Mhamo & G-Daddy come to Town!🌍❤

A Whirlwind of an Adventure

** Full disclosure: this post is long and probably full of way more photos than the average person cares to see, but here it is regardless. Happy Christmas!

It was 5:30 am and I found myself standing in the front of our gated church building asking God to grant my parents a safe flight home. I had taken my parents to the airport at 4:00 am Wednesday morning, and just like our wonderful three weeks together, everything went smoothly, and although it was a bittersweet goodbye, I held off the tears until I was walking away. I am so grateful to have had this time together, and am looking forward to the “see you soon” that I know won’t be too far off.

As I walked out the airport doors, I caught the bus to head home, and got off at a slightly earlier stop than usual. I walked past the long block that bordered the parameter of the base where Alexis works, and as I got to the end of the street, I crossed the road to stand right in front of our church. The beautiful thing about where we live, work, and worship, is that it is all very close in proximity, and reminds me of life in a small town, but with the perks of a city. Poznan is truly a gem.

I said my prayers in front of the church building, crossed myself, and headed toward home. Meanwhile, the few early birds heading to work around me didn’t bat an eye. It is nice to be in a place where public prayer is not a turn off. It’s beautiful.

There was so much to reminisce about on my commute back home, because, goodness, these past few weeks have been magical! So, let’s begin! 😊

Welcome to Poznan!

My parents arrived in the afternoon on a Thursday, and we were so thrilled to pick them up, that I could hardly stand it. I had worked on an itinerary for while they were here (of course I did- you can’t take the wedding planner out of the girl 😉). I didn’t want to overload our time, but knew that I needed to do some prep so we could enjoy the sights. My parents had also mentioned wanting to go to Switzerland because of my dad’s family history that is there, and conveniently, Alexis also has quite the family history there as well. I had planned to take them to several sights around Poznan, then, the trip to Switzerland, and our final stop would be Krakow. I also wanted them to simply experience life here with us. So, we spent several days taking turns or going all together to take Otis to school, and pick him up again. We hopped the tram every morning at 8:30 am and headed toward school, and then we would walk the short 1.5-ish miles home, and occasionally stop at one of two of our favorite coffee shops: Café Crème or “Cafe B” (Bagieta Baguette & Coffee).

We spent our days chatting, laughing, and showing my parents how we grocery shop here in Poland… yes, it’s different! We ate at a few of our favorite restaurants: Dubrovnik, Restaurant Rosalie, Parle Patisserie, and the trip would not have been complete without visiting one of our hang-outs: The Surfing Cowboy. We even got a gig for my dad and I when they *hopefully* come back in the spring. We have become social friends with the owners, and we go to lots of events there. They had just opened up when we arrived in Poznan, and because the owners are an American/Polish couple, they have become the “safe house” for all the American soldiers, and other English-speaking transplants living in Poznan. They host paint parties, dance nights, and have regular concerts… the guy definitely knows music, because my dad couldn’t stop gushing over his epic stage and sound system, especially considering it’s in a relatively small venue.

Fortunately, the Christmas Holiday was gearing up when my parents arrived, and they got to experience several Christmas Markets with us. We enjoyed the charming displays, amazing vendors, pristine antique children’s rides, and of course, just a little mulled wine. 😊 The Christmas markets here are unreal! They put our little craft bazaar's to utter shame. Haha! Also, everything is SO kid friendly! This is something that struck my parents. I tried to explain it, but it just can’t really be understood until you are here, I think. I have never in my life been to a place that was what I can only imagine life was like in the 50’s and 60’s. My dad felt like he had been transported back in time to his childhood growing up in Seattle where kids maneuvered public transit on their own to and from school, shops and eateries had spaces for kids to play, people offered up space for the elderly, children, and pregnant women on public transportation, and there is a general overtone of family friendly oozing from, what I can only attribute to a life infused with Christ. I could go on and on about this, but I’ll stop. Needless to say, what a wonderful environment to raise a family in. I have travelled every corner of the Unites States, and nothing has ever felt quite like this…this is what I have a feeling I will miss most from here.

We enjoyed about a week together in Poznan and they tried to catch up on some sleep and adjust their bodies to the 10-hour time difference. We then packed up and made our way to what has become one of the best trips I have ever taken.

Switzerland!

