Honey Turns 36

After two years of Kathleen treating me to great adventures, I was finally able to take her on a nice little surprise adventure for her birthday. Starting with a pic nic on a train to an unknown destination. (Of course we had our skies so she knew we were heading somewhere into the Alps.) And the destination was Verbier, the only big Swiss Ski Resort we hadn't skied. Actually we stayed in Le Chamble, the town at the bottom of the mountain.

After checking into a great little B&B, I served her delicious birthday treat, complete with candles. The next morning after eating one of the best meals we ever had, it was time to hit the pistes for two full days.

Happy Birthday Honey!

For more on our weekend adventure check out the links that inspired me during my planning.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/travel/25frugal.html

http://www.bedandbreakfastverbier.com/

Todd updates the sport of kings

Long thought to be only an outdoor sport, Todd is seen here pioneering indoor falconry.

Saas Fee - A stunning mountain, more meat in a vending machine, a sumo wrestler and are machines getting closer to taking us over?

Kathleen took a day off so we could take a long weekend in Saas Fee. It's the mountain behind Zermatt and it's beautiful and very steep. Like Zermatt, Saas Fee is car free. This makes walking around the town very pleasant. Less noise. Less pollution. etc. etc. etc. Plus, you feel much more remote and removed from the world.

One of the most remarkable things about Saas Fee is that almost half of the mountain is covered by glaciers. It's so cool. You grab a T-bar near the top and you are riding on and right next to glaciers. You can study the formations as you are pulled to the top.

And we lucked out with the weather, too. Three sun-drenched days of great skiing with 360 degree views of the Alps. Just another slice of heaven in Switzerland. We also had Valery join us for a couple of days. We had a great time sharing gondolas and laughs. Especially during one aprés-ski stop at a super cool bar. She told us how she wanted a dog and we asked her if she had a name picked out. She hadn't, but she had some ideas of what would make a good name. I can't say here, but what happened next belongs on SNL.

Another interesting thing about Saas Fee was the Brat-o-matic Bratwurst vending machine in the middle of town. We always knew the Swiss loved their meat, but this is ridiculous. First the horse meat in Einsiedeln, now this. It begs a few questions. Are the machines trying to win us over? Did they hear that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach? Kurt Vonneguts "Player Piano" anyone?

It's 4p.m. on a Tuesday how about a beer?

Rolf and I celebrate our status as stay-at-home-husbands by hoisting a giant Ueli beer with it's great handle at a beer hall in Zürichs Hauptbahnhof.

Find out more about this great beer here.

Todd's old career ages nicely

What started out as a one off design project has turned into a full blown rebranding adventure.

I initially starting working with Peter Eckert, Zurich Financial Services now former global C.O.O. , just over one year ago. Kathleen put me in touch with Peter when she discovered that he owned a small winery in Portugal and was interested in some marketing help. After splitting a bottle of Quinta das Marias, 2004 Tinto and showing Peter my portfolio, I began work on designing the label of his forthcoming release of 2003 Reserva. I quickly realized that we had a huge opportunity to rebrand his entire winery and really put his baby on the map. So during our next meeting I brought up the idea and Peter got excited about the possibilities. That was it, and we were off!

We started with a new logo. Spun that into the new label and box for the Reserva, which we are using as a base to recreate new labels for his other reds and whites. And then it was time to put a new face on the Internet. This was a new area for me, so I bought a book on how to make a website and went to work. The result: www.quintadasmarias.com . Currently we are printing a new brochure and in the initial stage of concepting ads.

Reaction to our efforts have been very positive and things are really moving forward.

As I mentioned, Peter recently retired as the global C.O.O. for Zurich. But if I have my way, Peter is far from being "retired." He was a giant in the insurance business and now he's got the time to grow his wine business into something big, too.

It has been a real pleasure to work with Peter. He has taught me many valuable lessons about business, wine and life. My many thanks to Peter.

Peter's wine is truly exceptional and I hope everyone gets the chance to taste it for themselves.

For more information about Quinta das Marias visit: www.quintadasmarias.com

Zermatt - Revisited. Revived. Rewarded.

It had been one of the worst winters for skiing in Switzerland in decades, but that was about to change. Even with little to no snowfall elsewhere, you can always count on some snow in Zermatt. The top is a Glacier and it offers year around skiing. So, in hopes of getting a few turns in the Alps this ski season we booked a 4 day get-a-way to our beloved Zermatt. As we've said, Zermatt is the ultimate ski town—bar none!

Our first bit of luck came on the train ride there. After making a switch in Brig, we were able to catch a ride in a brand new Glacier Express Panorama car for a ten fanc upgrade charge! It's one of the best sections of that ride, so we were really happy.

