Zurich: Family bike ride to Frau Gerolds Garten

J had today off, which was so lovely because the weekends are never long enough! Spontaneously, after breakfast, we decided to go for a family bike ride. Züri Rollt is an awesome bike sharing program throughout the city of Zurich where you can get a bike and helmet and baby seat (and baby helmet) for free! So amazing. Especially in a city where nothing is free - or even remotely affordable. ;)

When we first got Coco in the baby seat, I wasn't sure if she'd like it very much. But then she started checking it out and soon after, she relaxed and settled right in.

We rode through the middle of the city and Coco was having a great time chirping, squealing and babbling as we zoomed along. We stopped at Paradeplatz to take a few pictures and then we continued on to west Zurich for lunch at Frau Gerolds Garten. I've been wanting to check this place out all summer and today was the perfect day for it!

Frau Gerolds Garten is a super cool summer restaurant with a sustainable, eco-friendly mission. Much of the food is grown on-site in amazing raised beds right next to your table! And the kitchen, bathrooms and entire restaurant structure are made of recycled shipping containers. It's completely rad. 

Just next store is the Freitag flagship store, which is also made out of shipping containers. Freitag made some sleek, industrial benches for Frau Gerolds that really add to the cool feel of the place. I'd love to have one as a little seat outside our kitchen window. Don't you think they're cool? 

The food was very yummy. We had sausages and then we shared a summer salad with avocado, hearts of palm and sundried tomatoes on greens. But perhaps the best thing of all was the water. In Zurich, you never get water at a restaurant unless you order bottled water. But at Frau Gerolds Garten, there was fresh water with lemon, orange and mint out on the bar and you could drink as much as you wanted!

After lunch, we hopped back on our bikes and rode home just in time for Coco to have a nice long nap. I'm so excited to have a bike of my own with a baby seat. Family bike rides are my new favorite thing. Do you have a baby bike seat? Is it front- or back-mounted? I'd love to hear why you love it (or hate it! :) xo

Do you own a house?

Something that I daydream about often is being a homeowner when we move back to the States. We really love apartment living in the city, but we also know that someday we are going to be so ready to for a house with a garden and a big front porch and lots of space for our family and entertaining. A couple of years ago, when we were just arriving in Switzerland, getting settled and feeling good about staying, I saw the cutest house for sale near my mom's. 

As crazy as it sounds, I kind of wish we had bought it and rented it in the meantime! It's right across the street from a cute coffee shop and in the exact neighborhood I want to live in when we move back. I actually saved the photos from the listing (don't judge!) and I like to look at them every once in a while, daydreaming of pies cooling on windowsills, backyard grill parties with my mom and sisters and Coco's cousins, and walking the kids to school through crunchy fall leaves. Doesn't it just sound like heaven? 

I always become ridiculously attached to my apartments, but living in a house will be even more wonderful because it's long term. It's exciting to be saving every month for this big, adult step we will take in the next five years! If you're a homeowner, I'd love to hear your tips on house hunting, home buying and settling in. What worked well in the process? What would you do differently?   

Zurich: Orange Cinema

Last night J and I went to watch a movie outside at the Orange Cinema on the lakeside. We had no idea how awesome it would be! Orange Cinema is definitely less about the movie and more about the whole experience. Photos and more after the jump.

As soon as you go through the entrance, it's a mad dash to reserve a good seat. They hand out these clapperboard cards and you write your name on it and put it over your seat. The doors open two and a half hours before the show starts, but that's no problem because there is plenty to do in the meantime.

We got seats in the super comfortable reclined lounger chairs down in the front section, but not too close. Then we headed over to the bar for an Aperol Spritz.

Everywhere you go in the summer, you see people drinking these in Zurich. Nothing says summer like the bright color and bubbles of an Aperol Spritz!

It was so nice to have a long conversation and time to focus on each other. Naturally we talked a bit about Coco, but we also had a great time talking about other stuff. It was the best conversation we'd had in months!

We sat at the top of the stairs and took in the spectacular scene. It's so amazing that this entire outdoor cinema is temporary and recreated every summer. It is such a cool, chic summer experience.

As night began to fall it was time for the show to begin and the place took on a new feel.

Then snippets of songs began playing loudly to signal everyone to find their seats.

We got all settled in with our blankets and waited for the show to begin!

Then the moon rose up over the lake and it was gorgeous in the twilight and the crowd was buzzing with anticipation.

Then the screen came up and the view of the lake all around was stunning!

I was so surprised at how great the sound was considering we were sitting outside under the stars. A few times during the show, we saw lightning in the distance. It was amazing!

We saw Moonlight Kingdom and although we love most of Wes Anderson's films, we thought it was just so-so. Luckily, the Swiss prefer to watch films in their original language. At first, it's a bit distracting that there are German and French subtitles, but after a while you don't even see them anymore!

By the time the credits were rolling, the moon was shining brightly high in the sky and it was time for us to walk home. We will definitely make Orange Cinema part of our summer every year that we are in Zurich. It was completely rad! Have you been to Orange Cinema? Do you have an outdoor theater where you live?

4th of July in Switzerland

Yesterday was Coco's very first 4th of July. We had chili dogs at the neighbors and then we all went down by the lake to light off some fireworks and do sparklers. It's always a little weird celebrating the 4th of July outside of the United States, but we had a very fun and festive time, wore red, white and blue (my outfit was the neon version ;) and even encountered some fellow Americans out celebrating in Zurich.

More photos after the jump if you'd like to see. :)

Our gluten-free American flag cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh berries. Delicious!

Coco practiced getting up on her knees and then scooted all over the grass. Her white polo onesie was filthy when we got home! 

Naturally she scooted right for the desserts, but I managed to get this picture first! 

She had a great time and is very proud to be American! Apparently Geneva has a huge fireworks display over Lac Leman because there is such a large American population there. Maybe we'll head that way next year! 

What do you do to celebrate the 4th of July? Have you ever celebrated from abroad? xo

Zurich: Beautiful Old Doors

Tonight was a lovely warm evening so J, Coco and I took a walk through town. We enjoyed a nice little picnic dinner and then we strolled through Lindenhof. J is planning a photo-led scavenger hunt for his class. The idea is that within a boundary area and allotted amount of time, the children have to look for (and find!) 32 different doors, each unique and beautiful. As we strolled along looking for pretty doors, it was fun to see the area through a different lens and to notice all of the gorgeous exteriors and old houses. 

We saw people taking their dinner out onto their balconies, cats lounging on garden walls and people hanging out their windows smoking cigarettes. It was a great night to be out and on the way to the tram home, we saw the Zurich Musikkorps brass ensemble playing on the Rathausbrucke. Coco was blown away. 

I say if your baby has a late nap and wakes up at 5:30, don't bother fighting it. Just get out and enjoy your found evening. :) Here are a few of my favorite door photos J took. 

Zurich is such a pretty city. It's one of the things I love most about living here. What do you love about where you live? What makes it special to you?