Oh Boy!

It's a boy! Our Maybe Baby is a boy!

And we learned this not a moment too soon. We have 24 hours to name him. Which I am kind of freaking out about because I am a little superstitious about names and I would have preferred waiting until he was born. But we do not have that luxury.

See, last night we called the airline to purchase our flights there and back. Two adults on the way out, two adults and an infant on the way back. And in a Post 9/11 World, babies must be ticketed and their names must exactly match the name on the passport.

Right now our flights are on a 24-hour hold while we come up with a name. We have to let them know by 11:00 pm (Swiss Time) tonight. Or we lose the current price on our tickets, which is higher than it was a month ago, or the month before that. With the way the price of airline tickets have been steadily climbing, we don't want to wait any longer to purchase them. (I wonder how much longer before the airlines start offering financing options and monthly payment plans?)

Thank God we know the sex. Otherwise we would have to go with a name like Chris or Pat...

And no, we won't be posting his name here, even once we decide what it will be. That's a little too much private information to post on a public blog.

But I have decided the baby's blog name will be Global Baby (GB for short). Because this child will have traveled more by the time he is 6 months old than the majority of people in the world ever travel in their lifetime. And because we fully intend to continue to travel, even with a baby, so seeing the world will be part of his education.

Forgetful

In addition to completely forgetting the grocery stores would be closed today due to the holiday, I also forget about the solar eclipse happening today. Only remembered it at about 11 am. An hour after it finished.

Even though I've been up since 7:00 am, I didn't notice an eclipse of the sun between 9:00 am - 10:00 am because it's cloudy and rainy here. I did notice it seemed a bit dark, but just figured another storm was rolling through.

Ah well, with the clouds we wouldn't have been able to see the eclipse anyway. And it was only a partial eclipse in this area anyway. The full eclipse happened much further east of here. Like in China and Mongolia.

Back to laundry and cleaning...

From Chaos into Order

We arrived last night from Istanbul. A bit later than expected. Apparently the Chaos of the Istanbul airport wins out over the Punctuality of Swiss Airline.

It was late and we were tired, so we caught a taxi home. He helped to gently readjust us. Even though he had an extremely Swiss name and appearance, the driver was speeding, changing lanes frequently and even passing on the right. Sort of like the Swiss version of a Turkish taxi driver.

The holiday was wonderful. We actually lucked out in the weather category. Athens was unrelentingly hot (over 100 F / 40 C) and Dubronik wasn't terribly hot, but did have an extremely high humidity that made it difficult to breathe. However, pretty much everywhere else we went was having an unseasonably cool temperatures. Even Istanbul was only 80 F / 30 C with low humidity and a steady breeze. Not bad at all.

And everything we saw? Wow! Well worth the bit of heat we had to endure.

I'll post more after unpacking, laundering and grocery shopping...

NOTE: Completely forgot we would be returning on a Holiday Weekend (Swiss Day). Grocery stores are closed today. Our cupboards are empty, so it's off to the train station grocery store for us.

Holiday in the Sun

We are leaving. We're off to Greece and Turkey!

"What?" I can hear you say, "You're going to Greece and Turkey in July? But Global Librarian, you hate the sun! You hate the heat! Have you lost your mind?"

Yes, I hate sun and heat. Greece and Turkey in July will have excessive amounts of both.

But I love my husband.

A few years ago we stopped giving each presents at Christmas and birthdays. Instead, we travel. At Christmas time we decide together where we are going. But it is each person's choice where they wish to go for their birthday trip.

GLH's birthday is the end of September. With the Maybe Baby due the beginning of October, it is too close to be able to take a trip somewhere. So GL gets his birthday trip now and he wants to go on a Mediterranean cruise from Athens, Greece to Istanbul, Turkey (with side trips to Dubrovnik, Croatia and Sarande, Albania).

I'm slightly concerned about the heat (yesterday it was over 100 Fahrenheit in Athens), but I have been assured by a Greek friend that air conditioning is common so I should be able to cool off when I get overheated. I will not go anywhere without my sunscreen, silk fan and parasol and the interior areas of the ship are all air conditioned.

The cruise we are taking seems to have been custom-made for me. Or custom-made for people who love history.

It is an upscale cruise line with smaller ships (only 500 passengers) which has a focus on history and archaeology. We will be visiting sites dating back to Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and medieval times. There are local experts (university professors, archaeologists, anthropologists, etc) who will be provide lectures on the ship and the tour guides for our shore excursions have been carefully screened and selected for their extensive knowledge and presentation skills.

Actually, what I am most concerned about is that it will get very hot in Switzerland while we are gone and the apartment will heat up. Not only will that be bad for the cats, but when we get back it will take a while to get the apartment cooled again. But we'll deal with it if/when it happens.

See you again in August!

Language or Culture?

Which comes first? The language or the culture?

I've been pondering this question. As my German language skills have improved, I've been having longer discussions in German. Not debating philosophy, of course. They haven't progressed that far!

But I have noticed a couple of things about German which I believe impacts the culture. Or vice versa.

1. It is difficult to form German words and smile at the same time. Just the way you have to shape your lips when speaking makes a smile feel unnatural.

2. Because German sentences tend to be quite long and the action verb generally doesn't appear until the very end, everything you intend to say has to be carefully considered and planned. Compound this with the very structured word order and spontaneity becomes extremely difficult.

So, did the Germanic culture produce a language that encourages formality and discourages smiling? Or did the German language produce the stoic culture? Or do they just build upon one another?

Discuss...

Too Much?

I spent part of the day reorganizing our books now that we have a new set of shelves to handle our expanding collections.

One of our largest collections is, not surprisingly, travel books. It is growing by leaps and bounds and actually starting to become perhaps even a bit excessive. Yet I don't want to get rid of them in case we travel back there, or someone we know needs to borrow it.

It crossed my mind that perhaps I should put the travel books in Dewey Decimal Classification order.

Is that going too far?

Any other librarians out there cataloging their collections?

Impracticalities

Since we've moved I've been holding on to some shoes.

Strappy, high-heeled sandal style shoes. I have a few different styles in a few different colors.

They are definitely of the "dropped off at the door" style of shoes as opposed to "take the train" and/or "walk on cobblestone" style of shoes. I haven't worn any of them even once since moving to Switzerland.

Now I know that many women here continue to wear these shoes. But I am a big ole klutz. And I tend to fall for no discernible reason while wearing practical shoes on plain pavement. Watching me walk on cobblestone, even in sensible shoes, is not pretty. Me walking on cobblestone in strappy, high-heeled sandals would be the equivalent of watching a train wreck and likely end with a trip (literally!) to the emergency room.

But I have held on to them because they look so nice on my feet and make me feel pretty. Occasionally I have even put them on just to walk around the apartment and look at my feet in the mirror.

However, European living does not leave enough storage space for keeping things you are not actually using.

The shoes are going away.

Still trying to decide whether to throw them away or donate them. On the one hand, donating them would perhaps allow them to be reused and limit what goes in the garbage.

On the other hand, I have larger than normal sized feet for a woman. And I think if I saw a transvestite traipsing about in my shoes, especially if s/he were more graceful in them than I ever was, would likely make me cry.

So what do you think? What would you do with the shoes?

Return to Ikea

We had hoped that our trips to Ikea were behind us.

