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Our European Christmas
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  • Katrina Parker

Our European Christmas

What a special trip this is to celebrate Vern’s 50th Birthday. Read more
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    Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    A Sad Goodbye

    January 8, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    I am writing this blog update from Frankfurt Airport after a very sad goodbye to all the Karallus’s. We had such an amazing time with them for three weeks. So much was shared. So much love. And so much fun!

    Memories were created that will be with us all forever. The kids did not want to leave but unfortunately our wallets ensured that we must. It’s much harder leaving when you have no idea when you will be back. Hopefully not too many years till our next visit.

    We had a great ICE train ride to Frankfurt Airport, with a check in desk for Lufthansa at the station, eliminating the need to endure the main check-in hall. Due to there being plenty of seats to Haneda, we got boarding passes straight away, and all of us seated together! Always a bonus for the Parker’s. Nobody but us at passport control so we wizzed through and had a brief snack whilst we waited and watched the planes. A very relaxed departure so far

    Oh and dad, the aircraft is a B747-800. Vern tells me that Lufthansa was the only carrier to buy that model.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Last full day

    January 7, 2019 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    Well here we are at the end of our trip. Today was our last full day and we spent it shopping!! Not anywhere near the scale that Kyles’ does but I was pretty happy with the shoes I bought. Vern got a new north face jacket and the boys bought a great t-shirt and hoodie from the big sports store.

    We had our last lunch at our favourite spot on the Rhine and discussed how great the trip was. Nobody wants to go home, but I told the kids we were totally out of money.

    It is going to be so hard to say goodbye knowing we will not be back for quite a while. Fingers crossed Philipp and Katrin might come to Australia in the next few years. We will really miss them.

    Tomorrow we head out to Frankfurt on the ICE train and start our trip home.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Birthday Cake at Sonja's

    January 6, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Today was a slow start with the big traditional German brekky followed by an unpack from skiing and a partial pack to head home.

    Silke arrived about lunchtime and then we all headed to Sonja’s house for the famous Black Forest cake for Vern’s birthday. Karla spent a few days preparing her famous birthday cake especially for Vern. Three other distant cousins joined us and it was such a wonderful afternoon with 5 different cakes in total and yes I sampled them all!

    I totally love the way the Germans have turned coffee and cake into a whole meal on its own. Unlike in Australia where everybody holds back because of the calories, in Germany they all just dig in and enjoy not just one slice, but one of everything!

    It was so wonderful for Vern to enjoy some time with his extended family that were his age and to exchange stories. They also made me feel so welcome. We all can’t wait to come back one day.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Fiescheralp to Cologne

    January 5, 2019 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    Today we had to leave behind the stunning Swiss Alps we had all fallen in love with. The snow groomer collected all our luggage and took it as well as Jonathan and Will, to the cable car for the trip back down to the valley. It had started to snow which we all felt was just magical.

    After a quick stop at the supermarket Vern drove us out of town, through the beautiful towns in the valley, to join the queue for the train through the Furka Tunnel. It was now snowing quite considerably and with all the school holiday traffic we had to wait an hour before getting our slot on the train. Such fun on the train and it does feel a little strange to be moving along at such speed without doing anything.

    The snow was really coming down when we exited the tunnel and as we had a very steep descent with many hairpin bends coming up, Philipp drove from there. Wow was it steep and icy on the descent down the mountain. That’s why you have the winter tyres! It was quite a learning experience for Vern and i as Philipp explained all about driving in the snow and ice. The snow just kept coming down, and didn’t stop till we were north of Zurich. We passed some snow groomers clearing the motorway in the other direction but our side had quite a bit of snow.

    We stopped to see the Rhinefalls but due to the snow, and more importantly ice, the paths down to the falls were closed. We walked a little way down but it was steep and the second half of the walk had a sheet of ice over it so back to the car we went.

    At about 10pm we all arrived back safely in Cologne after an amazing week. One we will all remember as a very special experience with some very special family. Lochie said he loved it so much that skiing in Switzerland may even be better than going to Bali. A big call from the kid who adores Bali.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Bettmeralp

    January 4, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ -7 °C

    Today was a picture perfect day yet again! After another superb brekky Katrina, Philipp, Nikko, Jonathan, Ethan, William and Lochie headed out on an adventure to ski across to the next village of Bettmeralp. Louise wanted to practise her skiing here so Vern stayed with her. I took the cable car to the valley, the train down 4 stops to Betten and then another cable car up to Bettmeralp, to meet them for lunch.

    Although it was the long way around it was very relaxing on my own and I really enjoyed the view on the train and then to enjoy another village.

