Hello, Ferney V!

I failed to tell you about our fun times on the weekend before last. This is partly because H stole my thunder when he posted pics of our adventure on Facebook. Anyway, the moment for that has past and it’s time to move on the our more recent adventures.

This past Saturday, we hit up our favorite French border town to stock up on fresh pasta.

After our typical picnic lunch (bread, cheese and prosciutto), Luc played in the park while we waited for the bus.

What’s that, Dad? Time to go home? That’s silly.

Spoons & Forks

You won’t be surprised to hear that we had another great weekend filled with French towns,

great food,

and scenic views.

In less predictable news, Luc is learning to use a spoon,

and a fork.

And he doesn’t mind telling you that he’s pretty happy about it.

Crepes

To continue our successful European food-making weekend, H made crêpes on Sunday.

Really good ones. In fact when I tasted them, I realized that on most occasions when I’ve eaten crêpes I haven’t really liked them. But these were, in a word, delicious.

I put Nutella and bananas on mine. (Yum.)

H put strawberries on his. (Even yummier.)

Luc was a big fan of both.

What he was not a fan of was waiting for more to be made.

Raclette

While walking around Geneva today, we got a whiff of melted cheese coming from a temporary food stand. (There’s a festival on, La Fête de la Musique.) Fondue, you might be thinking to yourself. If so, you are underestimating the Swiss capacity to create cheese-centered meals.

What we smelled was raclette. A gooey, wonderful pile of toasty cheese that is usually eaten over potatoes. Sounds like fondue, you might be saying. And if so, you’re not far off. There are strong similarities, though both the type of cheese and the melting method are different.

We did not stop at the food stand, but it got me thinking. Got me thinking, “Wow, I would really like some raclette.” Luckily for us, our subletter is sufficiently Swiss to have a raclette maker in the cabinet. It seems as though every Swiss home is equipped with one, even that of a bachelor who is a DJ for a living and spends his free time in Ibiza.

While traditionally-speaking it is a faux pas to eat raclette (or fondue, for that matter) outside of cold weather months, when you’re only passing through the land of cheese you take raclette when you can get it.

The process is simple.

1. Melt.

2. Pour.

3. Enjoy.

Enjoy, we did.

Song of the Week

I ♥ Coeur de Pirate.

Grilling

This advertisement, found at our bus stop and elsewhere throughout Geneva, translates to “Americans are fine gourmets. At least, when it comes to grilling.”

Luc is not amused.

I am though.

Two great weekends

Since that first grueling adjustment weekend, we’ve had two great Saturdays of exploring. Last weekend our wanderings in downtown Geneva led us to the Parc Eaux-Vives. A beautiful place to be on a sunny June day.

Luc was a fan of the “living waters.” And although it was not a easy moment to capture in photos, he wanted me to tell you that the drops of water from the fountain, shining and flashing in the sun, were enough to make a person jump up and down with glee. Especially a very small person.

And after all that excitement, that small person may need a nap.

Today, we got a little outside of the city to enjoy a picnic lunch on the lake shore in Hermance, where our petit amoureux de la nature had even more fun than he did last weekend. He walked around with Dad in tow…

then with Mom…

then paused for a moment in thought. What else is there to do around here?

Oh yeah. Check out a tree trunk.

Eat some grass.

Look at a swan close up.

Those things are big!

 Our lovely time in Hermance was followed by a lovely walk in the country surrounded by fields of wheat,

vineyards and mountains.

All while Luc slept comfortably against Dad’s chest.

Thank you, Switzerland. This is what keeps us coming back.