Sailing!

I went sailing with a few of my coworkers last night. The company club has a boat docked about halfway to Geneva. The club has been on a waiting list for a spot inside the harbor for awhile, so the boat is still tied to a buoy outside the harbor. This means we had to paddle out in a very small little boat. It was a very tight fit for 3 people and backpacks.

The wind was fairly calm, so in typical Swiss tradition, wine was poured. A few minutes later the wind picked up, the boat tilted, the water came up to the windows on one side, and wine was spilled everywhere. It made for an exciting couple of minutes. All in all it was a good evening and I plan to go back out next week.

5 stores later...

...I found the bubble bath.

It seems like such a simple thing to find, but I went to three grocery stores, 1 department store, and a pharmacy before finding this. Then I got home and Rowan didn't even want the bubble bath that he had been begging for.

Documentation needed

Here is the documentation needed to get #3 setup in Switzerland and the US.

Switzerland

• Certified copy of my birth certificate (issued in the last 6 months)
• Certified copy of Emily's birth certificates (issued in the last 6 months)
• Certified copy of our marriage certificate (issued in the last 6 months)
• I assume we'll also need to show our residence permits, but that hasn't been on any of the lists I've seen yet

US

• DS-2029 (I think this is the "report of birth abroad" form)
• DS-11 (passport form)
• SS-5 (application for US social security number)
• #3's Swiss birth certificate
• #3's Swiss birth certificate
• My passport
• Emily's passport
• Certified copy of our marriage certificate

Both Emily and I will need to go with #3 (and probably #1 and #2) to the consulate in Geneva. I'm guessing 4-5 months before everything is done and we have a US passport and social security number in our hands.

Ireland: Day 6

On day six we drove the Ring of Skellig using Rick Steves' self guided tour. We drove from Portmagee to Waterville, where the kids had a great time playing on the beach. We also got two different farmhouse cheddars. I didn't get a photo of those cheeses. I like the mature and Emily like the regular. Emily and I also had great smoked salmon sandwiches.

We then drove to BallinSkelligs and visited an old monastery and castle. The then visited the Skelligs Chocolate Factory. The had free samples, which were appreciated by all. We purchased a package of hot chocolate that we'll try when the weather cools down a bit.

The road from there to Portmagee was very narrow. It was the worst part of driving in Ireland. The photo below is of Portmagee from the top of a nearby hill.

McCann Girls

The girls put their feet up for a little rest after having breakfast.

Cakes!

Emily's birthday was last Wednesday. Rowan woke up, said happy birthday, and demanded that they make a cake. They spent the morning making the cake on the left. I didn't know that they were making a cake, so I picked a cake (the one on the right) up at the local bakery. Since both of these items had eggs, there were also egg free cup cakes for Niamh.

The cake Emily and Rowan made was very good, but the one from the bakery was only acceptable. I think it looks much better than it actually was.

Switzerland Climbs World Ladder

From the Swiss embassy:

Switzerland ranks first in Europe and fourth in the world (behind the U.S.,
Singapore and Hong Kong) in global competitiveness, according to the World
Competitiveness Yearbook. The report was released on May 15 by the Lausanne-based business school, the IMD. This result marks a climb in two places from last
year’s yearbook, where Switzerland placed sixth overall. According to the report, Switzerland was a leader in economic growth, infrastructure and taxation; businesses in Switzerland benefited from the country’s health and education systems and from its traditional political stability. To hold its competitive edge in coming years, it will be key for Switzerland to invest not only in economic infrastructure but also in public infrastructure such as quality of life, security of private property, and sustainable development, according to Lausanne’s World Competitiveness Center. The IMD’s annual competitiveness study is now in its 20th year.

Airplane!

One of our favorite activities in Morges is to look at the planes as they head towards Geneva. In these photos Rowan is looking at what I think is a Saudi Airlines 747

Two acceptable cheeses

These two cheeses were acceptable, but nothing special. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to try them. I think I've decided I like white cheddar better than red/orange.

5 days? I can't believe it is that fast.

I had to send my passport to the embassy in Bern to get additional pages added to it. I asked how long it would take and was told that it would take 5 working days including transit. I mailed it on Saturday, so I should get it back on Friday. I can't imagine it can be done that quick, since the expedited service in the US takes something like two weeks.

Niamh: TMB (too much booty)

We went for a walk on Friday to listen to the music being played on the Grand Rue. Niamh's diaper was a bit full and wouldn't stay up, so every time she squatted down she showed TMB.

