Highlights from the Griswald's Trip to Italy

We are finally back in Zurich and I can't believe this is going to be our first post! We were so busy and I was way too tired to write at night - so sorry! But we decided to do a Top 10 List of the Highlights of Italy - so here they are and there will be more to come - promise! (And for the people who don't know Nathan and I have been traveling in Italy with Nathan's mom, Bonnie, and his stepfather, Bob, for the last 7 days)

Top 10 Highlights from Italy:

1. On our first day in Rome we went to see all the ruins including the Coloseum and the Roman Forum. It wasn't long before we found out that Bob was going to avoid ALL stairs or hills at ALL cost. However, when we got to Mussolini's House (and as Bob was complaining about not going "all the way up there") he was passed by an 80 year old woman with a cane! So he "manned up" and walked to the top (just 20 steps) - nothing like being shamed by an OLD Lady with a cane - huh Bob?

I thought I would show a picture so you guys could get a visual -it wasn't like the scene from Rocky or anything.:)

2. On our 2nd night in Rome, we were having a hard time finding a restaurant near the Spanish Stairs so we started walking towards a main street to hail a cab. I glanced over me shoulder to find Nathan when - BAM! -a woman punched me in my stomach - hard! I thought she was trying to steal my purse so I automatically what down to grab that but she just kept on walking like "you shouldn't have been in my way b@#$*!" Of course no one saw what happened b/c they were too busy getting in the cab but I really wanted to go KICK HER ASS! Next time Lady - Next time!

3. We were on a side street in Rome enjoying our Gelatto when a man on a Vespa (going about 50 MPH) came out of nowhere - held down one nostril and blew a booger out the other! It landed within 1 meter (3 feet) of Nathan - how appetizing! Bob took a picture for proof -Thanks Bob for capturing the moment!



4. On our first night in Florence we went to Osteria All'Antico Mercato - the restaurant our hotel suggested. Luigi owned the place (at least we think he did) and he was a TRUE Italian - a lover not a fighter:) Every time he came to our table he held my hand or caressed my arm - but hey - I was taking one for the team - because he brought us free bruschetta, free prosciutto with our pecorino cheese, and when I ordered dessert (almond biscotti dipped in dessert wine) he brought an ENTIRE bottle and shot glasses for the whole table! (At one point he asked Nathan if it was okay and all Nathan said was "you can have her for 5 Euros.... well actually 3 b/c of the conversion" - Thanks Honey:)!

All of us with Luigi - this is one of my favorite pics from the trip:)

The WHOLE bottle of dessert wine!

My good night Kiss - Ciao Luigi!

5. Later that same night we went to the Piazza Della Repubblica to hang out and watch the street performers. After this one "show", Bob looked down and found 55 Euros on the street! (For the record we did wait about 15 minutes for its owner to come back and claim it and - no Bob didn't pick pocket this money - I saw it laying there too:)) But since no one came - this was great -not only because he found free money but because before this he wasn't even allowed to hold 1 Euro! Bob was now living the high life - and he even took us out for lunch! Thanks Bob!

6. Michelangelo's David. I think Bonnie has been talking about seeing this one statue since about May:). I do have to say it is a very fine statue and it is unbelievable that it is carved out of marble! Unfortunately, the museum where David is housed - the Galleria dell' Accademia - does not allow pictures to be taken - so this is the best we could show you:

But the statue looked JUST like this - promise:)!

7. Of course all the tourist crap in Florence had pictures of David on them (usually his nether regions) - magnets, aprons (as seen above), miniature statues, and boxer shorts. Bonnie REALLY wanted Bob to get a pair of the boxers (he said No - well something along those lines) but that he would take a picture of them. As he was pulling out his camera the owner of the "booth" started yelling something at Bob in Italian then finished with F.U.! Does that mean we can't take the picture? Oh - and thanks for the Italian hospitality! Where's Luigi when you need him?!

