Where Were We?

UPDATE

TBF got most of them, but Heidi finished up with the last location. So both will win a (very) small prize! Pewter Christmas ornaments from Norway!

Congratulations!

Answers are below with the photos.

More photos from our Baltic Cruise will follow as I find the time to write the posts...

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GLH and I have just returned from an amazing, dream-come-true vacation. It was both exotic and oddly, at times even uncomfortably, American at the same time.

Can you guess where we went and what we did?

Here are some clues. Each picture represents one of the places we went on our journey. And yes, the pictures are in order of destination.

The first person to accurately answer what we did and all of the places we went in chronological order will win a (very) small souvenir purchased during our trip...

Family and close friends who already know where we went and what we did are not eligible to win, so don't bother putting in your answers! I'll just delete them anyway.

Nyhaven in Copenhagen, Denmark

Sunset over the Baltic during the 10-day cruise

Stockholm Stadshus (City Hall) in Sweden

Sibelius Monument in Helsinki, Finland

Troika Singers at Russian Restaurant in Pushkin (near St. Petersburg)

Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn, Estonia

Medieval Port Crane in Gdansk, Poland

Vikingskipshuset (Viking Ship Museum) in Oslo, Norway

Sommer Ferien

We'll Be Back!

Die Katzen Haben Meine Hausaufgabe Gegessen

I'm being serious. The cats did eat my homework.

Well, actually, they ate the piece of paper that had my homework assignment on it.

They decline to eat the bugs, but they are perfectly happy eating random pieces of paper that I still need.

Lazy Cats!

Our cats have a very good life.

They spend most of the day sleeping. They get lots of attention and cuddling. They receive three meals a day. We have purchased toys to stimulate their interest and keep them fit and healthy. When we travel our neighbor stops in every day to feed them and play with them so they will not be lonely.

Frankly, it's a dream life.

In return for supporting their lifestyle we ask for one thing and one thing only...

Kill the Bugs!

So when I see our cats idly watch two bugs crawling on the floor, but they decline to move from their comfortable spot to do their assigned duties, it makes me a little irked.

Perhaps we are feeding them too much?

Perhaps they are not "hungry enough?"

Hmm...

Random Photos from Our Road Trip

Brussels, Belgium

Neuhaus Chocolates, my favorite. But the shop is closed...


Praise to the Powers that Be. This one was open.


With the band...

Saturday morning Flower Market in the Grand Place.



Atomium


Chartes, France

Approaching Chartres, the small French town with the enormous Cathedral.


Cathedral Facade


Famous Blue Madonna Window with the characteristic "Chartres blue" stained glass.


Light a Penny Candle. (Although with inflation it is now a 2 Euro candle!)



Can we go now?

Versailles, France

Dare I say it? The palace is rather gaudy.

Raurica Augustus (Basel, Switzerland)

Ancient Roman Amphitheater (Red brick is reconstruction)

Random Observations from a Car Window

This past weekend we took GLH's mother on a whirlwind tour of France and Belgium. A fair amount of what we saw was from the car window.

Here are my observations on the Road Trip Habits of Europeans...

1. The Dutch must really, really love camping. In Switzerland, France and Belgium there were many RV's, camper trailers and backseats stuffed with sleeping bags and tents. Most of the time (perhaps as much as 80% of the obvious campers we saw) the camping gear was in a vehicle with Netherlands license plates. Second most number of campers were Germans followed by a distant UK.

2. The French mostly go the posted speed limit except for occasional packs of aggressive drivers. The packs tend to consist of 4-5 cars going 160 kph or more. They follow each other quite closely and weave in and out of traffic. Perhaps they prefer the validation a pack of speeders provides? By the way, the Germans are perfectly capable of speeding all by themselves without the benefit of group protection.

3. It must be very confusing to take your car through the Chunnel. Along the way from Brussels to Paris we were joined by many UK drivers who were obviously coming from Calais. In most cases, the UK drivers were passing on the right. This practice makes total sense when cars drive on the left side of the road, but is extremely dangerous when cars drive on the right side as they tend to do in the rest of Europe. We saw a couple of near misses when Continental Europeans changed lanes with no clue that a UK driver was passing them on the right side.

