July 6, 2009

This morning our boys were treated to their first official continental breakfast at the hotel in Kirchzarten. Of the three boys, Solomon is the most taken by it all. He thinks that we should have meat and cheese for breakfast every day now, just like the Germans. It would have been nice to explore the Black Forest area, but instead we headed east and then south to Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The town is beautiful with murals painted on many of the buildings, built in various architectural styles. We climbed up the top of the castle tower and had a nice view of the town and the Rhine river.

Lunch was another learning experience for us. We decided after yesterday that it probably makes more sense to have a light lunch and a light dinner instead of a snack or two and then a larger dinner. So, we found a pizza place and chose what we thought were five individual pizzas, each around $4.00 CDN. Well, when the pizzas came, we were surprised at the size, but most of us were able to polish them off, so we thought we had made a good decision. Well, the bill came and it was $80.00 CDN! We have found several times now that for some reason we are being misinterpreted when we order, even though Karen is pretty good with her German (I am pretty pathetic, but I try). Needless to say, we are drastically changing our eating approach while in Switzerland. I cannot believe how expensive everything is here. But enough of that.

After Schaffhausen, we drove a few kilometres west to Rheinfall, the site of the largest waterfall in Europe. Well, it is nothing compared to Niagara Falls or some of the smaller waterfalls we have seen, but it was scenic nonetheless. We then drove 20-30 kilometres east to Stein am Rhein, also in Switzerland. This town is absolutely beautiful. Many of the buildings on the major street are elaborately decorated like no other town I have seen. While here, we purchased Swiss army knives for each of the boys, as we had promised back in Canada. The boys were all very pleased with their gifts.

After Stein am Rhein, we drove around a half an hour south-west to Zurich, and checked in to our hotel. I wasn’t expecting much, given the ridiculous prices of hotels in Zurich, and our quoted price of 200 Francs (around $220 CDN). However, when we opened the door we were surprised to see three bedrooms and a kitchen. At that point we were off to the grocery store across the street to pick up food for this evening and tomorrow morning (we could eat breakfast here at the hotel, but the price is 14 Francs per person - $15 CDN). I wasn’t feeling very well (too much sun and not enough fluids I think) so Karen and the boys explored the neighbourhood in the evening while I prepared for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be my version of a mini-Anabaptist study tour as we roam around Zurich. I am totally pumped, but I have picked up some vibes that other family members aren’t feeling the same level of excitement!