Geneva

[SueW]

There's an 80% chance DD and I will be in Geneva from Mon-Fri next week i.r. 7-11 April.

Anyone in Geneva (or within reasonable travelling distance, I hear the rail system is good) fancy meeting up for coffee and/or showing us around?

[monkey]

Hi Suew - sorry - can't make it to Geneva, but if you can make it to Basel, Berne or Luzern you might be on! (Mind you I don't know Berne that well, so you'd have to help me!)

I've never been to Geneva - pathetic isn't it? but I've heard it's really lovely. I'm now pg & have a 2 & 3 yr old so it's not really possible to travel all that way there & back in a day - 6 hr round trip I think. Hope you get to go though - when will you know?

Ooh, I've always wanted to go to a mumsnetter meet up!

[SueW]

I've just had a look on the inter-rail timetable website and from Geneva to Basel is approx 2:48 on the train. Leaving just before 9am would get us in around 11.30; departing at 4pm-ish, gets up back around 7pm. It seems rather a long time of travel to put DD/any child through though.

From Geneva to Bern is about an hour less.

If we met in Bern we might not have to go too far from the station to find somewhere to have coffee. I found this site quite helpful and there's even a map which has the various cafe-bars marked on it, in relation to the station!

I don't know any of these cities but DH is working in between Geneva and Lausanne next week and since it coincides with the holidays we thought we would try to get over. The 80% chance is because

• dd has an endoscopy and possible dilatation booked for Thursday in hospital here in the UK
  
  
• my passport is only valid until August and I have to check that the Swiss authorities will be happy with 3 months validity rather than 6.
  
  I probably won't book the tickets until Sunday afternoon because of wanting to be sure DD is ok - obviously travel insurance won't cover anything that results from the op.
  
  Would this be the first overseas mumsnet meet-up or did the Aussies or Kiwis get there first?

[monkey]

Yeah - I guessed around 3 hours each way so 6 hrs return - a bit much in 1 day. I'll dig out my map & see what's good half way.

[JJ]

Could I join in? Where are you, Monkey? I'm near Zurich -- if you all would like to come here, you could stay for a night (it might be a little cramped, but all the more fun). Otherwise Bern is good. Also, my husband will be in London later this week. Would you like him to pick up a copy of the book for you also? I'll pop it in the post.

If you'd like, you can email me at goochersmom at yahoo dot com.

[janh]

I'm not in Switzerland at all but often drive upwards of 2.5 hours each way to visit rellies just for the day.

Hope you all manage a meet!

[SueW]

JJ, you'd be very welcome to join in

Since we are only spending four nights there (and DH is out there for a couple of weeks) I think he'd spit the dummy if we went and stayed over somewhere else.

I like the idea of Bern as somewhere quite central although if there was any chance of being out there for longer I would happily tour.
I still haven't checked about my passport.

[monkey]

hi jj - that'd be great if you can come - more like a proper mumsnet meet-up than if it's just the 2 of us!
I'm in Basel - how long have you been near Zurich, and which side are you?

I thought there were a couple more Swiss mumsnetters?

[oxocube]

Am cursing!! Until 18 months ago, we lived in Lausanne and I would have given my eye teeth to have gone to a Mumsnet meet up. Now if you fancy Amsterdam ......!!!

[pupuce]

I'll be in Amsterdam saturday afternoon and evening... but it will be DH and I first few hours without kids for AGES!... planning a romantic time... any suggestion for restaurant (no too expensive!)???

Sorry... for hijacking Geneva thread... I know Geneva very well as well as SIL and BIL live near!

[oxocube]

Will look up on local sites re a restaurant Pupuce. My social life is so sad, I can't recommend anything romantic but will check! What kind of food are you looking for?

[oxocube]

Pupuce, I just checked another website for restaurant recommendations in Amsterdam and thought I would post before I forgot!! These are from expats living in or around Amsterdam and although I haven't been to any of them myself (sadly!!), they are all personally recommended by the posters.

