for about 2 seconds. After wetting down his hair, Mason's tears started to flow, and pretty much didn't let up until the very end. After finishing this traumatic event, Mason was rewarded with his "'pecial tweat" - a piece of chocolate. Looking at himself in the mirror, he told the rest of the salon that "I cute." Walking out of the salon, enjoying his spoils, Mason commented that his haircut was a "fun ouchie" and said he would like "anoder one."

Venice

Let me start this post by saying that I'm not bitter about the fact that Nicole, Mason, Joe and Cheryl took off last week for Venice while I stayed here and worked. Sure, it would be easy to be jealous of the opportunity to see one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the world. But, someone has to pay the bills you know - and I am glad to do it. Plus, I am very excited that Nicole and her parents were able to fully immerse themselves in the history and culture that is Venice. I can tell this trip had a profound effect on Nicole - in just a few days, she became distinctly more cultured and worldly. For example, after they had returned, as we all looked at the pictures they had taken, I asked Nicole about each of the centuries old cathedrals and palaces, wondering if she could tell me something about them. In response, Nicole would silently squint at each picture, before point to a corner of the photo and saying, "I'm not sure, but there was great shopping in this street over there." Again, I'm not bitter.
Other than shopping, the subject of most of the stories that returned from Venice was Mason (surprise, surprise). One evening, after a several course Italian dinner, desserts were delivered to the table. Mason, standing on his chair and performing for the restaurant, received a large bowl of chocolate ice cream. With wide-eyes, Mason grinned widely and said, "ooooh, big one. A big one." Unfortunately for Mason, he had been standing on his chair for a reason, and that reason also prevented him from comfortably sitting back down again. A recognizable odor soon enveloped the table, leaving little doubt about what Mason had been doing the last few minutes. Visibly agitated, Mason seemed to have an internal battle raging over whether the ice cream was worth sitting down. Mason then decided to consult the table behind him for advice. He turned and began saying "Poopie! Pooopie!" before Nicole was able to grab him and take him to the restroom.
Another interesting Mason story occurred on the train ride back to Lausanne from the Geneva airport. Before the train left, another boy near Mason's age sat down with his mother in the seats across the aisle. The boy wanted to play with Mason, and so he approached Mason's seat. Nicole reminded Mason he needed to say "bonjour" to his new friend. Mason then turned to the boy and said "Bonjour...boy." During the train ride, the boy decided to lift his shirt and show Mason that his tank top underneath featured a picture of Spiderman. Mason looked at the shirt and, clearly impressed, began saying "Spiderman! Spiderman!" while the boy pretended to shoot webs out of his wrists. Not to be outdone, however, Mason lifted his own shirt for the boy and pointed to his pale belly and said, "Belly butt. Belly butt." We are so proud.

Luzern and the Berner-Oberland

Nicole's parents were visiting, and we wanted to show them a little slice of Switzerland and so we decided to head to Luzern and then the mountainous region called the Berner-Oberland. Luzern is supposed to be the most beautiful city in Switzerland. Unfortunately, we cannot verify this claim because (as luck would have it), the day we visited Luzern, it was completely fogged in. We didn't let that stop our fun however. The city was worth visiting, even with the fog. Mason loved all of the street performers, and the old-town area with its 700-year old wooden bridges is pretty amazing. After spending the day walking around the parts of the city we could see, Joe went to the liquor store and bought a few bottles of wine. After polishing those bottles off in the hotel room, we headed to a restuarant recommended by our trusty travel companion, Rick Steves. We wanted to taste a traditional Swiss dish called Rosti, which is basically hash-browns, smothered with cheese and topped with an egg, sunny side up. Though we all liked the Rosti, I think to Nicole, this dish is pretty much manna from the heavens.
The next day we headed into the Berner-Oberland, where we were greated with much better weather. We drove up through a stunningly narrow valley, surround closely on both sides by 3,000 foot cliffs and numerous waterfalls. At the end of the road, there is a small town with one industry - operating a lift that carries tourists up to the other towns built into the mountainside. We took the lifts 10,000 feet up to the Schilthorn station (the site of Telly Savalas' mountain lair in the James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and enjoyed a spectacular view and a short hike away from the station. On the way back down, we stopped at the town of Murren, which is perched at the top of a cliff overlooking the valley. There are no cars, doctors, or police in Murren - it is the quintessential Swiss village. You can only reach the town by ski lift or train. Ski cottages and small hotels and restaurants serving Fondue is pretty much all you can find in Murren. Mason found the town to be a little sleepy (he napped through most of it), but I think the rest of us thought it was pretty amazing.

