Birds seen today: boat-billed flycatcher, scarlet macaws, pelican, turquoise-browed motmot After a sleep-in, I unpacked into my new home. Saw my first bird of the day out my bedroom window, a boat-billed flycatcher (followed by some local chickens!). After a little stroll through the village, I decided to take a drive and started out at Punta Islita’s beach, where I waded in the Pacific. The heat is much more bearable when you have the water and the wind coming off the waves! The coast here is very dramatic - more mountainous and less beachy. As I walked along the beach, I heard the familiar parrot screech and looked up to see 3 scarlet macaws in the treetops. Loud rumbling thunder brought in some heavy rains, so I continued my drive back over the roads from the ... read more

A couple of quick stops this morning to buy just a bit more chocolate before we leave and drop off the keys to the apartment before we made our way to the airport. After that, it was all about airplanes and airports! Found our souvenir magnet at the Zurich airport before boarding our Swiss Air flight to Chicago. Spent the entire flight wathcing movies and eating! They had some of the best food we've ever had on a flight, although one of our neighbours would beg to differ. He was whining so much about the chicken meatloaf that Jon was just about ready to spear the meat with his own fork and eat it for the guy just to shut him up! Got into the Chicago airport around 4:00 and killed our 4 hour layover between ... read more

Today we decided to make the trip out to Grindelwald again and do some more toboganning, as it may be a while before we are back in Switzerland! We were able to get there earlier today than we did last week, and got in way more runs over the course of the day. Amazing what can be done when you don't lose your partner and you know how to do what you're supposed to be doing! Don't have any pictures to show for it, as we forgot the camera back at our apartment. We considered buying a helmet cam so everyone could get the full experience, but 600 bucks seemed a bit steep! Take our word for it that we are now seasoned tobogganers - we kept getting faster and faster, with more air on the ... read more

We started our morning in France. After a late start after a few early mornings, we had brunch at a French restaurant called McDonalds and then returned to Switzerland, Geneva in particular. Our first stop was the CERN headquarters - Jon really wanted to see the large hadron super collider, but no tours available over the Christmas season, so he had to settle for a picture at their office while wearing a BAZINGA shirt. Up next, a small park with a flower clock and huge fountain. While we were there, we actually got distracted by all the birds on the shore of Lake Geneva as people were feeding them. I guess we miss our birds! :) Next we went to the headquarters of the UN, Palais des Nations. Unfortunately there were no tours available, so our ... read more

We started off our day with a “buffet” breakfast that Sybil convinced us to purchase last night in our tired and weakened state. For a mere 15 francs, we will lay out a feast for you. OK, I know English is not your first language Sybil, but yogurt plus bread plus scrambled eggs does not equal a “buffet”. However, the money has been spent…moving on to our day! We took a train to Zermatt, 10 minutes away, where we had booked tickets on the Glacier Express, the “slowest moving express train in the world”, that takes you through spectacular mountain passes with unparalleled views. A few of the highlights include 291 bridges, 91 tunnels, and traveling over a viaduct! With a few minutes to spare, we peaked into a few shops and purchased some snacks from ... read more