    Bettmeralp is much larger than Fiescheralp with more restaurants, shops, Chemist and teller machines. Probably 4 or 5 times the size of Fiescheralp and therefore much busier. Absolutely spectacular scenery though. And maybe a bit more posh! For many reasons I think I preferred where we stayed.

    Kids did incredibly well on their big adventure with no complaints or cold fingers, just lots of great skiing according to Philipp and Katrin. We are so grateful to Philipp ad Katrin for all the time they have spent teaching our boys and taking them on ski runs that we could not.

    Lochie and Will say that skiing is right up there with going to Bali and maybe even better! I guess we will have to come back.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    And more snow grooming!

    January 3, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌙 -13 °C
  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker
    1

    Snow grooming!

    January 3, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌙 -13 °C

    Well today started out with a couple of cranky boys but ended up awesome. The boys had a brief ski after brekky but then decided to play in the snow and have a few runs on Jonathan’s sled. After just missing a few skiers the boys decided to head back inside for a bit which gave Vern and I a bit of time to ourselves. We took advantage of the deck chairs outside our hotel restaurant and enjoyed the sun with some morning drinks. It had warmed up to minus 8 by now so we settled in with the complimentary blankets and soaked up the amazing view in the sunshine. We just reflected on how awesome this holiday has been.

    Katrin offered to take our boys on the big chairlift run last thing in the afternoon and of course they jumped at it. Problem was as the temperature started to drop again lochie had cold hands and feet but Katrin sorted him out whilst Philipp and Vern helped me arrange something I had wanted to do all week. Snow grooming! You can book to go with one of the many snow groomers who groom those runs every night. They are huge pieces of machinery but we were told they only accept guests on Monday’s and Wednesday’s. That didn’t deter Philipp who convinced the man in charge to give me a go cause I had come all the way from Australia! It was amazing!

    The guy I went with really only spoke Swiss so that did limit some of my questions cause he only spoke a small amount of English and about as much German as me, but we muddled through.

    Wow the view from the top was breathtaking but boy are those ski runs steep. You felt like you just dropped straight down. So steep that the groomers have to hook on to 1km long cables to stop them sliding down the mountain. The photos don’t do the experience justice but it was absolutely a bucket list experience.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Ski Jumps

    January 3, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ -12 °C

    Here are a few photos that Katrin took yesterday when she took them skiing. The boys found a couple of little ski jumps and had a go. Probably best I wasn’t there.

    Al - I have included a photo of the empty fireworks boxes from NYE just for you.Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Coldest Day Ever!

    January 2, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ -7 °C

    Well today we had all the weather features except rain. When we got to brekky, not only could we not see the Matterhorn (our normal view) we couldn’t even see the t-bar next door! It was -3 at that time and lightly snowing, and it only went down from there. It did fine up with sunshine at lunchtime when it was about -4 but at about 3pm the wind picked up. The snow was being blown everywhere but lochie and will wanted to keep skiing with Philipp and Katrin. So after another trip down to the hill to the blue run, they headed up to the 4 person chairlift for one last run down the mountain. Thinking that that side of the mountain would be out of the wind. They were wrong, it was blowing a gale!

    They all came down safely and did really well but lochie was frozen solid and a bit upset cause his hands hurt so much. When we looked up the temperature it was -7 degrees with a 30km/hr wind, giving it a “feels like” temp of -16 degrees. This was the first time I was cold in my ski gear. Philipp said it was the coldest he had experienced in 30 years. Just like Siberia he said.

    We thawed out Lochie’s hands in the bathroom sink, by slowly raising the water temp till he was ok. His hands were always full of colour but just cold so no harm done. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same so we will add an extra layer all over.

    William and lochie are doing so well with the skiing that they have to ski with Philipp or Katrin cause vern won’t go on the runs they go on. As the runs are so big and so far away, they must go with a adult. If we go skiing again this is something we will need to consider.

    Another fantastic day.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    First serious full ski run

    January 1, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ -4 °C

    Yesterday Katrin told lochie he was ready for a full ski run from the big chairlift. So first thing this morning lochie was practising his parallel turns on the t-bar run so he was ready whenever Katrin was free to take him. Philipp decided that will and Vern were ready also. After lunch they all took the t-bar then had to ski down a fairly steep section to the 4 person chairlift (the Fiesch chairlift). Then up they went almost to the top of the Eggishorn! I have included the map so you can see where the went.

    From there they made their way down following behind Katrin one at a time. Turning when Katrin did and loving every minute of it. They came down the blue run 74 and joined the 75 then back onto the trainer run. Katrin and the boys left Vern and Philipp behind cause they were slower so when they got to the bottom Vern and Philipp were nowhere to be seen. They did catch up with them on the second run and all arrived together! Yes I do think Lochie’s skiing ability has surpassed Vern’s now. Quite an achievement after only 3 days.