4. The French must be quite tired and need repeated naps. It is the only explanation for the presence of rest areas every 10-20 kilometers along all major French motorways. By the way, I highly recommend that you stop at the rest areas that also have gas and food. Otherwise you may end up peeing in a hole in the floor or standing in front of a bush, depending upon the stop. Although many do not seem to mind. We saw a few men who chose the bush even when an actual restroom with a toilet was available at no cost less than 20 meters from where they stood.

5. I am continually astounded by the number of people of all nationalities and in all areas of the world who decide not to wash their hands after a toilet stop. Yeech! By the way, truly washing your hands requires the use of soap. Using only water simply moves the germs around on your hands. I suggest that you rub soap into your hands for the length of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" then rinse with water as hot as you can stand. At least that is what we were taught in kindergarten and I believe it is still considered good advice.

Are You a Friend of Harry's?

The sorting hat says that I belong in Gryffindor!

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those with brave deeds to their name."

Students of Gryffindor are typically brave, daring, and chivalrous.
Famous members include Harry, Ron, Hermione, Albus Dumbledore (head of Hogwarts), and Minerva McGonagall (head of Gryffindor).

Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

Thanks, Joie de Kitty, for letting me know about this quiz!

It's Just Wrong

This evening GLH returned from a trip to the grocery store with a tube containing what he believed to be tartar sauce.

When he opened it he realized it was tuna.

Yes, Gentle Readers, you can purchase squeezable tuna in a metal tube (similar to toothpaste) here in Switzerland.

Now that is just wrong.

The squeezable tuna was immediately relegated to the garbage bin.

What Are They Wearing?

Today was a hot day in Zürich. Which means that people dressed for the weather.

In Europe, dressing for hot weather frequently translates as "I'd rather be naked, but as the law requires clothing I will wear something translucent instead." And even though I am a Midwesterner (i.e. prudish), I have almost gotten accustomed to seeing people wearing clothes that reveal what I would rather be left to the imagination. Or not imagined at all depending upon the person.

However, this morning I saw something that had my jaw dropping to the floor.

While riding the tram past Burkliplatz I saw a couple walking along Lake Zürich. He was dressed in a beige linen suit. She was dressed in a flowing white gown, had flowers in her hair and clutched a bouquet of white flowers. They were accompanied by some friends. Obviously today was their wedding day.

Here is the jaw dropper...

Even though it was obviously her wedding day and even though she was at least 7-8 months pregnant, the blushing bride selected a wedding dress that was so transparent that she may as well have been walking along in her all-together. You could see everything, including the lack of bra (which I found amazing given her advanced state of pregnancy!)

And did anyone else know that they make thong underwear for pregnant women?

Mountain Roads

Sustenstrasse

GLH's mother is visiting this week.

Today our mission was to show her some mountains. And show her mountains we did. We first drove through Luzern and then journeyed on to Interlaken. After lunch at a Gasthaus perched on the side of the mountain overlooking the valley, we walked a bit through Interlaken. WHich was, as always, completely mobbed with tourists.

On the way home, however, we went a very different way -- up through the Susten Pass. Yowza! What unbelievable views! And today was without a doubt the perfect weather for mountain driving. Clear, crisp air and a view that went for miles. Plus, GLH's mother got to see a glacier for the first time.

Glacier

Tunnel Blown through the Rock

Switchbacks Climbing the Mountain

Close to Home

Yesterday during the height of the evening rush hour a bridge collapsed near downtown Minneapolis. It is a miracle that thus far only 7 have been reported dead, although search and recovery efforts continue.

This hit close to home for me. Not only have I been on that bridge countless times, but two of my siblings (and their spouses and children) live very close to there.

It was a few tense minutes until my sister managed to locate her husband and two children. Fortunately they happened to drive a different way yesterday evening than they usually would. Thank God all my family is o.k.

And I realized that I don't say it enough. I love you all very much.

Feuer Tag! ; Or, Is Switzerland Being Invaded?

It is Swiss Day!

