Geneva Week 17 (8/30 – 9/5) – The Family is Back Together, Paddle Kayaking, and Fete de Vendange

During the four months we have lived in Geneva, there have been only a few weeks where not much has happened and they’ve flown by faster than I can catch a Frisbee. This was one of those weeks.

My and Natalie’s Monday was welcomed by light snow up at Hotel Schatzalp in Davos. Snow in August – that is unbelievable to many, but it came falling down like it was a winter day and Natalie has pictures to prove it!

(Snow in Davos in August!)

Three trains and five hours later we were well out of the snow and back in Geneva by Monday afternoon. It was nice to be home, but I already missed the incredibly clean air of the Alps and the prospect of playing in the snow.

Jason was still in the U.S. on Monday and would be until the end of the week. Friday seems like such a far ways away when one of your people is gone.

During the week, it was business as usual. I was back to my Tuesday and Thursday routine at DDC and Natalie got caught up from being out of the country for two weeks.

Natalie also cooked a couple of interesting meals, one of them being a citrus-roasted chicken with potatoes and brussel sprouts. She was so proud of her creation that she took a few pictures and asked me to share it on this blog.  I was proud of her creation too, but I showed my enthusiasm by scratching her leg for samples.

The citrus-roasted chicken consists of a trussed salted and peppered chicken that has been stuffed full of lemons and oranges. The citrus is quartered and mixed with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried rosemary, prior to placing in the chicken. Natalie then took halved new potatoes and brussel sprouts, which were also mixed with olive oil, and placed them in the pan with the chicken.

She roasted the chicken, potatoes and brussel sprouts all together at 450F for about one hour. The resulting dish produced an exceptionally moist chicken, accompanied by slightly crunchy potatoes and caramelized brussel sprouts.

(Natalie's citrus-roasted chicken)

We enjoyed that meal for a couple of nights and before we knew it Friday had rolled around and Jason would be arriving home that evening!

For me, Friday was a lazy day as Natalie was out most of the morning at her first meeting with the American International Women’s Club (AIWC) of Geneva. The AIWC is a club for English-speaking women living in the Geneva area.  From what Natalie tells me it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and get involved.

Since Natalie loves event planning and parties, she decided to get involved in the AIWC Special Events Committee. This Committee plans events, such as parties at the Club, the Christmas Luncheon, etc.  Friday was her first meeting with this Committee and I could tell, by her excitement when she came home, that she was going to like being involved in the AIWC.

Before I knew it, Friday evening rolled around and we were zooming in the Qashqai towards the train station. After waiting around at the station’s Starbucks for a while, Jason finally arrived and for the first time in almost a month the whole family was back together!

(On my way to pick up Jason!)

That evening we had a lovely and relaxing dinner at Chateau D’if, which is in the nearby town of Vesenaz. Natalie and Jason both enjoyed the entrecote of beef with housemade French fries. Natalie also couldn’t pass up a dessert of fresh cream from Gruyere, vanilla ice cream and crunchy meringue.

We all slept in a bit on Saturday morning (Jason obviously had some jet lag to work off); however, before long we were heading up the road towards DDC. Sure enough, I ended up at the doorstep of DDC that afternoon.

Everyone knows how much I love DDC; however, Saturday isn’t on my usual schedule, so I was a tad bit skeptical for about 5 minutes. Jason promised me he’d be back, though. I took his word for it and went about my playing business.

I came to find out later the reason I was going to DDC was because Natalie and Jason would be paddle kayaking on Lake Geneva! The kayaking excursion was about 3 hours long and consisted of kayaking from Morges to St. Prex and back to Morges.

It sounds like Natalie and Jason had a fantastic time kayaking on the beautiful lake; however, apparently it wasn’t completely smooth paddling. Natalie and Jason were in a double kayak, Jason being in the front and Natalie in the back. Well, the back person is responsible for steering the kayak. The front person really keeps it moving forward.

We all know, me especially, that Natalie lacks in the coordination and strength department (I don’t know how many times I’ve caught ‘earth-bound’ frisbees thrown by Natalie). Therefore, the trip from Morges to St. Prex made for a difficult one as Natalie couldn’t figure out how to steer the boat and Jason had to do all the work in the front. Needless to say, Natalie and Jason switched positions on their way back to Morges and it was extremely smooth paddling from there on.

After an exhilarating afternoon on Lake Geneva, Natalie and Jason picked me up from DDC and we found ourselves later that evening in our hometown of Anieres celebrating Fete de la Vendange! Fete de la Vendange is a festival that recognizes the beginning of wine harvest season.  During the Fete, we explored the festivities around our small town, ate some delicious moitie-moitie fondue and finished off the evening with Nutella crepes - a perfect end to an action-packed day.

(Natalie next to the (empty) pot of fondue!)

Sunday was a restful day, which included sleeping in and a day-trip to Chamonix. No matter how often we visit that place, we always find it to be magical. Whether it is the sparkly stream filled with imaginary tadpoles, the majestic Mont Blanc, or the endless trails of tree-covered hikes, we always find something to enjoy in Chamonix.

(The always beautiful Mont Blanc - especially on a sunny day!)

(My new favorite stream in Chamonix for tadpole fishing)

The weeks ahead are going to be busy with visitors and I can’t wait to share with our visitors and you the many adventures awaiting our discovery.

Paws,

Sabrina