Lisbon, Portugal

I had a business trip to Lisbon last week, so Nicole and Mason decided to tag along for the free hotel room. On Thursday and Friday, while I slaved away, Nicole and Mason explored Lisbon. Lisbon is an interesting city that is kind of a patchwork of very new and very old sections, and is quite different than the other European cities we have visited. On Thursday they visited the brand-new Oceanario, a huge aquarium that sits in the bay in front of Lisbon. On Friday, they explored the "old town" of Lisbon, where Mason was seronaded by a midieval minstrel.
After work on Friday, we moved up the coast from Lisbon to a smaller resort town called Estoril. After relaxing on the beach until near sunset, we grabbed dinner with some traditional Portuguese seafood stew and a bottle of Vinho Verde (Portuguese green wine).
On Saturday, we hopped on a bus and headed inland to the town of Sintra. Sintra is a beautiful town that is built into a lush, green hillside. Sintra is the former home of Portuguese royalty, and has an incredible amount of mansions and castles. Perched on one hill above the town is a Moorish castle that is over 1000 years old. Above the Moorish castle sits the Pena Palace, an 18th century castle that is like something out of a Disney movie. The palace used to house the Portuguese royalty, and the rooms inside are so well preserved that it seems like they just moved out. See the Our Pictures link on the right to see the pictures of the Palace (unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside the castle).

Paris, France

Ahh, Paris...with a two year-old. After many months of helping Mason build "big towers" with his Legos, we (along with my Mom and Paul) took Mason to the romantic City of Light to see the most famous "big tower" in the world. Paris did not disappoint any of us, although trying to see it all with a two-year old in tote is not something I would recommend to the average traveller. We pretty much did it all - the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Rodin Museum, a Seine River Cruise, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sacre Coeur Basilica, while along the way eating heavy French cuisine, unbelieivable French pastries, and changing a dozen diapers (one of these things is not like the others).
In the above picture, Mason was signaling "touchdown" in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. I didn't have the heart to tell him that that the "real Notre Dame" football team got trounced by Michigan the day before. He just seemed so happy, I didn't want to ruin it for him.
On Sunday night we ate at a very traditional French restaurant called L'Auberge Bressane. While Mason was completely fixated on my glasses for some reason ("Daddy, glasses, right there. Right there, glasses," as he pointed his stubby little finger about one inch from my face), I decided that dealing with a two year-old boy is very similar to dealing with a drunk friend. Both are loud and obnoxious, and often beligerent. Both have trouble walking, and tend to fall on their faces occasionally. Both have incredible emotional swings, laughing hysterically one minute and crying the next. Both are apt to be fixated by something completely ordinary, like my glasses, or a motorcycle, or a dog eating a flower. While I pondered this thought, Mason managed to pull a large picture frame off the wall behind me and it came crashing down on the back of my head. Luckily it didn't break, but the whole restaurant stopped conversation to look over at our table. After that lovely incident, I poured the rest of our wine bottle into my glass. If you can't beat 'em...