Switzerland. What can I say? You were the gift that kept on giving. We stayed at this INCREDIBLE hotel called, Hotel Uto Kulm. The November months are full of lots of fog in Switzerland, so part of the reason I chose this hotel was because it sits at the highest peak in the city of Zurich above the fog. Additionally, the rooms were fabulous, the grounds were unbelievably cheerful, and the staff was very friendly. Honestly, this place was gushing with more ambiance than my little décor loving heart could handle. (Side note- if you need a travel agent, I am thinking about going into a new venture… I have been crushing it!) Kidding! I probably just jinxed myself.

They hotel was conveniently located at the foot of our train stop, and we were able to get around smoothly because there was a main train line that took us straight from the hotel to the train depot, and then the depot to the airport. It was awesome. On our last day we invested in the rental lockers for storing our luggage so we could explore a little more. That was handy, and those should be everywhere!

Anyway, we got to the hotel in the evening on a Wednesday, and unfortunately, the fog was so thick, that we couldn’t see too much, but hoped it would clear up at least one of our days. We had to hike up a little hill to get to our hotel, and then once we arrived, we were met with a rich holiday glow and a festive display. Pictures are truly the only way to describe it, so I have put some here. The days went on and cleared up and we got some pretty incredible shots.

Thursday arrived, and we went out to explore the Old Town in Zurich. We had some delicious food, went to some great shops, and saw some beautiful sites. We topped the night off back at the hotel where we had made reservations for dinner. This happened to be on Thanksgiving so my parents treated us to a lovely dinner, and the best part was, no clean up!!

Day 2: Bodio

Then, after a great night’s sleep (the beds at this place were fantastic!), we headed back to the airport Friday morning to pick up the car we had rented for two days. We wanted to do a couple of excursions, and we found after our trip to Montenegro, that having a vehicle for specific and personalized trips was the best way to go. Plus, with having Otis, being able to maneuver at our own pace was very stress relieving. We got the vehicle and headed towards the southern border of Switzerland. We had a 2.5-hour commute ahead of us to reach our final destination of Bodio. Bodio is the village where my dad’s family on his father's side comes from; my dad’s great grandfather moved from Bodio to America. My family name before it changed going through Ellis Island was Scottini. The Scottini’s are Italian transplants who lived in the southern part of Switzerland, when Switzerland absorbed the northern portion of Italy.

The journey to get to Bodio was full of fog at the very start, but then, after going through a long tunnel, we launched out to the southern side of the country and were greeted with clear skies, majestic mountains, and about a 20-degree shift in temperature. The mountains were like nothing I have ever seen before… and that’s saying a lot for this Alaskan kid. I know we have some of the most spectacular mountains on earth in Alaska, but they are much vaster and farther away from civilization. Sure, we have our mountains we hike in the city, but the impressive and mouth-dropping characteristic of the mountains in Switzerland could probably be attributed to the fact that people literally *live in* the mountain range. The entire country seems to have just been one big mountain that some crazy engineers thought to themselves, “Yeah, we can go through that.” It’s so impressive. As you’re driving, the towering landscape almost feels like its coming in on top of you, it was so gorgeous.

Not only were the mountains stunning, but the views were full of texture, various elevations, stone houses, waterfalls, and wildlife. We joked about looking for Heidi, and the “hills were [certainly] alive with music.” Switzerland, in general, was also just a very clean and tidy country. You can definitely tell they are an engineering flagship, and that they also have a lot of covenants. I never saw trash anywhere, and there must be some magic elves that appeared when the rest of the world is asleep because the roads and sidewalks were always maintained, even when it was cold and snowy.

Finally, we made it to our destination, after our stellar navigator, Alexis, maneuvered some pretty sketchy mountain switchbacks. There was Bodio! It was a small and quaint village, full of stone houses, and an old church building with a small gravesite, and a few donkeys’ roaming around. We noticed that things seemed to be boarded up, and we couldn’t find our family name in the gravesite, but we saw some family names of people who had married Scottini’s. We thought to ourselves, this surely can’t be all of it, because we knew that one of the main industries in Bodio was the power plant. This region was far too small to be the home of a power plant. So, we got on our Google machine and looked for another location. Sure enough, we found another Bodio. We backtracked for about 20 minutes, and found “New Bodio.” We visited the gravesite there, and lone behold, there was my dad’s great uncle, Luigi Scottini! We found three family names in the gravesite, and two of the family names were all over the place! It was pretty special to feel so connected with our family heritage, and I know for me, and especially, for my dad it was touching to have made this discovery.

