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!!