But then we decided to adopt a baby. And even though babies are small, they do seem to need a fair number of accoutrements. And we want everything ready to go before baby arrives just in case we find ourselves a bit busy afterwards.

So today we returned to Ikea once again. Not too bad though as we only needed an addition closet and a bookshelf. We already had crib and other sundry items. Just needed a bit more storage. Partially so we can put the vacuum cleaner and so on in a closet so crawling babies do not pull them over on themselves.

Hopefully GLH will not exasperate his Ikea-Elbow Injury* while assembling the furniture. 

Fortunately, our upstairs neighbor was home when we got back from Ikea. In exchange for a couple of margarita's, he helped GLH lug the closet upstairs. Partical board is extremely heavy and I have never had much upper-body strength.

*Similar to Tennis Elbow, Ikea Elbow is a repetitive injury caused by screwing together many pieces of inexpensive furniture. Ikea is the preferred furniture store of college students and expats.

Cleaning Tip

Since we arrived in Switzerland there is one thing in the house with which I have constantly struggled.

Hard Water Stains

This is the hardest water I have ever had to deal with. It discolors our clothes, dries my skin and hair and leaves a strange scum on surfaces in the kitchen and bathrooms.

I have figured out some ways to overcome it. I use Calgon water softener and a special enzymatic clothing detergent for the clothes. I use Body Shop Shea Body Butter for my skin and Aveda Sap Moss Shampoo and Conditioner for my hair. And I scrub kitchen and bathroom surfaces repeatedly in hope of keeping it under control.

But the glass shower in the bathroom remained cloudy no matter what I did.

GLH is very good about using a squeegee after he showers. That helps. But I have tried every chemical I could find in the store to get rid of the scum and nothing worked to get it really clean.

Until now.

I decided to try something my mother used when she cleaned windows. White vinegar, water and baking soda.

Dontcha know! It actually worked! With a minimum of scrubbing even. Just rub it on then wipe it off with a dry cloth.

I highly recommend it.

Maybe Baby?

We are matched with a prospective birthmother. We have actually been matched for a while, but it is only now beginning to feel real. I cannot believe it is a few months away!

The mother is in San Antonio, Texas and the baby is due October 3rd. At the end of September we will go to San Antonio to wait for the birth. We do not know whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. S/he keeps hiding from the ultrasound. Either shy or stubborn, I guess.

We are calling the baby our "Maybe Baby." The mother is currently planning to place her child for adoption. But until the baby has been born, she has had time to reconsider her choice and the paperwork is signed, it is not our baby. Hence, s/he is our "Maybe Baby."

Fingers crossed!

Experiments in Eating

So, I've given up being a vegetarian. It just didn't work out. I slowly started to reintroduce chicken and fish about 2 months ago and expanded to pork and red meat in the last few weeks. As long as I am careful to keep the portions small and avoid fried food like the plague, I haven't been getting sick.

I have a few reasons why I gave up:

1. Traveling as a vegetarian is hard. It's difficult to find good options on non-vegetarian menus, especially in major meat eating areas (i.e. German-speaking countries and Midwest region of the United States). Middle Eastern & Indian restaurants are a good fall-back, but not always available and/or fair to my meat-loving husband. Not to mention the angst which happens when extended family members are trying to figure out where to go or what to serve for dinner.

2. We have an upcoming adoption. I was really, really torn regarding raising a child as a vegetarian. Children need a lot of protein and fat for brain development and animal products are the most efficient way to get it to them. Plus, being a vegetarian as a child can really set you apart, especially when you live in a Germanic culture. As an adopted, biracial foreigner, our child will already be "different." Not to mention that I firmly believe that to raise non-picky eaters you have to have everyone in the family eating the same thing at meals. And only eating that. Making special separate meals is a bad precedent to set. So making meat for my child and vegetarian for me goes against that.

3. My hair was falling out. Even though I very carefully monitored my protein intake, including doing a supplementary protein shake, I simply wasn't getting enough protein. The hands full of hair every time I washed my hair was disturbing. In the last six weeks, hair loss has slowed.

So I am once again eating meat, but I will continue to include vegetarian meals into the mix as well. We'll balance it.

Thus far my stomach is doing alright. Hopefully as long as I am cautious about what I eat it will continue to do so. Fingers crossed.

Magical

This morning GLH walked into the room while I was searching through his closet.

GLH: What are you doing?

GL: Looking for dirty clothes. I'm doing laundry today.

GLH: So you just look through for things you've seen me wearing or what?

GL: Mostly things that are crumbled up in a ball.

GLH: How long have you been doing this?

GL: How long have we lived together?

So, here's my question to you. Do men think that clean clothes just magically happen? Or does it ever occur to them that there is someone who makes certain it happens?

Just wondering...

I'm Free!

Right now it is 68 F (18 C) with an expected high of 72 F (22 C). Hopefully it will get no warmer, but even if it does it is unlikely to be as hot as it has been the last week or two.

Thank you to the Powers that Be!

And something else has happened that I am thankful for...

Zurich has implemented a partial ban of smoking. Just public buildings, not including bars and restaurants. But it is a start and there is a vote on September 28th that if passed would ban smoking in bars and restaurants as well.

I feel like getting on my knees and shouting "Hallelujah!"

Or doing the Pagan Dance of Joy.

Please, please, please let the smoking ban pass! With an expected adoption coming soon, I really don't want to be one of those women who glares at people who dare smoke too close to her child.

But I will if I have to.

Stink Fest

Today GLH came home from work and saw me just sitting again, portable air conditioner on one side, fan on high on the other.

GLH: "Have you left the house today?"

GL: "Is it still hot out there?"

GLH: "Yes."

GL: "Then I think you have the answer."

He somehow talked me into going in the air conditioned car to Sihl City, the local mall, because he was pretty sure it had air conditioning and he didn't think it was healthy for me to not leave the house for four straight days.

And yes, Sihl City does have air conditioning. Although they could have turned it up a little. It was still too warm.

But the temperature was alright.

It was the people who weren't.

OH MY GOD! You have never in your life smelled the smells I was exposed to today. Disgusting! I wanted to bring along a basket of deodorant samples and give them out to pretty much everyone I came too close to. (Too close = 10 feet)

And by the way, why is it that people feel that just because it is hot, they can walk around in skimpy, essentially see through clothing? Some people should NOT walk around the world that way. I really do not want to see what they have to offer.

Not going out again until it cools down. Hopefully enough to take the stink away and make people put some clothes on!

I keep hearing rumors about rain and cold tomorrow. Fingers crossed. I'll keep y'all posted.

High Noon in Atlanta

Unbelievable.

The State of Georgia recently passed a law expanding the ability of citizens to carry concealed weapons. Effective today, individuals with a gun permit may carry a concealed weapon in public parks, restaurants serving alcohol and on public transportation. This is on top of all the other places they were already allowed to carry concealed weapons.

Having lived in Georgia for four years, I really shouldn't be surprised. I personally knew many people who carried guns in their glove compartments and purses. Concealed weapons have always been an "unalienable right" in the State of Georgia. It's part of the culture.

But there is a part that did surprise me.

MARTA (Metro Atlanta Regional Transportation Authority) has trains and buses that go directly to the Hartfield-Jackson International Airport, the busiest airport in the world. Along with millions of other travelers, I transferred through it just this past weekend.

With public safety in mind, officials at the airport announced that the airport would be a "Gun-Free Zone."

