Time flies when you are having fun...

So, last time we wrote, we mentioned the infamous Street Parade...If you will recall from our blog last year (August 07, "Our trip to the Zoos"), this is an extremely crazy weekend in Zurich. Very different (to say the least) from the "prim and proper" people you normally see walking the streets around here. I've only put two of about 30 Street Parade pictures up on this blog. If you want a laugh and maybe a "WTF?!?!" or a "Oh No She Di-in't!!", you HAVE TO check out all of them. The ones I've posted here just don't do it justice. Anyway, to refresh your memory, here are the basic details (taken from the website, myswitzerland.com":

"The Street Parade is one of the biggest and most attractive techno events in the world, and entices hundreds of thousands dance enthusiasts to Zürich every year. Top DJs from all over the world, as well as a kaleidoscopic mixture of party-goers, create an atmosphere of pure joie de vivre.

The Street Parade is a colorful combination of a procession featuring lovemobiles, digital art and live performances, and showcases the latest trends from the world of electronic music. The procession passes from the Utoquai across Bellevue, the Quaibrücke and Bürkliplatz to the harbor in the Enge quarter. After the parade, parties are given in over 100 clubs in Zürich and the greater Zürich area, and party-goers dance into the small hours."

Downtown was CRAZY!! One of the best parts was when Aggie (who was about three tall-boys deep) actually told two divas to "Hold up, wait a minute!" (let me put my two cents in it...) as she proceeded to put her hand up to stop them and insist they pose for her camera. They totally LOVED her and ate it up! Others started to take pictures of them too. It was quite the scene and so funny! This little episode just encouraged my lovely wife to repeat the picture taking exercise with only the strangest people we had the joy of encountering on our walk home (you will notice the trend towards the end of the pictures as you click through). All in all, we had a great time and checked out the scene for nearly 4 hours before retiring to the couch and enjoying some pizza.

The work week came and went. The following weekend, (August 16th) we held an E&Y IB (Investment Bank) Group outing at our place. We had a big BBQ and played cornhole; what more could you ask for?! Actually, we were a bit nervous because the week leading up to the BBQ was completely rainy. The Big Fella was on our side that day though, and it turned out to be a completely sunny, completely perfect day for some grillin' and chillin'. The whole day was a huge success and ended with a few of us dudes playing poker into the wee-hours. Cheers to Aggie for preparing such an amazing feast!




Again, the work week came and went....this past weekend was pretty chill for us. Friday night we went out with friend to a pretty laid back/alternative/Cuban themed bar, which was really cool. Saturday we hung out, relaxed, shopped, etc (it was one of those perpetually rainy days you get in Zurich sometimes). Sunday, we went biking along the lake with our friends, Danielle, Helen, and John. It was really fun!

We met down by the lake and headed off along the south/west side of the Zurichsee. We stopped by a random restaurant/cafe by the lake shore and enjoyed a tasty meal. Then we went further down the lake and caught a Renners...errr...a fairy (sorry) to the other side. From there we biked on back home. Later that evening, Helen and John came over to grill and hang out. It was a great evening and a wonderful way to end a perfect day.


This weekend, well tomorrow, we have my Uncle Terry and Aunt Phyllis visiting for the Labor Day weekend. It should be a great time as we have a few activities conjured up to keep them entertained.

Hope all is well with everyone and we will be in touch again soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY shouts go out to Emily, Missy, Katie and Alison. Lots of lovely ladies to celebrate!!

Oh, monsieur!

Many of times we have said the French do it right...the whole dinner thing, wine, etc. Well, now we can officially say they got the beach and relaxation part covered as well. We can say this because we went to the French Riviera the first weekend in August. I took Friday and Monday off, and we made the experience one to remember! Our friends, John and Helen, joined us in the adventure, which all started around 4am on Friday, August 1st....


We left our place at 4:02am and drove over to pick up Helen and John. We were on road and making great time until about 2 hours into the drive, we needed to stop. We (I) needed a bathroom break in more ways than one. Unfortunately, most European gas stations and stops don't operate on a 24hr system, rather on a 7am-7pm time frame. I won't go into many details but lets just say, I found the back wall to a gas station and grabbed the TP I had packed in the car for emergency stops like this...I am so happy I packed smart!! Long story short, that definitely brought lots of laughter to the group and once again, we were on the road.

Traffic was quite a nightmare once we crossed over into Italy and tried to pass Milan. That added an extra hour or so into our drive. Finally, we reached the sea and followed the costal road toward France.


Monaco was the first place on our list to see. Interestingly enough, Monaco is not a city, but rather an independent state and principality within France. It's a beautiful place, pretty much nesseled between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. When we arrived, our plan was to grab a bite to eat and check out the town. We drove into the city and down an awesome palm-tree lined street with cafes and restaurants. The sun was shining and we were all in good spirits. We ended up finding a parking spot out of luck on a side street and headed down toward the Monte Carlo casino. The setting was really awesome and the landscaping was beautiful, like something out of a James Bond movie. We've never seen so many Ferrari's, Lambroghini's, Aston Martin's, Bentley's, etc. Unfortunately, the hot sun and crowds of people started to dampen our moods, so we opted to get out of town and head toward the small town of Antibes where our accomodations were.