Earlier this week it was explained to me that the nickname for today is Feuer Tag (Fire Day).

There are both public and private fireworks in every direction as far as the eye can see. We are astounded by the size of the fireworks that anyone with an inclination, and a fair amount of money, can buy and set off in their backyard. Just down the street from us is a group setting off fireworks similar in size to what a medium-sized town in the US would have for July 4th.

This can only be termed: Putting on the Swiss.

One final note: in addition to explosions from all directions, we are also hearing sirens. Police cruisers and ambulances are heading in every direction as well. I suspect there will be a round-up of various injuries reported in tomorrow's newspaper.

Touch of Xenophobia?

OH MY GOD!

LOOK at what we just got in the mail:

It essentially discusses the deportation of foreigners who commit felonies in Switzerland. Which is all well and good. As long as the criminal process is fair and unbiased. Although I have heard many arguments against that actually being the case.

But let's just consider the flyer at hand, shall we?

Look at the color of the sheep that is being kicked out of the country.

What exactly do you think this flyer is saying?

Anyone?

Anyone?

New Book Reader's Meme

1. Open the book you are currently reading to page 133.

2. Read the fourth line on the page.

3. Put the book back where it had been resting.

4. Tell no one what you just did.

5. Think of five friends to tag with this meme.

6. Do not actually tag them. They are busy and have lives.

7. Go about your life as if nothing has happened.

8. Carry the secret of this meme to your grave.

From Walt Crawford


Thanks to Mary Kay for passing it on!

Where's the Real German Food?

I have discovered that I do not like German food.

Not one bit.

And that includes the food served not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland and every German restaurant anywhere in the world I have ever visited.

Nope. I just plain do not like it.

This actually came as a huge surprise to me. Prior to moving to Switzerland, I thought I loved German food.

See, my mother is Austrian-American. Growing up we had Germanic food all the time. I love my mother's pork roast, potato dumplings, spätzle, bratwurst and just about anything else associated with Germanic culinary arts.

We would occasionally go to German restaurants in the United States, but I never liked them. I just figured it wasn't "authentic" German food.

A few years ago I made my first trip to Munich. I didn't like the food in any of the restaurants we visited. But I just figured they were tourist traps and not very good.

We now live in Switzerland. I have eaten at countless restaurants in Switzerland, Germany and Austria that all serve Germanic food.

Guess what? I didn't like any of them.

So I started to analyze it. What exactly do I not like about German food?

It's the excess fat and grease. After a typical German meal, I feel sick and have a terrible stomach ache. Even if I have eaten very little of the meal.

And then something occurred to me. In the United States we always bought the leanest cuts of meat. Even our hamburger contained only 3% fat, something which is easily found at any grocery store in the United States.

I have found it impossible to find meat that lean at the grocery stores in Switzerland. The closest I can find is the Weight Watchers brand of hamburger, which contains only about 10% fat. When buying beef, chicken or pork, I am constantly having to trim the excess fat off before cooking.

I also looked at German cookbooks. Not only do they call for use of fatty meat, but extra fat is added. And the fabulous potato dumplings? My mother makes them using only mashed potatoes and flour. That's it. But in the three German cookbooks I checked, lard was added to the recipe.

Lard? People still cook with LARD???

I had a revelation.

See, my mother also does not like fatty, greasy food.

Hmm. Do you think perhaps she was cooking traditional German food in a non-traditional way? Is it possible she was altering the recipes to include less fat? Do you think, just maybe, that I was trained to like German food cooked in a slightly healthier way?

I must call my mother and ask!


Note: I still like the desserts. Especially in Austria. Because you cannot add too much sugar to a dessert, now can you?

And yes, my mother has a sweet tooth that she passed on to all of her children.

Zürich at Night

Some experimental night shots with the new camera...

It doesn't do low-light/night photography as well as my Nikon D70s, but the Sony DSC-T20 CyberShot is a great option for a smaller, compact digital camera when you just want to take a few quick shots. (The Nikon is much larger and heavier. And when doing the more serious photography I need to carry the tripod as well.)

