It still sounds a bit funny to us --- but we decided to go to France yesterday to get a taste (literally & figuratively) of the Christmas markets in Colmar. After a crowded two hour train ride we arrived & followed the crowds which led us into the old town square. The Christmas market booths were set up on cramped cobblestone streets spread out all over the town. The day was chilly, the streets packed & we had to piddle BAD (pleasant way to start the day, check). Unfortunately, many of these issues exacerbated themselves as the day grew on, the crowds grew thicker & our toes & fingers colder (luckily, we were able to take care of the piddle situation for .30Euro in a "delightful phone booth style" toilet).
Despite the crowds & the chill, we got to enjoy some delicacies such as CHURROS (big yum!) and some mystery meat sandwich which joe certainly enjoyed while I gave him dirty looks for eating something so sinister looking. We purchased a few cute items, experienced another new town & got to spend a lovely Saturday together (although we both had our unlovely moments)....you all are shocked by this I am sure.
We are getting into the Christmas spirit here in Zurich & are looking so forward to sharing it with you all in T - 6 days!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
things that make you go hhmmm
Nothing is open here on Sunday. Literally, the place is a virtual ghost town. But, for some reason they bend this hard-fast Swiss regulation to make some green (hello, we are in the land of banks & bills, even they can't turn down the chance to make some big Christmas francs). The stores are open from 12-5 on Sunday, basically the US equivalent of keeping the mall open until midnight as Christmas approaches. And, the madness that ensues here does, in various ways, rival that which occurs at home. Some of these things are simply annoying, some frustrating & the others just make you go hhmmmm. The hhhmmm'ers are the focus of this piece.
Some of you may not even believe these things were true if not for our photographic evidence, seen above.
Right, so there is a singing Christmas tree here. I have seen the signage referencing said tree for a few weeks now, but I finally experienced it for myself yesterday when Joe & I went for a walk along the Bahnhof. In my head I pictured a large mechanic tree that sings & sort of dances around. Boy, was I mistaken. I must admit, the reality of it was even more frightening than my imagination. Basically a choir is strategically positioned on a tree shaped/decorated stage. The choir is dressed to look like ornaments & to sing. I must be honest, it was horrific. Then, as I was thinking this could not get any weirder I realized.....they are singing Christmas songs in German (blasphemy!) & as I had this revelation a car decided to attempt to drive through the very very crowded square where the crowd was gathered to listen & view the singing tree. And, hardly anyone even moved, so the car was basically just kind of sitting there in the middle of the crowd, no one even phased enough to move! At this point, we aborted the singing tree mission for greater adventures.
Please try to imagine the longest, most crowded, outdoor mall, where no one really actually seems concerned about shopping, or walking straight or if they bump into you 16 times and don't freaking say "entschuldigung," while trams & cars run down the center & beep at everyone in their way and then you are there with us, on the bahnhof yesterday. Before the tree incident I was handling the crowds about as well as I can handle crowds, but that put me over the edge. So, oddly enough, to get away from the throngs, we entered a store...novel, I know. And I asked the woman "Wie geht es Ihnen," German for how are you. And, she responded with, "Wie bitte", meaning please repeat, so I did. All I was asking was How are you?, you know, being polite. And, she responded in english, "What language are you speaking?" I have taken German class for a cumulative 120 hours & people still claim to not understand me when I ask them "how are you?" This really made me go hhmmmm....as well as many other things, but we shan't go into those...
Lastly, and randomly, I must note the treadmills at our gym. So, the stop button typically would indicate the machine will stop when the button is pressed, well, not on these fancy (code for shitty) treadmills that we have at our gym. The stop button there simply takes the treadmill down to 2k per hour. As you can all imagine, this is just slow enough to confuse the shit out of everyone using the treadmills. I had an issue with it the first time I used the treadmills, so I feel sympathy for all those poor, usually less coordinated, gym goers who really struggle with this. Today, I was on some machines that happen to be lined up right behind the treadmills. I witnessed a man get off the treadmill who had clearly never used them before because the machine was still running at 2k when he attempted to get off, of course the result was not pretty, but don't worry he did not fall, just stumbled a bit. Right, so the man walked away from the treadmill, clearly phased, and got a paper towel to wipe off the machine, when lo&behold, two men walk up and one of them attempts to get on said treadmill that is still, mind you, running at 2k per hour. And that guy almost bites it also. I mean, wow, and I didn't even laugh, hardly even smiled, although it was one of the craziest turn of events.....but seriously, you need to press stop on the treadmill about 6 times for it to actually stop, which as c&c music factory would say it's one of those...... things that make you go hhhmmmm....
Anyone have any hhhmmm'ers to share with us?!
Some of you may not even believe these things were true if not for our photographic evidence, seen above.
Right, so there is a singing Christmas tree here. I have seen the signage referencing said tree for a few weeks now, but I finally experienced it for myself yesterday when Joe & I went for a walk along the Bahnhof. In my head I pictured a large mechanic tree that sings & sort of dances around. Boy, was I mistaken. I must admit, the reality of it was even more frightening than my imagination. Basically a choir is strategically positioned on a tree shaped/decorated stage. The choir is dressed to look like ornaments & to sing. I must be honest, it was horrific. Then, as I was thinking this could not get any weirder I realized.....they are singing Christmas songs in German (blasphemy!) & as I had this revelation a car decided to attempt to drive through the very very crowded square where the crowd was gathered to listen & view the singing tree. And, hardly anyone even moved, so the car was basically just kind of sitting there in the middle of the crowd, no one even phased enough to move! At this point, we aborted the singing tree mission for greater adventures.
Please try to imagine the longest, most crowded, outdoor mall, where no one really actually seems concerned about shopping, or walking straight or if they bump into you 16 times and don't freaking say "entschuldigung," while trams & cars run down the center & beep at everyone in their way and then you are there with us, on the bahnhof yesterday. Before the tree incident I was handling the crowds about as well as I can handle crowds, but that put me over the edge. So, oddly enough, to get away from the throngs, we entered a store...novel, I know. And I asked the woman "Wie geht es Ihnen," German for how are you. And, she responded with, "Wie bitte", meaning please repeat, so I did. All I was asking was How are you?, you know, being polite. And, she responded in english, "What language are you speaking?" I have taken German class for a cumulative 120 hours & people still claim to not understand me when I ask them "how are you?" This really made me go hhmmmm....as well as many other things, but we shan't go into those...
Lastly, and randomly, I must note the treadmills at our gym. So, the stop button typically would indicate the machine will stop when the button is pressed, well, not on these fancy (code for shitty) treadmills that we have at our gym. The stop button there simply takes the treadmill down to 2k per hour. As you can all imagine, this is just slow enough to confuse the shit out of everyone using the treadmills. I had an issue with it the first time I used the treadmills, so I feel sympathy for all those poor, usually less coordinated, gym goers who really struggle with this. Today, I was on some machines that happen to be lined up right behind the treadmills. I witnessed a man get off the treadmill who had clearly never used them before because the machine was still running at 2k when he attempted to get off, of course the result was not pretty, but don't worry he did not fall, just stumbled a bit. Right, so the man walked away from the treadmill, clearly phased, and got a paper towel to wipe off the machine, when lo&behold, two men walk up and one of them attempts to get on said treadmill that is still, mind you, running at 2k per hour. And that guy almost bites it also. I mean, wow, and I didn't even laugh, hardly even smiled, although it was one of the craziest turn of events.....but seriously, you need to press stop on the treadmill about 6 times for it to actually stop, which as c&c music factory would say it's one of those...... things that make you go hhhmmmm....
Anyone have any hhhmmm'ers to share with us?!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
thoughts of thanks...a few days late
The past few days since Karla left have been an odd mix of emotions for me. Having had someone close here to visit & then leaving us to return home was much harder than I thought it would be. So instead of wallowing, I thought I would try to think of a few things i/we are thankful for during this holiday season, despite the fact that i may not actually be feeling thankful. I am hoping the exercise will help foster such feelings.
I am thankful for people who are patient with me as I butcher their language, yet still treat me with respect & respond to me in German because they know I am trying.
I am thankful for the gym. Although people still stare (today there was a blatant offender), it keeps me sane and always makes me feel better. I am also thankful for all the people who work there who are kind, helpful & tend not to stare.
I am thankful for our apartment, my growing body of clients & joe's big kid job (although he may not always feel so excited about it;).
I am thankful we have less clutter, crap & possessions in our lives to complicate things & frustrate us (hope your car is ok mom ;)
I am thankful for a full, long night of sleep which I am consistently blessed with.
I am really thankful for all the yummy foods that were sent from the US with Karla, although they were part of the reason I gained .4kg last week, so I may have to lay off them for a bit.
I am thankful for www.watchtvsitcoms.com so we can at least watch the office.
I am thankful for warm socks, for good smells (sometimes the bad ones are more common than the good ones here) & for my new coop supercard so the checker at the grocery store will no longer stare at me like i am an idiot when i respond "nein" to her inquiry if i have one.
I am thankful for snail mail, for skype messages, for emails, for your thoughts & your prayers.
We think of you all often, and miss you all like hell.
I am thankful for people who are patient with me as I butcher their language, yet still treat me with respect & respond to me in German because they know I am trying.
I am thankful for the gym. Although people still stare (today there was a blatant offender), it keeps me sane and always makes me feel better. I am also thankful for all the people who work there who are kind, helpful & tend not to stare.
I am thankful for our apartment, my growing body of clients & joe's big kid job (although he may not always feel so excited about it;).
I am thankful we have less clutter, crap & possessions in our lives to complicate things & frustrate us (hope your car is ok mom ;)
I am thankful for a full, long night of sleep which I am consistently blessed with.
I am really thankful for all the yummy foods that were sent from the US with Karla, although they were part of the reason I gained .4kg last week, so I may have to lay off them for a bit.
I am thankful for www.watchtvsitcoms.com so we can at least watch the office.
I am thankful for warm socks, for good smells (sometimes the bad ones are more common than the good ones here) & for my new coop supercard so the checker at the grocery store will no longer stare at me like i am an idiot when i respond "nein" to her inquiry if i have one.
I am thankful for snail mail, for skype messages, for emails, for your thoughts & your prayers.
We think of you all often, and miss you all like hell.
Friday, November 28, 2008
adventures with shepeck
Karla's visit has been both eventful & freezing at the same time. So, where to begin? Upon Karla's arrival, we successfully kept her awake for literally the entire day, all the way until midnight. There were a few times when we could see the glaze in her eyes, but we just made her push on. I am pretty sure we were about as excited to get all the treats Karla brought with from the States as we were to see her ;)jk lady! We went to a party at a friends house on Saturday night, Karla wants us to get their house (basically she told us our house was ugly compared to theirs, which was heartwarming, of course).
Then, Karla & I left for Prague on Sunday, after a quick flight in which we got a sammie (they fed us on a 1 hour flight, living large over here!) We arrived at the b&b, and as you can guess karla was not excited by the look of it (the outside is about as rough looking as the inside pics). Ota (the b&b owner) greeted us in his pj's & robe (why not?) and we settled in. Basically we spent our two days there seeing the sights, drinking warm beverages in a valiant attempt to stay warm & wandering into random shops to steal their heat for a few minutes. The walk back to the b&b felt ridiculously long every night & it was exacerbated by the fact that we (me) literally could not figure out how to unlock the door so we usually had another 3 minutes of struggling to open the front door with numb fingers. We pretty much could have been wearing the exact same outfit every day in Prague, because we hardly removed our coats, let alone our hats.