Chinese: Oriental City near Dam Square
Italian: Il Sole Mio, Leidseplein
D'Antica, Reguliersdwarsstraat
Casa di David, Singel 426
Saturino, Reguliersdwarsstraat
Indonesian; Tempo Doeloe, Utrechsestraat 75
Golden Temple (indones. veggie)
Dutch: t'Fornuis, Utrechtestraat 33
Thai: The Royal Thai, nr Leidseplein

Hope this helps and have a lovely time! xxx

[pupuce]

Thanks Oxocube... I do know Casa di David.
I don't want Indonesian becasue we're eating there the night before....so anything else.... will be fine. I'll print off the list and show it to BIL !
Thanks

[JJ]

So what day next week? Monday I could come sans kids. Where should we meet? I don't know Bern at all.

Monkey, I'm in a small town halfway between Zurich and Winterthur. There is at least one other CH mumsnetter, LIZS. She's near Zurich, too, but on the other side of the lake.

Hope to see you guys soon!

[monkey]

I can't come any day without kids. I guess Wednesday is best for me as they are in playgroup Mon thur & Fri & on Tuesday I have to open the local family centre, so then is definitely out.

I don't know Bern either, tho' have been a couple of times - not so easy to pop into shops - lots os steps & it's cobbled, so bring comfy shoes & pushchair if poss/necessary.

Oh, i'll be coming by car not train probably

[SueW]

Wed would prob be best for me as I fly in on Monday, not arriving until Monday evening (I haven't booked the flights yet but have only one flight to choose from.

DD is well after her procedure today and flying/being away won't be a problem. Not 'cured' or even relieved of pain but well.

[monkey]

Hi Suew - glad to hear dd is ok what exactly did she have done/what's wrong? - maybe we could save it for any gaps in conversation on ...Wednesday?

[SueW]

Oh crumbs, if you get me onto that topic of conversation there won't be any gaps

Are we going for Wednesday then? Is that ok JJ?

[JJ]

Oh Sue, so she's the 5-20% that hasn't worked? Is she going to have to have another operation? My sympathies!

Wednesday it is. I'll have toddler from hell with me. Chances are that he'll be charming, but when he's not, he's not (the little girl with the curl thing). I'll be driving also. Any child friendly restaurants there? Any child friendly restaurants in Switzerland? There are some with play places, but the thing is everyone smokes! AGH. My elder son has discovered the whole asthma thing here. Charming. (Not the son who will be with me, he's fine in a caustic carcinogenic cloud.)

SueW, is there anything that's better for your daughter?

[monkey]

JJ _ I've just heard that sbb are doing a special deal if you book online onm the zurich-bern-geneva line I think - up to 75% off, so I'm checking that out.

[SueW]

We think she will have another op. Our consultant has suggested I talk to the specialist in London and the surgery may be re-done either laparascopically or open. Unfortunately open takes up to a month to recover from; lap took less than a week There's no better option than the srugery except finding a surgeon that has more experience than the one we are using. But he is the most experienced in the UK. I am concerned about going overseas for treatment for various reasons - cost can be horrific (the op in the US can run to $100,000); what if we get there and really don't like the surgeon? The lack of support of family and friends to hold hands whilst it's going on.

I have already fallen out with my brother this week over this. He has not been particularly supportive and I ended up swearing at him and slamming the phone down. We do argue in our family then make up (and no-one holds out for apologies cos everyone knows they were in the right LOL) but I am upset by his attitude. I also have an ongoing battle with my mum who refuses to accept this is an incurable condition and comes out with the* most ridiculous statements sometimes. My dad is very head-in-the-sand; my sister just gets upset; my DH talks the talk but doesn't really seem to want to get involved and hates hospitals.

