Di and Frik Orban: Rural Switzerland

Switzerland, Europa Park and back to Vienna

Every Child'sdream, unlimited chocolate

Spent our last week in Switzerland with the Locher kids being on Holiday.

Rural Switzerland - these houses last generations and all weather

George and Justine took us to a place in the mountains of Switzerland...Now, Switzerland is probably in the top 10 of most developed and sophisticated countries in the world, BUT whoever did these calculations have NOT been in rural mountainous Switzerland!!!

Cheese Cheese Cheese

You dont get Fresher than this

Cycling around Lake Geneva

It was surreal, the folk are down to earth, and friendly but isolated from the rest of Switzerland for quite a few months of the year. They have their own language and culture. These folk even use their cows ...wait for it...not for milk or meat but for FIGHTING. The COWS not the bulls!! They live a very subsistence type of life, by being self sufficient and growing their own food and drink. Nowadays it is much better but even until a few years ago they were VERY isolated from the rest of the country...and often ended up having some dietary deficiencies...thus more often than not in a group of mountain folk you will count more ears than teeth!!!

It was a marvellous experience, we went hiking each day. The last hiking day we walked from 1700m up to over 2000m and were very close to a glacier. Unfortunately we could not go further as there were real avalanche dangers at the time. In fact at one stage we were walking and heard what sounded like thunder, Di and Justine spotted a massive avalanche on the mountains a few km’s away. It was a sobering moment as we were all quite keen to go to the glacier. Thank goodness we had Georges along who kept on calming our exuberance. Georges basically grew up in the mountains( but he did eventually start eating properly, left his cousins alone and had his teeth done!!! J)...sorry Georges – just HAD to tell everyone!

Last snow in the mountains - slightly higher and it's snow covered

Our "Heidi"

Back from Heidi and Peter countryside, we spent the next few days visiting chocolate factory, going to swim in thermal baths and generally chilling and doing touristy things.

The kids also had a wonderful time and Georges and Justine were great friends, hosts and cooks. Thanks again. It was sad to leave our friends but we had to hit the road again.

Europa Park

On the way back to Austria we went to a large amusement park called Europa Park. The kids had fun but standing in queues for hours for rides that we can do in Cape Town wasn’t Di and my cup of tea. The next day we left and drove 900km’s to Vienna.

It was so nice to see Erwin and Doris again and be back in Vienna

Vienna, Thermal Baths in Burgenland and missing home

Schooling was a priority being back in Vienna, so the kids(and us) had to settle down for a disciplined routine everyday.

School in session

Katta took us to her new place of employ...Hermann Strandbar...very cool!!! It is a beach in the city of Vienna on the Donau Kanal. Basically an outdoor summer bar with beach sand, deck chairs and a view of the city as well as the canal running off the actual Danube. Very ‘in’ apparently.

Katta's new workplace - that's real beach sand

The weekend of 29 April-1 May we went with Doris and Erwin to a Lodge in Burgenland(province of Austria on the border with Hungary). The Lodge is called St. Martins Therme Lodge. It is hot spring water in swimming pools...and a Spa. Situated very close to the Neusiedlersee.

A wonderful relaxing time was had by all...ended the weekend off with a Game/Bird drive with the Lodge’s Zoologist Elke. Very professional, passionate and informative. A type of Tommy’s Living Desert Tour in Austria.

Cameron & Jodi using umbrella's for the 1st time EVER!

It is this time of the travels that the mind and heart starts ‘going home’. Di and I were chatting about how one starts to miss home and the very next day the kids were getting itchy about when will they see their friends, dogs, teachers(not necessarily in that order!!) etc. But I think this has a lot to do with not moving around so much and doing routine type stuff.