This morning a gun rights advocacy group promptly filed a lawsuit against the airport stating they are violating state law by not allowing people to carry concealed weapons into the airport. To show they are being rational, they do state they agree guns should not be allowed past security. But anywhere up to that stage should be acceptable.

As I said. Unbelievable.

No wonder I moved away from Georgia...

Daily Routine

It's hot here.

Damn hot.

Have I mentioned how much I hate hot weather?

It is not just that I dislike hot weather. My body is simply unable to deal with it. When I get too hot, I cease to be able to function. Literally. When I lived in Georgia I was hospitalized twice for heat stroke.

So when it is hot, I feel as if I am being held hostage.

Every night we wait until it cools off to about 70 F (21 C) and then open wide all the windows and place fans in them to bring in as much cool air as possible. The fans are set up to create an extremely windy cross breeze through the entire apartment. We sleep that way all night. (Oh, the danger of it!)

Very early in the morning we get up, before the temperature has gone above 70 F, and close all the windows. This helps to lock the cool air into our apartment and keeps some of the hot air outside. Our shutters are permanently closed, open just a crack to let in a bit of light. Our Klimate Luftung (house fan which brings cool air from the basement into the apartment) is permanently at the highest setting. And we turn on the window air conditioning unit in the living room.

This keeps our apartment bearable. Not cool enough to be comfortable for me, mind you. But cool enough that I don't feel as if I am about to collapse from heat exhaustion. Which means until it cools off again outside there will be no cleaning inside. Cleaning would make me too hot with no good way to cool off. We have clumps of cat fur on the rugs, but they will just have to stay there. Vacuuming is sweaty work.

And the oven and stove will remain off. They create too much heat. Cereal and sandwiches for us until the weather turns.

So our apartment is tolerable. But NO PLACE ELSE IS!

The thought of going out into a world where there is no air conditioning, people are afraid to open windows (because obviously a cross breeze can kill you), showers are not daily activities and deodorant is considered unnecessary is insufferable.

And so I sit in our marginally cooler apartment, waiting for the weather to change.

Yesterday I had my fingers crossed. There was a 40% chance of rain.

But I was disappointed. It remained sunny all day.

The next chance of a cool down is Friday, when a storm front may come through with severe thunderstorms and temperatures in the 60's (18 C or cooler).

Please God, make it so.

If it doesn't happen I may have to leave GLH and go stay with my parents in the "aggressively air conditioned" United States.

I'm joking. Mostly.

Project: Get Organized

On Friday afternoon GLH and I made a resolution.

This resolution came as my sister-in-law and I sat in nearly 90 degree heat surrounded by between 70-80 old cans of paint and slowly, at times painfully, opened them one by one and stirred cat litter into them. The employees at the paint store recommended it as the fastest and cheapest way of drying out cans of paint so they can be safely thrown away and not leak toxic chemicals into the water supply.

The occasional lighter-weight can of paint that rattled was cause for celebration. It meant the paint had already completely dried and we could just toss it into the enormous garbage skid we had rented for the week. The skid that was full by the end of the day and will need to be replaced with an empty one so the process of cleaning out the house can continue. Dealing with forty years of accumulation followed by a year of illness is not a quick process.

At one stage GLH's brother stated "If I had known I would one day be doing this, I would have loosened the lids on all of these cans years ago." He actually used other words, but I try to avoid obscenities in my postings.

The paint cans were just the tip of the iceberg. There was so much we did, and so much more that needs to be done. We accomplished all we could while we were there, but we couldn't stay longer. The responsibility of finishing will fall upon the shoulders of GLH's brother and his wife. We can help with some of the paperwork issues, but the back-breaking work will need to be done by them. For that we are sorry.

So what is the resolution?

GLH and I hereby vow that we will get organized and stay organized in order to reduce the burden on the shoulders of each other or our family should we unexpectedly die or become incapacitated.

Our home is actually somewhat organized. I've always been a "purger" and tend to go through our possessions about twice a year, ridding us of unneeded or unwanted items. A skill learned from my parents and through years of moving frequently, usually without professional movers. And fortunately, GLH did not inherit the Pack Rat Gene. He doesn't feel the need to hold onto things that are not actively used. He is also very good at keeping all of our paperwork organized and has an electronic filing system to limit the stacks of paperwork that can accumulate. But there is always room for improvement.

And we need to look carefully at estate planning, wills, living trusts and so on. This is especially true as we hope to soon become parents and we need to plan so that our child/ren will be cared for and financially secure at least through college graduation. Compounded by the complication of living abroad, there is a lot work to be done.

It is always frightening to face the reality of mortality and so easy to put it off because we are still young and unlikely to die any time soon. But it is far better to work through the fear and denial than leave a difficult situation for our family to untangle, likely after paying substantial fees in probate court costs and excess "death taxes."

We will start this week and build a schedule into the process to keep it current.

It may be one of the most important things we ever do.

While the People Are Away...

We returned home this morning to a note from our friend, who cared for our cats while we were gone...

O.K. So you need to know there was an INCIDENT OF THE GREENIES while you were gone... Left the top drawer open and T 'n M got the greenies and had a wild Greenie Party getting both packages no less! Tilly looks like she got the lion's share of the greenies... So they must both have very sparkly teeth now!

By the way, the package advises no more than 10 greenies in a day or they can get sick. They are little rascals. And no more greenies for them until we have time to get to Qualipet.

Both of them still have very stinky cat breath. I guess it wore off.

Pause

In the United States due to a family emergency.

Blogging to resume in a week or so.

Good-bye, Old Girl

A Very Special Dog

Dekko

1995-2008

Shown walking with my nieces in 2005

Ponytail

This week I realized I have worn my hair in a ponytail virtually every day for close to a month. For me, that means only one thing. I am tired of dealing with long hair.

So this morning I went down and had someone cut my hair off. Unfortunately, it was a bit too short to be able to donate for a wig for children who have lost their hair.

But I am relieved to report, it is NOT a Vokuhila (Mullet).

I am now sporting a *chin-length bob. It will be months before a ponytail is even a possibility.

Ah. Much better!

*NOTE: Most definitely NOT the kind worn by Posh Spice. I don't "do" trendy. And besides, that hairstyle looks like a Reversed Mullet (long in front, short in back).

Wildlife Filming

I know the basic rule of wildlife filming. Regardless of what happens, the film merely documents events and the camera crew should never step in and interfere with the natural order of the environment. Which means that if the lion kills the baby zebra, you simply film and allow it to happen.

What I didn't know is that those rules spill over into reality television with people as well.

On Airline there was a young man who forgot his passport. His brother was on his way to deliver the passport to the airport. Unfortunately while he was waiting, he fell asleep and did not hear the repeated announcements to come to the desk. You'd think the camera crew, who stood and filmed him sleeping, might have woken him up at some stage. But apparently that would have violated the prime directive and disturbed the natural order. Perhaps even created some kind of a time/space continuum anomaly?

I wonder if they would have helped if a lion had somehow escaped in the airport and began killing people? Or would that have been too much of an interference?

Why Aren't I Blogging?

I've received a few e-mails concerned about my lack of blogging. Is there something wrong? Did I need another break? What is happening?

Well, as my previous post mentioned, I cut my finger. Deep enough to require a trip to the hospital. It's alright, but banging it against a keyboard kinda hurts.

