Lyvien Emily Giles -- partly finished with her "makeover." The girl loves, loves, loves girlies things: Boots, makeup, bows, lace, high heels... but only on her terms!
Scott and Lyvi were the beneficiaries of Tayen's and Addie's love of applying makeup! The skill and patience of both "appliers" and "appliees" is duly noted. 
This is a Chocolate Torte - recipe from a book I gave Scott with Swiss recipes in it. It was all right, but needs some refinement, or someone who actually follows recipes, to make it over the top good. The strawberries were lusciously perfect!
It's hard to believe, but this little fella has the most caustic-toxic-burn-your-eyes-and-sinuses-clear-the-room toots you've EVER experienced!! Whenever we hear that little "pop" we all head for the hills, leaving the one holding him to get the full benefit of the moment. Even if you try to leave the area (with him), the "trailers" come right along and you just can't escape! How can this be? He's adorable, sweet, little and powerful.... Make no mistake, the experience is not to be understated.
Nancy and Doug introduced me to European hot chocolate... as thick as pudding. This was a first for Eryn, and she tried it several times, making sure the previous vender hadn't done something wrong! The particular bowl -- mmm - cup -- was a little "burnt." The one the night before was this best for her buds.
My fellow travelers. I expect Eryn to be a trooper, but was blown away by what a great little adventurer Brixy has turned out to be. We have thrown him 'round and about through France, Switzerland and Spain, and he comes up smiling! Feed him, change him, give him a cozy-warm place to observe and he's set for the long haul. He even came up smiling when EasyJet (gotta lov'em) delayed our return from Barcelona to Basel for hours - getting in about midnight to -15C - and he just goes with the flow. I suppose there are some of you who might say, "What choice does he have?" Well, I can name a few others who, if the flow isn't going their way, would have a lot more to say about it than a few "waa-waa's" before nodding off to sleep. (The "waa-waa's" were me!) I hope to get in a bit more traveling before Brix has learned the art of crawling and wants to be self-mobile... still depending on the external mobilization for transportation.
.... at least what was left of the appetizer. I think this was my favorite food during the trip: Fried fish with tartar sauce (somehow different than any I'd tasted) and an herb combo. We had a paella for dinner, which was pretty good, but I have to warn you about "American Soda," the restaurant. The prices were on the high side, and the waiters decided on their own "tip" -- we checked with the hotel about tipping and they were astounded at what the "American Soda" place took. Try one of the other places nearby -- much better prices and you get to determine your own tip!
The beautiful marketplace right off the Ramblas. Spectacular colors of fruits, candies, flowers, meats, juices, etc, were playing with our taste buds the whole time. If you go to Barcelona, be sure to catch this - it's not open on Sunday, so make sure you get there during the other 6 days. It's crowded and noisy and full of life and colors, smells and sounds and luscious things to eat.
This "monument" is absolutely incredible. No pictures can do justice -- you would need a thousand individual shots, and even then you couldn't examine the entire edifice. It seems like every square inch of space is decorated, molded, inscribed or sculpted. I'm left speechless just in viewing this amazing ... incredible ... outlandish ... remarkable ... ongoing work. Every side of it is another feast for the eyes; every layer is worthy of study.
This is the other kitchen -- they are either ultra-modern or entirely traditional. The heat from the wood-burning stove is shuttled out through a vent into the dining room to heat the area -- good "multi-tasking." This is the kitchen at Lenzburg Castle. It was once owned by a rich American, but the Swiss bought it back and run tours through it now. Good move, you tricky little Swissers!
What are you doing in Switzerland??? Cooking!! I know, it's not what I've done much of for the past... long time... but when I've left all my projects in Alec's basement, what else am I to do? I've run through all my "trusties" and am resorting to scouring the internet and even coming up with a few recipes of my own. This little room is where I spend most of my time -- outside of my room. Or is it the other kitchen?....
Beautiful little Colmar -- the quaint medieval town that has the BEST Christmas market! Everywhere you look it's charming and decorated and lively. It was chilly, so warm food was welcomed. We also stopped at an incredible museum with beautiful art and a whole level dedicated to the Savior and His crucifixion. There was one room of beautiful wood-carved, life-sized Madonnas. I'll post my favorite. This little town is a "no-miss" for Christmas Markets.
This cool walk down the mountain was really nice. We met a woman (American) who married an Italian and has lived in Locarno for the last 25 yrs. She was very nice and her daughter could speak English, but preferred Italian. The walk wasn't hard and the weather was pleasant - not too cold. We stopped at the monastery on the way down and wandered through it a little. It was closed for renovations (seems to be happening a lot for us) but it was still nice to wander around. When we got down to town we just wandered through the old town part and enjoyed the decorations and sweet shops.
This amazing old castle at Locarno was originally built in the 800s. There have been additions, etc, over the years so it was great to walk around and enjoy. Locarno is right on the boarder of Italy and Switzerland -- runs right through the lake. We took the tram up to the top of the mountain and the view was amazing.
I took the girls Christmas shopping for their parents over at Stucki -- the decorations in the mall were beautiful and we had a really nice time, shopping for each other and Mom and Dad. We found some nice things and the girlies enjoyed playing on the giant toys near the escalator. The Swiss love hanging rows of things -- notice the strands of lights in the background, right. I love it!
The Giles Christmas Village -- Addie's, Scott's and Tayen's. Scott even had smoke coming out of the chimney and a little choo-choo train in front with smoke coming out of the stack. It made the others look unfinished. Everyone had a great time making these -- Eryn was feeling a little competitive with Scott -- but where is her house?
During Christmas vacation we pulled out the Ikea packages for Gingerbread houses and had at it! Scott was helping Lyvi and the other two girls had a fantastic time. Addie ended up with the medal for the most candies ... they were everywhere. Tayen was very organized and orderly. Lyvi just wanted to eat the candy. Imagine that!
This is Brixton Scott FitzBasel Emily Giles!! He was born 14 October 2011 in Basel, Switzerland and weighed 8#6oz ... and made is entrance in 35 minutes! No time for epi -- just au naturale!! We adore him; love his smile, his gurgles, his blue eyes and the fact that he has now learned to close his eyes and go to sleep, without protesting the fact as loud as possible. As a 3-month-old, he's 26+" tall and is wearing 9-12 months clothes. I guess he'll take after his papa in height -- let's hope he also adopts his nature. He is adored by one and all, and hangs with Scott on the bean bag, watching a little "foohball." Go Stanford!
