Rebecca’s birthday is in the middle of July and is usually at the start of their school summer holidays.
This year she got a party at home with her classmates, we took a weekend trip to Lausanne on her birthday weekend, she will get another party with non-school friends at our city park, and we will drive to Germany to celebrate once more with her cousin, uncle and grandparents. Phew!
Her birthday party with school friends was a small and quiet affair at home, with 5 girls and one boy (including Rebecca and Sarah). I was so relieved that they played so well together and included Sarah. I had learned from past years’ parties not to prepare too much food, so I served them popcorn, chips, fruits and cake. No stress at all.
Then, this weekend, we drove to Lausanne. We booked a hotel that was attached to Aquatis, an aquarium-vivarium. We breezed through the aquarium because the girls were impatient to move on to the next. It was not big, but would be very educational if the kids were bigger and showed more interest. They showcased fishes from the main freshwater ecosystems in the world.
They have a Komodo dragon named Lara that entranced the girls for a bit. The Komodo dragon is their mascot and the Aquatis Foundation has a Komodo dragon conservation program, among others.
We were also able to observe different kinds of snakes, lizards, frogs and baby caimans! The eggs of their caiman, Cleo, hatched last May and are planned to be released in the wild in the Ivory Coast. They can be viewed in the nursery of Aquatis, together with baby snakes, a frog and some fishes.
What was also interesting that throughout Aquatis they had several ceiling installations meant to be viewed on floored mirrors. My favorite one was the village and rice terraces.
At the end of the aquarium was a lovely greenhouse with plants and animals from the Amazon Forest. I learned that there are also fresh water rays. They are black with white spots and are beautiful.
After the aquarium, we took the Metro to the center of Lausanne, had lunch and visited the cathedral. Sarah and I climbed up the 224 steps of the tower to take in the view from the top of the cathedral.
As it was a sweltering hot day, after the cathedral, we took the metro again to go to Lake Geneva. There, the girls had ice cream, took a ride on a carousel and dipped their toes into the lake.
While the hotel didn’t have a pool, they had several small water fountains spouting at intervals outside the hotel. The girls ran through it and of course got very wet. To say this was the highlight of our trip was an understatement.
Over all, this was a nice quick trip to take with the girls. The did very well with the walking, though Sarah still uses a stroller when she gets tired. We should do something similar for Sarah’s birthday, which will be at the end of September.
Giant Cinnamon Roll
On Rebecca’s birthday itself, we celebrated quickly at home with a giant cinnamon roll “cake” before driving to Lausanne. This was my first time to make a giant one and I am glad to report that it is not hard.
Steps:
- Use your favorite cinnamon roll recipe. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend the Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls on the King Arthur Baking website. I used that one and added 1 tsp ube extract for a hint of ube and to get a purple color, as per birthday girl’s request.
- After the 1st rise, roll out the dough into a 15 X 12-inch rectangle, spread the cinnamon and sugar filling and cut into 6 strips using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife.
- Grease an 8 or 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Roll up the 1st strip of dough, then take the first roll and put it on top of the 2nd strip and continue rolling. If it gets too big, place in the middle of your cake pan and roll the remaining strips carefully around it.
- Let rise until double, 1 to 2 hours, depending on room temperature.
- Bake at 175°F for 43 to 40 minutes. If it is browning too fast, cover with foil.
- Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.*
