TschentenAlp in the Bernese Alps

Last year when I was searching for a potential gondola or cable car to ride up to a Swiss mountaintop, I needn't have looked much farther than our own backyard from where we were staying in Adelboden.  It doesn't offer views of the Jungfrau or Matterhorn or any other famous Alpine peak, but the ride to TschentenAlp was incredibly beautiful and very affordable (especially when compared to the ride up to Jungfrau, the "top of Europe," which costs 125 CHF - more than $125 - per person!)

Just a short walk up this village road
will get you to the TschentenAlp gondola.

The price of the TschentenAlp gondola is only 10 CHF per person under 16, and 17 CHF for adults.

Ticket booth for TschentenAlp.

Upon disembarking the gondola at the top, you can put your skis on immediately and ski to your first run (lift ticket prices are in another post), or you can rent sleds to take down the 1.3 mile toboggan run - it has a 975 foot descent.  Return quickly by chairlift and then try the 1.2 mile intermediate level toboggan run.  There's also night sledding by floodlight every Saturday.

The Tschentenalp sledding run.
Photo courtesy of www.tschentenalp.ch

Prices for sledding are:

Morning pass (9am - 12:30) 24 CHF for adults, 17 CHF for kids;
Afternoon pass (12pm - 4:30pm) 24 CHF for adults, 17 CHF for kids;
All day pass (9am - 4:30pm) 30 CHF for adults, 22 CHF for kids;
Night sledding 24 CHF for adults, 17 CHF for kids (or if you have a valid ski or sledding pass for that day, night sledding is only 10 CHF for adults and 5 CHF for kids);
25% off for groups of 10 or more and families of 3 or more!

Sled rental prices are:

All day:
30 CHF for an Airboard with helmet
15 CHF for a toboggan

The Skibock was invented
in Adelboden.

10 CHF for a Skibock

Half day:
18 CHF for an Airboard with helmet
10 CHF for a toboggan
5 CHF for a Skibock

Do you know what a Skibock is?  I had never seen one before, but it sure looked like fun to me.  It's a seat, with shock absorbers, mounted on a single ski.  I thought maybe I had never seen one because we don't live in a snowy climate, but I'm not sure many people have heard of these - they were actually invented in Adelboden!

If this is all too much activity for you and you'd rather just relax and drink in the majestic glory of the surrounding mountains on TschentenAlp, several choices are available.  There is a bar in a glass igloo a few steps from the gondola station:

Very cool igloo bar.

There is also the newly renovated Berghaus Tschenten Restaurant with a terrific panoramic terrace.  The restaurant offers daily specials, Argentinean barbeque, and a quality Swiss wine list.  Every Saturday night there's raclette and fondue.  A large children's playroom and an outdoor slide ensure fun for the whole family.  Berghaus Tschenten also offers overnight accommodations.

Cable cars to TschentenAlp in Adelboden, Switzerland.

Photo Friday: Lovely Playa El Salón in Nerja

The coastal town of Nerja in Spain has at least ten beaches, or playas, and one of our favorites to visit last summer was the genuinely lovely Playa el Salón.  

To reach Playa el Salón, just follow the inlaid path which leads off to the right of the Balcony of Europe and you will soon see one of Nerja's informational beach signs indicating you've arrived.

My kids immediately climbed to the top of this cool rock formation by the water and demanded a photo of the achievement:

The beach sand is a bit coarse, but at least it's not shingle, and the Mediterranean water was a nice, mild temperature on this hot July day. 

I love the way the building below is built into the cliff - I think it's a bar, however I can't imagine why it would be closed in the summer.

My daughter and I found it quite picturesque.

This is my Photo Friday link-up post to DeliciousBaby.com.

Reunion Party

Ready to make Swiss fondue!

On New Year's Eve last weekend my daughter threw a Switzerland reunion party to celebrate our trip last year with her Girl Scout troop of eight girls to Our Chalet, the international program center for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in Adelboden, Switzerland.  Fortunately all seven girls were available to come over to our house and they spent the evening watching the handycam videos from the trip and recalling the good times.