At Last

It is currently 62 degrees fahrenheit (17 celsius). It is supposed to rain most of the day and have a high of 70 fahrenheit (21 celsius). The 10-day forecast shows continued cooler weather.

Ah, I can breathe again.

Thank God.

Playing Pretend?

The German language is sometimes quite strange.

Today in my German lesson I learned what the various pieces of clothing are called.

For instance, the word for "suit," meaning matching slacks and jacket, is der Anzug.

But then I discovered that der Anzug is used only when talking about suits for men.

Suits for women are called das Kostüm.

My tutor didn't understand why I found calling what women wear to work a "costume" a little insulting.

He Really Cannot Stop Himself

Last night while sitting on the couch working on a Major Project, I realized I hadn't seen GLH in a while.

Me: Hey, GLH, what are you doing?

GLH: Why do you ask?

Me: 'Cause I just want to know.

GLH appears in the doorway. He is wearing one of those smiles. You know the one. The one that says, "I'm totally innocent. There's nothing to see here."

GLH: I guess you saw me walk by to get my wallet.

As a matter of fact, I hadn't.

Me: Why would you need your wallet?

GLH: Well, I know you said no more gadgets, but this one doesn't really count. It's not a new gadget. Just an addition to an existing gadget.

Me: What did you do?

GLH: I was almost out of disc space on my computer. I had to buy more!

Can you believe him?

What amazed me is that he was trying to hide it!

Come Back to Me!

Zürich has become Hell on Earth.

Yesterday it topped out at 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). It was so humid that the 1-liter reservoir on the dehumidifier filled up three times. And the sun was relentless. If only a cloud would block it. Even for a little while.

Last night it never truly cooled off.

So here I sit in the apartment, with the air conditioner running. Although a portable window unit can only do so much about heat at this level.

If I leave the house today, it will only be to take a drive in the car, which has a fantastic air conditioner. In minutes the car's interior is nice and cold. (Shh! Don't tell the Environmental Police, but I expect this afternoon I will take a long, random, meandering drive just to cool off.)

I miss the weather from last week. The wonderfully cold, rainy, overcast weather. It was almost like Fall.

Ah Fall, my favorite season. You are such a relief once dreaded summer is finally over...

I heard it is supposed to turn cold and rainy again.

Please God, make it so.

Here There Be Dragons

A few weeks ago I happened across an interesting article.

John Howe, the famous Tolkien illustrator and one of the art directors on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy, was mounting a special exhibit of artwork inspired by Tolkien's epic work in the small village of St. Ursanne. (For more information on John Howe, the movies and the exhibit itself, please click on the imbedded links above.)


I showed the article to GLH and we immediately decided we must go. It seemed too special to miss. Last Sunday was the day we made the journey into this small village in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. And, as it turned out, into the fantasized past.

Unbeknownst to us, we happened to select the weekend of the annual Medieval Fest in St. Ursanne.

Trust me when I say that it was much better than a standard Renaissance Festival!

In addition to the wonderful works artfully inserted amongst the historic structures...

Were craftspeople and artisans, exhibiting the traditional methods of their art. And dressed in costumes to boot...

I couldn't figure out why children stood in line to be locked in the stocks and spanked with a wooden paddle while onlookers laughed and their parents documented the event with their cameras...

Although we greatly enjoyed the festival, we did find the number of people created barriers to the views of the art. Therefore, if we have time we may return to this jewel of a village nestled in a valley in the Jura Mountain range. I would encourage others to make the trek as well.

But hurry, the exhibit runs through September 2nd and then the magical creatures will be gone.

One note: although you can take public transportation to St. Ursanne, depending upon where you are starting it may require a few transfers and relying upon a rural bus route with a limited schedule. If you do not have a car, I recommend renting one for the journey. Or acting real friendly towards someone who already owns one!

Somewhere over the Rainbow...

Don't worry. I'm still out here.

I had a very business weekend and am now in the midst of a very busy week. I've got a few blog entries to do, but no time to do them!

In the meantime, here is a quick snapshot of an amazing rainbow that I took while we had dinner last night...

Hey, anybody know why Blogger isn't letting me insert a title?