Chamonix, France

Hurry up and snow! We've never been more excited for winter to arrive in our lives. Today we saw a little glimpse of what the Alps have to offer in Chamonix - Mont Blanc, France. Chamonix is at the base of Mont Blanc (the highest peak in the Alps), and was the site of the first ever winter olympics. The village itself is surrounded by mountains, and what looks to be at least a dozen or more ski resorts.
We finally had a forecast for mostly clear skies, so we got up early and drove the hour-and-a half to Chamonix to see the Alps from the top. Two tram rides took us up to nearly 13,000 feet at the top of a sharp rocky peak called L'Aiguille du Midi (aiguille means needle in french) that sits just below the peak of Mont-Blanc.
The tram station at the top of L'Aguille du Midi is absolutely incredible and so are the views. A tunnel built into the peak leads to an elevator that takes you to the top of a tower built on the peak for panaromic views. From the top, you could even see the Matterhorn, which is about 40 miles away. See our pictures on Shutterfly.
Mason had a great time at the top of the mountain, but having him there was slightly stressful, as he had no fear of the heights whatsoever. He became a very popular subject of Japanese tourists, many of whom turned their cameras from the peaks to focus on Mason. When Mason would take off running across the observation deck, the Japanese tourists would let out a squeal as if they thought Mason was going to jump four feet over the railing and fly off the mountain. At one point, Mason was surrounded by abut 6 Japanese tourists with video cameras capturing his every move. We figure that Mason will either be the next pop-culture icon in Japan, or he might be the subject of a Japanese documentary on poor parenting.
We passed on taking a gondola ride from the top of the peak, across a glacier to another mountain peak that is actually in Italy. The gondola goes for over 3-miles, 1,300 feet above a glacier, and is suspended between the two peaks with no ground support! It was getting cloudy, so we decided to pass on taking the ride. We weren't scared - really.

Annecy, France

This weekend we decided to drive into France to a town called Annecy, which is about an hour drive from Lausanne. Driving into Annecy, we had a little of what Americans refer to as "deja-vu" and what the French call "haven't I been here before?" The town itself is very similar to Stresa, Italy as it is located right on a lake and surrounded by the Alps. Annecy's old town area is filled with pedestrian streets that follow the river as it flows through from the lake, and to Nicole's delight it also has quite a bit of shopping. However, we weren't here to shop, we came to do some biking. We didn't ship Mason's Burley 4,000 miles for nothing!
So, after struggling to get out of the apartment before 10 a.m., and then getting stuck in traffic in Lausanne and again in a small one-stoplight town in France, we finally reached Annecy at noon all fired-up to start our day of biking. We reached the bike rental store and found out it was closed until 2 p.m. for lunch. We had packed a picnic to bring on our bike ride, so we ate our lunch in Annecy in a waterfront park and waited patiently (depending on who you ask) until 2 p.m. At 2:00, we rented our bikes and I pedaled back to the car as fast as I could to get the Burley, only to realize that we had forgotten to bring the arm that connects the Burley to the bike. Quite fruststrated, I pedaled back to the bike shop again, where the French lady working the shop got the laugh of her day. "So you bring zee trailer all zee way from zee US, and you didn't bring zee arm?!" Preserving some dignity, we informed her that the arm was not left in the US, that we had only left it in a differnt foreign country, but I think she was still amused. Luckily, they had a bike trailer for rent. Not so lucky for me, the thing rolled about as well as a brick and weighed more than our car.
The bike ride was very nice (other than the struggle with the trailer). We biked for 44 km rountrip up the lake shore and back on nice, paved paths. Mason enjoyed watching the parachuters who jumped off the top of the nearby mountains and flew across the lake before landing towards the end of the bike trail.
After the bike ride, we walked around Annecy and ate at a fondue restaurant in the old town. Nicole enjoyed the fondue much more than I did. Melted cheese on bread seems more to me like an appetizer than a main course, but Nicole thought differently. Mason didn't care what we ate, as long as we stopped at one of the glaciers afterwards for gelatos (which we did).
Despite the problems during the day, we really like Annecy and will definitely return another time before we leave.

Spicy Hot - I Wike It!