I'll blog again when it doesn't hurt to type.

Thanks!

Unfallgefährdet

That's the German word for "accident prone."

Which I have once again proven I am.

Earlier today I was chopping onions for dinner and the knife slipped a bit. I was pretty amazed at how much blood could pour so quickly out of my finger.

About 45 minutes later, even with constant pressure and keeping my hand up in the air, it became obvious that the bleeding was not going to stop on its own. So GLH and I made our first visit to an emergency room together. (Well, except for visits with Max the Cat to the animal hospital because he once again ate a non-food item. But that doesn't really count.)

After a two minute wait we were in the back, being examined by a nurse. The doctor arrived a couple of minutes later. The cut had to be soaked in a disinfectant that also helped to stop the bleeding. Then an embarrassingly enormous bandage was applied and we were walking out the door.

Almost the entire situation was handled in German, which impressed GLH quite a lot. He didn't know I was that good at "spreckling the Deutsch."

Have to admit, I was impressed with the efficiency. Approximately 40 minutes after walking into the emergency room, we were done and walking back out.

Worst thing about the whole situation?

Our cats seem to think the enormous bandage is present for them. Perhaps a special chew toy? They might need to be kicked out of the bedroom while the bandage is on. Much harder to protect while I am sleeping...

Healthier?

Last night we had a few friends over for dinner.

While we were eating, one of them mentioned she's been a lot healthier since she moved to Europe. She was convinced her lack of colds had to due with radiated heat instead of forced air heat, which tends to dry out your nose and throat.

I was thinking about it some more today because I have also been healthier since moving here. But I think it is more as a result of not working than anything else.

Here are the reasons:

1. I am no longer sleep deprived. Before I married GLH I actually worked two jobs, my full-time job and a part-time job. As a result, three days a week I worked from 8 am until 11 pm. I also worked at least two weekends every month. Even after I quit the second job (because GLH and I were rarely able to see each other), I worked long hours as a manager. With all the things that must be done at work and at home, plus a desire to also do fun things, I rarely got to bed before midnight and then was up again by 6 am.

2. We rarely eat away from home now. When we were both working, we would get home exhausted from the day and then try to figure out what to have for dinner. Cooking seemed like a lot of work. Not to mention cleaning up afterwards. And the grocery shopping to ensure we actually had things to eat. We would frequently end up eating at a restaurant (or picking up take out) simply because it was late, we were hungry and it was so much easier. Now that I am not working, I have time to grocery shop and do actual meal planning. Plus the cost of dining in Zurich is so high that I am reluctant to pay those prices for what is usually mediocre food. (The good restaurants are even more expensive!)

3. Exercise is an integrated part of my daily life. Since I usually take public transportation most everywhere I go, I do a lot more walking. Plus I will frequently meet other Haus Fraus for a bit of walking as well. I typically average an hour or more of exercise every day. That's a fair amount of exercise. Far more than I used to do even when I planned it into my schedule and visited the gym.

4. I am no longer exposed to so many germs. Do you have any idea how many germs library employees come into contact with on a daily basis? Large public buildings, filled with people of all ages, but predominantly children, tend to generate a lot of sickness. I love children. Really do. But they are germ factories! There's just no getting around it. Because I do not work, I come into contact with far fewer people. And unlike at work, where people may come even when they are sick, Haus Frau events tend to have only the healthy people there.

So, yeah, I am healthier and catch far fewer colds and the like. But I don't think it's got anything to do with our radiated heat!

And I am healthy even though we generally leave our windows open for the cross breeze. But that's another post altogether. (I bet others living in German-speaking areas know exactly what I am talking about!)

Gas Prices

Before you complain to me about the cost of gas in the United States, please read this...

Gas in Europe almost $9 Gallon

Thank you

Margaritas in Europe

As my long-time readers know, I have bemoaned the fact that European bartenders seem incapable of making a good margarita. What you get ends up being something like a tequila martini with an overwhelming taste of sour lemon.

But I have finally learned the secret for getting a good margarita in Europe. Oh yes I did!

First Step: Ask the bartender if they have Rose's Lime Juice.

If they say "yes," ask them to replace the lemon juice with Rose's Lime Juice. Voila! Mission accomplished. Sit back and sip with a smile on your face.

If they say "no," give up.

If you insist on ordering one anyway, get a side order of Sprite and use it to "doctor" the margarita and make it drinkable.

Two further notes...

1. If you like it "on the rocks," just ask for it to be served over ice cubes. European bartenders do not uniformly understand the phrase "on the rocks," regardless of what language is used.
   
2. Think before asking for salt on the rim. They generally just use regular table salt, which really doesn't have the same effect as the rock salt normally used. Might be better to just skip that part.

Enjoy!

What's Happening?

That's the question my neighbor asked immediately after I opened the door to her ring.

She wondered if we were having a huge party (to which she was not invited) or we were preparing for Armageddon.

Which was only fair considering the amount of water we had sitting in the hallway. Because right next to our door were 6 cases of water, each containing 6 1-liter bottles of fizzy water, waiting for us to take them down to the storage area in the basement. They had been delivered a few minutes before by the Migros Guy.

What she didn't know is that we also had 3 additional cases of water that we managed to fit into a kitchen cupboard. Plus 16 cartons of milk. Plus 16 cartons of juice. (Fortunately the milk and juice are UHT, which means they won't expire for about 2 months. And water doesn't really ever expire.)

Why do we have this enormous bounty of beverages?

Well, I'm a bit lazy and don't like to cart heavy beverages up the hill. Or cart them up from the garage if I drove the car to get them. So I have beverages and other heavy items delivered to our door by the Migros Guy. Much nicer that way, isn't it?

And when I did the online order on Sunday afternoon, we were also watching The Wire, a completely addictive tv series. We had just downloaded the entire first season from iTunes on Friday afternoon. We've got 6 seasons to get caught up on!

Unfortunately, my attention was diverted and I perhaps didn't pay as much attention to the Migros order as I ought to have done.

Now, I did notice that the water was on sale this week, so I tried to order 4 cases. It limited me to only 3 per order, which I thought a bit odd, but figured it was because of it being on sale.

What I didn't realize is that ordering 3 did not result in 3 cases with 6 1-liter bottles each as I thought it would. Nope. Because they sell them in clumps of 3. Which actually resulted in 9 cases with 6 1-liter bottles each. Which I would have noticed had I actually been reading the computer screen.

I have no idea what happened with the juice and the milk. Other than something very active or suspenseful was likely on the television at that moment.

So, no, we are not having a party to which we failed to invite our neighbors. Nor did we suddenly become convinced that the world is ending and we should begin to stock pile supplies.

However, GLH has asked that perhaps in the future I not watch television while making Migros online orders.

Which isn't fair. He's the one that purchased the Mac laptop, thereby enabling me to watch television and work on the computer at the same time.

So really, it's all HIS FAULT. He's an ENABLER!

Right?

One Note: This is the first time in nearly 18 months of deliveries that I have seen the Migros Guy smile. And today he was laughing outright. Even though he had to lug all those bottles of water to our door, he thought it very funny that the crazy American lady had made such a silly goof. I live to serve.

Swiss Customer Service

This afternoon GLH and I made another trip to the FedEx office at the Zurich Flughafen. Some of you may remember our last trip here.

