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I'm Mary-Catherine. Mother of two sons and a daughter, wife of Econ Man, a frequent traveler full of wonderlust. By day a profoundly exhausted Domestic Engineer: a cook, a referee, a psychologist, a nanny, a house cleaner, a computer operator, teacher, personal chauffer, laundress, interior designer, administrative assistant, bookkeeper, handy gal, groundskeeper, nutritionist, RN, logistics analyst, and day care teacher--all in all CEO of my domain. In a former life, a painter, a sculptor, a poet, a designer, a reader, an academic. But a woman who spurns definition by just one. My blogs chart our family's journeys around the world, searching out those unbelievable moments, both mundane and profound, that make me so happy to be alive.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Barefoot in the park

So we had to leave our friends this morning to make our way South to Lake Geneva (more properly called Lac Lemon), in the French speaking area of Switzerland. In Switzerland there are 4 official languages: German Swiss; French; Italian and Romanch. So you can move from one town to another just a few miles away and find the people in the two towns speak different languages, but everyone understands at least two of the official languages. Complicated, yes. But that's part of living in Switzerland. There are rules for everything. For example, the recycling/garbage rules are intense and each household is allowed only one bag of garbage per pick-up, more than that and they are onerously fined. Just one example of many. anyway, I digress. So we said goodbye, and headed 3 hours south with 3 exhausted, jet-lagged children, to look for our next accommodation in the little town of Saint-Prex. A small medieval town on the water. I had found an apartment online, and in my poor French, with translation help from Google Translation, I booked the apartment for Econ Mans sisters wedding. It's amazing what you can do with a computer and Internet access.








Trying to keep Econ Man awake while driving with jet lag is a project in itself. We practically had snow flurries IN our car with the AC as low as it would go (this helps keep Econ Man awake). I kept feeding him snacks and cold water. It was as much work as taking care of an exotic pet!
So after settling in and using my new BFF App called Jibbigo (you speak or write into it and it speaks and writes the translation in your chosen language for you) to communicate with our host, we headed over to the apartment where family was staying. And since it is my sister-in-law's wedding, all the family are in town. Their apt has the most amazing view of the lake, with vineyards trailing down to the water, and a pretty little balcony attached, from which to enjoy the view.








I love a picnic, and what better place to have one than next to the lake at a playground. Kids are happy. We're happy! And American children are by far the loudest on the playground. So wherever we go we bring lots of attention our way. I guess it's that cowboy spirit yelling through! Life moves fast in this family, so there was a lot to catch up on at our picnic. We ate, we laughed, we played. Couldn't ask for more. Then we took a stroll down the waterside to the hotel where my sister-in law is to be married on Saturday. And what trip could really be called a trip without Dashel hurting himself in some way? So he was playing a kind of leap frog over the boulders near the edge of the lake when he head-planted into one of them. Nothing new for Dash. He's becoming a regular with head trauma. Econ Man "bandaged" his gash with my other sister-in-law's scarf. So Dash sported a rather Sheik-like headdress. Very funny. Econ Man put a swan feather in it for good measure.
































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Location:Geneva

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