Over the past few weeks Mason has really started to express his like or dislike for all kinds of things. His new favorite words are "I wike it" and "Mason no wike it." For example, Mason has a new found love for blues music. "Boos music, I wike it," he said after listening to the Allman Brothers. He also loves it when we floss his teeth. Nicole took him shopping for shirts this morning, and he gladly told her "No wike it" to several shirts before deciding on a few shirts he did "wike". He is fairly opinionated for a 21 month-old.
Mason has also discovered spicy food. While eating tacos the other night, he asked about the bottle of Tabasco. We told him it was "spicy hot" and that he wouldn't like it. Undeterred, Mason said "twy it, twy it...spicy hot." So I put a few drops of Tabasco on his taco meat and he put some in his mouth. After a few bites, his mouth dropped open, and looking quite distressed he said, "spithey ha" with his tongue sticking out. We told him to drink his milk, and he quickly chugged about half of his sippy cup before slamming it down and exclaiming, "Spicy hot - I wike it!" He then asked us to put drops of Tabasco on all of his remaining bites of meat. At first, he would immediately drink his milk after putting the bite in his mouth. After a while, we convinced him to wait 5 seconds until he drank his milk. Like a champ, Mason would sit with his tongue hanging out of his mouth for 5 full seconds before furiously gulping down his milk. He went through about 2 full sippy cups of milk in about 5 minutes. Next week, we will start working with him on Thai food - as long as the restaurant lets us bring in our own liter of milk.

Italia, Meet Mason

This past weekend, we decided to trade clouds in Switzerland for clouds in a place where Nicole could freely say "si" without fear of ridicule - Italy. We drove through the Alps, and over the Simplon pass (full of many Swiss cows that actually do wear bells on their necks) through many "nunnels" (as Mason called them) and arrived at Stresa, Italy. Stresa is on the west side of Lake Maggiore in "The Lakes" region of Italy. We posted some pictures (with commentary) on Shutterfly about our trip (see the "Our Pictures" link on the right). The Italian food was great, but Nicole was disappointed in the cheese, bread and chocolate there after being spoiled on the Swiss stuff.
Mason also enjoyed "Iwawee" (Italy) for all of its "widdle doggies", "big castles", "boats" and "ipeam" (ice cream). He learned to say "ciao" and "grazie" in no time, and actually did pretty well during the three-hour marathon dinners for which the Italians are famous. Although, he did seem pretty tired after this particular meal...

Kerkrade Fried Chicken

Just returned from three days in the Netherlands. A few observations on the food.

The office cafeteria offered traditional dutch cuisine each day. On day one it was deep fried ham and cheese sandwiches. The next day it was deep-fried sausage links. And finally on day three it was what appeared to be (surprise!) deep fried shredded roast beef and gravy sticks. Apparantly the Dutch did not learn to cook for themselves until the advent of the deep-fryer. The other interesting thing about the cafeteria was that it offered free milk everyday to all employees (how 'bout washing down your fat with a little fat?). I'm not sure if the cuisine in Holland has anything to do with the fact that marijuana is legal there, but it seems like most of their dishes were created at about 3 a.m. in the back of a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Speaking of which, the only KFC I have seen in Europe so far was in the Netherlands, and it was about the size of a Super Target and open 24 hours a day.

Swiss Bank Account a la Mason

On Monday the relocation company took us to a Swiss bank to open a basic checking account to use while in the country. We are aware the banks in Switzerland are renowned for their security and privacy, but we had no idea what a big production they make out of just opening a checking account. Unfortunately for us, neither did Mason.

As we walked into the marble and stone bank building, we were immediately greeted by the banker with whom we had an appointment (yes, you need an appointment to open a checking account here). He showed us into a private room complete with nice leather furniture and impressive looking original artwork on the walls, and he asked us if we would care for anything to drink. We asked for water, and immediately a tuxedoed waiter with white gloves entered the room with bottles of water and glasses. We felt like we were at a spa, rather than a bank. Mason obviously felt very comfortable at the bank as well, because after a few minutes he said very loudly, "Mama, Dada - poopies!" Nodding his head furiously, he added, "Poopies. Yeah!" Mason then began to run circles around the room at his top speed.

Trying to ignore Mason, I listened as the banker explained the account features to me. Within a few minutes, it was hard to ignore the smell passing behind me every few seconds as Mason circled the room. When Mason says "Poopies", he usually means it. Nicole grabbed Mason and took him to the restroom, where of course there were no changing tables. At this point, I think it was clear that the bank does not have many visitors under the age of 2. Nicole adapted (as she is getting good at doing), and changed Mason on top of the diaper bag on the floor.