Upon our arrival into Prague, Karla & I both took out 3000CZK each, about $175USD. This was supposed to last us most of the trip, so imagine my surprise on Sunday night (4 hours after our arrival), Karla only had 1100CZK left. I am fairly certain she was ripped off in a store we bought postcards in when at first she handed them Swiss francs to pay for her postcards. I was at another register, so all I overheard was, "This isn't our money." And Karla responding "oh, it isn't?" So, my guess is the lady fleeced her. Karla's bet is on some of her money falling out, which will seem even more realistic shortly when you all hear about what happened upon our return to Switzerland. So, after this money incident, I started to get a bit more intense & was insisting that we both wear our delightful money belts (*which I must note left a few scratches & bruises from all the digging). Our flight back from Prague to Zurich was delightful again (although we got a cake instead of a sammie, which neither of us were too happy about....) and I was lugging around a few bottles of Becherovka (I gag just thinking about drinking that crap). SO, we arrive in Zurich, have no problems with customs (although they did not stamp our passport which was upseting for ms. shepeck) and we are heading back to the apartment via the tram. We got off at our stop and started walking home when I hear a lady yelling and running behind us "hallo! hallo!" but I just kept walking thinking she must just be some crazy person or something. Finally I hear her catching up so I stop & turn as Karla continues walking. The lady is holding Karla's MONEY BELT and she hands it to me. I was like "Karla, get over here." We both thanked the woman profusely, she just looked at us annoyedly because she was out of breath & she walked away. I looked at Karla & was like what the hell? She had never tucked the money belt back in her jeans after we went through customs, it was just hanging between her coat attached to her belt & the belt came undone (it's just a fabric one that i had let her borrow). 1. This proves our theory about Zuricher's honesty 2. WTF, we made it all the way through Prague where we actually need to worry about pickpocketers & then we get back to Zurich & it just falls off. Wow, please take note all you future visitors, the money belt does not work if you put it in your pocket (joe circa 2002) or if you don't tuck it in (karla circa 2 days ago).
Other adventures include a lot of Catan playing, Karla is addicted to it now. A delicious Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of Karla last night at an Irish pub (good burgers). Turns out our Thanksgiving plans that we thought were on Thanksgiving are actually on Saturday. So, we have about 5 pounds of mashed potatoes in the fridge & a ginormous salad. No clue how both Joe & I read the invite multiple times & never noticed the word Saturday in it, but we did. So, luckily Karla was here because I am fairly certain our first holiday here would have been a bit depressing, but instead it ended up to be a really fun and delicious. Hopefully everyone in the US is enjoying their days off....joe is at work right now :( and that you are comfortably full, or in the case of megan dressed as a boat & probably still a bit tipsy from her nontraditional thanksgiving pubcrawl!
Then, Karla & I left for Prague on Sunday, after a quick flight in which we got a sammie (they fed us on a 1 hour flight, living large over here!) We arrived at the b&b, and as you can guess karla was not excited by the look of it (the outside is about as rough looking as the inside pics). Ota (the b&b owner) greeted us in his pj's & robe (why not?) and we settled in. Basically we spent our two days there seeing the sights, drinking warm beverages in a valiant attempt to stay warm & wandering into random shops to steal their heat for a few minutes. The walk back to the b&b felt ridiculously long every night & it was exacerbated by the fact that we (me) literally could not figure out how to unlock the door so we usually had another 3 minutes of struggling to open the front door with numb fingers. We pretty much could have been wearing the exact same outfit every day in Prague, because we hardly removed our coats, let alone our hats.
Upon our arrival into Prague, Karla & I both took out 3000CZK each, about $175USD. This was supposed to last us most of the trip, so imagine my surprise on Sunday night (4 hours after our arrival), Karla only had 1100CZK left. I am fairly certain she was ripped off in a store we bought postcards in when at first she handed them Swiss francs to pay for her postcards. I was at another register, so all I overheard was, "This isn't our money." And Karla responding "oh, it isn't?" So, my guess is the lady fleeced her. Karla's bet is on some of her money falling out, which will seem even more realistic shortly when you all hear about what happened upon our return to Switzerland. So, after this money incident, I started to get a bit more intense & was insisting that we both wear our delightful money belts (*which I must note left a few scratches & bruises from all the digging). Our flight back from Prague to Zurich was delightful again (although we got a cake instead of a sammie, which neither of us were too happy about....) and I was lugging around a few bottles of Becherovka (I gag just thinking about drinking that crap). SO, we arrive in Zurich, have no problems with customs (although they did not stamp our passport which was upseting for ms. shepeck) and we are heading back to the apartment via the tram. We got off at our stop and started walking home when I hear a lady yelling and running behind us "hallo! hallo!" but I just kept walking thinking she must just be some crazy person or something. Finally I hear her catching up so I stop & turn as Karla continues walking. The lady is holding Karla's MONEY BELT and she hands it to me. I was like "Karla, get over here." We both thanked the woman profusely, she just looked at us annoyedly because she was out of breath & she walked away. I looked at Karla & was like what the hell? She had never tucked the money belt back in her jeans after we went through customs, it was just hanging between her coat attached to her belt & the belt came undone (it's just a fabric one that i had let her borrow). 1. This proves our theory about Zuricher's honesty 2. WTF, we made it all the way through Prague where we actually need to worry about pickpocketers & then we get back to Zurich & it just falls off. Wow, please take note all you future visitors, the money belt does not work if you put it in your pocket (joe circa 2002) or if you don't tuck it in (karla circa 2 days ago).
Other adventures include a lot of Catan playing, Karla is addicted to it now. A delicious Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of Karla last night at an Irish pub (good burgers). Turns out our Thanksgiving plans that we thought were on Thanksgiving are actually on Saturday. So, we have about 5 pounds of mashed potatoes in the fridge & a ginormous salad. No clue how both Joe & I read the invite multiple times & never noticed the word Saturday in it, but we did. So, luckily Karla was here because I am fairly certain our first holiday here would have been a bit depressing, but instead it ended up to be a really fun and delicious. Hopefully everyone in the US is enjoying their days off....joe is at work right now :( and that you are comfortably full, or in the case of megan dressed as a boat & probably still a bit tipsy from her nontraditional thanksgiving pubcrawl!
Friday, November 21, 2008
sawdust, starter jackets, & spiced wines
Sorry for neglecting the old blog for the past week or so. I know some of you rely on this for night school distractions (focus lady!). Life has been a bit boring, yet busy for the past week and a half. My "last" day of German class for a while was today. I really was disliking class for the past two weeks, I was really struggling with the content & basically was just frustrated with German. Yet today I felt oddly sad to be finishing it. The only real steady factor in my life for the past two months, ending....yet, I fear the process of learning German will never actually ever end. It will cycle around & through my life, frustrate & sometimes (when i actually communicate effectively) delight.
So, do you all recall the excessively large table top that joe carried through all modes of Zurich transportation? Well, after the past month of just sitting in our kitchen lamely staring at us, we (joe) decided to tackle the project this past weekend. (our first out of town visitor certainly helped provide some motivation --- arriving tomorrow, yeah Karla!) So, despite some challenges we rented a tool (that was not really meant for cutting a 6 foot board, but it was all we could get..) from a local hardware store & got it home. We had really no choice regarding where to cut the board, Joe voted for cutting it on some random businesses property that is located behind our house, but I (having already been yelled at my by fair share of Swiss was reluctant to use someone else's property for this adventure) so, we went with cutting in The Kitchen. Who doesn't use power saws in the kitchen afterall? I am afraid I will be battling the saw dust remains for a good part of December.....oh well. It's done! And joe realizes how much he misses Home Depot.
Total sidenote, I saw a guy wearing a mighty ducks starter jacket the other day. I almost lost it. Dave, you are still rocking yours, right?
So, it’s definitely holiday time here in Zurich. It's even starting to feel a bit Christmasy in our own house.
Last night Joe & I went downtown to admire/oogle/discuss the various holiday decorations that Zurich displays. Three years after their arrival, these holiday lights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPg43Z7-5d8 are still majorly controversial (and, in my opinion, hideous) in Zurich. Despite the main road being decorated with these modern tubes, most all the side streets are still filled with millions of tiny white twinklers, decorative globes, huge real trees & all the other traditional trimmings. We also "enjoyed?" our first glass of Gluhwein, a warm spiced wine that packs a serious punch. It kept me ridiculously warm despite the bitter brrr in the air though, so I guess at least for that it was worth it, although my legs were feeling a bit on the jiggly side after only one glass of it.
So, we are looking forward with much anticipation to our first visitor. Karla & I will be traveling to Prague for a few nights (anyone need some Becherovka, grandpa?, kate? --- talk about warming you up!)
Warm wishes to you all....
So, do you all recall the excessively large table top that joe carried through all modes of Zurich transportation? Well, after the past month of just sitting in our kitchen lamely staring at us, we (joe) decided to tackle the project this past weekend. (our first out of town visitor certainly helped provide some motivation --- arriving tomorrow, yeah Karla!) So, despite some challenges we rented a tool (that was not really meant for cutting a 6 foot board, but it was all we could get..) from a local hardware store & got it home. We had really no choice regarding where to cut the board, Joe voted for cutting it on some random businesses property that is located behind our house, but I (having already been yelled at my by fair share of Swiss was reluctant to use someone else's property for this adventure) so, we went with cutting in The Kitchen. Who doesn't use power saws in the kitchen afterall? I am afraid I will be battling the saw dust remains for a good part of December.....oh well. It's done! And joe realizes how much he misses Home Depot.
Total sidenote, I saw a guy wearing a mighty ducks starter jacket the other day. I almost lost it. Dave, you are still rocking yours, right?
So, it’s definitely holiday time here in Zurich. It's even starting to feel a bit Christmasy in our own house.
Last night Joe & I went downtown to admire/oogle/discuss the various holiday decorations that Zurich displays. Three years after their arrival, these holiday lights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPg43Z7-5d8 are still majorly controversial (and, in my opinion, hideous) in Zurich. Despite the main road being decorated with these modern tubes, most all the side streets are still filled with millions of tiny white twinklers, decorative globes, huge real trees & all the other traditional trimmings. We also "enjoyed?" our first glass of Gluhwein, a warm spiced wine that packs a serious punch. It kept me ridiculously warm despite the bitter brrr in the air though, so I guess at least for that it was worth it, although my legs were feeling a bit on the jiggly side after only one glass of it.
So, we are looking forward with much anticipation to our first visitor. Karla & I will be traveling to Prague for a few nights (anyone need some Becherovka, grandpa?, kate? --- talk about warming you up!)
Warm wishes to you all....
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Happy Veterans Day!
We just wanted to take time to acknowledge those who have served in our great military, especially Papa Frank, Grandpa Eckstein and Uncle Steve.
Without them and others who have served and died for our country, we would not be able to enjoy all of the many freedoms we have today - the least of which being the ability to travel almost anywhere in the world with complete ease.
Vielen Dank!
Without them and others who have served and died for our country, we would not be able to enjoy all of the many freedoms we have today - the least of which being the ability to travel almost anywhere in the world with complete ease.
