Christmas and A Road Trip to Munich and Zurich

School got out so late this semester that it just seemed crazy to try and plan anything big in terms of travel.  Also, since we don't know what next year will bring, we are trying to be a bit more frugal in our spending.  So needless to say we stayed close to home.  Funny how in all 7 years of being here we haven't been up to Germany once.  So we decided on a manageable distance to drive with two toddlers, and went with a long weekend trip to Munich (2 nights), and 1 night in Zurich on the way home.

So the day before we left we put up our mini Christmas tree, and then we were off on the 21st.

Attempt 1 at photo in front of the decorated tree  

Attempt 7

 

Attempt 47! 

The mini tree with Liam's decoration on top!

The drive up to up to Munich really isn't bad, and we hit no traffic or bad weather, so we left around 10am, and stopped for lunch for an hour on the way, and we still were there by around 3:30pm.  We found a nice hotel (Eurostars Grand Central Munich) just outside of the main walking area, and managed to get a junior suite so we could have a separate space for the kids to sleep in.  After we checked in we headed out taking the S train into the main Marienplatz to poke around before dinner.  It was super crowded right in the square, so we just kind of moved through the craziness, but if was fun to see the Christmas market thing in full swing.

Our hotel bathroom - Eowyn took a nap in here because she and Liam couldn't stop talking!

Marienplatz

Friends recommended a nice Indian restaurant, so despite being in Germany we opted for Indian and enjoyed every bite!  After a delicious dinner we made our way back to the hotel for bed time.  The two of them were pretty excited to be in the same room so there was a fair bit of chatter before they finally knocked out.  It was pretty cute to hear them though, so we didn't complain too much!

Chowing down on samosas at Goa restaurant

Happy boys!

Eowyn has recently become enamored with Liam's baby doll.  To the point where she dragged that poor doll everywhere we went on the trip.  She even wanted to take it in the swimming pool!  We had to draw the line somewhere, and we also realized quickly that we would need to get her into another baby doll of her own, or else Liam would be upset!  Thankfully Christmas was just a few days away, so we had that one covered!

Run around time on the main drag - Eowyn with Baby Doll

Trying to get them to look at James for a photo - these two are the worst at posing!

Eowyn and baby doll in the stroller

Liam really wanted to push her and she was happy to let him for a while - it was a win-win for us!

Old town

Walking around the old town

Since our full day in Munich was a Sunday the only things open were the various Christmas markets, so we spent most of the day wandering around the city checking them out.  The kids got some run around time at the beginning when it was less crowded, and then we had the strollers to get through the rest.  We did some of the mandatory things one must do in Germany, like eat a giant bretzel, and a foot long hotdog!

That thing is bigger than his head!  Good thing we all shared it!

Liam loved being up close and personal with the giant Lion sculpture

James and his half meter long hotdog

Eowyn and a fry

And it's gone

Liam and I shared a hot dog

We also came across some amazing musicians playing Bach and Vivaldi on an accordion and a violin.  The kids were happy to sit and listen for ages!  We also all loved wandering around the Medieval Christmas market because they had people in costume and on stilts, which the kids loved.  They also had more interesting and unusual things for sale.

Selfie with my new hat

The stilt walkers at the medieval market

A fairy gave Eowyn a feather!

One of the other big successes was finding a really good Persian restaurant close to our hotel.  We actually ate there for dinner on Sunday and for lunch on Monday on our way out!  Our hotel also had an indoor pool, so on Saturday afternoon after their late nap, we took the kids swimming.  They loved it - so much so, it was tricky getting them out in time to get to dinner!  But we also made sure to make time for swim on Sunday morning after breakfast!

Delicious dinner at Shandiz Persian Restaurant

 Monday morning we tried to find one other market we were told about, but it wasn't open when we went by, so we had a lovely walk in the sunshine and stopped at a playground to let the kids play before the long car ride to Zurich.

Swinging in the park

 The kids did really well on all the drives - napping for some of the time, and otherwise being pretty amicable.  Unfortunately, we made a few poor planning choices after we got to our hotel in Zurich, which led to a mighty tantrum from Liam, making us second guess the stop over.  We stayed at the Wellenberg Hotel in the old town, so location wise it was perfect.  But being Switzerland, it was so expensive and didn't have half the amenities or space that the hotel in Munich had, which was also considered a 4 star (and it was so much cheaper!)  At any rate, we then made a choice to go into a Sushi place nearby, only to realize too late that they didn't have a very good menu for the kids.  So we spent almost 100Ch on a meal but didn't get a whole lot of food for it.  You live, you learn, I guess.

Thankfully the next morning we all woke up in better spirits.  We were able to get up and just wander the streets of Zurich.  And of course we spent a very long time in the toy store so Liam could go down the dragon slide!  We met up with Jen, Josh and his mom for lunch at Hiltl, and then walked with them through the train station christmas market.  The market itself wasn't super impressive, but the giant christmas tree covered entirely in Swarovski crystal was!

The Swarovski Tree

 And soon after that we were heading back to the car via a couple more stores to find a sippy cup for Eowyn.  We made it back to Lugano around 6:30pm, with some beautiful sunsets on the way.  Unfortunately, after a trip full of great weather we came back to rain!

Blurry sunset on our drive home

 Christmas morning Eowyn and Liam opened one present each - their gifts from Alessandra and Paul.  Of course they were the bigger gifts so it was a big deal.  Liam got some crazy fire station with multiple vehicles and noise making capabilities.  Eowyn got a very sweet wooden train.  They spent a few hours playing with those toys before we moved on to the gifts we had for them.

Not sure what to make of things - Eowyn, baby doll, new sippy cup and Liam

Playing well together

 Later they opened a book they got to share - Bernstein bears - Lending a Helping Hand.  And we read it together a few times.

Daddy's turn!

 And even later in the day they opened their final gifts. Liam's reaction was priceless.  "Blach" is what he said when he first saw his responsibility chart.  What can I say, we are just those kinds of parents I guess!  Oh well...Actually he's been really into it since that first moment when he was probably hoping for some kind of toy. Now we take time every night to go through the 7 responsibilities we've selected for the week.  He even got James back in his room at 9pm the night before last because he forgot to do it before bedtime!  I like that it mixes up household responsibilities with actions and behavior.  This first week we've been working on sharing, not whining, being respectful, getting ready for bed, clearing the table, keeping hands to ourselves and putting toys away.  He loves to count how many he got each day.
Eowyn got her own baby doll so she can drag it everywhere and leave Liam's behind.  She has two other dolls, but for some reason the cuter dolls like her cloth one, or the new one from Alessandra's mom with hair, just don't appeal to her.  She wants it to be bald, like a baby.  So despite our own feelings, we let her have just that, and she is happy.

Gift opening 

The Blach moment - Eowyn on the other hand got her very own baby doll

 To round it all off, we had a lovely Christmas meal at Josh and Shan's house.  It was simple, with tasty soups, home made bread that we brought, plus a quiche, and some yummy desserts and a salad.  The abisi's were also there, but it felt really nice a low key.  At one point Eowyn came out of the kids room dressed in Calvin's spiderman costume.  We cracked up! She had such a good time in it!

Laughing on the floor with my little spider girl

The bigger kids also got dressed up!