8. The third leg of our trip was to the Cinque Terre (the Italian Riviera) which was amazingly beautiful! Bonnie, Nathan and I set out on Friday morning to hike the trail through four of the cities from Riomaggiore to Vernazza. (Bonnie tried to convince Bob it would just be a nice "stroll" through the mountain side but after a conversation with a local on the train who told us it was "quite strenuous" in places I knew there was NO WAY Bob would be attending the hike - and of course he didn't.)


The leg of the trip between Carniglia and Vernazza was the most strenuous, it was really hot (it felt about 90 degrees) and there was no shade. Just as we were turning a corner of the trail I saw someone go down about 50 feet in front of me. We ran up to see what happened and found a 65 year old couple from New Zealand - Digby and Janis. Janis had gone into a diabetic coma right there on the trail! Another hiker arrived from the opposite direction at the same time we did and we all tried to keep Janis from rolling off the side of the mountain (the trail was about 3 feet wide in this particular area). Janis had started to throw up and she was completely unresponsive.

This is what the trail looked like near where we found Janis (yes the left side is straight down)

The closest town was about 45 minutes from the direction we hiked from, but the other guy said there was a restaurant about 10 minutes from his direction. Nathan and this hiker were going to try to carry Janis (again on the 3 feet wide trail with a straight down plunge into the sea about 600 feet below). But when they tried to lift her Digby said and I quote "Oh - my Janis is a big girl" - which was true - but coupled with the fact that she was completely dead weight it was going to be an impossible task!

So the other guy ran back to the restaurant to call 911 (or whatever number they call in Italy for an emergency) and Nathan tried to get Janis to drink water. Now this is a VERY busy trail and LOTS of people came upon us - some just tried to pass and others offered help - within about 15 minutes we had a Fanta soda, gum, powerade, a power bar, a nurse from Germany, grape jelly, an EMT from Seattle, and finally a doctor from another country that doesn't speak Italian. Nathan had been trying to feed Janis the Fanta before the EMT arrived then he took over and started feeding her the grape jelly under her tongue. When the doctor arrived the EMT was giving her the stats on Janis' heart rate, her pain level, and other facts about what had happened. Janis said she also felt chest pain. Honestly it was very scary and there were a few times that Janis was completely unresponsive.

Bonnie did her part by translating the drugs Janis was on from Digby's description to the doctor (she knows them b/c Bob is also diabetic). I also helped out by holding ALL the stuff any hiker wanted to offer us - at one point I was holding 2 bottles of water, the opened half finished jelly, 2 sticks of gum, a half can of Fanta, a towel, and our backpack.:)

It took what seemed to be an eternity (it was actually about 1 hour) for the paramedics to arrive. Of course they only spoke Italian and of the 15 hikers representing about 5 countries none of us spoke a lick of Italian! This was a bit of a struggle at first but finally the Italian paramedics took over and had to call in a heli-ambulance! (There was no way they were carrying her off the side of that mountain!)

It was a very intense hour but after we saw that the situation was taken carry of we could find a little humor in the situation. (I know we are sick but it isn't every day that you get to save a life while you are hiking - okay well WE didn't save her life - but I did hold the jelly!). Nathan had realized it might be a little rude to take a picture of Janis during the situation but after the paramedics got there and we continued on our hike we did get a photo of them helicoptering her out of there!

They sent down a basket and 4 additional paramedics for her

Moral of the story: Bonnie isn't go to try to force Bob to come on any more hikes and to keep jelly packets in your purse! You've always got to take a little something away from every situation:)

9. On Saturday morning we left Cinque Terre for Lugano, Switzerland. Unfortunately we had to take 4 trains for this 3 hour trip! We had heard terrible stories about the Italian trains (being late, no air, etc) so I was hoping that everything would work out - but I wasn't expecting our seats to be DOUBLE BOOKED from Genova to Milan! We checked with the ticket guy and he confirmed that both sets of tickets were valid - and since they got to the seats first we had to ride in the aisle with every one's luggage! This was a bummer but didn't fall into the all out SUCKS category until the guy with the "refreshment cart" came barreling down the aisle (and of course we didn't have anywhere else to go). He kept ringing his bell until we moved our luggage and our butts out of his way! HaHa! Let's just say this wasn't a highlight and that Bob WASN'T that happy.:)

10. And finally one of my favorite parts of the trip was reminiscing through all the photos. Especially on Bob's camera! His view of Europe just makes me laugh! Here are some of my favorites - I hope you enjoy them too:

Wow! They have defibrillators in the phone booths in Zurich..... and they have phone booths in Zurich!