We went into the church, made our way around the town, and eventually stopped at a restaurant for some food. Everyone spoke Italian in Bodio, and basically, it was as if we weren’t in Switzerland anymore. We met a gentleman who knew all about Alaska, and we were able to hear a little about Bodio. However, we wouldn’t get the full Bodio story until the following day when we stumbled into a local historian in Glattfelden. We would come to find out that “New Bodio” is now the main place where everyone lives, and the initial village that we had arrived in is a summer destination for families who have kept those stone houses, and passed them down through the generations. That explained why it was boarded up when we arrived.

We eventually had to say our goodbyes to Bodio, but I know none of us will ever forget this experience. It has opened up the floodgates to more family history digging, and fingers crossed for a trip to northern Italy next year!

We ended the night back at our hotel where the Christmas spirit was lively. There were groups headed up to the hotel landmark for ice sculpting, holiday treats, mulled wine, lights, and general cheer. We joined in, and got ourselves some dinner from the outdoor food hut. Additionally, Hotel Uto Kulm sits on a nature preserve so there was a plethora of outdoor activities for every kind of nature lover. Every day there were all kinds of bikers, hikers, and walkers smattered throughout the grounds.

As we went to bed, we reminisced about the day in Bodio, and what a heartwarming experience it was. We had to get some sleep because the next day was going to be spent visiting the home place for Alexis’ family on *his father’s side. Glattfelden, here we come!

Day 3: Glattfelden

Glattfelden. Oh. My. Gosh. Glattfelden is one for the record books. We didn’t think we could top our Bodio adventure, but boy oh boy were we wrong. Glattfelden is in the northern part of Switzerland and those that live there speak German or Swiss-German. The culture follows suit with the language. I found it fascinating that in one country, there could be three very distinct regions with their own language, culture, and architecture. That was one of the most interesting things about Switzerland. Due to its geographical location, it has basically become a country whose identity is split three different ways: German, Italian, or French. Switzerland is an interesting melting pot unlike most of the other countries we have visited thus far.

Anyway, back to the story of Glattfelden. We didn’t know what to expect upon arrival, but once we got there, we decided to tour around the town and get a feel for where things were located. During our drive, we noticed what appeared to be a little market, so we decided that we should swing through. We found a parking spot across an old wooden bridge and walked back through the town where the market was taking place. This market reminded us more of what we would see in Alaska. A bit more “homey” if you know what I mean. Lol It was bustling with people, and we purchased a few small items, and then made our way to a coffee shop in the heart of the market. We got there just in time before it started to fill up with people. It was pleasantly quaint and we settled right in to warm up and get some yummy drinks. Our server got to chatting with us, and asked us where we were from. We explained about living temporarily in Poland, and she got very excited because she was from Warsaw. She had lived in Glattfelden for 15 years with her husband and daughter. (Yes, I know, we Scott’s/Hogan’s- really, this skill is from my mom’s side- know how to chat people up).

We explained that this was the location for Alexis’ family, and that we wanted to see if we could find any Glattfelter’s/Clodfelter’s in the area, and just explore in general. She was very friendly, and brought us some postcards as souvenirs. What we weren’t expecting, however, was for her to talk to the town historian, and inform him of our arrival in this Hallmark Christmas plot we affectionally have titled, “Prince Glattfelder Saves Glattfelden.”

Now, if there is one thing you should know about my family, it is that we are very sarcastic, and there are two things the Scotts do well: eat and laugh. The story that unfolds brought a roaring laugh all the way home.

We are sitting there minding our business, drinking our cocoa, and who should approach our table, but the local town historian, Koni. Koni rushes up to us in a bit of a tizzy, and says, “Why didn’t you call ahead of time?!” I am not kidding. We look at him puzzled, but with a grin, and he explained that our server told him of our *arrival* and that we should have called ahead of time because he could have given us a town tour. There was another group set to arrive Monday and they were pulling out all the stops for this group, including a luncheon with the town Mayor.

