A happy Kenneth with his Grandpa and Grandma in Zürich
Nina's parents had always travelled off-season and had never visited Switzerland during the summer yet. So when they found some rare cheap tickets for early June, they jumped at the chance to visit their grandson again after strong encouragement from Nina: "June is a great time to visit Switzerland, it's warm and sunny, but not too hot. It's so beautiful! Plus, it will be right after we come back from our US trip at the end of May so you can help me deal with a jet-lagged Kenny since Kevin will be away on a business trip." It all sounded good, but what was waiting for them when they landed at Zürich airport after travelliing for over 24 hours was unusually cold temperatures and a grandson with a case of stranger anxiety...
With the highs in Zürich barely reaching 10 degrees Celcius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), Nina's parents grumbled as they had to go out and shop for warmer clothes. The weather gods were getting them back for the time Nina and Kevin went over to Korea to visit them and it rained for a week straight. Leaving behind sunny and warm Okinawa, they both caught colds right away as their bodies tried to dealt with jet lag and the dramatic temperature change. Things were really not what they expected, especially when their feisty grandson cried out each time they wanted to carry him during the first couple of days.
Gradually, however, Zürich got a little warmer. Day by day, they started to win Kenny over by being patient and indulging as only grandparents know how to be. Grandpa's secret was to take him out on long trips with stops at the supermarket for a play car ride, while Grandma's trick was feeding him Japanese osenbei and rice balls with seaweed (Kenny's favorite snacks). At around the half way point of their 10-day stay, the grandparents were actually able to go to daycare to pick him up a couple of times. By the end of the trip, Kenny even stayed home with them all day. Kevin and Nina enjoyed having extra help around the house and a chance to go out on their first date in a long, long time.
1) Kenny in the car ride during a walk with Grandpa 2) At home eating Grandma's rice with seaweed snack
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