Oak Smoked

This was Emily's second favorite of the cheeses we tried in Ireland. I'm not a big fan of smoked cheeses, but I did eat my share of it. In fact, I think we had to go back to the store and get another package.

Ireland: Day 5

I messed up the order of the blogs. The activities below actually occurred on day 4 and the activities listed in the day 4 entry happened on day 5.

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We drove from Portmagee to Dingle, which took about two hours. We wondered around the waterfront for a few minutes before heading to the aquarium. It was small, but interesting. Niamh really enjoyed touching the sting rays. We then headed to the James G. Ashe pub for lunch. After lunch we headed out to follow Rick Steves' self guided tour. The distances in his book did not match our odometer, but they were close. Here are the highlights from the tour:

• Dunbeg fort
• Kavanaugh cottage- abandoned 150 years ago. It has a few artifacts and tries to show what life was like during the famine(side note: I listened to a radio program that stated that the Irish refer to that time period as a hunger, not a famine. There was plenty of food, but those in power sold the food outside of Ireland.) We ran into a small issue while feeding the animals that were part of the exhibit. Two of the goats stuck their head through the same small opening when trying to get some food and got stuck. It took them a minute, but they worked themselves out.
• More clochans (beehive huts)
• a beach
• Gallarus Oratory This is technically free, but the individual who owns the property charges you to walk across his property. Since it is more or less another clochan, we decided not to pay and went on our way.
• Church of Kilmalkedar- this is where the kids fell asleep and our camera battery died.

It took about 90 minutes to get back to Portmagee in the evening.

Tour de Suisse

I hadn't heard of the Tour de Suisse prior to moving here and barely heard anything about it when it was actually happening due to the madness related to the European football championship.

This year's race barely made it into the french speaking part of the country, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't hear much about it.

Swiss vs. US Orthotics (Orthosis)

I recently got new inserts for my shoes. The insert on the left in the photo is from the US. The doctor in Switzerland looked at it and immediately said that they don't make them like that in Switzerland anymore. The model from the US has hard plastic and is very rigid. The doctor in Morges says it is too rigid.

The insert on the right is from Switzerland and is much softer. The other main difference is that the inserts from Switzerland have a large ridge/bump in the middle so that more pressure is put on my toes. I guess my toes are not being used to support my weight, which could be a problem at some point.

The process for getting the inserts was a little different in Switzerland compared to the US. In the US the doctor held my foot in the desired position and took a mold. A few weeks later I had my inserts. In Switzerland they took a scan of my feet and then I stepped into a box filled with a foam like substance that I guess made a mold. Four days later I had the inserts. The US inserts are much more comfortable, but I'm not sure if that is because they aren't actually doing much support. The Swiss inserts hurt quite a bit. I plan on waiting a few weeks to see if it is just a matter of getting used to them or if there is an issue. My french lessons haven't really covered orthotics, so I may have missed something in the discussion with the doctor.

Ireland: Day 4

Emily went to Skellig Michael on day 4. It took about 90 minutes by boat and she got to spend two hours on the island. She was even allowed to use the Monk's outhouse because she was pregnant. She had been worried because there was a big sign at the dock on the island indicating that there weren't any toilet facilities.

She was thrilled to see the dolphins swimming by the boat on the way to the island.

The kids and I went grocery shopping and took a nap.

Gestational Diabetes?

Emily was tested for Gestational Diabetes today. It was three hours of drinking at least 16 ounces of sugar water, wanting to vomit, and having four vials of blood taken. The worst part was that she couldn't eat for about 11 hours. The test results should be back later this week.

The doctor's main concern is that Niamh was a huge baby, even though #3 seems to be normal size.

Snuggle Worthy

Niamh has finally decided that I'm worthy of being snuggled. The photo shows us in her favorite snuggle position.

Ireland: Day 3

On Day 3 we stayed near Cahersiveen. We visited the Cahergal stone fort (above). It is amazing how smooth the walls of the fort were. We also went to Ballycarbery Castle, but there was barbed wire around the castle to keep people away. Emily is a bit more hardcore than I am and she went through the wire(there was a spot where others had clearly done the same) and went up to the castle. She found it very interesting.

After a nap back at the house we went to the Skellig Experience Center on Valentia Island. There was a good video overview and we were the only ones there, so the kids could play on the theater steps without bothering anyone.

Anyone read Gaelic?

Many signs in Ireland are written in both Gaelic and English. The sign above is from Cahersiveen. The sign below is from a post office on Valentia Island.