    And again we had picture perfect weather!    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Happy New Year!

    January 1, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ -5 °C

    Happy New Year from the Swiss alps! We had an awesome 5 course dinner with great wine, followed by an awesome fireworks display right outside our hotel. What a way to see in 2019! A NYE I will never forget.Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Eggishorn

    December 31, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ -3 °C

    Well it’s NYE and we are on top of the world! Another fantastic morning of skiing and even better now that Katrin, Nikko and his friend Ethan arrived last night. Louise had a brief go again today but seems skiing is not her thing, but it is for the boys! They can’t get enough of it.

    I had so much trouble getting them to stop for lunch but I really wanted to go up the next cable car to the top of the Eggishorn which is at about 9500ft. It was a perfect day but we did get a little cloud at the top. The Altesch glacier is amazing. I could have watched it all day. We had lunch in the little hut at the top but pretty pricey, particularly in Swiss francs. We had a good look around and watched some skiers take off from there down the side of the mountain. Philipp and Katrin went up a little later than us and skied down. They are both awesome skiers.

    Can I just mention how wonderful the Hotel Jungfrau is. The rooms are just basic but the beds we really comfy, clean and the food is great. But the real winner is the staff. The owner is here working from before brekky till late at night, and nothing is too much trouble. All the staff go out of their way for you regardless of how busy they are.

    We did see the Air Zermatt helicopters a few times today doing rescues and retrieval’s for people that had injured themselves on the slopes. What those guys can do is amazing.

    The afternoon consisted of more skiing from all three males and all really improved dramatically. Lochie would not stop and went right till they shut the t-bar. Then just about collapsed. Those legs were so tired he could barely walk.

    Tonight we have a special NYE dinner but first the guys are all in the bar at the teepee which you can see on the webcam. Apparently its the place to be.

    Happy New Year everyone!    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Fiescheralp skiing

    December 30, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ -5 °C

    Another successful day on the slopes today. It was cold and lightly snowing this morning after our fabulous brekky but we pushed on and the weather improved as the day went on.

    The kids had their first private ski lesson and progressed from the magic carpet run to the t-bar run. Lochie doesn’t believe in turning. Just straight down for him. Lou had a stack coming down her first t-bar run with the instructor and hurt her knee, but after lunch and a bit of rest she had another go this arvo. The boys just didn’t stop all day to the point lochie could barely walk when he took his ski boots off at 5pm.

    The difficult part is between 5pm when it goes dark and 6pm when the restaurant opens for dinner. We went through a pile of potato chips and chocolate in that hour. I will organise something better tomorrow.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Fiescheralp

    December 29, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ -8 °C

    Wow where do I start regarding today. It was just so amazing. You see pictures of the ski resorts in Switzerland but they are so much better than I imagined and photos do not do them justice.

    We left cologne at 1.30am and drove in the dark till the sun rose at about 7.45am and we were greeted with the most amazing vistas. Just mind blowing with picture perfect weather.

    We drove the car onto the train which took us through the Furka Pass tunnel and we then drove through the valley to Fiesch. Parked the car and loaded all our luggage into a large trolley that came with us on the cable car to the top. I don’t even know how to describe the view from Fiescheralp at the top. I felt like I was on top of the world looking at a postcard. It was a total bucket list experience.

    The snowplough/tractor took our luggage as well as louise and lochie to the hotel jungfrau where we quickly settled in, after a fantastic lunch. Lochie could hardly contain the excitement and although we hadn’t planned to start skiing till tomorrow, lochie would not wait. So we booked them into ski school from Monday but got the three kids a two hour private lesson for tomorrow to get them underway. But even that was not good enough for lochie who wanted his skis on now cause he had come here to go skiing! Vern and I agreed to give them a go with help from uncle Philipp. Lochie nailed the basic snowplough on the magic carpet on the beginners hill in 20mins, and the other two kids had it after about an hour. They all just loved it and wouldn’t stop till the sun started to set.

    Now I am going to go overboard with the photos here and will text some videos, but they really don’t do the place justice. Although I don’t ski I know I will come back here cause just sitting outside is such a wonderful experience.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Day of packing for the ski trip

    December 28, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Well there is not much to report today as we slept in and then commenced the big repack into soft bags. Yes all that ski gear into 4 soft sports bags for the five of us. But it’s all done and the car is loaded! Lochie had one last look at his skis before they were loaded.
    We are all set. Into bed early to get a few hours sleep before leaving at 0130am for the big drive. Kids taking pillow and doonas to sleep cause Philipp wants the cabin cool.

    Let the adventure begin!    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Rudesheim

    December 27, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    Vern and I had a date day!!! Thanks to Philipp and Katrin who took the kids for the day so Vern and I could go to Rüdesheim.

