SWISS FOOD - Primo Restaurant

primo!

I have started a new little Monday ritual where I go out for lunch every Mondy on my own. I have Pilates just before, and so am always starving afterwards but also need to do alot of errands after the weekend. So finding the Italian restaurant in Zugerland called Primo has worked out real well.

I avoid pizza and pasta - as our Monday night tradition is Meatless Mondays, so spinach and ricotta tortellini with red pesto is my go to dinner. And as I have just down Pilates I don't think I could (or should) eat a pizza. But I found that there Chicken Breast with Parmesan Cheese Salad to so yummy!

So if you are in a hurry, but trying to avoid take-away foodthis is a great restaurant to pop into whilst you do all your shopping...

SWISS PLACES
Primo Restaurant Pizzeria 
Since 1984 Primo has been the culinary meeting point for visitors to the Zugerland shopping centre. In addition to the specialties such as cheesecake, XXL Bratwurst and Rösti, guests can choose from a variety of Swiss and Italian specialties in the à la carte menu.

SWISS PLACES - Trampolino

jump, jump!

On Sunday, the girls went to their friend Keira's birthday party at Trampolino; and it is definitely worth mentioning not only as a great party venue but the perfect activity for a rainy day. As both of these applied to Sunday, the place was packed but it is huge and has ALOT of playing areas for all different ages; so it didn't seem crazy overcrowded!

Each party at the venue is given a table set with a colourful plastic cloth, plastic cups and plates and the great thing is you can bring all your own extra decorations, cake, food or they have a basic restaurant there that does kiddies favourites like chicken nuggets with chips and pizza! There is even a good cappucino for grown ups!

The activities are endless: trampolines, jungle gyms, mini carousels, a huge slide in the shape of a circus tent and even bumper cars!

I would definitely recommend this venue for an easy party especially if you want the kids to be 100% entertained throughout and literally just have to provide some food, drinks and cake and go home to a clean house!

SWISS PLACES
Trampolino

SWISS PLACES - Starbucks

sunday at Starbucks

Now that winter is just around the corner, I decided to start a Sunday tradition with the girls. We get to indulge in all the yummy warm and cozy drinks and treats that Starbucks bring out at Christmas. We spoiled ourselves with cute new Starbucks cups - Zara chose the glitter one and Bailey, the polar bear (of course!) and I tried their new Toffee Fudge Hot Chocolate. Plus, how cute is this little chocolate bag? So going to copy this for Christmas!

 

 

SWISS PLACES
Starbucks

SWISS PLACES - Jucker Farm

jucker farm

This is our third time to Jucker Farm and it is beginning to become a bit of an Autumn family tradition. The pumpkin displays are what make them famous (every year they decide on a theme and make huge statues out of pumpkins) but things like the hay bale jumping and pumpkin apple pie are becoming firm favourites with us too!

 

 

 

 

SWISS PLACES
Jucker Farm

SWISS PLACES - Zurich Theatre

a spoonful of sugar

I am so excited that I just have to share eventhough we will only be going in February next year. Mary Poppins the full theatre production will be on show in Zurich next year, and the performance will be in English - I can't wait to take the girls. The tickets are available now, and are quite costly so it is going to be part of the girls' Christmas presnets. Can anyone say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?

SWISS PLACES - Zurich Theatre
Mary Poppins

 

 

SWISS PLACES - Mauritius 2016

mauritius

This summer we were luckily enough to be treated by Liam's parents in honour of his brother's Sean's 40th birthday to a week in Mauritius. It was the perfect island holiday and we did so many great things: go snorkelling, try SUP for the first time, eating fine star meals all day but the highlight must be our bucket list item of swimming with dophins!

 

 

 

 

 

SWISS PLACES - Chilbi

chilbi

On Sunday, the girls and I visited a Chilbi (we went to the one in Rotkreuz but every town has their own one usually one weekend a year around autumn). This is a Swiss Carnival and it is the perfect activity for a sunny autumn afternoon. Here are some of our top highlights!

TOP THINGS TO DO:
1. Try your hand at traditional carnival games like Tin Can Alley and Balloon Darts.
2. The girls are too big now - but ride the carousel.
3. Shop for quirky and goofy trinkets like charchter crocheted hats and neon dream catchers.
4. A new find - customised cotton bracelets. They definitely did not have the girls names pre-made but it really did only take 5 miniutes each (like the sign advertised).

5. Eat "junk food" - bratwurst, hotdogy, racelette - so many choice, so little time.
6. Continue the binge with GROSSE spookasem (that's candyfloss in Afrikaans) and/or soft serve.
7. Dare to ride the bumper cars - we actually skipped these this year as it was fierce!
8. Last but not least buy the compulsory helium mylar balloon!

SWISS PLACES - Tennis anyone?

tennis anyone?

Just a quick post today, as I was up eraly this mornig ready to have my first lesson in tennis ever. If you are keen to play I can totally recommend the Tennis Club in Steinhausen. It was super easy to find, has free parking and it has a great atmosphere to it. 

Hopefully, I will be playing every week, so will be sure to share more tennis related details, but for a bit of Friday fun - here was my facebook commentary on my first day. 

One of my #40thingstodobefore40 is to learn a new sport. And if today is anything to go by I am going to need all the time until then as my first lesson started with coach Ron asking if I'd played tennis before. Luckily I didn't lie, as my racquet's grip still had the plastic on! #beginner #tennis

SWISS PLACES
Steinhausen Tennis Club

SWISS PLACES - Appenzeller Volkskunde Museum

appenzell
SWISS PLACES - 26 CANTONS

For our first visit to Canton Appenzeller Innerrhoden, we visited their museum which celebrates their canton lifetsyle in a beautiful exhibit. We unfortunately only arrived after 4, so were unable to spend as much time as we would have liked - especially as there are many interactive exhibits that are possible earlier in the day - including making your own cheese!

Some of our highlights included...

 

 Can you spot the giat cheese slice? It is actually a jungle gym!

 

Liam posing with a true Appenzeller.

 

How gorgeous are these cheese boxes?

 

A replica of an exact little Cheese Chalet that would be found in the AR mountains.

 

Zara eyeing out (or shoud l I say touching!) the craftmanship.

Now I had my eye on a giant cow bell. So need to get one!

Bailey loved the mini playground. Here was a cool puzzle, and there were lots of different wooden marble runs and even play-play cheese!

 

The gift shop has some lovely items: We had to get the cheese (of course), their traditional cookie and how stunning are the Alpfahrt paper napkins and placemats I found!

We didn't have time to go into the dairy, but will have to do it sometime soon, but the girls did have a few minutes to enjoy ice cream and the playground - cow-themed naturally!

SWISS PLACES
Appenzeller Volkskunde Musuem
Stein AR

26 CANTONS
And now we have earned our Appenzeller Innerrhoden badge!

SWISS PLACES - Swiss National Day Brunch

brunch

Three years ago, we discovered this awesome event that is organised across the whole of Switzerland for Swiss National Day - August 1st. All farms across the country have an Open Day where for a fee (35/45chf for adults, less for kids) get to enjoy a real proper Swiss breakfast on a farm.

All the details of brunch can be found on the website, but here are a few photos of the first time we went to a farm in Hunenberg - Enikerhof. The food was great and they had many entertainment options too: hayride around the farm, baby farm animals, a sandpit and live music.