The first days the matterhorn and the sun hid themselves behind snow clouds. What does that mean. Not the best weather for shooting photos for the new tourist brochure but a continuous sheet of fresh powder to ski on all day long. The downside, high winds in the upper elevations which shut down the top of the mountain and the whole Italian side. Our favorite part. And then on the eve of day 3, Moses must have walked into town, because the clouds parted and left faster than a wounded Egyptian solider fearing the wrath of both God and Pharaoh, as the great Pyramid of the Alps came into full view. With the clouds in rapid retreat, the moon smiled down upon the valley with a face as full as the Gerber babies. What a site. With all the fresh snow covering the mountain sides, the entire valley from the tip of the Matterhorn to the tip of your shoes lite up like a healthy bone in x-ray.

With a sky full of stars and a moon as round as a saucer, Kathleen and I went for a walk from the middle of town to the fields at the foot of the Matterhorn. That walk will forever be etched upon my mind. If I were a coyote I would have howled with pure joy.

We could hardly sleep that night with visions of Virgin Italian slopes wrapped in six days of uninterrupted snow. As morning broke we ate our breakfast and made our way to the top. After a warm up run we headed for Italy. No border control up there. You just ski on over and smile, because miles and miles of pistes await as do lunch dishes that will satisfy your hunger and soul. What a day. No clouds. No lines. No going home. If your looking for Nirvana, the state of being not the band, this is a very good place to search. It's up there if you know where and how to look.

Now let's talk about lunch. We made it back to our favorite little spot. A chalet nestled half way down the Italian side for some fresh homemade pasta and a bottle of Chianti. They really know how to do it here and if I may say so, so do we.

We skied until our legs could barely hold us upright any longer. We've never been so tired, yet felt so peaceful and blissed out. It was a ski day that all skiers dream about. And we seized it.

Kathleen street. Bern.

While on my way to dropping off some paperwork to the Vietnam Consulate in Bern for our upcoming South East Asia trip, I had to turn on Zieglerstrasse or in English, Ziegler Street. "Oh yea, that's right, Switzerland's capital city has a street named after my wife!" I thought. Then I thought, "Do they have a Piotrowskistrasse?" Coudln't find it. Yet.

Milan. Crazy meeting you here.

Kathleen's dad was passing through Milan for business. So, we decided to pop on down for a visit and explore Milan. After a short 4 hour train ride through Alps we arrived at Milan's main station. Kathleen's dad, Joe, was there waiting for us. And we were off!

After dropping off our bags we headed straight for the Doumo. We were surprised to find the square next to it filled with confetti. We wondered what had happened and went for some pizza and beer. After polishing off many slices and some "death by chocolate" type dessert we walked back into the square, only to find thousands of costumed kids in an all out crazy string and confetti war. Neither off us had seen anything like it. We know we couldn't beat them so we joined them. With a couple of cans of crazy string we jump into the middle of the action. What scene. We were all smiles as we headed inside the Doumo with tiny pieces of colored paper in our hair. What an amazing church. Inspiring a real sense of awe. We even got to see "The Last Can." It's revealed only to those that are ready to receive it.

We finally left the Doumo area for a bit of relaxation at Joe's hotel. Then it was cigar time. Joe and I have been waiting since December to share a cigar. We didn't really get the proper chance in Grindelwald. But we took care of that with a nice Jack and Seven at our hotel, before diving into some killer authentic Italian food down the street. Lungs and souls completely satisfied it was time to say goodnight and goodbye. Joe had to catch a 5am flight the next morning.

Kathleen and I stayed for some shopping and further eating before training back to Zürich late Sunday afternoon. Nothing like seizing the day with family!

Fondue fit for king.

We returned to Gstaad in hopes of doing some more top shelf snow skiing at one of our favorite ski resorts. Unfortunately, global warming had something else in mind for us. Waiting in line at a T-Bar as a small crew shoveled snow on the path so that we could get up the hill. The day was beautiful. The skiing was not. In fact it just plain sucked.

However, all was not lost on this trip. Based on a recommendation of one of Kathleen's co-workers, Phillipe, we made reservation at the über glitzy Gstaad Palace for dinner. The Palace is perched over the town as if straight out of a fairy tale. The price of a drink in it's lobby was perched high above us as well. But the people watching was well worth the price of admission. It bordered on surreal. And so was the recommended fondue we ate. Amazing. It was a champagne and truffle fondue. If you wanted to kill yourself by eating cheese, this would be a most pleasant way to go. In fact it's the only cheese fondue we would recommend eating in Switzerland.

