Pre-Festivities Photos

Getting in the Spirit

The merriment here happens on December 24, which is tomorrow, so I really wish I could get into the feeling. I mean, Cyril and I decorated the Christmas tree this afternoon while he hummed carols and then we made cookies. If that doesn't get your Christmas groove on, well...
At least I don't feel the urge to bawl my brains out on the phone like I did last time I was abroad this time of year. Sorry, Mum + Dad, you'll have to have a normal conversation with me this time.
Maybe the groove will start grooving when we're singing carols together tomorrow night. Or, I don't know, opening gifts. (Interesting fact: in German, the word "gift" means poison)

Little boy big boy.
(At the museum a while ago)


He loves holding hands.


Amount of light when I arrive at work.
From now on everyday will be a little brighter...


Phantom trees.


Chilly I say!


"OH... All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"


I want to wear my mittens at the table.
(Robin and (finally) Danielle)




Frohe Weihnachten.


The kids made me a Lebkuchen for me for Christmas.


Oliver's Christmas Concert.
It was actually fantastic (especially compared to our Christmas concerts where the songs were near unrecognizable and don't even get me started on the recorder pieces)


Christmas cheer.


The cat, whom I want desperately to snuggle me.


My very own elf.

Day after tomorrow, Copenhagen yes please thank you much. It's one of Cyril's favorite cities on the planet and I hope I like it a lot too.

Oh, Paris

Comme C'est Magnifique!

I have just been slavishly wrapping gifts for the last four hours. That's right, like a slave. The past few years I've been all about the wrapping, but today, deadlines were getting in the way of my groove. Not that getting the parcel to the post office by 6pm on the 21st of December will ensure it arrives in Canada for the 25th, but I thought: the sooner the better, right? So that is over with, but I am much poorer for it.

This is going to be a scenic-heavy post, folks, so you can relax and enjoy. Listen to some Christmas tunes while you're at it. I recommend: Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas (any of the Volumes I-V).

PS. Remember: click = bigger.

Les Galeries Lafayette
(same as above photo)




Scaring away the pick-pocketers in the Metro.


Oldest house in Paris!
Note the Chinese restaurant in the bottom.


Sundown at 3pm...


In front of Notre Dame.


Spooky little hut in the forest.


I can tell it wants to be sunny.


Petit pain au chocolat.


Palais de Luxembourg.


Man with gun on horse statue.


Oh that old thing...


Best 1 out of literally 14.


This is how the Eiffel Tower got to be where it is today.


I went a bit overboard, yes.






La Seine


We saw the sun rise on the way home. It's not something one should see too often.


It was a gorgeous ride, though.




Castle on the mountain in France.

Now, I don't want anybody making cracks about Cyril and his run-in with the customs, because that is not funny yet, but here it is:
On the way home to Switzerland the customs come round on the train looking for passports, but one family kept insisting "no passports". Don't speak English, don't speak German, "don't speak French" (we suspect they did). The 4 children start crying "help please" "no Irak" and when we get to Switzerland they won't get off the train! It ended in the father being taken away in handcuffs and the train being delayed for an hour. Yikes is right.
It's a wild ride over here, I tell you.

Start of Christmas holidays: check.

Strasbourg Once Again

Capitale de Noël

I pulled out the Christmas music a while ago. It was brilliant.
I'm out of funnies today. Except here's something (it's not funny though): one of the few words Robin can say used to be "no" in Swiss German, except he doesn't say it anymore. Now he says "no", "nope" and "nuh-uh". The other cutest thing in the world he does is trying to say "ciao" and it coming out "dow".

PLUS a little something special from:
Goodbye Fairbanks


Olivier, Dave, Ben, Ricardo

I'm not sure if I ever informed my readers that you can click on the pictures to make them bigger. Well, if I didn't, now you know. Click = bigger.

Paris - super mondo excited. Copenhagen - going to be insanely excited, after Paris. By the by, I'm going to Copenhagen after Christmas.