Flumserberg

Well, I guess we have fallen a little bit behind on the blog.  We still don't have the story of R's school trip, she wants to write about last Sunday, and she took another field trip today (you'll never guess where!). Considering she has half days on Wed, Th, and Fri, Monday is a day off due to a shooting holiday, and she is excused from English and Latin, when is she learning? She is supposed to be keeping up with Geometry at home, but her math teacher has borrowed her textbook in order to see what she is doing.

There is a beautiful long blue lake down there.

Today T, L, and I went to Flumserberg for a hike.  I thought it would be a good choice for a couple of reasons. First, it is a fairly short train ride - just over an hour, but with two quick connections so we are never on one train long. Then it is a long cable car ride up the mountain, but the kids usually like those, so I wasn't counting it as part of the travelling time. The other reason is that there are several stroller friendly trails. I think their website says, "No one has to stay home!"

Look at that nice easy path!

L steals the Batman hat

We went all the way up the mountain and did what was supposed to be a one hour loop around the summit.  It was more like 40 minutes, and that includes lots of drink breaks for T (even though he was in a stroller), changing him into his sweater, and taking pictures for some people.  The thing that really slowed us down- while I was taking the pictures, T got out of the stroller. He knows he is supposed to ask first.  L was still sleeping in the back and her unbalanced weight sort of flipped it and she rolled out into the dirt. She was a good sport about her rude awakening, but she thought it might be best to walk for a while after that. BUT she only wanted to walk if she could hold hands with T who was riding in the stroller again.  Very slow going. But even going so slowly, we finished so quickly compared to the posted time. I have read that is usually the case, but until today it hasn't been.  I was surprised and was left wondering how to fill the time until the cable car lunch break ended.

Walking and strolling while holding hands - not easy!

We went back down to the middle station where there is a huge air trampoline to play on.  T did shockingly well on it, but L wanted to play, too.  That was pretty impossible, since she wanted to play alone like T and nothing else would do. I tried all sorts of ways to play with her on it, but she had an epic tantrum anyway.  I had to totally scrap our plans for another walk. Instead we went to a cafe and had drinks and yogurt made from the Flumserberg herd's milk. Eventually L calmed down, but only just in time for us to catch the train home.

The cushion that L couldn't conquer.

It was a tiring day. L has decided she hates trains. T refuses to walk. Wherever we go, he is almost constantly crying, whining, and going limp like a protestor while claiming foot, ankle, or leg pain.  It's so annoying.  He was in a stroller all day! And he was complaining when I asked him to get out and walk a flight of stairs so I could carry the stroller to the train platform! I asked him straight out if he was lying about the pain. He admitted it but decided to try again anyway not long after.  I told him it wasn't going to work. He accepted that and didn't say anything until we got off the train at our stop and he was told I needed him to walk up the hill. He was suddenly stricken by agonizing stomach pain.

I m doing my best to acclimate the kids and to make sure there are lots of breaks and fun things to do. I guess I just have to keep trying.