We got to Antibes about 20-30 minutes later and did a drive-by of where we were staying so we knew the proximity to the beach, restaurants, etc. Then, we drove down and parked the car in a gravel lot near the sea. We found a restaurant, got some food and drinks and relaxed. It was perfect! Then, we grabbed our suits and headed to the beach. We lounged around amonst the speedos and topless women bathing everywhere. Life was good....


John suggested we grab some grub and take it back to the house with us since we didn't know if we were going to be energized to go out for dinner that evening. This was a great move as we found a market/shop and a bakery. After grabbing some fresh fruit and bread, cheese, olive pate, and wine, we were good to go.

We drove back to our house and called our hostess to let them know we had arrived and to let us through the gate. We were welcomed by a older couple who were the nicest people ever! Long story short, since August is a huge holiday month for many people, lots of hotels in the major cities were booked up. Aggie randomly found this place and it was awesome! We basically stayed at these people's home. They rented out 3 rooms total, and we stayed in the side part that had two seperate double rooms, with a joint bathroom. We had no idea really as to what to expect, but luckily for us we were pleasantly surprised!

The couple made us feel very welcomed and showed us to our rooms. Then, they took us to the pool and outdoor patio kitchen/bar area where we had lunch every morning. The setting was beautiful! We had a welcome drink with our host and then basically relaxed the rest of the evening sitting by the pool. We hooked up the Ipod, munched on our snacks and drank some wine. It was a perfect day!


Saturday we ate breakfast at the patio and then drove to the town of Biot (about 10-15 mins) where there was a glass blowing factory and shop. It was pretty cool watching them make the vase, pitchers, cups, etc.


Afterwards we headed to the town of Antibes, grabbed lunch, then hit the beach. The people watching was even better than the day before!!

After the beach, we were all a little hungery and knew we would not eat for a while as our plan was to go to Cannes for a late dinner. So, our mission became to find a rotisserie chicken. The French LOVE to have rotisserie chicken stands all over (they were in Lux too). Of course, the stands we had seen the day before were all closed, so we got one from the grocery store. The chicken was very tasty and we munch on it and the left over cheese, fruit, etc from the night before at the patio back at our house.

Around 8pm or so we headed to Cannes. Much to our surprise and delight it only took us about 10 minutes to get there! We found a parking spot and volia! We were good to go. John and Helen had been to Cannes before, so they knew their way around and an awesome area to go for dinner. First we walked through the town and down to the sea. We checked out where the stars have the film festival every year and then drooled over the yachts....Extremely impressive to say the least.



We then headed to dinner and Helen picked out a restaurant. The wine was flowing, the food was delicious and the people watching was great! Afterwards, we headed up to the castle, that during the day (and evening) offers amazing views of the town and sea.

Outside the castle, there was a special Flamango dancing festival. There was a band and dancers movin' and shakin'! Helen LOVES salsa, so this was pretty much right up her alley. She rallied Ag to dance with her while John and I looked on, enjoying our seats and the view of the sea.


Sunday we all met for breakfast, tired after the previous day's fun. We enjoyed our crossiants, breads, jellies, coffee, etc then headed out for the day. Helen went to the Fernand Leger museum while the rest of us went to the town of Mougins. We were going there based on Aggie's plea, "It's supposed to be a cool village town, and it's close by." Well, her homework was right!

Mougins was about 15-20 mins away, inland. Mougins is an enchanting medieval village and is considered a chic place to visit and since it's close to Cannes. Apparently many celebraties rent out homes in this tiny town because of its location and ideal weather. If you are an artist or photographer, this might be the best place to open a shop...the artwork exposure is great, as many painters have their own shop and work on display, ready to buy. The work is very impressive. (Picasso used to live here as well.)

We picked up Helen at the museum afterwards and headed down to the beach. We chilled for a while then went to this cool outdoor lounge sort of place on the beach. The scene was great and the food was tasty! Later that evening we went back to chill by the pool and then got ready for dinner. We were heading back to Cannes for a feast.

Again, we found a parking spot easily in the city and walked down by the shore line. Aggie and Helen posed like celebraties on the red carpet which was quite entertaining.



Then, we headed back into the "cool" area for dinner. The place we went to for dinner was right across from the place we went to the night before....the waitress was awesome, the food was amazing and we all ate and drank till we were about to explode!

On the walk back to the car, we encountered a dude with a huge python around his neck. Then, we watched as the rich and famous, and or shall I say, "the want-to-be rich and famous" teens and young adults strutted their stuff as they went to the night club at the film festival venue. It was quite entertaining to say the least. A bit further down the boardwalk, John took a late night swim and Aggie grabbed an ice cream cone. Once again we all went to bed tired and extremely happy from the day's events.

