[2012-2014] Construction Zone Park Basel, Switzerland

We have gone to this little park behind our house countless times to catch up with the Rawsons. You can always count on them being there on a Sunday afternoon, and we'd usually just walk over without calling to catch them for some family time. It's actually the perfect setting for a mini photoshoot, so we usually took our camera with us. It is probably one of the coolest little parks I've ever seen. An amazing (but dangerous) jungle gym, ropes course, climbing wall and slide. It looks like an abandoned house that they converted into a park. It's amazing to see how much Roran has grown.

The imminent departure of the Rawson's makes Hayes and I start to realize how much like family these guys have become.

We will miss them so much! What will we now do on a lazy Sunday afternoon? Let alone the fact that we will need to move our GoT viewings to another place and I'm losing my co-organizer for TEDx and Amazing race. Big Sigh.

Update -- Said our "goodbyes/see you laters" today and I held it altogether, until the moment they left. It took a good 20 minutes of weeping to feel alright again. T.T

Love you all!!! xoxo Can't wait till we meet again.

[2013] Steamboat Springs, USA

The first time I visited Steamboat there were a lot of firsts for me. This time around there weren't as many, except for snoeshowing. It was very hard work though. Laying the track down was like being on a stair master but with beautiful surroundings. Poor Renni had trouble staying on top of tracks because her small paws kept poking through. I think the hardest part for her was going at such slow speeds, since she is geared to run.

Most of our afternoon was spent just lounging out on the deck with a beer and some nuts. We also went down the mile long driveway on a sled...it was almost like Swiss sledding ==> very dangerous. Another upside to winter sports here is we get to borrow grandma and grandpa's one-piece snowsuits!

Colorado is so blessed with sunshine, I can't help but be jealous since Basel is usually so dreary and grey during the winter. We only stayed for one night, but it was so relaxing that the long drive was worth it.

[2012] Jerusalem, Israel

This is probably in my top 3 places to visit as a tourist. It was absolutely jam packed with history and life. I was surprised at how spiritual this visit was, which sounds dumb now that I think of it. I guess, I wasn't planning on it being spiritual for me. Amidst the myriad of religions, people, tourists and just business of the city, we fell in love with it. I found that seeing people's faith so overtly in their actions and emotions was really moving for me. I'm so glad that I was lucky enough to visit this sacred place. 

I think one of the best decisions we made before traveling to Israel was using AirBnB. This was our first time to use it and we ended up staying with Barak and Idan. They were the best hosts! The price of the room was so reasonable and we got very good tips on places to eat and really enjoyed getting to know them. We stayed in a few times because Hayes was really sick from a stomach bug he caught in Egypt, so we watched the Amazing Race Israel, baked cupcakes together and were even invited to join them for Shabbat with their friends.  We enjoyed great food and even better conversations. We have yet to have as good of an experience with AirBnb, but we understand that sometimes you just click with people.

Another highlight on this trip was the food! Especially the local meals that were recommended to us. I think Israel makes the best salads in the world. They had the most surprising combinations of fruit, nuts, vegetables and cheese. Hayes' highlight were the fresh juices that you could find on every street corner with pomegranates that they would squeeze in front of you for just a few dollars.

Hopefully we will make it back to Israel. We have plans to visit the Sea of Galilee next time.

[2011] Vienna with Vaani and Jess, Austria

Vaani and Jess are one of the few people who have visited me since I've lived in Europe. Thank you! I'm so happy that they came, even though there wasn't a wedding, and I was even working. I love you both and it was such a fun time that I hope we get to join each other on another trip in the future.
1. We spent our first night in Vienna in our hostel on the top bunk discussing very serious and important world issues.
2. On Saturday we woke up early and walked through the main centre of Vienna. Sadly, Vaani and my favourite moment was finding Starbucks to satisfy our morning caffeine fix. It is actually embarrassing how excited we were. I'm pretty sure that Jess was mortified to be associated with us while we screeched and yelped for joy.
3. We had a snack at Demel, one of the most beautiful cafes in Vienna and I made Jess and Vaani try their infamous sacre torte. Consensus was it was very dry.
4. We went to the Belvedere Museum which houses the most Klimt masterpieces in the world. The Kiss was breathtaking. Let me tell you that a picture of it in a book or a postcard just does not do the real thing justice. We were all mesmerized by it.
5. In the evening we went to the Vienna Opera House in the nosebleed section for just a few euros. We only stayed for the first half because we found it kind of boring actually. The singing was great, but the production on a whole felt very minimal and there wasn't much to see. We mainly left because it was very hot!!! It was still great to see the inside of the Opera House.

Best short visit ever! I promise to join you in Prague next time ladies. LOVE YOU!!!

All photos from Jess.