Vielen Dank!
so we can't pull off a french accent
Joe & I sent the weekend in Besancon, France this weekend with Kate's best friends. Perhaps you would look at the name of this town & think, that can't be so hard to pronounce. Well, you would be incorrect, we took a lot of heat, from the man who I purchased our train tickets from, to Joe's coworkers, to Meredith's teammates who only spoke French, yet still found a way to communicate to me I was butchering the name of their town! Oh, the French. Other than the town's name, everything about the weekend was fabulous. We were totally overwhelmed by what great hosts Meredith & Justin were! They totally showed us how to do it for when we have guests (so get ready K!)So, one of the big reason we went to visit them was to see Justin play basketball. I can't say this is something I would usually enjoy in the States (flash to me falling asleep at Billikens games), but I was excited to see him play. Plus, we were in France which is a bit more exciting than the Savvis. And, what a great game it was. His team won by 2 points, Justin had a great game & we had got to do something totally American! We had great weather, tons of delicious food & fantastic company!, can't get much better than that! Au revoir.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
"just f*ing workout"
The excessive amount of staring people do here finally got to me in a big bad way. Joe & I went to the gym on Thursday night & he decided to run while I lifted legs. Firstly, I am a woman lifting. Secondly, I am not doing the "pre-sanctioned lifting workout" that every other woman does (the trainers at the gym prescribe the same crappy routine for everyone). So, I was doing squats & dead lifts & I am noticing people are staring at me, but whatever, none of them are too close. So, it is my last set of dead lifts and there is a man standing not even 4 feet away completely staring at me. I mean, I turned over gave him a look, and he continued to stare. Finally I yelled at him in English, "just f*ing workout." He was clearly stunned, but responded "it's just different." So now I am even more fired up, and as I continue with my routine I started to think maybe I should apologize or whatever. So, I go tell Joe what happened & he said go apologize, so I went over and apologized & the guy was just like well no women here do that type of workout with such good form. And, I was just like "I get that, but that doesn't mean you can just stare." His response, "yeah, we tend to do that here." Just like, well, that's the way it is. But good thing I apologized, because turns out he is a trainer at one of the gym's other locations & he teaches Pilates at our gym, so yeah, would be kind of awkward if I happened to walk in his class sometime....
Clearly, the staring has been bothering me for a while here & I just snapped on this guy. It wasn't really fair, but at the same time I have no idea what makes these people think it is okay to just blatantly stare at you. There is nothing pleasant about it, and although they may not mean to be critical, it certainly tends to comes across that way sometimes. So my true fiesty liz colors finally shone through.....I am sure you guys have all been missing her.
Clearly, the staring has been bothering me for a while here & I just snapped on this guy. It wasn't really fair, but at the same time I have no idea what makes these people think it is okay to just blatantly stare at you. There is nothing pleasant about it, and although they may not mean to be critical, it certainly tends to comes across that way sometimes. So my true fiesty liz colors finally shone through.....I am sure you guys have all been missing her.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Mayday, we are sinking!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRf9ooQ7qq8&feature=related
Check out this great commercial.....our German is about as bad as this guy's English!
Check out this great commercial.....our German is about as bad as this guy's English!
Monday, November 3, 2008
some vocab
Thought you all could use some German vocabulary....and for the three of you that read this blog & dually speak German, to show off my clearly limited German language capacity. Hope this gets some of you (dad) off my back about not seeing pics of the apartment. Clearly it is a bit WHITE everywhere, but it is starting to feel somewhat homey. Where Joe is seated in the pics is essentially our desk/where we talk to you all via Skype, so next time we talk to you, you'll have a visual on our locale.
Weekend was great, went to a "hens" party on Friday night while Joe played poker with the boys & then we went to the wine boats on Saturday night (12 boats moored at the dock with wineries from all over the world sampling their wines). We thought about purchasing the "zuri seco," yeah, that's right, instead of proseco, zuri seco. Ha!, maybe if someone asks nicely we'll bring a bottle home & pop it like it's cristal for the holidays!
Hope you all are enjoying your gorgeous weather at home, not sure why I torture myself with the STL & Chicago weather saved to yahoo.....
Weekend was great, went to a "hens" party on Friday night while Joe played poker with the boys & then we went to the wine boats on Saturday night (12 boats moored at the dock with wineries from all over the world sampling their wines). We thought about purchasing the "zuri seco," yeah, that's right, instead of proseco, zuri seco. Ha!, maybe if someone asks nicely we'll bring a bottle home & pop it like it's cristal for the holidays!
Hope you all are enjoying your gorgeous weather at home, not sure why I torture myself with the STL & Chicago weather saved to yahoo.....
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
You all are jealous, I am sure
http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/SZXX0033_f.html
As you can see the weather report for Zurich is looking pretty phenomenal. It even snowed for the past hour, which has made me lethargic enough to consider & reconsider the gym about 13 times in the past 30 minutes, I'll get there, sometime, maybe. It's just so warm inside....
As you can see the weather report for Zurich is looking pretty phenomenal. It even snowed for the past hour, which has made me lethargic enough to consider & reconsider the gym about 13 times in the past 30 minutes, I'll get there, sometime, maybe. It's just so warm inside....
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Our New Favs....
We have discovered some really great things to do both inside Zurich & outside this past weekend. Firstly, we had our first guests over for dinner & we played Catan (one of our friends, a newbie, won) which was great because now he is hooked and wants to play again and again and...! Heyoh. Then we were invited to go to a comedy club on Satruday night. We were kind of whatever to it, but decided it was something we wouldn't initiate on our own, so we should just do it. So, we did. And we had a really great time. My face literally ached from all the laughing!, and we didn't even get some of the jokes because one of the comedians was British & one Scottish, so some of there language is bloody this, nicked that (it means stole, we finally figured it out from the context)....so that was super great and we are so amused with our Russian friend, Elena who invited us to the comedy club. Every time we go out with her she asks us how we are feeling about Zurich, if we think we may stay longer, etc. etc. (she loves us i think & doesn't want us to leave ever)
Okay, so today we went to Areuse Gorge & Neuchatel as you can see by our photos. First, the alarm went off way too early & then 10 minutes later Joe got back in bed & was like Heyoh, it's daylight savings, we get another 45 minutes of sleep, so that was a great way to start a day, right?! It's about 2 hours outside of Zurich but it was completely worth the trek. The weather was brisk but bright & it just smelled like fall and crunchy leaves and we got to say "Bonjour" to everyone we passed along the trail. And it was stunningly beautiful. Mossy rocks & trees, rushing water, falling leaves, a perfect day to experience the dichotomy of autumn, the dying to create anew. Tonight it was dark before 6, the kind of long darkness that made me realize we will be too cold & drawn into ourselves soon to be able to enjoy hikes like we did today, but we will discover new joys then, like "the best, yet most expensive, hot chocolate in zurich," or eating roasted chestnuts while watching our breathe crystallize, or turning the heat up high in our apartment and making it feel like we are wrapped up in a lovely scarf.
Today was my favorite Switzerland trip we have made so far (not really fair to compare hiking along a gorge to oktoberfest, but even then I am pretty sure I still pick today). Everything was right in our world (minus the vending machine that nicked our 2 francs & did not dispense the snickers we desired). Even the town we walked around after our hike, Neuchatel, seemed to be vibrantly alive, people all sitting, walking, laying, snuggling (if you can call what the European teens do in public here that....) by the lake. Children's go carts & merry go rounds set up and little tykes in various states of joy swirling & screaming. We helped some delightful little French Nana's carry their walkers up some steps. We knew they were asking for our help but clearly don't understand French so I just said in English, "I know you need our help, but I just don't know what you are saying," and cute Nana number 2 responded in perfect English, "if you could just carry our walkers up the stairs?" Well, sure know that we know what you want us to do, of course. And then she corrected my pronunciation when she asked where we were from & I said "we live in Zurich." She said, "oh Zurichhhhhh" (perhaps simply adding hhh's does not really convey the level of difficulty that pronuncing Zurich in this fashion entails, oh well.) But they were truly lovely, and so was our day. Hopefully fall is bringing a little bit of beauty to all your respective worlds out there.
Okay, so today we went to Areuse Gorge & Neuchatel as you can see by our photos. First, the alarm went off way too early & then 10 minutes later Joe got back in bed & was like Heyoh, it's daylight savings, we get another 45 minutes of sleep, so that was a great way to start a day, right?! It's about 2 hours outside of Zurich but it was completely worth the trek. The weather was brisk but bright & it just smelled like fall and crunchy leaves and we got to say "Bonjour" to everyone we passed along the trail. And it was stunningly beautiful. Mossy rocks & trees, rushing water, falling leaves, a perfect day to experience the dichotomy of autumn, the dying to create anew. Tonight it was dark before 6, the kind of long darkness that made me realize we will be too cold & drawn into ourselves soon to be able to enjoy hikes like we did today, but we will discover new joys then, like "the best, yet most expensive, hot chocolate in zurich," or eating roasted chestnuts while watching our breathe crystallize, or turning the heat up high in our apartment and making it feel like we are wrapped up in a lovely scarf.
Today was my favorite Switzerland trip we have made so far (not really fair to compare hiking along a gorge to oktoberfest, but even then I am pretty sure I still pick today). Everything was right in our world (minus the vending machine that nicked our 2 francs & did not dispense the snickers we desired). Even the town we walked around after our hike, Neuchatel, seemed to be vibrantly alive, people all sitting, walking, laying, snuggling (if you can call what the European teens do in public here that....) by the lake. Children's go carts & merry go rounds set up and little tykes in various states of joy swirling & screaming. We helped some delightful little French Nana's carry their walkers up some steps. We knew they were asking for our help but clearly don't understand French so I just said in English, "I know you need our help, but I just don't know what you are saying," and cute Nana number 2 responded in perfect English, "if you could just carry our walkers up the stairs?" Well, sure know that we know what you want us to do, of course. And then she corrected my pronunciation when she asked where we were from & I said "we live in Zurich." She said, "oh Zurichhhhhh" (perhaps simply adding hhh's does not really convey the level of difficulty that pronuncing Zurich in this fashion entails, oh well.) But they were truly lovely, and so was our day. Hopefully fall is bringing a little bit of beauty to all your respective worlds out there.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
napping on the train & recovering
We had a great weekend in Lugano filled with a lot of outdoors. Our hike up San Salvatore was tough, but well worth it. In the end we only saved ourselves 3CHF over the people who took the furnicular up, but it was a great workout. Our legs were totally shaky & spent by the time we got up, so we took the easy way back down. We spent the rest of Saturday afternoon strolling around the town which was filled with Swiss Italians eating roasted chestnuts & all other sorts of delicacies. We ate dinner in a cellar which was quite cozy & enjoyed a few beers at outside bars with huge heaters.
Sunday morning we decided to take a walk along this "olive path" which basically just led us along the lake from Lugano to Gandria. It was stunning, peaceful & an easy walk....when we arrived in Gandria Joe was convinced we would be able to catch a bus to return us to Lugano. However, we couldn't find it anywhere so we stumbled into a gas station to attempt to get directions from an Italian. I have no idea what language she was speaking to us in, Joe says it was German but we managed to find out that a.) the bus does not run on Sunday, b.) we were literally about 15 feet from entering Italy c.) perhaps there is a boat to take, but it was unclear where and if it was running on Sunday. Now I am ticked because there is no way I have the heart to trek the hour and a half on the olive path to Lugano (my legs are super sore from our hike) & we are both hungry (an amazing combination for us;) Somehow we stumbled on what was the bus stop & found some info on the boat back to Lugano which we could see from above was heading towards the town we were in. So we are hustling to find the port when we get stuck behind some meandering Italians walking three wide down the path with no concern for us whatsoever.....(basically this is my internal dialogue at this time: aaahhhh, why don't you freaking move over for one second? ahhhhh, if we miss this boat because of you, ahhhh, etc. etc. in the ahhh department) So, luckily for us we got to the dock just as the boat was pulling up, we bought our tickets & 2 minutes later we were on the water heading back to Lugano & our train home. Let me tell you, these train rides have been pretty amazing nap times for me....I usually wake up flustered at some small town stop as people are all moving around. It kind of makes me feel crazy that I can sleep so well on those things. I just put my purse next to me, grip on to it & pass out. It's really a great way to end a great weekend~
Hope you all are enjoying your Sundays as well!
