Christmas Markets in Montreux

The Christmas market was full of wonderful gifts, some handmade, some probably from China....
Everything was beautiful and sparkly.  Lots of food like vats of cheesy potatoes, rosti, hot dogs, fondue and hot wine to wash it down with.  The evening was full of magic, and really put you in the Christmas spirit.  Here are a few pictures to tell the story...

Ira shopping in the rain...beautiful night in spite of the wet weather!

Beautiful decorations!

Ira in front of the Ferris wheel.

Window decor for a clothing store.

I swear they were alive at some point.

Bailey and her friends.

Bailey and I in front of the Ferris Wheel.

Brenna and I in front of the Ferris wheel.

Weekend with Ira

http://www.chillon.ch/de/

Since our kids were off on their own perspective adventures, Ira and I did some light 
shopping,went to get our Swiss driver's license...quite a process but once received, it's 
forever and to this amazing castle, Chateau de Chillion. So big and so old.  Started around 
the 1100's.  Here is a info below.  

The 19th Century excavations carried out, especially, were led by the archaeologist Albert NEAF prove that the rock of Chillon was already inhabited during the Bronze Age.

The present appearance of the palace is the result of centuries of construction and renovations.

The rocky island on which the castle was built, served not only as a natural protection, but also as a strategic point for controlling the passage between northern and southern Europe.

The castle's history can be divided into three main periods:

• The Savoy period  (12th century to 1536) The first written mention of the castle dates from 1150; It shows that the House of Savoy, the route along the Lake Geneva is already controlled.
• The Bernese period (1536-1798) captured the 1536 Swiss - precisely the Bernese - the canton of Vaud and occupied Chillon. For over 260 years the castle retained its role as a fortress, arsenal and prison.During the Vaudois revolution of 1798 left the Chillon Berner.
• The Vaudois era (since 1798) 1803 the castle was owned by the canton of Vaud and its foundation.The restoration work began in the late 19th Century and continues today.

Life....in Leysin

Today Bailey and Brenna left for London.  They are going to see Billy Elliot, The Lion King and something else, I really can't remember.  Brendan also just left for Euro Disney in Paris.  So crazy that the five of us Bigelows are in 3 different countries this weekend but really not unusual to Europeans.  I am leaving my job of caring for the 8th & 9th graders for a job in the Dean's office.  We have a few Dean's but I will be working as the Assistant Dean of Students and that covers behavior.  Not sure I'm cut out for that but my job was changing into more of a Housemistress position and I didn't want to work the hours so....I made the move from being a caregiver and surrogate mother of 8th & 9th graders to a bit of a disciplinary.  I hope I can find the strength to do this job well and stick with it.  Time will tell.

Bailey is planning on going back to America this summer.  Hopefully she will continue with her life guard job in Green Valley Ranch pool and then start college in the fall.  She hasn't submitted her applications yet but will soon and only wants to apply in Colorado.  She really misses her friends and family and Ira and I feel most comfortable, being so far away, that Bailey will have her family to help her in need, if she stays close to home.  Aunt Cheryl has graciously agreed to Bailey moving in so that her comute is manageable without a car.  I also have faith Aunt Cheryl will keep Bailey in line and on task!

Brenna has adjusted well and works hard in the IB program.  She is on a different campus but I still see her 4-5 times a week.  She is in Student counsel and is applying to be a prefect next fall.  She also works the school store and is involved in the arts...singing in an after school club called Rock Band, playing in Jazz band and also does a little Drama...supporting Bailey in her lead role of Comedy of Errors.

Brendan is growing taller and taller.  He surpassed me this past summer (not too hard) and has slightly surpassed Ira.  He is a typical 14 year old boy.  He doesn't need much attention and is at that stage where he likes to cuddle but only when no one is watching.  Hasn't shown much interest in girls yet... that I know of but he's also pretty tight lipped and wouldn't share anything with me anyway.

That's all for now...thanks for reading.

Evian/Yvoire

A couple of friends of ours invited Ira and I on a day trip to Evian and Yvoire, Saturday.  Evian is where the bottled water comes from and is about an hour or so away along the coast of Geneva Lake or Lac Leman from Leysin, CH were we live.  It was a beautiful fall day and the weather was perfect.  The water on Lake Geneva was still, clear and beautiful.  We stopped off in a cemetery because the flowers were so pretty and abundant.  This is where our picture was taken.  The shopping was charming along the cobblestone streets and we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the The Swan Bed and Breakfast, http://www.hotellescygnes.com/

Overall, a nice Saturday day trip, I thought I would share with you.  The picture on the right shows the architecture, as well as our friends, Thom & Joan Padick.

Brenna singing at the acoustic show (10/2011) at LAS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK_FnDteJ28

Brenna is in an after school club at Leysin American School called Rock School.  They put their first concert on in October.  Here she is doing a solo, Save Me From Myself by Christina Aguilera.

Lugano, Switzerland...the Italian part

This past week the school had Culturals; trips that are taken by grade and then interest.  Ira and I went with the 9th graders to Lugano (Brenna went to Zurich and Bailey to Venice-more to come later). We had a great time and really felt like we were back in Italy.  Switzerland is so small and yet can deliver such diversity.  Leaving Leysin, the French part, we were saying "Merci." by lunch, we stopped off in Interlaken which is in the German part, and we were saying "Danke."  And that evening we were in Lugano saying "Grazie."  I really don't know how Europeans do it....they are all bilingual or trilingual and it requires much thought to speak, even saying the simplest of things, depending on where you are.
One of the stops we made was Valle Verzasca above Lago Maggiore.  This is a huge dam....4th largest in Switzerland and was used to film a beginning shot in a James Bond movie.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKVlOwpvZG4&feature=player_embedded

On another day, the group went to Monte Tamaro where there were a lot of different activities...below I have photo's of Ira and Brendan on a ropes course and then Brendan did a zip line that was an exciting flight of over 400 meters or 1312.33 feet (this was too fast for my camera to capture.)

Last, I want to share a couple of pictures of Castelgrande, located in Bellinzona, Switzerland.  This was a cool castle but not the reason I am posting here today.  The 9th grade boys, actually Brendan and his 3 pals decided to get a game of football/soccer/rugby going and it turned out to be the highlight of the afternoon.  The teams were divided up, Russians against everyone else.  We have a lot of Russians at the school and that's why they could make up their own team.

International team: Desmond, Brendan Wei Han, Connor, Arshia

The Russians: Beka, Nikita K, Sergi, Nikita F, Phillip

Brendan exiting the field after a great game.  No score was taken and ALL boys showed great professionalism after knocking each other around.  Success!

Lake Como, Italy

The School had a three day weekend this past week and we decided to go to Lake Como.  To Brenna's disappointment, we did not see Mr. Clooney but we did see a gorgeous part of the world.  It was a fast weekend but one filled with lot's of pizza and gelato.

Boat ride around Como

Sculpture at the bottom of the train station-have no idea what it's about as I don't read italian....perhaps someday I will translate it, but not today.

Very cold waiting for the train!

Street performer 

This was at a cute village along the lake.

Couldn't get enough gelato!

We were so lucky the weather was perfect.

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I think she ate it all!

So sweet.

Saturday market = SHOPPING!!!!

Brenna being Brenna!

Ira and Brendan are camera shy and that's why they aren't in too many pictures but this is a cute one!

Coffee break...delicious coffee too!

Anyone reading this that knows my cousin Annie, can't you see her in Brenna? 

 

Beautiful Lake Como

Fountain on the lake.