Something unique and special about the Glattfelder (glat, glute, glot… yeah, I am exhausted spelling this out- if it’s inconsistent, please have patience. Lol) lineage is that they have kept close the tradition of their origins. Alexis’ ancestors are the ones who founded this little town, hence the name. There is also a book about two brothers, Casper and Felix Glattfelder, who were the first to journey to the America’s (they are part of Alexis family tree). The book references the origins of this family homeplace … again, not kidding. The book is on Amazon. There is also a Glattfelden Association, AND they have annual reunions on the East Coast in the states where thousands of people show up. Throughout the centuries, the Glattfelden’s (now evolved into Clodfelter), have maintained a strong sense of family and family ties. So, our arrival to visit the homeland is apparently a thing, and they make a big deal out of it any time anyone comes to visit.

We asked what we should see while there, where the cemetery was, and general information. He told us that the wooden bridge we walked over is historic and that the family crest is in the arch of the bridge. He also mentioned that we should see the river Glatt, and of course, tour the market. He told us that we arrived on the perfect day of the year because it is literally the ONE day of the year that they do this market, and it’s a huge deal. Additionally, the whole town has this wild admiration for the “Legend of the Glattfelden’s.” He mentioned that the last remaining Glattfelden in the town had passed away 5 years prior, and that we wouldn’t find any names in the gravesite because the graves are so small, that they consolidated the headstones, and instead keep everything in the church records. Which, if we had called ahead of time, we could have seen. Hahaha!

He was so flummoxed that we were there and hadn’t called ahead, but we had a great time talking with him, and he was extremely friendly. We finally bid our goodbyes to him and as he was departing, he asked if he could take our photo for the Glattfelden social media pages and website. We say of course, and think, “Huh! That was funny,” and assume that’s the end of it. Welp, it wasn’t. I noticed as he was leaving that he was pointing back at our table and telling everyone that he passed that we were in town. There was this elderly coupled who appeared quite tickled that we were “in town,” and as we made our exit from the coffee shop we received numerous smiles and hellos.

We walked through the market, and Alexis eventually stopped for some chocolates. The vendors inquired if we were *The Glattfelder’s* and we said yes, and that we were there to see the town and so happy it landed on the same day as this market. They gave us our chocolates, and a gift, and then(!) the woman asked if she could take our photo. What were we going to say?…so there we were, getting our photo taken by vendors in this little town, and Alexis is being showered with gifts at every turn.

Next, we headed toward the beer and brats garden, and we decided that we had to try the Glattfelder brew, and, it was delicious! I don’t normally enjoy red ales, but it was great. Alexis also jokingly told me that this was the first beer type he ever brewed himself, so clearly, it’s in the blood. Lol Alexis started talking with the brewer and inquired about the brewery and if it was open for tours. The brewer then found out “who Alexis was” and offered to take us on a private tour. The brewery was closed while they were at the market, since it’s a family-owned operation, and the employees were all at the market. However, for “Prince Glattfelden”, they offered to make an exception. While we were waiting for his wife to arrive so we could get a tour, we sat down to enjoy our beer, and who should show back up, but Koni, the town historian. We talked with him for another half hour and he gave us a nice history lesson on the town, Switzerland in general, and this is where we also learned more about Bodio. Koni then departed for the final time, and we trotted off to see the brewery.

Did we ever get the royal treatment! The brewer showed us around the impressive “mom and pop” brewery and started showering Alexis with gifts. He gave Alexis several bottles of beer, a case of 6 steins with the family crest on it, a bunch of bottle openers, coasters, beer liquors, and then gave him his card so he can outfit us with hoodies once they come in stock. We tried desperately to pay for all these items, but he just wouldn’t accept it.

At this point, it was getting later in the evening, and we wanted to get on the road before dark, so we started to wrap up our tour. As we began to make our way out of the brewery, a local stopped in to buy some beer. We were introduced to one another and conversed for a few minutes while the brewery got locked up. Finally, we made our way back to the bridge crossing where the car was parked and a beautiful sunset blanketed our view. Sadly, we realized the time had come to say our goodbyes. One more time, we asked the brewer, “Are you sure we can’t pay for anything you gave us?” He looked at us, and looked at the random guy who showed up and was now walking with us, and says with the biggest grin from ear to ear, “No! Please…(wait for it)

It was OUR pleasure!”

So, with that, we crossed the bridge back to reality, all the while reeling in the very strange and wonderful event that had just taken place, and we all busted up laughing. I started bowing to “Prince Glattfelder,” my dad could hardly string two words together without cackling madly, and my mom looked speechless.

The kindest people, the most outlandish event, and truly a story for the record books…

Truly, “It was OUR pleasure!”