Sunday morning we decided to take a walk along this "olive path" which basically just led us along the lake from Lugano to Gandria. It was stunning, peaceful & an easy walk....when we arrived in Gandria Joe was convinced we would be able to catch a bus to return us to Lugano. However, we couldn't find it anywhere so we stumbled into a gas station to attempt to get directions from an Italian. I have no idea what language she was speaking to us in, Joe says it was German but we managed to find out that a.) the bus does not run on Sunday, b.) we were literally about 15 feet from entering Italy c.) perhaps there is a boat to take, but it was unclear where and if it was running on Sunday. Now I am ticked because there is no way I have the heart to trek the hour and a half on the olive path to Lugano (my legs are super sore from our hike) & we are both hungry (an amazing combination for us;) Somehow we stumbled on what was the bus stop & found some info on the boat back to Lugano which we could see from above was heading towards the town we were in. So we are hustling to find the port when we get stuck behind some meandering Italians walking three wide down the path with no concern for us whatsoever.....(basically this is my internal dialogue at this time: aaahhhh, why don't you freaking move over for one second? ahhhhh, if we miss this boat because of you, ahhhh, etc. etc. in the ahhh department) So, luckily for us we got to the dock just as the boat was pulling up, we bought our tickets & 2 minutes later we were on the water heading back to Lugano & our train home. Let me tell you, these train rides have been pretty amazing nap times for me....I usually wake up flustered at some small town stop as people are all moving around. It kind of makes me feel crazy that I can sleep so well on those things. I just put my purse next to me, grip on to it & pass out. It's really a great way to end a great weekend~
Hope you all are enjoying your Sundays as well!
Friday, October 17, 2008
like a little kid on Christmas morning...
I tore into our boxes literally like a little guy would when expecting something awesome from Santa. Real dishes after weeks of plastic crap, more than one pan!, & my shoes (thank goodness, I had to throw one of my two pairs away yesterday they were so broken down).
Who gets excited about face soap? THIS GIRL. It was such a party bonus when I realized I shipped our fav face soap! WOw, right?! However, when one is not sure if what one is looking at in the store is face soap or exfoliator or lotion & they all cost about 15 CHF, one gets quite excited to know that they have saved themselves the anguish of figuring out face soap (at least for a little while....although I did ship the econo-sized face soap, so don't worry, we'll be good for a while!) However, now the task of figuring our where all of our delightful possessions should go ensues. The fact that this apt has no closets is certainly making that processes more challenging.
Oh, and Catan is here. Anyone want to come over & play? Joe is already hoping to get our Aussie friends hooked, but if that plan doesn't work out we are going to need some Catan lovers to make the trek out.....anyone game?
Heading to Lugano tomorrow for the night. I am looking forward to a taste of Italy while still surrounded by clean, sane Swissies who do not holler at women on the streets.
Hope everyone else has little things like face soap brightening their days (and their faces!)
Who gets excited about face soap? THIS GIRL. It was such a party bonus when I realized I shipped our fav face soap! WOw, right?! However, when one is not sure if what one is looking at in the store is face soap or exfoliator or lotion & they all cost about 15 CHF, one gets quite excited to know that they have saved themselves the anguish of figuring out face soap (at least for a little while....although I did ship the econo-sized face soap, so don't worry, we'll be good for a while!) However, now the task of figuring our where all of our delightful possessions should go ensues. The fact that this apt has no closets is certainly making that processes more challenging.
Oh, and Catan is here. Anyone want to come over & play? Joe is already hoping to get our Aussie friends hooked, but if that plan doesn't work out we are going to need some Catan lovers to make the trek out.....anyone game?
Heading to Lugano tomorrow for the night. I am looking forward to a taste of Italy while still surrounded by clean, sane Swissies who do not holler at women on the streets.
Hope everyone else has little things like face soap brightening their days (and their faces!)
Monday, October 13, 2008
we were "those foreigners"
We made our gajillionth trip to Ikea on Friday night to pick up a few more essentials: curtains (sorry neighbors, no more looking in at us as you walk by on the street), light fixtures (we were getting tired of carrying the one table lamp from room to room with us), etc. etc. No matter if we make a list or not, Ikea sucks you into their black hole vortex & we end up walking out with an excessive amount of crap. So, we purchased two huge bags full of stuff & a breakfast bar for the kitchen (which mind you, looked quite small in the Ikea showroom). So, the warehouse brings out our breakfast bar & it is absolutely massive (taller than Joe! & wider as well). It's about 10 minutes until Ikea is closing so we basically had no choice but to walk out with it. We have no car as many of you may know or assume, so I had to lug the bags (which left wounds I might note) and Joe is carrying the massive bar top. To get home from Ikea we have not one transfer but two. First the bus, then the train, then the tram, then the walk home. I think we may have considered abandoning the table top on the train....and the way people stare here --- they have no shame whatsoever. Often times I have looked at someone and thought what in the hell are they thinking? Well, that was definitely us on Friday night.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
McCain takes early lead in Missouri...
SPOILER ALERT! It's about to get political (scroll down 20 or so lines if you don't want to read about politics)
Unconfirmed sources are reporting that McCain has taken a one vote lead in absentee voting (which arrived today!) from Switzerland. Will it hold? We shall see... Brokaw already called, but if you don't see it on the evening news it will be entirely due to the mainstream media's love for "the one".
Any Missouri voters out there have thoughts on the other Propositions and Amendments?
Amendment 1 - English to be the official language of all government business? Really? Isn't it already? Is there a chance this might not pass? (I probably will abstain from voting here)
Amendment 4 - Stormwater control projects? Not sure, but the ballot implies it will cost taxpayers. So my early bet is thumbs down, but persuasion is welcome.
Prop A - repeal of loss limits and prohibition of future casinos. The casino lobby must have been working overtime for this one. Sounds like a gold mine for them and the state. More money for education from casinos means less actual state money for education. Indicating toward a yes vote due to the increased government revenue - people are going to get around the loss limits anyway by going to Illinois or circumventing the 2 hour rule.
Prop B - Creation of the Missouri Quality Homecare Council - Since Liz doesn't have her own ballot (hence the 1 vote lead for McCain) I will allow her to influence me on this one... yes vote.
Prop C - Electric utilities to purchase renewables. Due to my love of coal and nuclear (neither of which were included), the vote will clearly be no. Nuclear produces zero carbon emissions and is entirely renewable, right? Where's the love? Is proposition part of Al Gore's 10 year plan?
In other news, 2 light fixtures were put up today without any electrocutions. We also got the couch set up and an additional 2 sets of curtains hung. The 45 pound (20 kg for all you non-Americans out there) table top that I lugged home from IKEA last night is a bit big, which is shocking. Now I need to find someone with a table saw so that I can slim it down a bit. Not sure how that is going to work, but may involve a little side money. Otherwise things are looking up.
Talk to you all soon. Bis Spaeter!!
(German Note of the Day: Spaeter would typically have an umlaut over the "a" but since our keyboard is not configured for umlauts you just put an e after the umlauted letter - a's o's and u's can have them)
Unconfirmed sources are reporting that McCain has taken a one vote lead in absentee voting (which arrived today!) from Switzerland. Will it hold? We shall see... Brokaw already called, but if you don't see it on the evening news it will be entirely due to the mainstream media's love for "the one".
Any Missouri voters out there have thoughts on the other Propositions and Amendments?
Amendment 1 - English to be the official language of all government business? Really? Isn't it already? Is there a chance this might not pass? (I probably will abstain from voting here)
Amendment 4 - Stormwater control projects? Not sure, but the ballot implies it will cost taxpayers. So my early bet is thumbs down, but persuasion is welcome.
Prop A - repeal of loss limits and prohibition of future casinos. The casino lobby must have been working overtime for this one. Sounds like a gold mine for them and the state. More money for education from casinos means less actual state money for education. Indicating toward a yes vote due to the increased government revenue - people are going to get around the loss limits anyway by going to Illinois or circumventing the 2 hour rule.
Prop B - Creation of the Missouri Quality Homecare Council - Since Liz doesn't have her own ballot (hence the 1 vote lead for McCain) I will allow her to influence me on this one... yes vote.
Prop C - Electric utilities to purchase renewables. Due to my love of coal and nuclear (neither of which were included), the vote will clearly be no. Nuclear produces zero carbon emissions and is entirely renewable, right? Where's the love? Is proposition part of Al Gore's 10 year plan?
In other news, 2 light fixtures were put up today without any electrocutions. We also got the couch set up and an additional 2 sets of curtains hung. The 45 pound (20 kg for all you non-Americans out there) table top that I lugged home from IKEA last night is a bit big, which is shocking. Now I need to find someone with a table saw so that I can slim it down a bit. Not sure how that is going to work, but may involve a little side money. Otherwise things are looking up.
Talk to you all soon. Bis Spaeter!!
(German Note of the Day: Spaeter would typically have an umlaut over the "a" but since our keyboard is not configured for umlauts you just put an e after the umlauted letter - a's o's and u's can have them)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
bright, bright sunshine
is bathing zurich. we have had a record 3 days straight of warmth, sun & fall colors here. and i have had the joy of 2 perfectly clear picturesque views of the alps over the lake (don’t expect to see this rare sight when you all come, these were the best views i have seen in the six weeks we have been here). it’s shocking to me how fall is making me feel like i am seeing zurich for the time again. i have started to really love this city these past three days. it can’t hurt that i am consistently making it through transactions & conversations with substantially fewer blank stares & sometimes i can do everything (bought postage today) without using a word of english. it’s a small accomplishment, but since they are rare, it feels really comforting.
i met a neighbor today, he is cubano & therefore we spoke in spanish as my german ist kaputt & his english is nonexsistent. (i am pretty sure he will be like darren was at 4312A DeTonty!, plus a language barrier) he is actually the only other person we have seen that lives in the building, so maybe all the others are hermits….
i went to my first ever book club last night (we didn’t talk about the book at all). i was ticked because i was really ready to delve into the themes (i even took notes, it’s fine, i am complete nerd), but i was just really excited. i have always wanted to be in a book club. however, this experience would be more succinctly classified as an accountant & accountant’s wives wine drinking & chitchatting club, but it was very fun & i met a bunch of people so that was great. and tonight we have plans with a russian girl from my german class & her italian husband. then tomorrow night we are having fondue with our aussies & some of their friends & saturday we are going to a party with mostly e&y people. we suddenly have some semblance of a social existence here, now it’s just negotiating carving out our own niche within all these circles.
we are missing all our comfortable niches, while simultaneously feeling challenged & relishing the opportunity to create some new ones.
i met a neighbor today, he is cubano & therefore we spoke in spanish as my german ist kaputt & his english is nonexsistent. (i am pretty sure he will be like darren was at 4312A DeTonty!, plus a language barrier) he is actually the only other person we have seen that lives in the building, so maybe all the others are hermits….
i went to my first ever book club last night (we didn’t talk about the book at all). i was ticked because i was really ready to delve into the themes (i even took notes, it’s fine, i am complete nerd), but i was just really excited. i have always wanted to be in a book club. however, this experience would be more succinctly classified as an accountant & accountant’s wives wine drinking & chitchatting club, but it was very fun & i met a bunch of people so that was great. and tonight we have plans with a russian girl from my german class & her italian husband. then tomorrow night we are having fondue with our aussies & some of their friends & saturday we are going to a party with mostly e&y people. we suddenly have some semblance of a social existence here, now it’s just negotiating carving out our own niche within all these circles.
we are missing all our comfortable niches, while simultaneously feeling challenged & relishing the opportunity to create some new ones.
