Family Reunion

The morning started with a beautiful two hour drive to Schaffhausen with the whole lot of us in two cars. The scenery was full of luscious green fields, mountains whose tops were still snow laden, and quaint wooden houses and barns. Almost the whole family (minus two cousins) gathered together first at a restaurant, where we ate a great brunch. The spread was incredible: fruit and birchermüsli; cheese, smoked salmon, salami, baloney, and bread; bacon, hash browns (Swiss style), and made-to-order omelets; and for “dessert” we had chocolate mousse, caramel pudding, and strawberry yogurt. The food was amazing and reconnecting with my cousins and aunts and uncles was wonderful too.

After the brunch, half of the clan drove to my uncle’s house, while the other half of us trekked through the city to the house – going through a fortress called Mounot. We climbed up to the top of the fortress and saw an excellent view of the city and the Rhein below. I love the leisure of being able to walk 15 or 20 minutes through a beautiful Swiss city to get to where we need to go. It truly is a pleasure that I miss when I am in the States. At my uncle’s house we sat around catching up with each other for a while and eating more dessert.

A couple cousins, my sister, and I sang a jazzy Happy Birthday song for my grandmother (who turned 80) accompanied by the ukulele. Hannah then yodeled, which started the Schmidt brothers and sisters singing through different yodels with their mother (my grandmother). It was so special to hear them sing together as a family and join in with a few songs that I knew. We then watched a slide show that my dad put together of old photos coming into the present. Hearing the siblings talk about the funny stories and memories that the pictures evoked was great to sit back and watch. It was so relaxing to be with the family and I thoroughly enjoyed the company and reconnecting with my cousins again – making plans to see some of them again before I leave. I’m sad that I cannot stay longer, but such is life… It does prompt me to think about when I can come back for longer, though...