Duck's butt in Lake Zurich (this was like Bob's 2nd photo:))

Bob's 3rd photo - a fancy porta potty in Zurichhorn Park! You wash your hands in the same bowl you pee in!

The parking "situation" in Rome.....however I don't think that is any worse than the driving "situation" in Atlanta!

Quote from Bob "We would have a lot more room in our bathroom if they'd just take out that useless second toilet!" (well something like that:)) But it did come in handy....Bonnie washed her feet in it:)

The female Polizei in Florence working hard!

Look out how many Vespa's there are!

Chicken's in the market in Florence with their heads just rung and still attached!

Come and get your Fish - it is fresh - right out of this rusty bucket!

While we were saving Janis' life - Bob was taking naked photos in Vernazza! There were lots of close ups but this was the only one I thought I could post on the blog:) He said he wanted us to know what we had missed ...... thanks again Bob - you are always looking out for us!

So now you know what Bob's trip to Italy was like!:)

I promise the rest of the trip will come soon - I've just got to get some real work done first!

Ciao!

Slow Up! Tour de Schweiz

Nathan and I had a great time last weekend! On Saturday, we went to the cutest little town called Stein am Rhein - it looked straight out of Busch Gardens - I mean Germany! I half expected men in Lederhosen to come out of the shadows and offer us some beer:) The buildings were very well preserved and they all had the most beautiful paintings on them.

After touring around the town, we climbed up the "hill" to the Hohenklingen Castle. Great views of the city and Rhine River! On the way back down we walked through the vineyards - the grapes looked so good - but I thought the wine fairies were going to come out and get us after Nathan tried to pick some:) And NObody wants the fate of having bad wine (or worse - really bad wine hangovers) for the rest of their lives so the grape vines went unharmed - promise!

I love this photo - It looks like someone just photoshopped me in!:) But I was there - promise!

Don't do it!

On Sunday we finally were able to go to a Slow Up! Slow Up is a free event put on by Switzerland to promote good health amongst its citizens. So each week during the summer they pick a city/region and basically close down all the streets to motorized traffic and thousands of people come out to bike, roller blade, run or whatever. I really did feel like we were participating in the Tour de France Switzerland Style!:) The "course" is usually between 25 - 40 km depending on the area. NOTE: Most of the pics were taken while Nathan was riding his bike so they are a little fuzzy - but no one was harmed or run over (at least not that I know of:))!

Not sure what is up with my camera lens (do you see the squiggly things on the picture) - it hasn't been the same since I dropped it in the mud at the Zurich Street Parade:( I liked the blue sky against the sign though!

We finished (and I didn't complain once) Yeah!!!

This was actually the start of our bike ride

Miriam and I

The one we went to was near the Bodensee. It was a really beautiful ride and I glad we picked this area (although I'm sure I would have felt that way about all of them)!

The Bodensee

This area is a large fruit growing region in Switzerland so some of the apple orchards were passing out free apples - soooo good! And the Slow Up partners (Rivella and Ramseier) were also passing out samples along the way - I have to say the Ramseier Cactus/Apple Juice drink was amazing!!!! I'm definitely going to have to find this at the grocery store!

Sweet - is that beer!!! Apple Juice? Okay- I'll still take it:)

I'm pretty sure I got lapped by at least one 5 year old but that's okay - he has probably been doing stuff like this since he was days old! It really was cool though - we saw a ton of little kids riding their bikes the whole way - and it was like 20 miles! Such a great active lifestyle over here!