Monday, October 6, 2008
builiding ikea furniture, something I hope to never have to do again
Sorry we have been missing in action for over a week now. The computer glitch just decided to work itself out, so hopefully the computer continues to turn on. All our Ikea furniture is finally built, (it takes Forfreakingever!, plus, I had round two of Ikea when a buddy of ours, Lachie & I helped/got paid to help a girl from my German class with her Ikea move, so I am officially d-u-n done with ikea)! The couch gets delivered on Friday, and after that we are just waiting for our overseas shipment. Which we could use real bad, I have worn through the two pairs of shoes that made it on the plane with me (literally one pair leaves shoe insides all over my feet when I wear them) & am in desperate need of some shoes (I cannot even remember which ones I shipped after all this, it’ll be like Goodwill Christmas!)
Although I cook dinner virtually every night at home, we have only one sad Ikea fry pan that must do everything, when I want tea, the trusy Ikea fry pan heats my wasser. Oh and the delightful plastic wear we eat every meal on is also quite classy. So, needless to say, we are quite excited to get the pans & dishes from the shipment, not to mention our bed (and coats, we each one have one winter coat with us which is starting to get a bit tiresome at this point). Joe & I really cannot decide what we are most excited to see again!!
We are finally beginning to feel like we ACTUALLY LIVE HERE. Which has made for an odd, simultaneously frightening onslaught of emotions….
If you have not already noted from the photos, we had a fabulous time in Munich two weekends ago. Saturday pretty much everything worked out perfectly. We arrived around noon, got the key & tickets to the tent from reception & then headed over to the party. The lines that form to enter the tent are hysterical, such disorderly crazy line formation (if you can even call it formation) would never ever occur like that in Switzerland. So for a few minutes we stood in this “line” to enter the Shottenhamel tent, but then I was like, this is ridiculous, we have tickets, there must be another entrance. So, we walked along the side of the tent & low & behold, another entrance with an intimidating African American man (the only one we saw all day) manning the entrance. Showed him our tickets & just walked right in! It was a beautiful thing. The scope of this “tent” (it is actually a huge wooden structure) was enormous. We were literally two of about 30 people out of 10,000 in there not wearing lederhosen and dirndl (mark my words, if we go next year, we will in proper attire)! We easily located the reserved tables & Nate (who kindly let us crash with him in his hotel Saturday night), and not a minute later, had our grosse bier. Met some great people from all over the world who work for e&y, hopefully we’ll be able to do some apt. trading or staying with a few of them throughout our travels as well. We cashed it in around 9 pm, joe didn’t feel well ;(. Yet, were awoken by Nate who insisted we go back out with him around 12:30. Never wanting to be party poopers, we got out of bed & went out again (note: glasses pictures/end of the slideshow).
The next day we walked around Munich & the fairgrounds again. It is a massive affair, stretching an excessive amount of city blocks. There are children, strollers, food, carnies, etc. packed in everywhere. It is a family affair as well as a beer drinking festival, and there is little to no separation of the two (ie. children in the tents, some drinking beer, some not)….We were fairly to completely overwhelmed by its’ scope (one more note: the foods were delicious there, spaetzel, candied nuts, wursts for joe, a regular heart attack waiting to happen). So, if anyone feels the need to plan a trip around Oktoberfest time, rest assured, you will most likely have some partners in crime.
Although I cook dinner virtually every night at home, we have only one sad Ikea fry pan that must do everything, when I want tea, the trusy Ikea fry pan heats my wasser. Oh and the delightful plastic wear we eat every meal on is also quite classy. So, needless to say, we are quite excited to get the pans & dishes from the shipment, not to mention our bed (and coats, we each one have one winter coat with us which is starting to get a bit tiresome at this point). Joe & I really cannot decide what we are most excited to see again!!
We are finally beginning to feel like we ACTUALLY LIVE HERE. Which has made for an odd, simultaneously frightening onslaught of emotions….
If you have not already noted from the photos, we had a fabulous time in Munich two weekends ago. Saturday pretty much everything worked out perfectly. We arrived around noon, got the key & tickets to the tent from reception & then headed over to the party. The lines that form to enter the tent are hysterical, such disorderly crazy line formation (if you can even call it formation) would never ever occur like that in Switzerland. So for a few minutes we stood in this “line” to enter the Shottenhamel tent, but then I was like, this is ridiculous, we have tickets, there must be another entrance. So, we walked along the side of the tent & low & behold, another entrance with an intimidating African American man (the only one we saw all day) manning the entrance. Showed him our tickets & just walked right in! It was a beautiful thing. The scope of this “tent” (it is actually a huge wooden structure) was enormous. We were literally two of about 30 people out of 10,000 in there not wearing lederhosen and dirndl (mark my words, if we go next year, we will in proper attire)! We easily located the reserved tables & Nate (who kindly let us crash with him in his hotel Saturday night), and not a minute later, had our grosse bier. Met some great people from all over the world who work for e&y, hopefully we’ll be able to do some apt. trading or staying with a few of them throughout our travels as well. We cashed it in around 9 pm, joe didn’t feel well ;(. Yet, were awoken by Nate who insisted we go back out with him around 12:30. Never wanting to be party poopers, we got out of bed & went out again (note: glasses pictures/end of the slideshow).
The next day we walked around Munich & the fairgrounds again. It is a massive affair, stretching an excessive amount of city blocks. There are children, strollers, food, carnies, etc. packed in everywhere. It is a family affair as well as a beer drinking festival, and there is little to no separation of the two (ie. children in the tents, some drinking beer, some not)….We were fairly to completely overwhelmed by its’ scope (one more note: the foods were delicious there, spaetzel, candied nuts, wursts for joe, a regular heart attack waiting to happen). So, if anyone feels the need to plan a trip around Oktoberfest time, rest assured, you will most likely have some partners in crime.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Quick Update
Sorry for the delayed posting of the Oktoberfest pics (they are still not posted), but wanted to give a couple of updates:
1) We have moved into our new place but don't have internet yet, which may slow down the posts for a bit.
2) We are currently having issues with our our laptop (just a black screen right now, which is not good at all) which is also delaying the postings
3) We purchased a bunch of shiz from IKEA and it all needs to be assembled. It looks like it will all work out well, but the assembly sucks
4) Our shower doesn't have a shower bar / curtain currently because there is only one wall against the tub (as opposed to the usual 3) so we cannot just use a spring-loaded straight bar, rather we have to rig something or find a D-shaped bar if that makes sense.
5) Three rooms came without light fixtures and they have still not been put in. I am considering putting them in myself but don't have my tools, which are still on the boat. The voltage is higher here so I am not sure if I will install myself - what electrocutes you more volts, watts, amps?
6) Our shipment has cleared customs in the UK, but may still be a few days / weeks away.
7) No bed yet (also on the boat) so we are breaking in the futon at the moment - how fun!
Oktoberfest was a great time and we will post those pics as well as house pics soon.
I hope you all are doing well.
1) We have moved into our new place but don't have internet yet, which may slow down the posts for a bit.
2) We are currently having issues with our our laptop (just a black screen right now, which is not good at all) which is also delaying the postings
3) We purchased a bunch of shiz from IKEA and it all needs to be assembled. It looks like it will all work out well, but the assembly sucks
4) Our shower doesn't have a shower bar / curtain currently because there is only one wall against the tub (as opposed to the usual 3) so we cannot just use a spring-loaded straight bar, rather we have to rig something or find a D-shaped bar if that makes sense.
5) Three rooms came without light fixtures and they have still not been put in. I am considering putting them in myself but don't have my tools, which are still on the boat. The voltage is higher here so I am not sure if I will install myself - what electrocutes you more volts, watts, amps?
6) Our shipment has cleared customs in the UK, but may still be a few days / weeks away.
7) No bed yet (also on the boat) so we are breaking in the futon at the moment - how fun!
Oktoberfest was a great time and we will post those pics as well as house pics soon.
I hope you all are doing well.
Friday, September 26, 2008
O'zapft is!
This Bavarian phrase, uttered by the Mayor of Munich last Saturday at 12 PM German time (12 PM on the dot) kicked off Oktoberfest 2008 at the Schottenhamel tent (where we will be). It basically means that the first beer tap, yes the Mayor taps the first keg, was successful and that all other tents may begin to serve beer. Not sure if he did a kegstand though....
A brief history lesson (sorry this can't be all fun and games):
Oktoberfest started in 1810 by Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria (not to be confused with Ludwig II, or Mad Ludwig, who built Neuschwanstein) married Princess Therese of Saxon-Hildburghausen and held five days of festivities, culminating with a horse race held just outside of Munich at an area called Theresienwiese, named in honor of the bride. The race was repeated every year and became known as Oktoberfest. The party soon moved to a 16 day festival, ending on the first Sunday of Oktober (therefore most of Oktoberfest is held in September). The Bavarians now call the area "Wiesn", introduced 1 liter beers (approx. 33 ounces) 1892 and starting constructing large beer tents in 1896
(ok that's enough)
As mentioned, we will be enjoying the festivities on Saturday at the Schottenhamel tent. We will most likely be without our Lederhosen and Dirndl, but we will be working on our German phrases, such as "ein Mass bitte" - a 1 litre beer please or "ein Haendle bitte" - half a roasted chicken please (we'll see if Liz when pushed to hunger from drinking opts for the chicken - bones and all) . I doubt we will have much of an opportunity to use our beginner German in further detail, but maybe we will pick up some other phrases along the way. I am most excited about the huge Bavarian pretzels as the ones in Zurich just don't compare.
Anyway, enjoy your weekends. We have an early train tomorrow and will be back late on Sunday. I'm sure we will have plenty more to blog about as well as some great pictures.
Schoen Wochenende
A brief history lesson (sorry this can't be all fun and games):
Oktoberfest started in 1810 by Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria (not to be confused with Ludwig II, or Mad Ludwig, who built Neuschwanstein) married Princess Therese of Saxon-Hildburghausen and held five days of festivities, culminating with a horse race held just outside of Munich at an area called Theresienwiese, named in honor of the bride. The race was repeated every year and became known as Oktoberfest. The party soon moved to a 16 day festival, ending on the first Sunday of Oktober (therefore most of Oktoberfest is held in September). The Bavarians now call the area "Wiesn", introduced 1 liter beers (approx. 33 ounces) 1892 and starting constructing large beer tents in 1896
(ok that's enough)
As mentioned, we will be enjoying the festivities on Saturday at the Schottenhamel tent. We will most likely be without our Lederhosen and Dirndl, but we will be working on our German phrases, such as "ein Mass bitte" - a 1 litre beer please or "ein Haendle bitte" - half a roasted chicken please (we'll see if Liz when pushed to hunger from drinking opts for the chicken - bones and all) . I doubt we will have much of an opportunity to use our beginner German in further detail, but maybe we will pick up some other phrases along the way. I am most excited about the huge Bavarian pretzels as the ones in Zurich just don't compare.
Anyway, enjoy your weekends. We have an early train tomorrow and will be back late on Sunday. I'm sure we will have plenty more to blog about as well as some great pictures.
