Camden Visits the Zooooo!

Who knew? Basel has a great zoo! The zoo is practically walking distance from our house and has just about every animal you could imagine! It was the perfect place to take Camden.

He even got to pet some animals...
Nate wanted to pet the rhino, but it was just a little too far away!

One of our favorite things was the seal show!

One of my personal favorite animals... lions. They look so gentle here. Kind of makes you want to cuddle with them.

It looked like this bird was trying to escape...

And the same for this bear!

We all had a blast seeing the different animals.. including us adults!

But the next day was sad because the Denney's went off to France for a few days to visit our cousins...
And when they returned, we only had one more day to spend with them. :( So we just hung out it Basel and enjoyed each other's company.
It was so hard to say goodbye, but we had an incredible time with you and we are so glad that you came. Looking forward to seeing you at Christmas!!

You'll never guess!

You'll never guess where where we went first with my sister's family... the Swiss Alps! Okay, maybe you already guessed it, but come on, they are so beautiful and close, that who wouldn't want to vacation there!?

We took a train ride and Camden absolutely loved it. I lost count of how many times he said "train" and "choo choo" while riding. It was so cute!

Seth and Joy had already visited the Jungfrau region, so we decided to go to St. Moritz. Nate and I also went to St. Moritz when my parents were here. You can take a look and see the difference in the amount of snow! When we arrived in the afternoon, we took a quick lift up and went on a short walk.

On the ride back down, Camden decided to entertain the other passengers by "pole dancing." It was hilarious! Don't know where he picked that up!!

The next morning, we went to a higher place and had an amazing view. Notice Camden in Seth's back pack!

Here we are after hiking up to the very highest point. It was a bit colder at the very top and I don't think Camden liked that! (as you can see in this picture, he is a little upset!)

Our hotel was right next to a beautiful lake, so we just hung out there and fed some ducks! Then went for a walk...

The next morning we took a train ride to Diavolezza.
It is a gorgeous mountain range right next to Italy...

Camden was happy to see all the snow!

This wasn't exactly the safest place for children. Joy is making sure she holds on tight to Camden's hands, so he doesn't slip and fall on the icy snow.
The weather was amazing. Last time Nate and I came here it was a so foggy... you could barely see your hand in front of your face. We were grateful for the clear skies!

Sometimes Seth would run ahead on our hike... you can see him waving back at me and Joy. Is he waving for us to hike up faster?

At the end of our last day, we found an amazing park for Camden to run around and play. It was a little more child-proof. :)
Seth took some good shots of me chasing Camden... and I caught him!

Somebody wants to get on the seesaw...
But when he finally got on, he was a little disinterested or scared... not really sure which one. But Joy and I sure had fun... it went so high! I think it's meant for grown-ups.
After a wonderful and relaxing time together in the Alps, we headed back to Basel to hang out with Nate & Jake (Camden's new buddies)!

Meet the Denney's

Soon after Nate's parents left, my sister and her family also came to visit us!! Meet the Denney's, Seth and Joy. Being apart from my sister is hard, but not being around the cutest nephew in the world is even harder! Meet Camden. He is looking a little mischievous here in this picture. Don't worry, this is a pedestrian-only street! We didn't let him run around on the main streets... too much. :) On their first full day in Basel, we had beautiful weather. Even though they were a little jet-lagged, they wanted to see the Basel sights. Of course, we had to take them to our favorite fountain/photo-op in Basel! Me and Joy overlooking the Rhine. Good thing Seth and Nate didn't live back in the 13th century because they would have bumped their heads a lot! After walking around awhile, we needed a little coffee break. Or, for those of us who don't drink coffee, an ice cream break! Click on the picture to see little man's mustache. Hanging out in Basel's market square, Marktplatz. Camden was entertained by the trams that went through the square. We're not sure where he picked it up, but he said "tram" in a British accent. We never got tired of that and it made us laugh every time. Camden was also entertained just running around the square and playing keep-away. Camden's eye is on his daddy...

And he doesn't see Nate coming to snatch him up! Apparently, Seth thought it was really funny :)

After a long day, it was time to head back home. For some reason, all the adults were tired, but Camden was still going strong...running to keep up with Uncle Nate!

And that was day one with the Denney's!

Time to Say Goodbye

The weather during our time in and around Basel was not as nice as it was in the Alps. Here we are posing in front of our favorite Basel fountain under a cloudy sky.

My parents had already visited Switzerland, Germany, and Austria on this trip, but we also decided to take them France. We visited our favorite French town, Colmar.

The sun finally decided to make an appearance!

Of course, we had to take my parents to our favorite French restaurant. It is picturesquely located on the edge of the canal that runs through town. As we waited for our Tarte Flambe to be served, Maria enjoyed some local wine and the view.

It was worth the wait! I consider Tarte Flambe to be the French version of pizza.

After lunch, we strolled through town. Along the way, we ran into a Jack Russell puppy. The puppy wanted to play, but Jake thought the puppy was trying to attack him. Needless to say, our dog has some issues with new dogs!

Unfortunately, it was time for my parents to return home to Raleigh. It was great to spend some time with them and show them our "home away from home." However, being with them reminded me how much I miss them. I think they had a great time as well, because they're already trying to plan a return trip for next year!