When Nicole and Mason returned to the private room, Mason decided it was time to see how loud he could scream. The banker picked up the phone and made a quick call. Within 10 seconds, the waiter re-entered the room carrying a stuffed animal for Mason to play with. Mason gladly took the stuffed animal, which kept occupied him for about 3 seconds, after which Mason decided to throw the stuffed animal across the bankers desk, missing his head by a few inches. We are so proud.

After a brief eternity, the banker was finally finished showing us how to access our account online. In Switzerland, gaining online access to your bank account involves a PIN number, a key card, a key card reader, a password, a randomly generated number, and a urine sample (but not necessarily in that order). I hope to God I never need to access our account online. After this was done, the banker gladly excused us from the private room and we left the bank as quickly as we could.

Ahh, the joys of parenting...

Montreux

Today we packed into our Mercedes-Benz and took a drive up the shore to the city of Montreux. (I know - a Mercedes? you are thinking. It sounds impressive, but they make some other classes of Mercedes here that they don't sell in the States. Ours, for example, is about the size of a large toaster oven, with slightly less trunk space. When we arrived, I was very excited to hear that we were getting an "A Class" Mercedes to drive, until I learned that when it comes to a Mercedes, the higher the letters, the better. If they decide to make a "AA Class" Mercedes, it will be marketed exclusively to Hobbits without children. Even given the sub-compact size of the A Class, the turning radius on this thing is equivalent to that of the Titanic (we all know how well that turned). German engineering in the house?! I don't think so. But I digress.)

Anyway, we drove to Montreux to see the town and the Chateau du Chillon, a circa 11th century Castle built on Lake Geneva. See above. Mason liked the castle quite a bit. "Big Castle" was all he would say. Nicole responded with "Si-oui" (see previous post). I posted more pictures of the castle at Shutterfly. It was really an amazing place to see, despite the rain and the lingering clouds that seem to always obscure our view of the mountains.
On the way back from Montreux, we took the long-route through the town of Chexbris (or Chex-Mix as Nicole likes to call it) and through the vineyards along Lake Geneva. This was the most beautiful place we have seen yet. We will definitely make a return on a clear day to see the view and do some tours of the vineyards (sans Mason hopefully).

Parlez vous Francais? Si-oui!

Nicole is handling the transition to Switzerland very well. She goes to the grocery store everyday for about 2 hours, and always comes back all giddy about the new things she found or figured out. She is in heaven here with all of the cheeses, creams, chocolates, and pastries. She bought some coffee at our corner cafe a few days ago, and was surprised to see that the cup of coffee came with a small chocolate. Nicole proceeded to unwrap her chocolate and drop it in the coffee, a sight which caused most of the patrons in the coffee shop to look at her like she had three heads. They don't have mocha's here, but Nicole is proving to be a master of adaptation.

Some of the things that aren't going as well for Nicole include:

1. French (Nicole usually says "si" when someone speaks to her in French, followed rapidly by a "oui". Its almost as if she created a new word - "si-oui" which could eventually lead to world peace as everyone laughs hysterically at her after she says it.)
2. Mason's attitude problem
3. Tight jeans are popular here ("I guess its okay that my jeans are tight on my butt then, right?")
4. Jet-lag. Nicole likes to go to bed at 1:30 a.m and get up at 11:00 a.m.
5. No sour cream. ("I've looked everywhere.")

We've arrived!

After 20 minutes of sleep over a 24 hour period, we finally arrived in Lausanne at our new apartment. Unfortunately, we spent the next 4 hours cleaning since the apartment wasn't very clean when we arrived. Lausanne is beautiful - it is built on hill overlooking Lake Geneva and the French Alps. Here is Mason in front of the waterfront in Ouchy (the town below Lausanne right on the water). Because of the clouds, we haven't had a full look at the Alps yet.


Here are the weary travelers.












Lausanne is the home of the International Olympic Committee, so there is a beautiful Olympic Museum built into the hillside (Mason is in front of the entrance). A view from the Olympic Museum of the French Alps is below.

Off to Switzerland!

As you can see, Mason is very excited about his latest adventure. Check back to this blog regularly as we update you on Mason's exploits in Europe.