Today they once again exhibited fine customer service skills.

We had to mail a small box of stuff to the US and had to use either FedEx or DHL because it had to be tracked from door to door. (When mailed through Swiss Post, things only get tracked to the US post office in NYC, not to its final destination.)

So we walk up with the box and explain we have to send it via FedEx.

Swiss Guy: We cannot send that.

GLH: Why not?

SG: That is a box. We can only send documents.

GLH: Are you certain?

SG: Yes.

GLH: So you are telling me that I cannot send this box from this location.

SG sighs and walks into a back office. He returns a couple of minutes later.

SG: We cannot send a box.

GLH: Who did you just go ask? Can I talk to them?

SG: I just went to check the dimensions of what we can send. That box is too large.

GLH: So you do have boxes? Can I see one of the boxes?

SG, sighing more heavily this time, once again goes into a back office and returns with a FedEx box.

GLH: I think I can make that work.

SG: No. It will not work.

GLH: Yep, I think it will. Let me try.

SG reluctantly hands GLH the box. In a few moments GLH has transferred everything over and it is ready to send. After filling out a whole lot of information about what we are sending and where, SG runs into another problem.

SG: I need a telephone number at the destination.

GLH: I don't have one.

SG: I cannot send it without a telephone number.

GLH: I have sent packages without telephone numbers with FedEx before. Are you sure?

SG: This package cannot be sent without a telephone number.

GLH: OK. I've got a telephone number.

GLH writes down our Skype telephone number. SG accepts the number and we are finally able to end the transaction.

Sometimes it is just easier to give 'em what they want, even when it makes no sense...

Revived

Alright. Feeling better.

The weather has been cooler and rainy. That helps.

We went to Berlin and the trip verified I am actually learning German. That helps too.

We have a fabulous vacation planned for later this summer, plus my closest friend since junior high is arriving for a too brief visit in a couple of weeks and some other friends are visiting in August. That helps a lot.

All the comments of support also helped. Really do appreciate it.

Feeling more positive. Let's give this another whirl...

Break Time

I'm going to take a break from this blog. Don't know how long. Could be a week or could be longer.

Since coming back from the US last week I have been swamped by homesickness and I am having a difficult time feeling positive about Switzerland right now.

I know that a huge part of it is because summer is here. I really do not like summer and dread it every year regardless of where I happen to be. It's worse when I cannot just escape into air conditioning and ignore the weather. I have an intense dislike of being too hot and my definition of "too hot" is very different from most people. My ideal temperature is 65-70 F (18-21 C). Anything above 75 F (about 24 C) is too warm for me. Above 80 F (about 27 C) is quite unpleasant and my discomfort, not to mention whining, grows exponentially as the temp goes up from there.

But I also miss my family and friends. A situation which is not helped by some of my friends here moving elsewhere.

And I miss friendliness, people smiling at strangers and laughing with friends on the street (in public even!) Oh God, I really, really miss friendliness! Must everyone be so stoic here?

I miss hearing English and not feeling panicked when I have to ask someone in a shop a question, not only because I'm not sure of the words but also because there is a high probability that I won't have a clue what the heck they say in response. Even though my German is pretty good at the basic interaction level, Swiss German remains beyond my comprehension.

And I miss how convenient life in the US is. How you don't have to worry about running down to the grocery store before it closes or figuring out where to get x or y or z or having a slight heart attack every time you realize just how much everything costs.

So I just need to take a break until I get past this and feel more positive about being here again.

Hopefully it won't be too long.

No Relief

GLH and I are both having a terrible time with allergies this year. Even with our allergy medication, we are still having issues. So I did some googling on how to help reduce the allergens in your home.

Want to know what is the number 1 best way of reducing allergens in your home?

Central Air Conditioning

Pulls all the pollen out of the air and through a filter. Also helps to reduce any mold that may happen in bathrooms and kitchen by acting as a dehumidifier.

If only.

But alas, central air is but a dream here.

Sigh.

Accepting Applications?

Most Swiss are not currently accepting applications for new friends.

Allow me to elaborate...

When I lived in Ireland for a year as a student, I purposely kept separate from the very large group of American exchange students who also came to the same university. I theorized I had come on an exchange program to learn about a new culture and hanging out with Americans would not help me to meet this goal. And I was very successful. I had a large group of Irish friends, some of whom I am still in contact with after more than more than 15 years. Of course, I was fully emerged in the student culture and I spoke the same language, a different dialect, but close enough for the most part. But still, I made an effort and it paid off.

When we decided to move to Switzerland for GLH's job, I decided I would attempt to do the same. True, I would not have school or work to help me to meet people and I didn't speak the language. But I am a very friendly, outgoing person and I have never had difficulty meeting people in any place I have ever lived. Surely it would just be a matter of time before I had a circle of friends, many of whom would likely be Swiss.

Well, I was wrong.

Yes, I have a circle of friends. But the majority of them are other English-speaking expats.

I do know a few Swiss and would consider them friends by my own definition of friendship, but I suspect they would not consider me a friend. Mostly because I have only been here for 17 months and it takes 3-4 years to develop an acquaintanceship enough to be called a friendship. At least in Switzerland it does.

But in speaking with people who have lived here for several years and are fluent in the language, many of them have stated that they still do not have many Swiss friends. Most of their friends are also other English-speaking expats who live in the area. If they have Swiss friends, they tend to be very internationally-minded -- meaning they have either lived abroad or traveled extensively.

The only ones who do seem to truly have a circle of Swiss friends are the ones who "marry into the culture." And even then, one woman told me they aren't really her friends. They are her husband's friends, most of whom he has known since preschool, and she is accepted in their numbers and they are friendly towards her. But when introductions are made to new people, she is described as their "friend's wife," not their "friend." Even though she has now known them for more than 10 years.

This all seems bizarre to me and has led to a great deal of research.

My theory? It's the difference between a transient society and a non-transient society.

The United States is a transient culture and has been since the beginning of its history. It's the largest "immigrant culture" that exists. Pretty much everyone is from an immigrant family. Even if your family came over on the Mayflower, you are still an "immigrant family." And as a culture we are extremely mobile. Most of us move multiple times within our lives. We move as children with our families as our parents get relocated for their careers. We move away from home to attend college. We move about the country and the world ourselves as we begin our own careers.

The US culture has always adapted for this. The earliest immigrants had to make connections quickly or they risked failure. In many cases, failure meant death. They had no network of family and friends on which to depend and had to work with complete strangers just to learn how to live in their new environment. From the pilgrims to the pioneers to the influx of European immigrants at the end of the 19th century, an inability to quickly meet people and develop relationships usually resulted in a "failure to thrive."

Even now, people constantly moving in and out of your neighborhood is the norm in most American communities. It has led to the creation of groups such as Welcome Wagon and Newcomers Clubs. Most Americans have a small circle of very close family and friends, a secondary circle of local & work friends and a much larger circle of acquaintances.

In Switzerland it is completely different. I cannot now remember where I read this, but in one of the books on Swiss culture I read before moving here one statistic stuck in my head. Around 70% of Swiss live within 30-40 kilometers of where they were born.

Think about that for a moment.

When you live close to where you were born, and most everyone you know has always lived there as well, you really have no incentive to make new friends. Your spare time is already spent juggling the social obligations of your extended family and the friends you have known since childhood. Why would you make the time for friendship with new people? Especially when they come from a different culture and perspective and friendship would be more of an effort?

