My Swiss Sister

Twenty years ago, when I was attending 8th grade, my family hosted a Swiss exchange student. Her name is Daniela (Dani) and she shares a birthday with my brother, Lauren; their birthdays happen to be this week, September 1st (happy birthday, Dani & Lauren)! Dani is one year older than Lauren, and three years older than me. 

Dani lived with us for just under one year, and we had a relationship like true sisters…one minute we were best friends and the next minute we fought like real siblings. When Dani left we kept in touch irregularly, but with the creation of Facebook and Internet-based communication, we eventually connected on a more consistent basis throughout the years.

In 2009 Dani and her husband, Gunter, came to visit the US. It was so great to meet Gunter, and to spend quality time with Dani after such a long time apart!

Now, five years later, I find myself on Dani's side of the world for the good portion of a year. I now have Logan and Dani has two boys (Jonah, 4yrs & Eliah, 18mo). I am excited that I will get to see Dani and her family regularly over the next few months while we are traveling through Europe!

This past weekend Dani drove 7 hours from Switzerland to come visit us in Florence! She arrived late in the evening on Saturday with a huge box of goodies for the three of us. Dani is always so incredibly thoughtful and generous! She brought Logan some traditional Swiss goldfish crackers (his favorite snack back in the US). She also brought him a small game, and a book of puzzles with pictures of large trucks and rescue vehicles (his favorite too). She brought us a variety of swiss cheeses, chocolates, gorgeous Swiss Army knives for Taylor and me, and many more treats! What a fun box to open upon her arrival! 

Logan immediately considered Dani his friend after all the surprises! He took to her from the moment she arrived and by the end of the weekend preferred walking the street holding Dani’s hand over mine!

 

On her first night here I planned a dinner at our flat so that Dani could relax after such a long drive. I made some gemelli pasta with pesto sauce and ham chunks, along with a side salad. Dani really enjoyed the pasta and before she left to head home we made a trip to the grocery store so she could take some of the pasta and sauce home with her! After dinner and some wine we took Dani out to the Piazza della Signoria for our evening stroll. After enjoying some delicious gelato while sitting next to the Duomo, we called it a night. 

Because Dani came in her car, we all decided we should take a day-trip outside of the city and see someplace that we wouldn’t see otherwise. We chose Pisa for it’s famous Leaning Tower. 

The Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of Pisa. It is known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. The construction of the tower began in 1173 but took 199 years to be finished. The tower’s tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure’s weight. It has now been stabilized, but the top of the tower sits over 12 feet to the side of where it should sit if it were standing upright. It is actually a bit eery to see such a large and gorgeous stone piece of architecture tilting so much.

 

It took just over an hour from Florence to arrive in Pisa. There wasn’t much there except for the Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistry. We were all hungry when we arrived so we ate lunch outside at a restaurant with a Tower view and enjoyed large pizzas for only 4.50-euro each. 

Then we walked around and took pictures, did a tour of the side streets and souvenir shops, and took a walk through the inside of the Cathedral. 

It was a short visit to Pisa, but I think we saw all that there was to see. And of course Dani and I posed for the necessary cheesy picture of us “holding up / pushing over” the tower!

We headed back to Florence in the afternoon and went out that night to treat Dani to an early birthday dinner. We chose a place recommended by Rick Steves in the Piazza della Santa Croce called Boccadama Enoteca Ristorante. Dinner was amazing. Dani and I shared an authentic Tuscan beef stew, slow roasted in red wine with peas, as well as a large salad. Taylor had Tuscan pesto lasagna, which was also incredible. Logan shared with all of us, and he ate all the pear pieces off of my salad. We then walked over to the Ponte Vechio (Old Bridge) for the late sunset and some live music. Then we had to call it a night because Logan was a sleepy boy! 

Dani came over early the next morning before she had to head out of town. My boys were still asleep so I made each of us a homemade latte and we got to chat for awhile on our own. Thanks to YouTube I now know how to make espresso at home using the Italian stovetop espresso maker that was in our cupboard. I am very happy to have a way to make espresso at home! We are big coffee drinkers, and not having our drip coffee maker has been rough for us (I know, I know, you’re all thinking about how rough we have it here). 

Dani left town around noon after we hit the grocery store and a little panini place on the way back to her parking garage. It was great to see her and I can’t wait to see her again when she comes to visit us in Barcelona in October!