Schoen Wochenende
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Try Saying This Three Times Fast: Pflanzschulstrasse 51
Better remember it, even if you can't say it, because it's our new address in Zurich! To be honest, I think our agent was more excited about it than we were (she was getting really tired of our tri-daily email onslaught I guess....) The flat (think reliving the 1970 in the kitchen & bathroom) is in a great location, close to our temporary place, 15-20 minutes to Joe's work, & about 10 minutes to get downtown. Now I am mentally preparing for multiple trips to Ikea (my own personal hell), painting?, installing shower bars, light fixtures (that's right they take them with when they move out here, so we have wires hanging out of the ceiling of most rooms), & purchasing all other types of goods like toilet seats that I have no idea how to say in German. Our shipment & therefore our bed is stalled in UK customs, so hopefully it will clear before 9/30 (doubtful) when we move in. So, don't worry mom, we'll be buying the top of the line Ikea futon (still crappy, I'm sure) because we'll need to sleep on it for our first few weeks in our new home as well.
Here are the particulars:
Pflanzschulstrasse 51
CH-8004 Zurich
Switzerland
I don't think the apartment number is necessary (nor do I know it) because our name(s) will be on the mail box.
Thanks for everyones good energy & thoughts during our flat hunt, we appreciate it!
Here are the particulars:
Pflanzschulstrasse 51
CH-8004 Zurich
Switzerland
I don't think the apartment number is necessary (nor do I know it) because our name(s) will be on the mail box.
Thanks for everyones good energy & thoughts during our flat hunt, we appreciate it!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Mein Name ist Liz, Ich bin Liz, Ich heisse Liz
How many different ways do I need to be able to say: my name is liz? I mean seriously. We have spent almost a cumulative 4 hours on how to introduce people in this language. The first day of class our teacher rolled in with crazier hair than I rock just rolling out of bed (even with the collic in full effect, this lady has me totally beat on the wacked out hair front). And she just starts rambling away in German, like we are all here because we can't function in this society, so just keep on rubbing that one in. But there is no common language among the students, so there really is no choice I suppose....I am working on some spanish as well (double language time) because some of the other students only speak spanish. But most of them are already bi-, tri- & beyond linguistically. One girl speaks english, russian, french & spanish, & is obviously working on german, sure, why not?
Also, yesterday someone came up to me & said, "Sprechen Sie englisch?" It was super great, someone thought I looked like I belonged here & like I would know what I was talking about enough to ask me if I spoke english. Of course, I was clueless as to how to assist him, but he figured it out & then explained it to me! Wonderbar!
Also, yesterday someone came up to me & said, "Sprechen Sie englisch?" It was super great, someone thought I looked like I belonged here & like I would know what I was talking about enough to ask me if I spoke english. Of course, I was clueless as to how to assist him, but he figured it out & then explained it to me! Wonderbar!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Underground Stores....
In Bern, they have stores that are basically underground, hence the door that Joe is about a foot too tall for. So, I walking around the street admiring the underground stores, when I spotted an underground Lush (that is right, they have Lush here so I'll never run out of deodorant!). I got super excited when I saw this and was staring down there, walking along when all of a sudden Joe was like "Liz, move" and he yanked me over to him. I was about 5 feet from getting smoked by a bus....at least my last living memory would have been the lovely smell of Lush! But seriously, the bus driver did not even beep at me like they do in Zurich if you are being a fool tourist.
Other than the underground stores, there really was not too much to see in Bern. They are famous for these bear pits which Joe & I walked right past twice because they are seriously the lamest thing I have ever seen. It's just a concrete hole in the ground with one sad old bear in it. We were equally disappointed by the Fine Arts (Kunstmuseum) Museum.
We rented Zurirollt (free city bike rentals for anyone w/ a passport & a 20CHF deposit which you get back when you return the bikes) twice this weekend which was amazing. There are some great paths along the lake and the river that we were able to check out. The sun was out for a good part of the weekend as well so it was a great way to get outside & explore the city/countryside! When you all come to visit, this is definitely something fun to do here & basically the only thing free in this entire land! (We are totally spoiled by free everything in the Lou, the zoo here is like 25CHF per person!)
Well, happy Monday ladies & gents. I have German homework to get rocking on, hooray, let the good times roll....
Other than the underground stores, there really was not too much to see in Bern. They are famous for these bear pits which Joe & I walked right past twice because they are seriously the lamest thing I have ever seen. It's just a concrete hole in the ground with one sad old bear in it. We were equally disappointed by the Fine Arts (Kunstmuseum) Museum.
We rented Zurirollt (free city bike rentals for anyone w/ a passport & a 20CHF deposit which you get back when you return the bikes) twice this weekend which was amazing. There are some great paths along the lake and the river that we were able to check out. The sun was out for a good part of the weekend as well so it was a great way to get outside & explore the city/countryside! When you all come to visit, this is definitely something fun to do here & basically the only thing free in this entire land! (We are totally spoiled by free everything in the Lou, the zoo here is like 25CHF per person!)
Well, happy Monday ladies & gents. I have German homework to get rocking on, hooray, let the good times roll....
Friday, September 19, 2008
ankle boots, tall boats, cowboy boots, mid boots, red boots, blue boots
I didn't bring with my tall boots because I thought, people probably don't wear them here. Riiiight, people are absolutely crazy about boots here. The main problem is they must show the boots off, so no matter the type, they tuck their pants into them. I must saying, tucking your pants into ankle boots just looks straight up re-diculous. So, when you all come to visit be sure to bring your favorite boots. There is also this bag that literally 30% of the women here own. Joe is finally even started noticing them which means, they really are everywhere. They have been bothering me basically since we arrived here because I could not for the life of me figure out what they are. Finally, some girl that I was out with last night was carrying one. The first words out of my mouth were "what is that bag?" Not, "hi, I'm Liz, nice to meet you." Smooth liz, real nice. But at least I know now, sweet relief! It's a Longchamp (from Paris) and the bag is called Le Pliage, In case you need to see it for your yourself: www.longchamp.com, it's the first one/two pictured in the collection. Seriously though, just envision an overpriced canvas bag, that I oddly enough, find myself wanting now....
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Some food just tastes better here (and some definitely doesn't)
I have become obsessed with tomato mozzarella since we arrived here. The tomatoes are so delicious & the cheese, well, I think we can all imagine that it is above par. Coffee, another big plus. Cafe creme, latte macchiatto, all but my first coffee experience here (recall: caramel machiatto without espresso) have been pure deliciousness. The chocolate bar that tastes like bank chocolate, yum (note: I have never seen joe eat as much chocolate in my life as I have in the past few weeks.) Oh, and the bread/foccacia/carbs/pretzels/carbs --- a notch above.
Some foods that are not really stacking up include: lettuce (*we have had to suffer through some really piss poor salads in the past few weeks). I finally found the 2 varieties of lettuce that are acceptable to our palates, so much for buying what is "on sale." And, Fiber, where, oh where are you? Apparently the Swiss are not nearly as interested in poop as the Ducheks. Granola bars, holy yuck, imagine the quaker oat's granola bars (in weird German fruit flavors) with an extra cup of sugar added just for the hell of it. Oh, and they don't seem to believe in canned soup here so when I decided to make grilled cheese & tomato soup for dinner sometime this week I had to purchase powdered tomato soup, that's right, powder soup people.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Weekend Update
As our pictures show we spent a nice, albeit rainy, day in small town Germany with my cousin Tara & her parents. We weren't really able to do too much because of the constant rain, but we had a nice lunch, and later some beverages at an outdoor cafe. Basically, we did what Viggiano/Maviglian style get together's do best, eat & drink!
Thanks for all the well wishes Sunday. It was a nice, lowkey day.
In case you all were wondering, Joe's econ post probably took about 2 hours last night, and he had to download special software for that graph! I could tell by his grin last night he was up to something nerdy!
Thanks for all the well wishes Sunday. It was a nice, lowkey day.
In case you all were wondering, Joe's econ post probably took about 2 hours last night, and he had to download special software for that graph! I could tell by his grin last night he was up to something nerdy!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Real Life Economics Lesson
Liz said that I couldn't talk about this anymore, but that's what a blog is for right? So anyone who has taken Econ 101 remembers drawing those stupid supply and demand curves and then the professor would talk about some hypothetical situation where price controls were introduced and the market wouldn't clear because supply and demand weren't in equilibrium. Well I am happy to report that theoretical economics has hit reality here in Zurich. See the graph below that you hopefully remember drawing:
For all of you who slept through Economics or had some fluff major where you didn't have to take a business class (yes I know there are about 5 teachers reading this.....). I will get you up to speed on what happens. First, there aren't enough apartments - no one wants to build anymore because you can find better ways to make money with the land/capital. Second, everyone who wants an apartment (i.e. every person in Zurich, including the 20+ people we saw at each of our three apartments we viewed tonight) has to line up and pray to the gods that they get lucky enough to be blessed with the honor of a below market rent. Then, when you finally get into a rent-controlled place you never move because you have a great gig going, therefore perpetuating the problem for new renters.
It has moved beyond theoretical for us...... I think I miss capitalism the most.
For all of you who slept through Economics or had some fluff major where you didn't have to take a business class (yes I know there are about 5 teachers reading this.....). I will get you up to speed on what happens. First, there aren't enough apartments - no one wants to build anymore because you can find better ways to make money with the land/capital. Second, everyone who wants an apartment (i.e. every person in Zurich, including the 20+ people we saw at each of our three apartments we viewed tonight) has to line up and pray to the gods that they get lucky enough to be blessed with the honor of a below market rent. Then, when you finally get into a rent-controlled place you never move because you have a great gig going, therefore perpetuating the problem for new renters.
It has moved beyond theoretical for us...... I think I miss capitalism the most.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dogs & Labels
This is a Joe rant:
The two things that people seem to be obsessed with here are: Dogs and Labels.
First dogs, they are very well trained and docile, but their owners drag them around EVERYWHERE. We were at the Rhine Falls last weekend, which has some pretty steep ascents and declines and yet dogs were present everywhere. Does your dog really need to go on a sightseeing tour with you? Perhaps now I am not as shocked that we were only 2 rows away from a dog on the transatlantic flight over here. Also, people are willing to spend some cash on their dogs. Dogs need insurance (ok maybe I understand that), but they also need train passes. Do you actually have to get a passport photo for the little guy? I don't know....
As for the labels, wow. If clothes seem expensive in the States, come on over (but don't plan to buy anything) because once you head back everything will be a bargain - Liz already had me worn down on a few things, but now I probably will "let" her buy anything at home! And the label / image thing is very pointed too, its not just that people have nice things, its that they subtly let you know they have nice things (i.e. we were checking out an apartment with a garage and the guy was like “it’s that parking place over there, where the new Volvo is” – I think that I heard the word new three times in five minutes. It’s class warfare in a different fashion – it’s the same regarding where people live here. All areas around the city are pretty much equal, but Seefeld is the place to be and people let you know that – we still haven’t figured out why. (Insert Liz comment: one of the partners at Joe's work asked him where we were living & Joe told him & the guy responded with, "oh, that's the wrong side of the lake." The wrong side of the lake? It's still gorgeous, safe & in the middle of the city, nothing like our dear east st. louis)
Some of the labels I just don’t understand (we’ll leave that for another post) and I’m sure Liz will soon comment on some people’s fashion sense, even if they did pay a lot of money for what they have on. But that’s my thoughts for now. I bet you can’t wait for my thoughts on politics, taxes, and mandated insurance! Sure to stir some debate!