Said FIVE YEAR OLD (and his little brother) kicking my ass - I said I did it - not that I was fast:)

We saw tons of bikes and roller bladers but here were a few things I had never seen before!

Look at the wheels - they were only on the outside of the skate so I'm not sure how easy it was to stand up .....

I don't remember what they called these but people were running in them along the course!

This is a two person bike thing but you can't really tell from this photo

Now this is what I'm talkin' about!

Tomorrow we are off to Italy for 10 days with Nathan's Mom and Stepdad! I am so excited! Hopefully I will get to write some while we are away, but if not - look for a REALLY LOOOOOOOOONG post around the 14th!:)

Ciao,
Mandy

Photo album for Stein am Rhein

Photo album for the Slow Up! at the Bodensee

So I picked up some Quark at the Grocery Store...

It was near the yogurt section- similar type of container. I am kind of on a kick of trying new different types of food (except meat - that grosses me out) so I said "Why Not?".

I was curious (and hungry) when I got home so I broke into it right away. And I was PLEASANTLY surprised! That stuff is good! The consistancy is thicker than yogurt but not as thick as cream cheese - pretty dense but still creamy - maybe whipped cream cheese? Anyway, it was sooo good! I have never heard of it in the States - if you have please let me know because I will definitely want it when I get back!

So of course I had to google "Quark" to find out what it was, what people do with it, etc. Here is the wikipedia definition. The cool thing I learned is that it has a very low fat content and can be exchanged for cream cheese in most recipes. I found it on several "weight watcher" type websites. They suggested mixing it with honey and dried fruit or nuts for a dessert 0r just to spread it on toast for breakfast. Yummmm! I read it was popular in the Netherlands - Vicki or Kristen - did you ever have it there?

So this morning, when I woke up, I was so excited to have some on my toast for breakfast- when I find Nathan had mixed the entire container with his cereal (we do this a lot with yogurt).

He looks up at me and says "This is disgusting - it doesn't mix well - don't buy this brand again".

Then I said "That's because it's Quark - can't you read!" (I was kind of pissed because I wanted to eat it - I would have shared a tiny bit)

Then he said "Quark? What the hell is that?"

Me: "What you are eating! Couldn't you tell when you opened it that it didn't look like yogurt?!"

Him: "Yes - but if they didn't want me eating it like this then they shouldn't have put it in a YOGURT CONTAINER!"

Me (to myself) "Well how do you argue with that... with a man?" So I gave up and made him finish eating his "cream cheese mixed with cereal" :) Good times:)!

Wait - WHAT do we mop the floor with?

Last night I attended my first Zuri Cooking Club event! (Nathan and I went to the very first planning meeting in June but I have been out of town for the last two dinners so this was the first dinner I could actually attend - but no Nathan - he is in Finland:( .)

The premise of the club is just that a group of people who like to cook (you don't have to be good at it) get together and make dinner. Two or so people plan the menu, divide up the grocery list amongst the attendees, and then we all meet to cook and eat.

In the States we would probably meet at some one's house for something like this but not here because people's houses/apartments are usually very small. (Our kitchen here is smaller than my bathroom back home!) So we rented a kitchen in the Oerlikon Tezet - which I think is just a community house where people can gather, take classes, rent the kitchen, etc. And it is cheap! Who knew? Everything else is ridiculously expensive here! (I should seriously write a blog on just prices of stuff - did you know a Big Mac costs about $5.50 - not that I've eaten one - I just wanted to know - promise:)) I digress - anyway - I wish I would have taken my camera to get a shot of the kitchen and the group cooking! It was a lot of fun and I even signed up for the October Menu - any suggestions?:)

This time the menu was Creole/New Orleans (the couple planning the meal had just taken a trip there) - really HEALTHY meal:)! I think I gained 10 lbs! Myself and a guy named Wojtek were in charge of the "Smothered Green Beans" - the name alone screams heart attack. Because what else would it be smothered in but Bacon Grease Gravy - of course:) But Damn it was good! I am going to give you guys the recipe at the end of the post because I even went to bed dreaming about it:)!

