Gradma & Grampa's Visit

Dear Family and Friends,

After a couple of weeks exploring England, Julie's parents came to visit us in France. Everyone was very excited to see them, though it didn't hurt that they came with presents and American food.

The Matterhorn

On their first day, we celebrated Nicolas' birthday. Nicolas received a scooter and some additional sets of Legos. Between him and Nathaniel, we now think there are enough building materials to replicate a full-scale AT-AT walker.

Nicolas' Birthday

The following day, Joe took off work and we prepared for a short trip to Switzerland. That evening, Julie, Joe, and Mom and Dad Tams went to Aix-en-Provence in order to go out to Le Passage, a favorite French restaurant. Mom and Dad particularly liked the dessert, which was a chocolate cake with chocolate sauce in the middle. However, for some reason, there were no takers for the Foie Gras or the cheese plate.

Spring Waterfalls

The next day, we embarked on our trip to the Swiss Alps and to our home base in the town of St. Niklaus. Julie had booked us into an apart-hotel with room enough for all. Nicolas and Nathaniel enjoyed not having to share a bed, as is sometimes the case in our travels. In the evening, we went into Zermatt and found a nice restaurant. The Swiss food and portions were great. For dessert, we had apple strudel and frozen lemon delight, which we shared among us.

Images from Gornergrat

The next day, we went back into Zermatt and were very pleased to find that the Matterhorn was completely visible. Of course, we snapped as many pictures as we could before the afternoon clouds rolled in and obscured the view. We then took a train up to Gornergrat summit at over 10,000 feet. Walking the short distance from the train to the lodge gave everyone a small lesson in altitude. During lunch, we occassionally were distracted by the spectacular views of the Matterhorn and the glacier running through the valley below us.

La Famille Onstott

On the way back down the mountain, we stopped at Rifflealp to let the kids play on the playground located on the grounds of the resort. Meanwhile, Joe took the opportunity to walk up the trail, where he encountered melting snowbanks, waterfalls, and spring flowers. He and the kids even caught sight of a couple MROUS' (marmot rodents of unusual size).

Cailler Chocolate Factory

After all of our walking around, we decided to treat ourselves by going to the Cailler Chocolate Factory. Cailler is one of the oldest brands of Swiss Chocolate and the original factory continues to operate in a very quaint and picturesque valley. We took a tour that began with a disney-like history of chocolate. Though this part was impersonal, it nevertheless gave us a very good understanding of how chocolate, and perhaps more to the point Swiss chocolate, came to being.

At the end of the automatic part of the tour, we arrived inside the factory itself. Here, there were bags of ingredients, like roasted cocao beans, cocao butter, and various nuts used in the production of Cailler's products. We also watched machines extrude the chocolate, cut it into candy-sized morcels, and then be covered in chocolate. At the end of the line, we got to taste the newly created candy.

At last, we arrived at the real purpose of our visit, the chocolate tasting area. Here, there were numerous trays filled with various milk, dark, and filled chocolates. Some of the favorites included those with carmel centers and truffles. By the end, we had all eaten our fill!

The Castle of Gruyere

As we searched for a different way to get back to the main road, we caught a glimpse of the Gruyere castle. Not being one to pass up an opportunity to explore, Joe drove up the hill to the the small connecting village.

The Village of Gruyere

The village was an ideal stopping point for an after-chocolate lunch. After surveying the choices (and there were many), we decided on a restaurant with a view of the hills. All of the adults had a traditional Swiss dish called Rösti, which consisted of hashed brown potatoes, vegtables, bacon, and Gruyer cheese.

Lunch on the Terrace

Quelle Belle Fille!

Unfortunately, as we ate, the clouds delivered on the threats they had been making all afternoon and it began to rain. This became a terrential torrent of water after a short while and all we could do was take shelter under the awening of a sixteen-century woodshop. Joe decided to set off down the hill to try and bring the car closer.

Taking Shelter from the Rain

At the bottom of the trail, Joe took a short break along with some cows under the protection of a large oak. While the cows looked pitiful, we all looked much worse by the time we were all safe in the car. Still, it was a small price to pay for having had good weather for our visit to Zermatt.

On the way home, we passed the time by playing the story game. In this episode, George the sheep fell into a vat of chocolate and was saved by the snake before being cut into candy-bar sized pieces. Unfortunately, poor George then landed on a conveyer belt that was headed to the oven. Dun-dun-dun!

Bonne Semain!

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, Nathaniel, and Grandma & Grandpa Tams