The two things that people seem to be obsessed with here are: Dogs and Labels.
First dogs, they are very well trained and docile, but their owners drag them around EVERYWHERE. We were at the Rhine Falls last weekend, which has some pretty steep ascents and declines and yet dogs were present everywhere. Does your dog really need to go on a sightseeing tour with you? Perhaps now I am not as shocked that we were only 2 rows away from a dog on the transatlantic flight over here. Also, people are willing to spend some cash on their dogs. Dogs need insurance (ok maybe I understand that), but they also need train passes. Do you actually have to get a passport photo for the little guy? I don't know....
As for the labels, wow. If clothes seem expensive in the States, come on over (but don't plan to buy anything) because once you head back everything will be a bargain - Liz already had me worn down on a few things, but now I probably will "let" her buy anything at home! And the label / image thing is very pointed too, its not just that people have nice things, its that they subtly let you know they have nice things (i.e. we were checking out an apartment with a garage and the guy was like “it’s that parking place over there, where the new Volvo is” – I think that I heard the word new three times in five minutes. It’s class warfare in a different fashion – it’s the same regarding where people live here. All areas around the city are pretty much equal, but Seefeld is the place to be and people let you know that – we still haven’t figured out why. (Insert Liz comment: one of the partners at Joe's work asked him where we were living & Joe told him & the guy responded with, "oh, that's the wrong side of the lake." The wrong side of the lake? It's still gorgeous, safe & in the middle of the city, nothing like our dear east st. louis)
Some of the labels I just don’t understand (we’ll leave that for another post) and I’m sure Liz will soon comment on some people’s fashion sense, even if they did pay a lot of money for what they have on. But that’s my thoughts for now. I bet you can’t wait for my thoughts on politics, taxes, and mandated insurance! Sure to stir some debate!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
#1 Place to live
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/06/0611_mercer/index_01.htm?chan=rss_topSlideShows_ssi_5
when the 7th person (thanks dp) reminded me that i am in the best place to live in the world, i wondered, did these consultants hunt for apartments? i highly highly doubt it.....
when the 7th person (thanks dp) reminded me that i am in the best place to live in the world, i wondered, did these consultants hunt for apartments? i highly highly doubt it.....
Swiss Bier
As you can see (PS this is Joe) , we have really not found any solid Swiss beers yet. As a shout out to our friends from Hamburg, we picked up some Becks. The only issue that I have with Beck's is that per the can it is "brewed under the German purity laws of 1517", not sure how stringent those are. I'm all for things being old, but 500 year-old sanitation laws scare me. The alcohol kills the germs, though, right?
apartment drama
We just found out yesterday that we are getting kicked out of our short term apartment at the end of the month, and I know I have not been all sunshine & smiles about this place, but it is certainly more appealing than being homeless, or having to move into another short term place. We are bombarding our agent with emails & places that we have found online, but she is basically AWOL. So, not too much else to report. I have a cold or allergies, whatever, my immune system is certainly up against a bit of stress.
We are meeting up with my cousin Anthony's wife, Tara, & her parents on Saturday in a small German town, so we are certainly looking forward to that. And then on Sunday I think we will go for a hike & to a very yummy looking vegetarian place I have been waiting to go to called Hiltl. www.hiltl.ch in case anyone wants to drool over it with me, or give me input on what I should order!
Would anyone like me to do a week in Swiss meals? It would pretty much just be what I make for dinner, but I am pretty impressed with what I am cooking up with only 2 burners & a microwave. Don't worry though, there is an espresso machine, which I have absolutely no idea how to work....
We are meeting up with my cousin Anthony's wife, Tara, & her parents on Saturday in a small German town, so we are certainly looking forward to that. And then on Sunday I think we will go for a hike & to a very yummy looking vegetarian place I have been waiting to go to called Hiltl. www.hiltl.ch in case anyone wants to drool over it with me, or give me input on what I should order!
Would anyone like me to do a week in Swiss meals? It would pretty much just be what I make for dinner, but I am pretty impressed with what I am cooking up with only 2 burners & a microwave. Don't worry though, there is an espresso machine, which I have absolutely no idea how to work....
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Weekend & internet free zone (aka our apt.)
Sorry to dissiapoint yesterday party peoples. The pictures from the weekend are now up, enyoy! The internet at our shit ass apt. is still not working which is really making me pissy, so I demonstrated my true colors yesterday in our leasing office, which as you can all imagine, was a bit yikes. I have to use Starbucks for internet, oh bummer I get to have my cafe creme fix, but it is a bummer b/c I can't really make Skype calls from here, so sorry for neglecting everyone for the past few days.
The weekend was pretty nice. We spent Saturday in Luzern (about 45 min train ride) and a small town that is a boat ride away from there called Weggis. We pretty much just spent the day walking around, seeing the sights. Both towns are gorgeous, but Luzern is really crowded & touristy. Joe enjoying an ice cream by the lake was in Weggis, which is a totally gorgeous small town. Overall it was a good day, although we did have our moments, esp considering we had been out the night before with some new "mates," (awesome Aussies) and were up early, so some of us *joe* were feeling a bit rough to start the day.
Sunday was nice as well. The Rhine falls, as noted by my title, left a little bit to be desired to be honest. It's creepy though b/c a boat will take you to the little island in the middle of the falls, so of course we did that, but the staircase is like most typical European staircases, not quite wide enough for 1.5 people & the top area only fit about 6 people, but let's be serious, 17 were up there. Of course, I was not a huge fan of that...the railing was about as high as my waist & everyone was just packed up there, nanas/papas, annoying ass teenage couples wearing trash bags (hello, as I noted, this was no Niagra, the spray barely existed, but yet they were rocking the poncho trash bag fashion).
We are waiting on pins & needles to hear if we got the apt we applied for Friday afternoon. Joe & I basically terrorized each other all weekend with statements like this "wouldn't it be neat if we got that place?" & "boy that place was fancy." Keep your fingers crossed loves! Hopefully the excessive amount of posts today makes up for the lack of Monday excitement.
The weekend was pretty nice. We spent Saturday in Luzern (about 45 min train ride) and a small town that is a boat ride away from there called Weggis. We pretty much just spent the day walking around, seeing the sights. Both towns are gorgeous, but Luzern is really crowded & touristy. Joe enjoying an ice cream by the lake was in Weggis, which is a totally gorgeous small town. Overall it was a good day, although we did have our moments, esp considering we had been out the night before with some new "mates," (awesome Aussies) and were up early, so some of us *joe* were feeling a bit rough to start the day.
Sunday was nice as well. The Rhine falls, as noted by my title, left a little bit to be desired to be honest. It's creepy though b/c a boat will take you to the little island in the middle of the falls, so of course we did that, but the staircase is like most typical European staircases, not quite wide enough for 1.5 people & the top area only fit about 6 people, but let's be serious, 17 were up there. Of course, I was not a huge fan of that...the railing was about as high as my waist & everyone was just packed up there, nanas/papas, annoying ass teenage couples wearing trash bags (hello, as I noted, this was no Niagra, the spray barely existed, but yet they were rocking the poncho trash bag fashion).
We are waiting on pins & needles to hear if we got the apt we applied for Friday afternoon. Joe & I basically terrorized each other all weekend with statements like this "wouldn't it be neat if we got that place?" & "boy that place was fancy." Keep your fingers crossed loves! Hopefully the excessive amount of posts today makes up for the lack of Monday excitement.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
and I say "Ich spreche nicht Deutsch"
So, the whole "I don't speak German" bit has really been working to my favor lately. The other day a horribly creepy homeless man kept staring at me & speaking in German & I just pulled out my "Ich spreche nicht Deutsch" aka leave me the hell alone. And then today on a train I sat down across from what must have been a moderately handicapped man and/or totally drugged out guy that also began talking to me, while simultaneously hitting my leg with his foot. Again, "Ich spreche" to the rescue. It took into later this week to start running into these types of individuals, so for some reason, I had assumed Zurich didn't have them. But oh no, it's like any other public transportation experience, just might have to start implementing the IPOD to stave off some of the weirdness.
Enough of the odd duck report....it's been rainy here for about the past day, but a nice sprinkling type situation (I know you all (mom) in Chicago are desperately needing some rain, so I certainly won't complain about it). Although we did get soaked last night when we were out...luckily I had eyed some umbrellas in a grocery store, so now Joe & I are equipped with our own private umbrellas. And, of course, I misplaced mine today. I went down to the Bahnhof (the main train station) to buy tickets for our trip to Munchen Oktoberfest, which is at the end of the month. I was quite pleased with myself because A.) I was in the right place. B.) I have implemented the strategy of smiling at the person who is about to help me, it goes a long way in making them more willing to help me (aka speak english). After I purchased the tickets I walked out into the main station & realized, oh mother, I'm not holding my umbrella. So, I walked back in the room where I bought the tickets & didn't see it anywhere. Finally, I made eye contact with the man who had been helping me & he held up my umbrella & smiled at me. I had just left it leaning up against wall in front of his desk & someone had turned it in. Thank goodness, since we had just spent $17CHF on that bad boy last night, I would have been ticked if it already disappeared, but the people here are freakishly honest (from what I hear) and it proved to be correct in this case.
I have to go scout out an apartment that we may go view tonight, so I have to run. For those of you who make Duchek's Do Switzerland a normal part of your work day, hope it's a good one!
PS We found the bank chocolate in bar form at the grocery earlier this week for only 1.50CHF. HeyOh! We made the horrible error of looking at the nutrition information, luckily for us we don't really understand their kcal system, so we can just forget about it. Oh and, yesterday Joe got some Sprungli truffles from his counselor at work....I won't even go into those ;0)
Enough of the odd duck report....it's been rainy here for about the past day, but a nice sprinkling type situation (I know you all (mom) in Chicago are desperately needing some rain, so I certainly won't complain about it). Although we did get soaked last night when we were out...luckily I had eyed some umbrellas in a grocery store, so now Joe & I are equipped with our own private umbrellas. And, of course, I misplaced mine today. I went down to the Bahnhof (the main train station) to buy tickets for our trip to Munchen Oktoberfest, which is at the end of the month. I was quite pleased with myself because A.) I was in the right place. B.) I have implemented the strategy of smiling at the person who is about to help me, it goes a long way in making them more willing to help me (aka speak english). After I purchased the tickets I walked out into the main station & realized, oh mother, I'm not holding my umbrella. So, I walked back in the room where I bought the tickets & didn't see it anywhere. Finally, I made eye contact with the man who had been helping me & he held up my umbrella & smiled at me. I had just left it leaning up against wall in front of his desk & someone had turned it in. Thank goodness, since we had just spent $17CHF on that bad boy last night, I would have been ticked if it already disappeared, but the people here are freakishly honest (from what I hear) and it proved to be correct in this case.
I have to go scout out an apartment that we may go view tonight, so I have to run. For those of you who make Duchek's Do Switzerland a normal part of your work day, hope it's a good one!
PS We found the bank chocolate in bar form at the grocery earlier this week for only 1.50CHF. HeyOh! We made the horrible error of looking at the nutrition information, luckily for us we don't really understand their kcal system, so we can just forget about it. Oh and, yesterday Joe got some Sprungli truffles from his counselor at work....I won't even go into those ;0)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Construction & Church bells
Well one thing is for sure, we will not be looking for ground floor apartments, it freaking super noisy in this biz. So we saw our second apartment last night, another rejection. We liked the layout of the first one, but not the area, now we liked the area but not the apartment. Oh well, our agent has to show us 8 more -- so we are sure we will find one...sometime.