Wojtek and I were also in charge of the Mint Juleps - surprisingly I never had one of these - although after I drank one I know why - can you say - let's just take shots of Bourbon! Oh and we can add some mint for good measure. I'll stick with the wine:)!

We had a 3 course meal for 19 CHF (with wine!) per person - now that is a Swiss Bargain!

The deal with renting the kitchen is that you have to leave it spotless when you leave. Which of course makes sense, but last time the group got in trouble for not mopping the floor - although they said it was sparkling when they left! But this is Switzerland and if they say mop the floor - they will check! I was wondering if it was some one's job to feel the mop to see if it was still wet from the night before:) Probably - because they told our group if we didn't mop this time then we would lose our 100 CHF deposit!

So a couple of us (all Americans) were searching every where for said mop and couldn't find it! How were we supposed to comply with the rule if they didn't have a mop?! So we were all freaking out, checking the closets, trying to find the mop, when the Swiss girl (thank goodness she was there), goes in a drawer and pulls out what looks like a dish rag. She says "This is a mop rag". A what? A mop rag. Supposedly it is very common. They basically wet the mop rag put it on the floor then push it around with a BROOM. Okay. I mean she did have a point - when you are finished mopping with a real mop it is hard to get the mop completely clean but with a MOP RAG you just put it in the washing machine. The Swiss are so efficient.:) I guess that is how they knew no one mopped - no mop rag in the "dirty hamper" last time.

I think I should introduce them to the Swiffer Wet Jet - just saying.:)

Anyway - great night! I just hope I fit in my jeans today! I don't think I need anything to eat for at least 24 hours.

The full menu was: Mint Juleps, Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, Smothered Green Beans and Potatoes, and Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. Yum!

Here is the Smothered Green Beans and Potatoes Recipe as promised - Serving size 8
Tip - It was really easy to make but I would suggest cooking/boiling the potatoes a bit before putting them in the sauce. The recipe says it takes only 30 minutes but the potatoes weren't done. I think if the potatoes were cooking while the bacon was sauteing it would be faster - just my two cents.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (500 g) bacon, chopped
.5 cups (125 mL) flour
4 medium onions, chopped
2 teaspoon (8 mL) salt
.5 teaspoon (2 mL) cayenne pepper
.5 teaspoon (2 mL) black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2 lbs. (500 g) green beans
4 medium potatoes, cubed


1. Saute bacon for 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Add flour to bacon grease 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add salt, cayenne, pepper and broth. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add beans and potatoes. Simmer for 20 Minutes.
6. Add bacon and serve.

Ich liebe New Orleans Nahrung!
Mandy

The Glacier Express

Yesterday Nathan and I went on the Glacier Express - which is an 8 hour train ride from Zermatt to St. Moritz (or vice versa). I have to say it was an AMAZING ENGINEERING FEAT - the train crossed 291 bridges and went through 91 tunnels. The most amazing part - I thought - was that the first line of this train route was started in 1889. Wow! To see what they did without "modern" technology was unbelievable. I'm just glad that I wasn't the one blasting through the Swiss Alps or buidling the legenderary Landwasser Viaduct without the use of scaffolding!

Now with that being said Nathan and I kind of got that feeling like when a movie comes out and EVERYONE is all "OMG It's the best movie I've ever seen." or "It's so funny - it's better that Old School". You know - when the HYPE is so much better than the movie itself that you end up disappointed? We both kind of felt like that. So as not to piss off any of the Swiss who could possibly read this - yes it was a beautiful train ride - but so is the train ride to Luzern or Interlochen or really any where in Switzerland. Pictures from any train ride in Switzerland will probably include: Snow peaked mountains, beautiful lakes, rolling green valleys, cute little chalets, cows..... you get my point. So maybe if you have not traveled by train in Switzerland at all then this is the trip for you b/c you will get to see ALL of that! But if you have, then I vote being on a train for 8 hours might not be your best use of time. Of course, even as I write this, I feel like we must have miseed something monumental b/c the Glacier Express has been written up in so many books and magazines as "Unbelievable", "Amazing", "Top 1001 Things to Do before you Die" - so take our opinion for whatever you think it is worth.:)