Goodbye 2006. Hello Barcelona.

One of the best perks offered by living in Switzerland, besides it's being located in the center of Europe, is great last minute deals offered by airlines to visit many of Europe's most exciting cities. And as luck would have it, one such deal came around for us for New Years Eve.

It was two days before NYE and we had no plans. So we logged on to the Internet, "just to see what was out there." A Barcelona for dirt cheap, airfare and hotel. We looked at each other and nodded our heads and booked it.

The next day we're in sunny Barcelona enjoying a cold beer in the sun while doing some top self people watching along the tree-lined Ramblas. That night we savored some excellent tapas down in the narrow twisting streets of Old Town. The next day, NYE, we explored the city, took a stroll around the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's Magnum Opus, and ate more awesome food. Then it was time to ring in 2007. After more tapas, we headed down the Ramblas to the waterfront for a view of the fireworks and to walk among the hordes of people gathered there. The fireworks weren't much to speak of, but the atmosphere festive and everyone was in fine spirits. The next day we explored Parc Güell, another Guidi masterpiece, and slowing slithered our way to the La Boqueria. Probably, the best food market in the world. I started to feel a bit ill, but I didn't let that stop me eating one of the best fish meals of my life. (Later I lost it on a side street - but that's another story.) After some healing sushi and a short nights sleep it was back to Zürich.

You can't beat it. A wonderful last minute dirt cheap trip that compares with any planned European vacation. It's times like these that it's great to be an expat in Switzerland.

Swissmas Dance Revealed

Todd demonstrates the ancient Swissmas mountain dance.

Click here or on video to watch.

Swissmas 2006

It was our second Christmas in Die Schweiz and this time we had Kathleen's entire family make it here to celebrate with us. After the usual pick-up with a coffee break at the airport and the ceremonial dropping of the bags at our flat, it was off to pick out a Christmas tree. We picked out a fine looking larger-than-life, Charlie Brown model with a strong pine scent. It smelled like Christmas. And after a lovely tram ride with our new shrub, I set about decorating it while our exhausted guests grabbed a little cat nap. Upon their waking and Kathleen's arrival home, it was time for to open our first gifts. So, after poking about under our thin limbed symbol of Christ's birth for a few moments, I pulled out five nicely wrapped packages from "Santa" and passed one out to everyone. They looked the same. Yes, in fact they all were the same. What were they? Slippers! No, not here in Switzerland they're not. Here they are called Hause Schue or in English, house shoes. Whatever you call them, we all slipped them on and felt a little more Swiss then we did just a few moments before. We all commented on how cozy they were, but WATCH OUT, because when you stepped on to the kitchen tiles, wwwoooooooossshhhhh, away you'd go, sending your hands desperately seeking for anything to grab onto. Some might say, "for dear life."

After a day of listening to the iPod purr our holiday selections into our living room, a quick trip to the Lindt factory to satisfy the hankering of our sweet tooth and the usual trek to the Zeughauskeller, we made our first journey to the town of Zug by Zug. Zug = Train in english. Zug is like a mini version of Zürich. We had the town to ourselves and discovered Zug's "secret place." Which I'll keep secret here save for this: If you find yourself in Zug head over to the police station and ask for the "key." That's all you need to know. Zug was well worth the visit. They even have church with stained glass windows that appear to advocate the game of craps.

Then it was time to pack it up and head for the mountains. Destination Grindelwald.

Grindelwald sits in the mountain valley directly below the north face of Eiger mountain. It's beautiful there. The mountain is breathtaking. We settled in there for 3 days and 2 nights. The weather smiled on us the whole time. We took the Jungfraubahn up the the Jungfraujoch. It was stunning but super windy. I mean hold on to your hat, no, hold on to the railing so you don't fly away, windy. We enjoyed great meals together and did some amazing sledding.

On Christmas Eve after dropping a few twosies, we all cleaned up for the Christmas dinner ahead. After donning our Hause Schue's and gathered in our hotel's cozy little restaurant. It was almost completely empty, except for one other family and the family that lives there and runs the place. Plus, two dogs. One the size of a small house. (Small as in 5 bedroom small.) He was so big he could eat a baby in one bite, which we think he may have done. (Ask us in person, it's to painful to share online.) Anyway, we all shared a lovely 5 course meal while we watched the family that lives there open gifts. Awe.

Our final day in Grindelwald was pure magic. After a morning sled run we loaded into a sleigh for a long ride through the valley. As we dashed through the snow we sang carols and tried our best to keep our chins off the floor of the sleigh. The whole ride was right out of dream or a post card.

Swissmas 2006 — unforgettable!