Joe is at his first day of real work. I don't think there is too much going on for his workwise yet. Not much else going on in my life. Everything is super challenging considering the language barrier. Going to the grocery store pretty much takes an hour, and I have been in different ones at least once a day since we arrived! It's like at home, only certain stores have certain products, so I need to figure out which places have the good stuff. Frighteningly, I had to pull out my rough Spanish skills yesterday to get information about a gym b/c the woman didn't speak English & I don't speak German, so we met in the middle --- she was going at about 1 million miles per minute though, so my comprehension was definitely challenged.
Trying to plan a quick weekend trip....but our internet is a hater, and only allows me access to certain websites. I am feeling very lucky to be able to get on the blog, it usually is a no go. Okay, well I need to run out to get info about my German class, go to the post, the grocery, etc.
Call us, post comments, send us love!
Joe is at his first day of real work. I don't think there is too much going on for his workwise yet. Not much else going on in my life. Everything is super challenging considering the language barrier. Going to the grocery store pretty much takes an hour, and I have been in different ones at least once a day since we arrived! It's like at home, only certain stores have certain products, so I need to figure out which places have the good stuff. Frighteningly, I had to pull out my rough Spanish skills yesterday to get information about a gym b/c the woman didn't speak English & I don't speak German, so we met in the middle --- she was going at about 1 million miles per minute though, so my comprehension was definitely challenged.
Trying to plan a quick weekend trip....but our internet is a hater, and only allows me access to certain websites. I am feeling very lucky to be able to get on the blog, it usually is a no go. Okay, well I need to run out to get info about my German class, go to the post, the grocery, etc.
Call us, post comments, send us love!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Land, Air & Sea
Joe was pretty proud of this title when he thought of it yesterday, so hopefully you all are impressed when you hear about our day. We decided to take a boat trolley along the lake & for once we happened to be perfectly on time for the public transportation! Seems we are always just missing the train....we always seem to just be running up to the station as the train is pulling away, but today we were perfectly on time for the water taxi! It was a nice, hazy hour and a half ride along the lake. A Swiss woman sitting next to us with her son started a conversation with us and even gave us her business card so we could get in touch with her with questions if needed. After the boat tour we took a train up to some hiking trails. We were completely and utterly unprepared for doing anything, let along hike. We had to buy a "shot" of water, literally it was probably 8oz, out of a vending machine for 2.50 & share a Clif bar for lunch before we took off for the supposedly "easy" hike. Dressed in jeans & t-shirts, purse on shoulder, I would have thought we looked ridiculously unprepared for a hike...but oh no, the Swiss like to hike in their Sunday best, so we saw women hiking in skirts & heels, men in button down shirts soaked through with sweat. Our little guidebook informed us the hike would be an easy 1 hour. Huffing & puffing, 1 hour 45 minutes later, we arrived at the tram which was to take us back down to the town below. HOLY Shit! Talk about scary, close to 30 people crammed into a tiny air tram, (the last few pics are from it) man's stinky armpit in my face, shoved into a tiny corner of this freaky tram.....needless to say, Joe had to take the pics b/c I couldn't see and certainly couldn't move with armpit man right up on me. So those were our adventures via the sea, land & air.
Joe is at his first day of "work" aka training today. He arrived at the office at 8 today (thanks for the wakeup call MK) but apparently no one seemed to know what he needed to do until he spoke to his contact in HR who said "didn't you get the e-mail?", which they sent to his nonfuctioning STL EY address....so, no, didn't get it. Turns out he didn't need to be anywhere until 10:30 today.
In case you all are wondering, English TV is pretty limited, shocking I know. So I have seen the same BBC piece run it's course 3 times this morning. Digging for gold in sewer water in Bangladesh is only truly interesting the first two times around. Not much else to report here at the time.
Hope you are all enjoying your Labor Day!
Joe is at his first day of "work" aka training today. He arrived at the office at 8 today (thanks for the wakeup call MK) but apparently no one seemed to know what he needed to do until he spoke to his contact in HR who said "didn't you get the e-mail?", which they sent to his nonfuctioning STL EY address....so, no, didn't get it. Turns out he didn't need to be anywhere until 10:30 today.
In case you all are wondering, English TV is pretty limited, shocking I know. So I have seen the same BBC piece run it's course 3 times this morning. Digging for gold in sewer water in Bangladesh is only truly interesting the first two times around. Not much else to report here at the time.
Hope you are all enjoying your Labor Day!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Bank Chocolates
On Thursday Joe & decided we would get a bank account open, in addition to some other fun errands. Opening a bank account....this shouldn't take long, right? Maybe an hour. Well, after visiting KantonalBark Zurich, Credit Suisse, KantonalBank Zurich, Credit Suisse, and about 4 hours of our life later, we have a bank account! The only real Highlight of this experience was the chocolate a kind man gave us at Credit Suisse. As we walked out of the bank, Joe opened his and said, oh my god, you have to have this and popped the other half of his in my mouth. All this back & forth suddenly seemed justifiable just to have this chocolate! We have no idea what it was, but every grocery store visit since then we have been searching for something similar. Perhaps when we work up the guts to enter the chocolate/dessert shops, we will find the delicious bank creation again!
We went to the grocery yesterday and the prices were not nearly as astronomical there as we expected. Needless to say, we are going to be eating in our crummy little temporary flat for nearly every meal!
Generally, all is going well!, of course everything is harder now, but it will certainly get easier once we are more settled & find our permanent home.
We went to the grocery yesterday and the prices were not nearly as astronomical there as we expected. Needless to say, we are going to be eating in our crummy little temporary flat for nearly every meal!
Generally, all is going well!, of course everything is harder now, but it will certainly get easier once we are more settled & find our permanent home.
Friday, August 29, 2008
New Temporary Housing
We moved out of the hotel today, and into our short-term rental. Thoughts:
Pros:
Pros:
- Good location
- Shower head / Water pressure is fantastic
- Furniture / amenities are new
- No curtains / blinds over the windows, apparently they are coming in a few weeks.
- We are on the ground floor near the door and so we can hear it squeak every time someone enters.
- Noisy - It's 5 AM here and someone nearby is still jamming to Madonna (she is apparently coming to Zurich....) and there is construction going on at times during the day.
- Swiss beds (including ours here) apparently do not contain a sheet underneath the comforter, and without AC in the room it is either cook underneath the heavy cover or go without
- Internet seems intermittent
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
In the words of Bela Karoli "total ripoff"
Hello all! Hope everyone is doing well. Joe & I actually (mostly) slept through the night last night and have been going strong all day today. Joe is meeting with his new colleagues at E&Y, and I am at the only place with free WiFi in Zurich, Starbucks. But as the title notes, it is a "total ripoff." Did anyone see Bela Karoli talking about the total ripoff of American gymnastics? Well, I bet he would be just as vehement about the ripoff I am experiencing here. A tall iced caramel machaitto (made wrong, as I am fairly confident that I am drinking milk with carmel in it) was 6.80CHF. That's right my friends, $6 bucks for milk and some free internet.
We did meet our agent who will help us search for our apartment. She left us swirling with vast amounts of information, but she seems like she will be a great fit for us. Young, honest & friendly, so I think it will work out well. We are starting to get a feel for a few of the areas and walked past our temporary apartment today which is in quite a nice, central locale.
Maybe I'll decide to slurge on some milk again tomorrow...if so, maybe you'll all hear from me again.
Much love!
We did meet our agent who will help us search for our apartment. She left us swirling with vast amounts of information, but she seems like she will be a great fit for us. Young, honest & friendly, so I think it will work out well. We are starting to get a feel for a few of the areas and walked past our temporary apartment today which is in quite a nice, central locale.
Maybe I'll decide to slurge on some milk again tomorrow...if so, maybe you'll all hear from me again.
Much love!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Ankunft in Zurich
We arrived in Zurich today (1030 AM local time, 3:30 AM Central time). The Swiss efficiency was tested on the plane by a 65 year old (or so) woman who decided that she was going to carry-on four bags, one of which contained a dog. Somehow "small" dogs are allowed on international flights, but the four bags were not tolerated. This threw the lady into a tirade, which slowed us out of O'Hare by about 15 minutes. Other than that the flight was great and the food (and free drinks) were decent.
We toured the city a bit today and are now just trying to stay awake. 6:30 PM Zurich time is our goal, which we have a decent shot of making.
Plenty of errands tomorrow, but that should give us further opportunities to explore the city and figure out the transit options.
Wir sprechen uns spaeter.
PS - Brian, yes I know how to post.. (You are going to wish that Liz takes back the helm as a majority of my posts will be boring and factual)
We toured the city a bit today and are now just trying to stay awake. 6:30 PM Zurich time is our goal, which we have a decent shot of making.
Plenty of errands tomorrow, but that should give us further opportunities to explore the city and figure out the transit options.
Wir sprechen uns spaeter.
PS - Brian, yes I know how to post.. (You are going to wish that Liz takes back the helm as a majority of my posts will be boring and factual)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Chicago Time
So, I woke up my first morning at my parent's house to this familiar sight, a to-do list. Ah, I felt like I was in high school all over again. Sorry Mom....you had no idea your note would live in infamy. I've been having a great time with the parents, grandparents, (bosco? maybe not so much....), brother (who will probably be recovering for weeks from the bike ride Dave, Mom & I took yesterday along the lake.) Yes, yesterday was quite an adventure. We took a 12 mile ride out to the Museum of Science and Industry to see a energy efficient "green" house. Don't worry, the $450,000 price tag for the house was enough to shock me into realizing, I don't love the earth that much. After we walked around the museum, we were about to get back on the bikes and ride the 12 miles back when Mom realized she lost one of her diamond earrings. The ride home consisted of breaking everywhere we had stopped on the ride out to search for the earring. Of course, it was futile. I felt pretty dejected about the whole situation, David was concerned about his supposed bruised butt, and Mags seemed unphazed somehow. We bucked up though and had a great dinner & drinks at a restaurant by David's house that Kristin recommended (good pick K)! We wrapped up our city tour with drinks at a local pub, which Nick refused to enter (*shocking, Dad turning down booze, I know...) Finally, Mom, Dad & I got home and I asked Mom if she had looked around on the floor for her earring. Clearly, I had already assumed it was gone and retired to bed. Less than five minutes later Mom walks in to tell me she had found her earring! (What a miracle, I thought.) Should have known better - it was on her dresser, turns out she had only put one earring in her ear that morning!
Today is Joe's last day working at E&Y St. Louis, and his last day in his hometown for a while (I'm thinking of you hub). So, let's hope he treats his co-workers to one last round of "We Didn't Start the Fire" karaoke to bid them and his beautiful singing career farewell!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Auf Wiedersehen 6436 Marquette
This week has pretty much been the most ridiculously action packed week we have been through since probably the wedding. The movers came today and packed up everything we are shipping. Megan came over and helped assist while they were packing and helped clean which was huge for me! Not to mention the phenomenal amount of time and sweat equity that Ron-ode has put into helping us get the house ready for the Woody's (our renters). We have really enjoyed spending time with old friends, best friends & family this past week, and we are looking forward to the events our parents have planned to send us off.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Nearing departure...
We have just over three weeks to pack, get the house ready for our renters, spend time with family & friends, and generally, try not to freak out too much. Joe & I just returned from a great, relaxing vacation in Michigan with the Viggiano's/Meell's/Springer's/Melka's/Ferguson's and it was a great way to chill out before the marathon of getting things done begins. I'll post some pictures of sunsets & cartwheels when I return to STL.
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