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

On having a tiny baby.

Monday afternoon, I took Coco to be weighed and measured at the Mütterberatung, which literally means "Mother Counselor." Once a week, in each neighborhood's community center, midwives are available to answer questions and help with any challenges. It's nice, because often times you don't need a doctor, but you do need some reliable advice. The Mütter- und Väterberatung (it's for dads too! ;) is just one of the many awesome perks of having a baby in Zurich. 

This week, I actually went to a different neighborhood's Mütterberatung because Coco is always sleeping during ours. It had been ten weeks since she was weighed the last time and she wasn't growing out of any of her clothes, so I figured it was time. We got her on the scale, and I was more than a little shocked to see that Coco hadn't gained any weight all summer! In fact, she had lost 100 grams. Yikes! But the midwives were not concerned at all. They were more interested in whether or not she's trying to feed herself (she is; it's messy!) and if she's pulling up and crawling (definitely!) and if she's happy and active and has more teeth (yes, yes and yes - we're up to five!). Then the midwife pulled out the percentile chart and showed me that Coco is right there on the 10th percentile line. What a relief! And how fabulous. Maybe it's selfish, but I love having a tiny baby. She's so snuggly, so light and so easy to carry and hold. It's lovely having her be so small because then it doesn't seem like she's growing up quite so fast. Even though she is. Just look at her standing there. She will be walking without holding onto anything in no time! 

Having the Mütterberatung is invaluable because I might have freaked out over her weight unnecessarily. Having them there, I avoided a stressful couple of days waiting for a doctor's appointment and worrying that she's not eating enough. I'm so thankful for my healthy, happy, tiny baby girl! How did/do your babies measure up to the percentile chart? And what about you as a baby? Do you agree that those charts are just silly? ;) xo

Jana Manja Photography Special Offer!

Last weekend, we did a photo shoot with Jana Manja Photography and it was amazing! Jana is a local photographer in Zurich who specializes in families, children and babies. She has a beautiful website with sweet recollections of her sessions. We are thrilled with the photos she took and the time she spent with us. 

Jana has a special talent for making babies comfortable and happy while having their photo taken. Coco loved having her photo taken by Jana and was happy pretty much the entire time.

I am very excited to announce that Jana Manja Photography is offering Folio Rose readers a special discount package! To take advantage, send Jana an email with the subject line FOLIOROSE20. The promotion includes 20 Francs discount off of the session price and two extra retouched photos following your session. :) Fall is the perfect time for gorgeous outdoor shots. Space is limited, so contact Jana today. We hope you'll enjoy your photo session as much as we did. Thank you, Jana!

Hot Air Lanterns

Have you ever flown a hot air lantern? They are so breathtaking and magical! Today was Swiss National Day and we celebrated by going down to the lake where we grilled on the grass and watched fireworks. Just as night began to fall, some people next to us released three hot air lanterns. It was awe inspiring and absolutely beautiful.

Today also marks our two year anniversary of living in Zurich. We are so happy to be here. :) Happy birthday, Switzerland!

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?

Zurich: Monocle's Most Liveable City

My dear friend Kate, who lives in beautiful San Francisco, sent me this video from Monocle a couple of weeks ago. Since watching it, I can't get it out of my head. All along, I've known that Zurich is truly special. It's no exaggeration that I feel thankful for how beautiful and wonderful this city is every. single. day. But sometimes it can be hard to explain to people back home exactly why we love it so much. Not anymore! Here, in this six minute video, is a quick synopsis of all the nuanced (and obvious) reasons why Zurich is pretty much the most perfect city in the world. We are so lucky to live here!

Give it a watch and see what you think. We loved going to the badi in the opening scene before Coco was born, and the closing shot is in our neighborhood. Have you been to Zurich? Does this video make you want to visit? Or maybe move here?

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?

Zurich: Babu's Bakery & Coffeehouse

One of my absolute favorite spots in Zurich is Babu's Bakery & Coffeehouse on Löwenstrasse. Their coffee is delicious: I always get a hazelnut latte macchiato. And they have fantastic food: My favorite is the Parma Schinken sandwich, which I think we'd just call a prosciutto sandwich in English, but in German they call it Parma Schinken. Isn't Schinken a funny word? Not to be confused with schminken. Look that one up and have a laugh. ;)

Today Coco and I went to Babu's with my friend Nina and her daughter, Lilja. We had a table outside that was just perfect. When we arrived, it was overcast and cool. By the time we left, it was full sun and blazing hot. It's amazing how the weather here changes from one hour to the next. In fact, it happened again this evening and went from sunny and warm to dark, stormy, windy and pouring buckets in less than 30 minutes! It must have something to do with the Alps. Regardless, Babu's is ridiculously charming and reliably yummy whether you sit inside or out. If you're in Zurich, don't miss out!

Zurich: Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen

Tiefenbrunnen, the best badi in town, is just a few minutes walk from our house in Zurich. "Strandbad" in High German means "beach". The cute Swiss German abbreviation is "badi". Now that the badis are open again for the summer, I took Coco today to the actual badi, with the frog pond filled, the drinking fountains and showers working and ice cream for sale in the Badeboutique. The badi is a true paradise in the summer. There are a cafe and grill, showers, changing rooms, bathrooms, lockers, huge expanses of grass to put your towel or chair out on, a little shop that sells ice cream and rents out umbrellas and impeccably maintained steps that go into the water (no algae!) and floating docks (no bird poo!) all looking out on the most gorgeous Swiss alpine view over the lake. Wow! I honestly can't imagine anywhere more wonderful that Badi Tiefenbrunnen in the summer. Seriously. It was one of the first places we visited when J and I first moved to Zurich two years ago, and it's extra special to me because I swam there nearly everyday while pregnant last summer. So it's no surprise that it positively filled my heart with joy to take my little Coco there today. She seemed to enjoy it immensely.

In the winter, Badi Tiefenbrunnen's gates are open and you can walk through whenever you please. On several occasions last fall and winter, I took Coco for a walk in the wrap or Baby Bjorn and we went through the badi. Every time I took her there, I talked to her. I explained how wonderful it would be when summer came. I looked around at the fallen leaves, dark sky and cold misty water and snuggled her close thinking of all the times we swam together and how good it felt to swim with my big belly being caressed by the satiny water, before I knew if she were a boy or a girl, before I knew her sweet face. On those winter walks, I'd point out to her the buoys, as they swayed up and down in the water in the dark silence of a winter's eve, and explain that that's where I used to swim to with her on those summer days. 

Now I know that darling baby who was in my belly all that time. Now she and I can go to the lake together and swim with one another, as mother and daughter. Now we can lie in the shade of an umbrella on the cool, green grass and look together at the mountain view I spent so many hours gazing at while she kicked inside of me. Now the summer we have been waiting for finally begins. 

I hope you have a fantastic weekend, wherever it takes you. Coco, J and I will be at the badi. :)

Zurich: Haus zum Rüden

One of our favorite ways to spend an afternoon in Zurich is to walk along the lake into town and then have a cappuccino at the bar at Haus zum Rüden, my favorite little bar in town. It's tiny, stylish and great for people watching out the large front window that overlooks the Limmat.

Last week we went, and Coco fell asleep as we were walking along by the lake. By the time we sat down and had ordered our coffees, she woke up to join us. She was happy to play with her toys for a while, but then we had to get out of their in a rush when she started to fuss. I don't think the older couple at the other end of the banquette were too impressed with her squawking and crying. Oh well. They were babies once, too!

It's a quieter spot, and normally we have the place to ourselves. If you're in Zurich and would like a cute little spot to have a coffee right in the middle of town, you should check it out. I highly recommend it!