And that is why I believe most Swiss are not currently accepting applications for new friends.

Any other theories?

Boo Boos: A Cultural Experience

This evening we had guests for dinner. An Incident occurred.

Let me set the scene...

Guests:
KR, German woman who lives a few blocks away
and her 1 year old son, F

KH, our English upstairs neighbor and her 4 year old daughter, R, and her nearly 1 year old son, D

Scene:
We are sitting around the living room after dinner enjoying Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble with ice cream. The little ones are getting tired, a bit cranky and slightly clumsy. In one move, D throws his hands out and tumbles forward off of his mother's lap, hitting his forehead hard on the coffee table. He immediately starts to scream and a large bump begins to form on his forehead.

KR (running for the kitchen): Quick, I need a knife!

GL (running after her): A butter knife?

KR: Yes, where is one?!!

GL (handing her the knife): I also have a package of frozen vegetables!

KR, looking at GL as if she is insane, lays the flat of the knife against the growing bump.

KH runs back into the room, having just returned from upstairs: Here, I have a Mr. Bump!

KR and GL both turn to stare at her in puzzlement.

End Scene

Later, after the screaming has stopped, we each had to explain our choices to each other. KR had never heard of using a package of frozen vegetables to ease the pain and swelling of a bad bump. GL had never heard of laying the flat of a butter knife against a bump to do the same. Neither of us had ever heard of a Mr. Bump. KH had never heard of the Knife Method, but had heard of the frozen peas. However, the English Method of choice is a small, fish-shaped frozen gel thingy called a Mr. Bump.

All of our cultures end with a "Kiss to Make It All Better."

What is your culture's form of Boo Boo Treatment?

PS: R, the 4 year old, and GLH calmly continued to eat their desserts and wisely stayed out of the way of the frantic women.

Rude Awakening

This morning we were awoken very early by an odd buzzy sound and cats acting crazy. Max and Tilly were racing around the room and up on the bed.

The cats were chasing a wasp. Unfortunately, they weren't so much catching it as making it very angry.

Fortunately, GLH stepped up to the plate and killed it.

I really, really miss screened windows...

Morning in Hell

Went to the Migros to stock up on groceries for the long weekend. I could not believe the mobs of people there. I actually saw one woman push another woman aside in order to get the last fresh baked loaf of a certain kind of bread. (There was other bread there, but apparently it was all wrong for her needs.)

See, the grocery stores close at 5 pm on Saturday and don't open again until 8 am on Tuesday. I went this morning in the hopes that perhaps it would be calmer than I knew it would be this afternoon or tomorrow.

No such luck. But at least I got the things I needed. No saying what is likely to be left by tomorrow afternoon.

For those Americans out there who have no idea why it's a holiday, let me explain. It's Whit Monday. Never heard of Whit Monday? Before last year neither had I. I had to look it up.

Those Europeans will use any excuse to close down for a holiday, won't they?

I Can See Clearly Now!

One of my favorite things about our apartment is the floor to ceiling windows in every room.

However, when it comes time to clean them, they become my least favorite things about our apartment. The windows are hard enough. There are 27 windows in total and all but 7 of them are the floor to ceiling variety. Plus the shutters? They are even harder to clean. It takes me a few days to work my way through them all and at the end I am stiff and sore. It is not easy work!

Unfortunately, I am one of those people who feel that it is best to clean your windows twice per year in order to maximize the light coming in and your ability to see the view.

However, this Spring I decided to go a different route.

So today I spent my time getting caught up on e-mails, blog posts and reading books while two people busily cleaned my windows and shutters for me.

And all I have to do is hand the bill to GLH when it comes in the mail.

Being a Haus Frau is rough work, but someone's got to do it!

Leaving Las Vegas

I am a firm believer that birthdays are special days and should be all about the person whose birthday it is and what they want to do. I used to stretch it out to a Birthweek or a Birthmonth, but GLH has put his foot down about special treatment for more than a day.

And sometimes he starts glancing at his watch in order to determine how much more Special Birthday Consideration he is required to give me.

But I digress...

So when it is my birthday, it is all about me!

By the time my birthday rolled around on Saturday I had gotten tired of the whole Casino Scene and determined there would be minimal casino time spent that day.

It had to be minimal instead of non-existent because it is actually impossible to stay in Las Vegas and not have to at least pass through a casino. Heck, the gas stations and pharmacies had slot machines in them. Even at the airport there are rows of slot machines ready to go any time of the day or night. You literally cannot get away from the gambling!

So to have minimal casino time I decided we would actually leave Las Vegas for the day, returning in the evening for my Special Birthday Dinner at Alizé, described in the previous blog post.

We briefly discussed driving to the Grand Canyon, but it is a 3-4 hour drive and we had both seen it before. So we settled on a couple of places closer to Las Vegas itself.

We began at Red Rock Canyon, a mere 20 miles west of the Las Vegas strip. But a whole different world all it's own. I kept expecting Roy Rogers or John Wayne to come over one of the hills on a horse. (Please note the Joshua Tree in the foreground, which many have heard of because of the album by U2.)

The red sandstone was formed during the age of the dinosaurs over 150 million years ago when the area was an enormous, ever-shifting sand dune. As the sands shifted, the bottom layers were compressed into rock and were gradually built up over time. As the land came together at fault lines, parts were pushed up to form the multi-colored layers of sandstone you see today. The red is caused by the iron in the sand rusting with time.

You can hike, bike, climb or ride a horse through the canyon. We chose to drive along the scenic route. 'Cause it's the desert and it's darn hot and sunny. (Have I ever mentioned I'm not a fan of hot and sunny?) But we were very glad to have seen it!

We next crossed back through Las Vegas via the interstate and drove 50 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip to the Valley of Fire National Park.

Whoa! This one blew us away. Unfortunately, my photos cannot do justice to the vast, sweeping landscape that makes you feel as if you have landed on Mars or some other planet which does not look anything like Earth!

Made in the same manner as the Red Rock Canyon, but here the fault lines created a much more dramatic landscape.

The pre-historic people who lived in what is now known as Nevada considered the Valley of Fire (named because of the red sandstone, of course) to be Sacred Ground. You can still see the many petroglyphs they created throughout the park, even though their occupation of the area ended about 1150 AD. Here's a petroglyph of a fish:

What was perhaps the most unbelievable aspect of this National Park is how close it was to millions of visitors to Las Vegas, but it was practically empty. Look at our rental car, sitting alone in one of the of the parking lots with a fantastic overlook.

If you come to Las Vegas, do not fail to come here! It could even have been done in a quick trip of 3 hours or less. Take a break from the Flashy Lights of Las Vegas and go see something truly amazing!

While driving through the Valley of Fire area we repeatedly saw small statues such as the ones pictured above. They were everywhere, some more elaborate than others. They look kind of like little people. We have no idea what they signify? Anyone else know?

Viva Las Vegas

For my birthday trip this year we decided to go to Las Vegas.

We made this decision for a few reasons: Bette Midler was performing at Caesar's Palace; I had never been to Las Vegas before; and it seemed best to do places not so child-friendly before baby arrives.

Unfortunately, after we booked the non-refundable airline tickets Bette decided to go on vacation for the ENTIRE MONTH OF MAY! Still a little bitter, but moving on...