Day 4: Goodbye Zurich

So, not a whole lot is going to be able to top the crazy experiences we had the two days prior, but, honestly our trip just continued to ride its high until our departure. We finished our final full day in Zurich walking the streets of Old Town, indulging in some traditional fondue, and sampling chocolate. We made our way to the main train station, retrieved our luggage, and headed toward the airport. We arrived safely back in Poznan on Sunday evening, just in time for our prince to have to sleep before a full day of work Monday.

Back to Poznan

During the last 10 days with my folks, we made sure to get out and see another market, visit some parks, and drink way too much coffee. We are coffee fiends around here! We also got to go see Otis at school and join in for morning circle time (songs, dance, and general morning routines). My parents also gifted us with two nights at The City Park Hotel for our Christmas gift. The hotel is literally across the street from our house… like 150 feet. We had the thought that it was silly to be so close, however, it actually ended up being extremely convenient, and it is also the only 5-star hotel in Poznan, and is certainly full of luxury. We got massages, went out to dinner, and the next night hit up The Surfing Cowboy for our weekly line dancing fun with some friends… kid free! Yahoo!! We had a great time and are so thankful to my parents for that wonderful gift.

Krakow

The last big excursion took us to Krakow. I had arranged for us to all take the 5-hour train ride to Krakow on Friday, and then we would turn around and come home Monday morning. We stayed at a great little Airbnb called Spring Apartments in the heart of the city. The bnb had a partnership with a restaurant nearby where we could go for breakfast at a very nominal fee. The food was great! While there, our main highlights were visiting the Salt Mines, and my parents also went to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Neither myself nor Alexis could bring ourselves to visit. I know, I know… there are probably a lot of you saying, “How could you not go?!” Well, I have my very valid reasons for not going, and if you really want to know, maybe I will be able to tell you sometime, but probably not on this platform. Let’s just say, the devil is alive and well, and I don’t think I could stomach the heartache and sheer wickedness that happened there.

We had some pretty unbelievable experiences on Saturday, and the Salt Mines were jaw-dropping. Fully functioning churches carved completely out of salt dwelled with in the mines, some 300 meters below the surface. One of the churches is still very much in use, and is rented out for weddings and events. The thing that struck me most about the mines was how immaculate they were. They were so clean, well maintained, and huge! I have been to the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky more times than I can count, and those are impressive, but much more rugged. It was wild to see a full-blown underground "city" equipped with a cafeteria, mini shopping center with trinkets for sale, sculptures, and of course, all the churches and event halls. Now that I am taking some time to digest it, it really was beyond impressive.

On Sunday, we made our way to the Old Town in Krakow. It was so beautiful! I mentioned to my mom that what I had pictured when we first came here, was definitely more in the realm of what Krakow offered, at least from a visual perspective. Poznan is a gem, but not quite what I had envisioned, but Krakow, that was it. There were people everywhere, and the large St. Mary’s Basilica was jammed with hundreds of people attending mass. We poked our heads in, but didn’t want to disrupt the service, so we came back later to snag a photo.

In the meantime, we played total tourist and got one of those festive winter carriage rides around the square. It was actually a great way to see the area, and get a good layout. We saw the Wawel Royal Castle which was the first UNESCO world heritage site in the world, got a great view of the market, and saw several shops, and churches. Once our ride ended, we had a better understanding of where to head on foot. We stopped in a few shops, and walked up to get a closer look at the castle, as well as see the flaming dragon sculpture down by the water front.

Our last Hoorah

Krakow came and went, and we made our way back to Poznan. We spent the next 2 days relaxing at our home with my parents, and doing some digital exploration on our family heritage- our trip sparked a lot of interest. We hope they will be able to come back and visit in the spring and we can take a grand tour through northern Italy. We had such a lovely time with them, and Otis greatly misses his Mhamo and G-Daddy, but we are thankful to live in this time of technology where, communicating across the globe is not only possible, but pretty darn easy. Goodbyes aren’t especially fun, but I want to thank my parents for coming to visit and making it such a wonderful time. (We miss you!) I also want to thank everyone who takes time out of their day to think of us and send a greeting. I am overwhelmed at the cards, messages, gifts, and holiday greetings we have received. We love you all and I can’t wait to spend some time with those of you in Alaska next summer.

We wish you all a very MERRY Christmas, and Happy New Year!!

Christ is Born!!

Sending lots of love and well wishes,

The Clods