The Glacier Express is a very busy train so you have to buy reservations several weeks in advance - and unfortuntately this means you get whatever the weather gods give you - so parts of the trip were less desirable than we would have liked for sightseeing (you'll see below:)). HOWEVER, we did have a great time on our trip (life is too short not to) and here are some of our pictures from the day! So without further ado:

Cute town of Zermatt! We will have to come back here to ski! When traveling to Zermatt you have to leave your car in the neighboring city - they don't allow any cars here!

All Aboard!

Nathan's little section of the world for the next 8 hours:)!

A map of the train ride - bottom left (Zermatt) to upper right (St. Moritz)

Looking back at mountains near Zermatt

Let me off here! Vineyards in Valais!

There were lots of beautiful water falls!

So we went into a tunnel with beautiful Sunny skies and came out 15 minutes later (it was a really long tunnel) into this - FOG! I don't know if you can tell from the photo but we couldn't even see a foot out the windows for about 30 - 45 minutes. Is this a classic Nathan expression or what? WTF:)

When the fog cleared up in started raining:) Here is a picture of part the Rhine Gorge "The Swiss Grand Canyon". Cool huh?:)

Rolling green valley and cute little town

The Glacier Express ended in St. Moritz - very beautiful city on a lake - my picutres don't do it justice! I would love to come back here to ski too!

So there you have it! Most of the pictures didn't turn out that well b/c of the glare from the train windows:( But if you would like to see them all - click here!
Mandy

Wollishofen Park

Wednesday night we went out for another BBQ to Wollishofen Park -what a great little place! Nathan had been here before with friends while I was in the States but it was a first for me. We met some friends from our glocals group. I was most impressed b/c they had "Public" grills. And not the typical U.S. kind where there is a grill and you provide the charcoal - no GAS grills. In the park. For FREE! Pretty cool:)

However these grills provided American joke number 1 for the evening. I was commenting on how we don't have these grills in a public park any where in the U.S. - at least not that I know of. And this German guy - out of know where- goes "Well that's probably b/c if someone didn't cook their food properly on it and got food poisoning they would probably sue the city - and win." WOW! So THAT is the reputation we americans have - nice!

Which leads to American joke number 2. So while I was grilling I started talking to this guy from Venezuela. He asked where I was from and I said North Carolina. He said "Oh yeah - I know where that is. That's the state with the really dumb Miss America contestant - right?" Um HELLO - that was South Carolina - okkaaaaaaay! (If you haven't seen the video or have no idea what I'm talking about click here.) Geez - one of the first people that I meet that isn't like "Oh are you from NYC, LA, MIAMI, or VEGAS? Then I don't know where that is:)" And this is the CRAP I get! South Carolina? Really? (Sorry Erin:))

Tomorrow we are headed to Zermatt to take the Glacier Express - an 8 hour train ride across Switzerland form Zermatt to St. Moritz. I am very excited since it has been written up in lots of travel books including - 1001 Things to Do Before You Die. Check! Only 1000 more things to do:)!

Drunken Sailors - Zurich Street Parade 2009

So Friday afternoon Miriam and I went out to find costumes for the Street Parade on Saturday. I'll be honest - I was picturing blue wigs, neon leg warmers - you know - 80's Techno! But after finding out that wigs in this freaking country are 80 Francs a piece we quickly vetoed that idea! Since we knew it was going to rain (pour!) Miriam brought up the fact that we should incorporate hats and rain boots into our outfits! THANK YOU Miriam! We found an Army Surplus store and our Sailor theme was born!

Then Saturday morning Nathan and I went back into Zurich to pick up his hoola skirt and lei! I thought it would be cute with the Sailor theme (I rescued him from an island or something:)! I so wish I would have brought my camera for this early morning excursion, b/c there were already people in costumes (but only a few) so they looked really out of place and they were getting some crazy stares from unsuspecting tourists! Little did they know they would definitely get an eyeful later in the day! Final stop - Denner - to buy a bottle of rum for Nathan and a bottle of vodka for me - it WAS going to be an ALL day event - don't judge us:)!