We stayed at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, in a good location about in the middle of the Las Vegas strip. Given our SPG Platinum status, we were upgraded to the 38th floor with a view of the Bellagio fountains, which was kind of nice.

Other than that, the hotel was just ok. Although we did find the photo of Bruce Willis in the bathroom to be a tad disconcerting. No matter where in the bathroom you stood, he always seemed to be looking directly at you. I felt like I should cover him up with a towel while showering just for a little privacy.

Las Vegas is a very, very strange place. As our guide book stated, in most cities the hotels are located near attractions. In Las Vegas, the hotels ARE the attractions!

Where else can you stroll through the streets of New York...


Take an elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower...


Ride a gondola through the canals of Venice...


And shop in the Roman Forum? All in one day?

However, the casino I enjoyed the most was the Bellagio. It is full of Chihuly's, which I loved seeing!

I have to admit I wasn't overly impressed with the whole Las Vegas Experience. I found it to be much too loud, flashy and smoky for my tastes. (Smoking is banned in most public spaces in Las Vegas except the immediate area in the casinos where the gambling actually happens.) I don't happen to care for gambling. Plus, I found the Slot Machine Zombies to be rather frightening.

But even though I do not gamble, I did manage to get us sorta kicked out of one of the casinos. How?

Well, since I do not like to gamble but GLH does, when we go to a casino I bring a book along with me. If the tables are busy I sit in one of the cafés and read. But when the tables aren't busy, I sit next to him and read while he plays Blackjack.

So I was reading at one of the Blackjack tables when the Pit Boss approached and said, "Is that a computer?" I tried to explain that my e-reader is not a computer and has no computing abilities whatsoever. I even offered to let him look at it to determine it is not a computer, but he didn't care. He just plain did not believe that anyone would come to a casino and read a book instead of gambling and was convinced that I was somehow counting cards with my book.

We left and went elsewhere. And managed to finish our vacation with $600 in winnings. Without counting a single card!

So what did we do instead of see Bette Midler?

On Thursday night we went to see Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE. I had never seen a Cirque du Soleil performance before and wanted to see what it was like. I actually enjoyed it quite a lot, although it did go on a bit long and I have no burning desire to see another one.

Then on Friday night we went to see Barry Manilow. Because what is more kitschy than seeing Barry Manilow in Las Vegas? (Liberace is dead and Tony Bennett wasn't performing that week.) We actually quite enjoyed the performance. Barry has a funny, self-deprecating humor and it was a great opportunity to sing-a-long to some hits from the 70's.

Watching him perform Copacabana was enormously entertaining!

But my favorite thing we did in Las Vegas? My birthday dinner at Alizé, the Michelin-rated French restaurant at the top of the Palms Hotel & Casino. Not only was the food fabulous, but the view from the 56th floor was amazing! (By the way, that glowing thing is the reflection of the candle on our table.)


So all in all, it was a good birthday trip. But I do not have any burning desire to return.

And I am glad we did it before baby arrived. Even though we saw tons of children there, I would not feel comfortable taking children to Las Vegas on a Family Vacation. Yes, they have activities for children in Las Vegas, but you have to walk past a whole lot of Adult Entertainment to get to them.

Lulu's Pyramid Project

Lulu, a blogger in Cairo, has posted a challenge for a Pyramid Project. So here is my entry:

This is the interior of the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's an enormous black glass and steel pyramid. The photo is of King Tut's statue. You can see the shape of the pyramid on the ceiling above. Too bad I didn't know of the project before we left Las Vegas, otherwise I would have done an outside shot as well!

Anyone else want to play? Just a post of photo of a pyramid-shaped object and link back to Lulu's site. She's going to post them all in a collage.

My Feet Hurt

Las Vegas Warning

Distances may be further than they appear...

What Is Tilly Thinking?

"I bet she won't even notice I'm in here..."


By the way, please take note of the Expat Trick of packing your small suitcase inside your big suitcase thereby cleverly leaving room for purchases.

Oh yeah. The dollar is weak. We will be bringing things back.

See y'all later!

Where Are the Oompa-Loompas?

Last week, at the invitation of Jill, we caught an exceptionally early morning train and rode out to Buchs in Canton Aargau in order to tour the Frey Chocolate Factory. (Note: we discovered it is pronounced "fray," not "fry" as I had thought.)

We arrived at the factory shortly before 9 am and were shown to the visitor lounge, where we were served croissants with your choice of coffee or hot chocolate. Astoundingly, everyone else in our group went with coffee. I know! It's not like it's a Coffee Factory! What were they thinking?

There were several groups gathered that morning for the tour. They brought us all into a small theater where they gave a welcoming speech in Schweizer Deutsch. (Of the close to 75 people in the room, only 11 were native English speakers. Only one of those 11 understood even a little Schweizer Deutsch, but such is life.)

Then they showed a comically hookey movie about a little girl visiting her grandfather, a retired chocolatier, and her discovery of the antique chocolate making equipment in the basement. Fortunately, this was subtitled in English! And the large group was separated after the movie so our tour was in English.

After the movie each group was taken through the locker room where we left our belongings and donned hair nets, lab coats and little booty things for our feet.

Modelling our attractive ensemble are Jill with her guests from Minnesota:

Cameras are not allowed into the factory itself, so that is the end of the photos!

I actually found the visit to the factory to be quite interesting. But I discovered a very sad thing. At the beginning of the chocolate making process, chocolate does not smell very good. In fact, it smells kind of disgusting. With my too-good sense of smell, combined with the nasty smell followed by the overwhelming smell of the chocolate later on the tour, I ended up a bit overwhelmed by the aroma and actually felt queasy.

Which was very bad. Because on the chocolate factory tour you can eat as much chocolate as you want. There are tasting stations placed along the route. And I felt so ill I could only eat 2 very small pieces of chocolate. They gave us samples to take home with us and I couldn't even look at them until the next day.

However, I still recommend a trip to the factory, especially if your sense of smell is not as well developed!

Walking in the Footsteps of Ancient Romans

Our primary reason for going to Naples was to visit Pompeii...

An Ancient Roman city which has remained virtually the same since the 24th of August in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried both Pompeii and the nearby community of Herculean, and everyone in them, beneath several meters of ash and pumice.


There is evidence that in the first few years after the eruption people attempted to dig down and retrieve the treasures that were buried. But in time, the fact the city ever existed was virtually forgotten except for the occasional, obscure reference found in Roman documents.


The towns were accidentally rediscovered in 1599 by Domenico Fontana, an engineer in charge of a crew digging a new course for the Sarno River. However, serious excavations did not begin until 1748 when Charles of Bourbon, the King of Naples, started the process to excavate both cities.


What they found was the most complete view of every-day Ancient Roman life every discovered. What makes Pompeii different from all the other Roman sites is that it was preserved in its entirety -- from the grand public buildings to the homes of the people at all levels to the bakeries and the shops and even a brothel.


At the time of the eruption, Pompeii had a population of approximately 25,000 people. It was a thriving community. And it's excavation allows visitors to truly experience "walking in the footsteps of the Ancient Romans."


At the center of all Roman cities lies the Forum, the market place and gathering point for the citizens.

Looking past the Forum, we caught our first view of Mount Vesuvius from Pompeii. I have to admit, it gave me a bit of a shudder. Especially as shortly before our visit I watched a documentary on Pompeii which said the volcano was due for another massive eruption! Fortunately scientists are now able to predict when a volcanic eruption might be imminent.