Wanting to make the memories as authentic as possible, my daughter and I planned a full Swiss menu for the party despite having never attempted any of these dishes before.  We got lucky with the results, too, considering we pretty much just used the first recipes that popped up on Google for Swiss fondue, Glühwein, rösti, and crepes!

We used Gruyère cheese purchased from the supermarket (not readily available in every supermarket around here, I discovered!) for the fondue and dipped cubed French bread and baby potatoes.

I found a non-alcoholic recipe for Glühwein (mulled wine) that was quite tasty:

Rösti is really just hash browns with cheese.  What's interesting is that when we were served rösti in Switzerland it was more of a baked casserole, but in all the Google recipes I looked at the shredded potatoes were pressed and flipped in a frying pan with butter.  We tried it this way and it was scrumptious:

As for the crepes, I learned you don't need a crepe maker at all.  A frying pan works perfectly well.  The batter was simple and we even made it the day before and kept it in the refrigerator until we needed  it.  A little Nutella, whipped cream, and strawberries and the girls were in heaven.

Lastly, I made each of the eight girls a memory photo book as a gift.  I used Snapfish.com, but after taking a look at Shutterfly.com I think they might have more layout options and embellishments.  This being only my second attempt at creating a photo book though it's probably better that I stuck to the simpler design program.

Have you ever made a photo book on-line?  I'd be interested to know what program or service you used and if you recommend it!

Sylvester in Switzerland

Fireworks over Adelboden valley in Switzerland last year.

New Year's Eve is called Sylvester in the German speaking countries of Europe (as well as in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Wikipedia) in honor of the saint and Pope Sylvester I whose feast day is December 31st.  

Europeans generally purchase fireworks to celebrate at midnight, and last year on New Year's Eve we were in Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland.

Fireworks for sale in Adelboden.

We went out to dinner at a Pizzeria Trattoria Alfredo that evening and then returned to Our Chalet for some festivities.

There was dancing:

And games:

 And food:

And Glühwein by a snow campfire.

Good times.

Photo Friday: The Artisan's Market in Granada

In a narrow little alleyway right near the Cathedral in Granada is the colorful and historical Mercado de Artisanía, or Artisan's Market.  Any kitschy little Spanish souvenir you might like will probably be at its lowest price here, but you'll also find some very unique Moroccan-inspired gifts such as textiles, lamps, tea sets, rugs, and even hookahs:

Don't worry, your kids won't know what these are.

Tea for sale.

I love this picture of my daughter in this bright shop!

Veer off the main alley to see shady little squares where local Granadans live in their beautifully tiled buildings:

The Mercado de Artesanía was an old Moorish silk market for centuries, where the Moors were granted permission to make and sell silks even after the fall of Granada in the 15th century.  In 1843, however, the market was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt to its present state.

"Which one would you choose?" my daughter asks my son.

This is my Photo Friday link-up post to DeliciousBaby.com.

Travel Gifts for My Travel Gal

Just look at my travel gal on Christmas morning!  Wearing her new Paris-themed pajamas (from Target), holding her new destination pillows (from PB Teen) and our new Around the World board game (from Barnes & Noble).

Frohe Weihnachten

Frohe good wishes to all this Weihnachten season!

Teach Travel With Toys

How cool is this?  Nanoblocks for kids that build Neuschwanstein Castle, Mont Saint-Michel, and Sagrada Familia!  I love the many toys on the market this time of year that inspire young people to learn about our world.  The LEGO® Architecture line of products is another great 3D construction toy and features many of the world's iconic buildings and monuments.

We had a talking globe when the kids were little and they played with it all time.  These usually teach geography with spoken clues and fun quizzes to reinforce learning.  You can never go wrong with a jumbo puzzle either.

I especially like geography board games, and this one, "Around the World" was new to me this season so it's currently wrapped and under our tree.  We'll probably find time to play it next week over Christmas break.

Here are some other great gifts for Christmas.  I found them all at Barnes & Noble:

Photo Friday: The Flavors of Italy

Colorful and inspiring, the food markets in Italy are a such a delight to browse.

This is my Photo Friday link-up post to DeliciousBaby.com.