Why are people staring at me....Haters

Zurich Street Parade - We Salute You!

It was still pretty nice weather Saturday morning (it was beautiful, sunny and 80 on Friday - of course) but AS SOON AS we were ready to walk out the door for the parade at 2 pm the skies opened up! We had an umbrella and tried to stay dry for a bit but then realized it was completely USELESS and just gave in! I mean -trying to weave your way through a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people really isn't all that easy when you are trying not to poke anyones eye out! And besides - we were getting wetter but all the water dripping off each others umbrellas then by the rain! Thank goodness for the SAILOR HATS or I would have looked reaaaaaaaaaaaally bad!

Speaking of Sailors - I highly recommend dressing up as one the next time you have the opportunity! It was SO MUCH FUN saluting people and having them salute back! (Maybe it was partly the minibar in Nathan's backpack but I think it was MOSTLY the hats!) And it was fun having a twin! Maybe not as much fun for Miriam after Nathan accidently spanked HER butt a few times, but I loved it! :) We got lots of attention, and had several people taking our pictures (even with the huge paparazzi like cameras) so I'm thinking we might end up on the internet today! But don't worry Mom - I swear I didn't do anything to embaress the family!:) Although Nathan did say several times that we were going to have to a "family meeting" today........ Good thing he drank his entire bottle of rum by himself and he can't remember what for! ......Maybe it was one of these photos:)

The back of their shirts said.......First Lesson Free. Probably good for them b/c I'm not sure who would have paid:)

Support your local drag queen!

The rest of our crew:)

The "mini-bar" backpack ROCKED!

I'm Proud to be an American!

So Nathan basically had the camera the whole time but here are a few of him too! I don't think he wanted any "evidence":)

Go ahead - get on stage - they WANT you to!

What IS that?

The people watching was some of the best I've EVER seen! Wow! It's amazing what people will leave the house in! I mean REALLY? REALLY? Actually I'm REALLY grateful b/c I have some AWESOME pictures and great memories for the rest of my life! :) It was basically like Mardi Gras on steriods with lots of Techno Music! Oh - and it was actually peaceful! They claimed it would be on the "Official Street Parade" website but, with all those people, pouring down rain, bouncers that kept backing us up away from the "lovemobiles", lots of alcohol, and I'm guessing a fair amount of drugs - I couldn't believe there wouldn't be any fighting, but I didn't see a single altercation! I guess they were right - Techno Musik does bring Love and Peace!:) Here is some of the "Love and Peace" we experienced:

This lady was "riding" a flamingo:)

Really? Well at least she had on most of her clothes....

Best use of a triathalon belt - cigarettes and mini bottles!

Not sure what they are supposed to be.....

AnnMarie - this one is for you!:)

Swine Flu!

Speaking of the Lovemobiles - Nathan got some good video! The Lovemobiles were basically "floats" designed by all the clubs in Zurich. I'm not sure how many there were but they started at 1 pm and were still going at 8 pm when we left the parade for the after party!

The Pirate themed Lovemobile coming through! Yeah - the people do get out of the way:)

Here is one video:

I just love this group photo but I don't think any of us remeber taking it:)!

There were a bunch of parties/concerts after the parade and we picked the one at the Main Train Station. Nathan and I didn't last very long though and although it is a huge debate on what time we got home (neither of us quite remember) I think it was around 10 pm.

The dance lights kind of messed with the pics but you get the idea.

L is for "Loser" b/c we were headed home!

Surprisingly though we were up by 9 am and ready to take on the world - okay not the whole world but at least our living room:) Total veg day (and I haven't been outside...yet) but no headache and no hangover! Yeah!!!! We might be over 30 but we can STILL party! Whoop Whoop

~mandy
You can click here for the REST of the story:)

The "official" website had some great pictures too - including more naked photos:)