Only in Zurich

This morning, Lainey was invited to a birthday party at Gymboree (where every child in her class has had their party since we had hers there in October!). Her friend and classmate, Christopher is a local. His family is Swiss/German and live here permanently, they aren't ex-pats like most of her class.

Lainey is a very independent little girl and is very comfortable at Gymboree with the teachers since she went there every week last year. She knew all the kids at the party and has been going to drop-off birthdays for a while, so Jason and I figured we'd just drop her off and come back when the party was over, since Aidan had a birthday party this morning as well.

We weren't allowed to leave! The party boy's dad said to me in a very forceful German way "You cannot leave. You must stay. We have champagne." The Gymboree teacher was trying to help me and other parents who were planning to drop kids off. The dad had no part of us leaving. I had to go get Jason from the car and bring him in.

But, let me tell you, it was worth it for blog fodder. When we took off our coats we were handed glasses of champagne at 11am on a Sunday. Not mimosas, just champagne. Not just champagne, but DOM PERIGNON vintage 2000!!! Seriously. To quote my friend at the party "the champagne at this 4-year-old's birthday party probably cost more that a month's rent on my apartment!"

Only in Zurich do you go to a birthday party for a pre-schooler at Gymboree and get served Dom Perignon. So glad we had the first party there and could set the bar low.