The Forum Baths, one of a few different public baths in the city, stands nearby.


And we were charmed by the House of the Small Fountain.


So named, of course, due to the small fountain in its inner courtyard.



Near the arena is the Large Palaestra, where spectators could walk before, during and after arena events, enjoying the beauty of the gardens.


We were fortunate to visit Pompeii before the major tourist season arrived and on a rainy weekend in which the locals chose to stay home because the city was remarkably clear of masses of people.


The only exception was the long line of people eagerly waiting to pass through the brothel and view the "art" frescoed on the walls to "inspire" the clientele. We left it to our imagination, however, as we had no interest in joining the masses to shuffle slowly past pornography. Especially when we had already seen the originals in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.


We also enjoyed seeing the other small slices of life. The "Beware of Dog" signs of today?

A dog mosaic on your doorstep would be a much "classier" version.


And the Ancient Romans must have had well-developed thighs and buttocks from all of the "step aerobics" they performed just crossing the street.

The curbs are much higher than the street and stepping stones are strategically placed to allow chariots and wagons to pass. Their purpose was so pedestrians could walk above the muck of the street. (Note: the streets, curbs and stepping stones WERE NOT designed for modern prams and strollers. If you take your young children, do yourselves a favor and use one of those backpack contraptions. You'll have an easier time as a result.)


However, the most haunting sights are the body casts seen throughout Pompeii. They are the reminders of the people who once lived here and how they died.



As workers excavated the city, they would periodically discover empty spaces in the ash. It wasn't until the 1860's that someone realized these holes were the spaces left by bodies, long since decomposed. From then on when one of these spaces was discovered, it would be filled with plaster to create a cast of the person who had died in that place so many centuries before.


Today Pompeii is the most visited site in Italy with an estimated 2.5 million visitors every year. However, all of those visitors, the years, the weather, air pollution and the early, clumsy, methods of excavation have all taken a toll. Although the volcanic ash almost perfectly preserved the buildings, mosaics and vibrant colors, the site is deteriorating rapidly. Approximately 1/3 of the city remains buried, but excavations have stopped until better methods of conservation can be found. Many of the buildings that were once opened to the public have been closed and there have even been discussion of reburying parts of the city in order to protect it.


It has been estimated that it would take $335 million (US dollars) to adequately conserve the site, but in cash-strapped Italy that is unlikely to happen any time soon.


We were just happy to have had the opportunity to see it. We hope to go back one day because the site is so enormous that we only had time to see a part of it. In our opinion, it is one of the top "Must See's" in all of Europe.

Ah, Naples

It's official. We love Naples!

Although we aren't surprised as thus far there isn't anyplace we have been in Italy we haven't loved. Even if every trip to Italy has involved being cheated by at least one taxi driver or, in the case of Naples, every taxi driver we encountered. Just the price of traveling in Italy, I guess. But I digress...

We checked into the hotel, opened the drapes, stepped out onto the balcony and were greeted with the sight of...

Castel d'Ovo. So called because apparently at some stage someone hid a magic egg which protects the fortress. Or something. Have to admit I wasn't really paying attention.

And Mount Vesuvius.

By the way, the beautiful sunny skies in the photos? Yep, that's the last we saw of that! Most of the weekend it rained and the winds were so strong at one stage I had to link my arm through GLH's just to avoid being blown over by the hurricane-force winds.

Didn't even matter, we loved Naples anyway!

Besides the fantabulous pizza, our favorite thing in Naples was the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, which has an amazing collection of artifacts from Pompeii and Herculean. Including these...


Mosaics from a villa in Pompeii.


We also explored...


Castel Nuovo. Also known as Il Maschio Angioino.


Duomo di Napoli


San Francesco di Paolo

But what we loved the most about Naples was wandering the streets to see how the people lived.


Both the wealthy...


And the not so wealthy.


Just experiencing the charm that is Naples!

Mess!

This afternoon I happened to notice the bottle of vegetable oil I purchased yesterday and had not yet opened was only 3/4 full.

With a sinking heart I picked it up and noticed a leak from a very small hole. Then I noticed the oil that had spread all over the inside of the cupboard and wicked up the sides of the other items that were now sitting in a large pool of oil.

Doh!

Guess it's time to "Spring Clean" the kitchen cupboard...

When Bears Do Not Follow the Rules...

...they will be shot.

Let this be a lesson to you all. The Swiss have many rules. I strongly suggest you follow them.

Cool Summer Predicted

The Böögg has spoken.

Or rather, exploded at the end of a grueling, ritualistic trial by fire.

It took 26:02 minutes for the Böögg to loose its head, which predicts a cold and rainy summer for Zürich.

Frankly, I couldn't be happier!

A cooler summer means I do not need to hibernate to get away from the heat. It means I do not have to threaten to leave GLH and return to my parents' air-conditioned home during the heat waves. And perhaps, just perhaps, I do not have to deal with waves of nausea while taking public transportation with people who refuse to open windows in un-air-conditioned trams because obviously a cross breeze can KILL YOU.

'Cause I gotta tell y'all. The lack of deodorant can make Europe stink to high heaven during the summer time.

Waiting

As you may have noticed, the number of new posts to this blog has slowed down significantly. The reason is that we have been working on a massive project. Indeed, the most important project that either of us have ever undertaken.

I haven't wanted to blog about it before because it was so complex there was a possibility it would not happen. However, we have now worked through all of the legal implications, the logistics have been planned and we actually believe it will come to be.

So here it is: We are currently on the waiting list with an agency in the state of Texas to adopt a newborn infant.

We have been working towards this for the last year, but in the last few months the amount of focus required has risen tremendously.

Now that we are on the waiting list, we could receive a telephone call at any time. Or we could be waiting for months. However, we are taking this time to prepare ourselves for the eventuality of a baby. Which any parent can tell you is a significant amount of work in and of itself.

As a result, filling out stacks of forms, taking parenting classes, purchasing the essential baby-related items and reading an enormous stack of adoption and parenting books have left me a tad too busy to blog.

I do still have photos of Naples which I am determined to write about in the next few days, but please forgive my sporadic posts as we move into this new stage of our lives.

Because the specifics of adoption are private, I will not be posting much about it here. But we will let you know when we have a baby!

Die Gretchenfrage: UPDATE

It is a badly kept secret that my first name is Gretchen.

I'm letting the secret completely out in order to ask a question.

Could someone please tell me why I receive so many letters addressed to Herr Gretchen LastName?

I'm pretty certain that Gretchen is only a girl's name. I have never met a man named Gretchen. And it shouldn't be a cultural confusion thing because Gretchen is Germanic. Indeed, Gretchen is a prominent character in Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the pre-eminent work by one of the most important German writers in history.

So what am I missing? Why do so many people think that someone named Gretchen should be addressed as Herr?

UPDATE 8 APRIL 2008

My German teacher came up with the most logical theory. Apparently our last name is confusing to some German speakers who assume it to be a man's first name. So they wonder if Gretchen might be my last name.

Nope, not going to post the last name. Enough disclosure.

Prank or Reality?

If this isn't an April Fool's joke, I'm not certain I want to know: Swiss Cats Hunted for Pelts

Joke or not, our cats will remain indoor-only cats!