    The kids went to a trampolining centre and then shopping at a toy and sports store. Lochie bought these awesome Nike soccor boots with the spending money he was given for Christmas. I just hope they fit by the time soccor season comes around!

    Vern and I left early and caught the light rail and two trains to be in Rüdesheim by lunch. it was so so cold. The whole valley was in fog and the trees on the top half of the hills were all frosted over. It’s the only time in Germany so far, that I have been really cold. We walked through the beautiful old part of the town but quite a bit was closed now that Christmas is over. We found a great Italian restaurant for lunch and had a sensational feed. A special day for the two of us.

    Tomorrow is all about packing for the snow!    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Boxing Day or 2nd Christmas

    December 26, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    In Germany today is known as the second Christmas and unlike in Australia, all shops are still shut. Even the bakeries.

    A long sleep in and a slow start was the order of the day with brekky that happened at lunchtime.

    Philipp and Vern went for a long walk on the Rhine whilst Katrin and I took the three youngest boys to the climbing centre to burn off some energy. We also checked our helmets and goggles ready for our snow trip on Saturday. This made for some fun bobsled impersonating.

    Karla joined us at home for afternoon tea and then dinner where we sampled cheeses from all over Europe. It was quite the tour!

    Another wonderful day spending time with wonderful family.    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Cristmas Day

    December 25, 2018 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    What a magical day we have had with our German relatives for Christmas. After an extremely late night last night (like 0130 this morning) we did all sleep in till about 9am but I still felt exhausted. With a slow start we watched Philipp prepare two geese for Christmas dinner at Sonja’s. One in his oven, and one in the neighbour’s oven. 4.5 hours on low heat. It was soooo worth the wait.

    Karla joined the three families for dinner in a beautifully decorated dining table as we had goose, red cabbage and potato dumplings. This was boiled potatoes that were then mashed and then mixed with something soft and rolled into balls. My kids called them potato balls but that doesn’t really do them justice. I can’t really explain goose but the meat was so soft and tender and was more like duck than turkey. Kyles I think you would love it.
    It was stuffed with plums and then covered with a beautiful gravy as it was served. The meal was enjoyed with great wine and conversation in both German and English depending on who was talking, but everybody was so understanding of my lack of German.

    For dessert Sonja made a mascarpone and Katrin made chocolate mousse. Both were sensational!

    It was so special to see our kids play with Sonja’s kids even though they didn’t know one another. Hide and seek outside in 2 degrees in the dark was loved by all. My boys didn’t want to leave.

    Tonight we are in bed at 10.30pm which is early by European standards but we are all exhausted. Tomorrow is boxing day but the Germans call it the second Christmas. I am hoping it will start with a sleep in.

    Merry Christmas everybody! Xxx    Read more

  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Christmas Eve cont..

    December 24, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C
  • Katrina ParkerOur European ChristmasKatrina Parker

    Christmas Eve - Frohe Weinachten

    December 24, 2018 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    Tonight is Christmas Eve, the holy night in Germany. We started out the day with an early (well early for our European timetable) trip to the bakery at 8am. So many wonderful treats there but my favourite is still the Laugenstangen, which is the same dough as a pretzel but in the shape of a hot dog roll. Then cover it in philly cream cheese. Just divine! Perhaps this is why my jeans are getting too tight!

    We then slowly decorated the most beautiful Christmas tree with the Karallus family and got ready for church. We walked to the Protestant/Lutheran church and the tree and choir were just beautiful. The children performed a beautiful play and musical numbers. The service went for about a hour and then Philipp arranged for us to climb up the bell tower. Wow what a magical view. The whole experience was amazing. The village was so busy and flat out until 12 noon and then everything went quiet and Christmas began.

    On return from church Philipp told the children to go straight upstairs and that the family bell would be rung when it was time for them to come downstairs. Philipp lit all the candles on the tree whilst Katrin lit all other candles around the home. The room had such a magical atmosphere complete with classical music. The bell rung, the children ran downstairs and whilst they opened gifts, us adults drank champagne whilst indulging in chocolates and cake. I could really get used to this.

    Philipp and Katrin prepared fondue for dinner. I always thought of fondue as cheese or chocolate, but I have learnt that it is actually a form of cooking. So with the oil boiling in the pot we dipped in cubes of Angus beef to cook. The meat was so soft and tender and with the beautiful sauces, was amazing. Kids thought it was great fun and lochie just loved it cause it was an all meat meal!

    With more gift unwrapping, wine, beer and music, the evening went by so quickly.

    Thank you so much to the Karallus family for sharing their German Christmas traditions with us aussies and for making it so very special.

    It is 1.30am and we are now off to bed. Frohe Weinachten. Xxxx    Read more

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