Sushi for lunch, noodles and baos for dinner. Not traditional, but damn good.
Tag: family
Zurich trip in a nutshell
We took our first family vacation that didn’t involve going to see family in over 4 years, and our first Swiss vacation ever, and spent 4 days/3 nights in Zurich. At first, we weren’t sure if we were going to cancel at the last minute. Not because of covid-19, but because Ben came back from scout camp super tired and grumpy and we didn’t want to spend an inordinate amount of money going somewhere else to have the same arguments we could have for free, at home. In the end, we decided to go and at least Katy and I would try and have a good time – which we mostly did.
We drove up from Morges. Initially, we were going to take the train but it worked out pretty much the same price and take the same amount of time to drive/park or take the train – and we’d be able to listen to music and wouldn’t need to keep masks on for the whole time. We made decent time, and only got turned around a bit before getting to the hotel and their well-hidden parking. The hotel was super nice, and super conveniently located, but also super expensive. Well, ok for Switzerland, and we did have two adjoining rooms separated by a door so we could shut the child in his own room. This turned out to be a mixed blessing, because of course he binged on the always-on internet, didn’t go to sleep until stupidly late and was therefore tired and grumpy all the time, woohoo!
On Monday, we did a quick reconnoiter of the general area, walked around the chinese garden, picked up information for a lake cruise and went to dinner at the hotel’s teppanyaki restaurant.
On Tuesday, we went to the zoo, which is one place Katy has been wanting to see ever since we moved to Switzerland, and even more so since one of the tigers ate a keeper. The zoo was really nice, but the visit was kinda sorta marred by the small one, who kept whining about being tired and wanting to go back to the hotel, and then having a complete meltdown when we didn’t buy him all the stuff he wanted us to get him from the gift shop.
After the zoo, we went on an evening dinner cruise on the lake. That was brilliant. Good food, good wine, gorgeous weather, and Ben wasn’t a shithead.
On Wednesday, we went to the Bahnhofstrasse and the old city to have a proper exploration. Again, the child was uber tired, uber cranky and uber wanty, so … we don’t speak of that day anymore. It was also a bit annoying that the main train station is under serious renovation, so we couldn’t really see it.
Saving grace for that day however was meeting Mira in Zug for dinner at a really great little tapas restaurant. Zug is also very cute.
On the last day, we discovered a nice little shopping center where Ben desperately wanted to go to a game shop (that also has branches in Lausanne), but there was minimal drama and then we headed home.
So, in the end, Zurich is very nice, very expensive, I had a great time with Katy and I could have done without the child’s shitty moods. But we kind of expected that.
All pictures here: https://www.flubu.com/blog/pictures/zurich_aug_2020
A rare good moment
There are times when we actually do have fun together. They are few and far between. The rest of the time is pretty much a full-on screaming shit show.
We are a dysfunctional family
Some people see the current covid-19 lockdowns as a way to build memories and spend quality time as a family. We see this, filled with dread, as a situation that can lead to murder or alcoholism.
As much as I love my son, he is being a giant shithead. Everything needs to be a confrontation. Everything needs to be yelled instead of spoken. We are, apparently, the most unfair idiots that walk the earth and exist only to pay for shit, frustrate him at every turn and make him angry. He, in our opinion, exists only to make stupid random noises, do whatever the hell he wants when he wants to, do nothing of what we actually ask of him and can’t grasp the simplest of concepts like don’t chew with your mouth open, close the light when you leave the room and leave the fucking cats alone.
So yeah.
We’ll either need lawyers or doctors, or both (definitively therapy) by the time this has cleared up.
Random parent picture
New Year’s Eve lakeside walk
Katy, Ben and I went to the lakeside just before New Year’s to see if we could spot some of the fireworks from Lausanne or Vevey.
Bowling madness
The Côté family cultural plan 2018
Blue Man Group, Lausanne, January 11
Kodo – One Earth Evolution, Geneva, March 14
We’ll need to get the child some ear defenders, but I think he’ll get a kick out of both shows.
And, for the grown-ups only, an evening of burlesque in Geneva this coming November.
When we were young…Â
And carefree, and had hair.