Monday came, we had breakfast and then headed out. We made a quick stop at the grocery store and at the glass factory again...then we were on the road. Unfortunately, we ran into traffic again, but this time in Switzerland. In order to get through the Alps and down into Italy, they have a tunnel that is about 15 miles long. They take a 2-3 lane highway and combine it into one lane through this tunnel. Apparently, everyone in Switzerland was traveling on that road that day. We got home later than planned, but at least we got home safe and sound.

That's about it for now! Check back again in a week or so for more updates on what's goin' down in Switzerland. We should have some pics and good stories from Street Parade '08!

Welcome to the Jungle

So, the last two weeks of July have been quite enjoyable. Aggie went boating on Lake Zurich with her friend, Hannah, and had a great time. Then, back on July 16th Ag and I had dinner with one of my collegues from the Luxembourg office who was in town on business. We went to Belvior Park which is a very nice restaurant situated within a park just down the hill from our apartment. The cuisine is French, and as we all have learned, the French know how to wine and dine! The park has beautiful flower gardens, a small lake, etc. We sat outside and enjoyed the lovely evening as well.

The weekend of July 18-20th we welcomed our friends, Laura and Robbie, from Luxembourg. They didn't get in until late on Friday evening (which was obviously fine). We relaxed that night at our place and had a few drinks. Then on Saturday, Robbie and I went for a nice long run around the town while Aggie and Laura chilled and caught up. After showering up and grabbing some sandwiches for lunch, we headed into town to show them the city.

We started our "tour" at the beginning of Bahnhofstrasse (comparable to the Magnificant Mile in Chicago), near the lake at Burkliplatz. We weaved our way though a market, into Old Town and eventually walked along the river banks to the volleyball courts. We were meeting up with a few of our friends to play volleyball and swim.


It was quite warm out so Robbie and I joined the rest of Zurich by jumping in the river via the bridge. The water was so cool and refreshing! The perfect part was the current was just strong enough to carry you all the way down to the bars and v-ball courts. We met up with our friends and hung out for a bit. Then, we retired back to our apartment to get ready for John and Helen's party.


There were two main reasons for their party....Helen's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!) and to announce the opening of their safari camp in Uganda. So, we celebrated her special day, and the attire and theme to the party was "African". The party was a blast!! They had rented out one of the docks on the lake and had plenty of snacks and drinks going around. The weather was beautiful and the sunset was amazing.


What got them started on this adventure you ask?? Well, (and I quote from John's blog), "Helen and I had our honeymoon in Uganda in 2006. We had a great time, loved the country, and really enjoyed the company of our guide, Baker. Before we left, we offered our assistance in helping him make his dream of opening his own camp become a reality. Our thought was to provide some guidance with websites or marketing overseas. We did not anticipate getting roped into becoming partners, but that is what happened......Yes, I know. It’s borderline insanity. Yes, I know that jumping out of an airplane has less risk associated with it." Yup, they are part-owners of a hotel/bungalow campus ("safari camp") in the middle of Africa! Here is their camp website: http://www.kyamburacamp.com. It's pretty awesome.

So, after the party, everyone headed to their apartment for a few more drinks and some dancing. It was a great time and of course, we ended the evening with a stop at the Bellevue pizza shop and Mc Donalds! Blah!

The next day we took a long walk along the lake path to a cool bar/restaurant, Bohemia. They serve up a tasty breakfast and we all had delicious omelettes and fresh squeezed OJ. After brunch we walked back to our place, and then Laura and Robbie took off. The rest of the day, Aggie and I relaxed and caught up on a few things around the apartment.

The work week came and went and then for the weekend of Saturday, July 26th, I ran in a 1/2 marathon. The event was in Davos (about 2 hrs away by train). The track was insane! The first 2 miles or so were all up "mountain", the third down the mountain, then the next 5 were up again! At one point along the trail, people were walking in a single file line on the path because it was so steep and narrow. The remaining 5 miles were pretty much down hill but at that point my legs were toast so it was still very difficult. This race concluded with me confirming what I have been saying all along, the Swiss are part billy-goat.


Unfortunately, I felt a bit nauseous after the race so the train ride home was a bit long and uncomfortable. Aggie was worried I was going to "toss my lunch" on the people sitting next to us! I was okay though and by evening I was feeling much better. Sunday, I felt great so that was good.

That pretty much sums up all of July. Yesterday (August 7th) was Aggie's two month marks since her surgery. She is feeling excellent!! We have a few follow up doctor appointments and an MRI scheduled toward the end of this month and into September so hopefully those results will all be positive.

This past weekend we went to the French Riviera, and it was awesome!! We will be blogging about that next....Tomorrow is the infamous Street Parade in Zurich. I'm not sure if you remember our adventures from it last year, but this is the street festival and techno party that goes on till the wee hours of the night. Refer back to our blog: July 2007 "Our Trip to the Zoo(s)" to read about it. Here is a picture to remind you all about the shenanigans that go on there!


We have BBQ and cornhole party scheduled for the Investment Bank team at our place next Saturday (if the weather holds out). Then we have my Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Terry coming to visit at the end of the month which will be tons of fun. Lots of exciting things happening!!

PS. Happy Birthday to tons of friends this month....Abby, Missy, Emily and Alison!!