So sometimes I feel like I'm on the longest uphill climb in the world. The only people I can really talk to about this are the consultants concerned and even though they know the theory, they don't live with DD bringing back her food, having spasms, etc.

Which reminds me to warn you - if we eat on Wednesday, which I'm sure we will - I will have to ensure I have a huge pile of paper napkins to catch anything that doesn't go down. Sorry. It can be a bit gross but that's the way we live

[monkey]

Suew - so sorry to hear that not only do you have probs with dd, and having to face surgery which in itself is very traumatic for you parents as well as the child, but that you are also having family problems becasue of it. That must be really tough.

Hope that the break helps you all escape/relax for at least a few days.

Regarding the trains, I stupidly didn't think that you would benefit from the offer too - which you can (unfortunately I don't think I can, despite the article I read saying it was valid from Basel it doesn't seem to be, but def. Geneva) You can go to the swiss rail site - www.sbb.ch and click on 'swiss federal railways' to get it in English, and the offer is called 'click & ride' or spomething, and you print off your own ticket. It's not changeable or refundable & you can only book 2 days in advance (or less), so that obviously is Monday, so you'd have to make sure you had access to a laser printer etc, anyway, it explains it all.

I might come by rail after all, even though I can't get a cheaper ticket, and if I do, I'll be due in at the main sattion at 11.11, platform 8.

[SueW]

I'm really, really sorry but we aren't coming now Not for another week, anyway.

I won't go into the full details of the 'conversations' that have taken place in this house this weekend - suffice to say DH had forgotten about the potential arrangement and there is some huge conference going on in Geneva and he is slumming it next week cos he didn't book his hotel in time... Unfortunately he didn't tell me this until after he had spent Saturday afternoon trying to find somewhere decent to put us up and then I spat the dummy at the price we'd be paying per night.

Things have calmed down today though and we are planning to fly out on Wednesday of next week and stay until the following Tuesday i.e over Easter weekend. Are you ladies still going to meet up? And if you do, will you be up for it again a week or so later?

What public hols does Switzerland have around Easter?

[monkey]

Sorry you can't come SueW - what a shame. I understand about the cost though. glad I haven't already bought my train ticket!

About meeting up anyway - dunno - what about meeting up in Zurich instead JJ, or just leaving it till the week after, although off the top of my head I'm not sure I'll be able to if dh is off work, but then it may be ok, as he'll only have the public hols off. I wouldn't be able to do Maundy Thursday (17th?)(best friends boy's 2nd b/day, Good Friday or Easter Sat/Sunday/Monday as dh will be off then.

Re: Public hols - I guess every Kanton is different, but as a general rule the world stops. Even on an ordinary w/e everything shuts at 5 on Saturday and nothing is open on Sundays, apart from some cafe's etc. Sunday is very much a quiet day, and I guess even more so at Easter. Sorry - I haven't got my diary in front of me - is this when you're talking of coming? Maybe all my waffle is totally irrelevant! (Not for the first time!)

[JJ]

SueW, so sorry to hear about your daughter! Is she scheduled for another op already or is there an insane waiting list? The lack of support from your family has to be horrible, also. And it's too bad this week didn't work out for you.

Unfortunately, I can't do it next week either. My MIL is coming on Wednesday and we're all leaving for Italy on Saturday. She's never been here before, so I'll need to stay around here and show her around. The Friday before and Monday after Easter are public holidays. As Monkey said, everything shuts down.

Monkey, would you want to meet up after the holidays? We'll be back on the 27 April. It's been snowing here this morning and it might work out better to wait until it's a bit warmer so that we wouldn't be limited to indoor things. Is that ok?

Sorry for the slow replies. We had a party this weekend, the dishwasher is broken and when I bit into an ice cream bar yesterday, my front tooth broke off (it was a crown, but still!). My eldest son left me money under my pillow, though... what a sweetie!

[monkey]

Ok JJ - I'll be about between 27th April & 16th May, so we'll be able to squeeze something in then maybe