One of these days I will give up on Blogger and move to another blogging site...

Who Moved My Cheese?

The Migros (grocery store) in our village is going through major renovations.

They first built a new part of the store. Then they moved everything into this new part, which is approximately 1/4 the size of the old store, and now they are renovating the old part.

When it is done I am certain it will be big and beautiful, yada yada yada.

But until then it will be hell.

The selection is down to the bare minimum, the aisle space is minuscule and nobody (including staff) knows where anything is yet.

Those of you who know me, know that I hate grocery shopping. Before I got married I would shop at 11:00 at night just to avoid having to deal with too many people. Because too many people made me have to stay in the grocery store longer. (God, I miss 24-hour grocery stores!) I survived on cereal, yogurt, peanut butter and hard-boiled eggs because it diminished the amount of time I spent in the grocery store. And the amount of time I had to spend cooking.

And I shopped at a store that never moved things around. This was very important, because I hate it when grocery stores get moved around and I cannot whip through them and get out as quickly as I can.

For now I've moved most of my shopping to the Coop (other major grocery store chain) to avoid the chaos as much as possible.

But there are a few things we can only get from the Migros as the Coop doesn't carry them. Namely, lactose-free milk (with only 1.7% fat, the lowest fat content available), USDA beef ('cause Swiss beef sucks) and cheddar cheese ('cause I don't like the stinky, strong tasting cheese so common in Europe).

On my first couple of trips to the Migros I was still able to find the milk and the beef, but I couldn't locate the cheese. I really, really missed the cheese. Yes, I could find the cheese elsewhere. But who really wants to carry cheese all the way back from Zürich on a train or bus after the convenience of having it only a ten-minute walk away?

However, I am happy to report that today the shelves were slightly more plentiful and my beloved cheddar cheese has returned.

Thank God.

Now I just have to dread November, when the renovations will be completed and everything will be moved again.

Sigh.

Nostalgia of Food

Ponder well this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table. Charles Pierre Monselet (1825-1888)

Food has the ability to invoke memories and strong emotions. And one emotion it invokes is homesickness. Any expat can tell you that. Indeed, when you ask an expat what they miss most, the food from their home country is usually listed prominently.

I remember when I lived in Ireland as a student in the early 1990's that midway through the year I got an insatiable craving for Kentucky Fried Chicken. What made this so odd is that in the United States I rarely ate the stuff. It's really not very good. And yet I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Within a week of returning to the United States I was at the local KFC. I took a couple of bites and couldn't figure out why I had craved it so much. I have not eaten it since then.

Although GLH and I love living in Zürich, lately I have been struggling with some homesickness. It isn't always present, but when it is I feel somewhat paralyzed by it. So I force myself to do something and work through it.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the weekly farmer's market at the Haubtbahnhof. As I passed one of the stalls, I happened to catch something out of the corner of my eye. Not believing what I was seeing, I stopped for a closer look.

There, nestled amongst the very European baked goodies, was a small and unassuming square of chocolate. And it wasn't labelled braunli or brauner or something equally Germanic. No indeed, it had a small sign that stated in clearly American spelling that it was a brownie.

Immediately I started to salivate.

Which is strange, because in the United States I could go for months without wanting a brownie. And I have made brownies myself on perhaps 2 or 3 occasions in my entire life. And yet, just looking at it sitting there created a wave of homesickness so powerful I nearly began to cry.

But I hesitated. Anyone who has ever tried Mexican food in Europe knows that just because it looks like the real thing doesn't mean that it will come anywhere close when tasted. Usually it is a huge disappointment.

But I decided to risk it. I stepped up to the counter, handed over CHF 2,20 for a rather small square and took a bite.

It was not a disappointment!

While perhaps not the best brownie I have ever had (for that you really need the boxed mix from Duncan Hines), it was indeed an authentic brownie.

I quickly whipped out my camera and took a picture...

And then I devoured it.

Ahh. Such chocolately goodness.

Albanifest

On Sunday we caught the train for Winterthur and the Albanifest, a carnival happening in their Altstadt (Old City).

The carnival offered rides galore...


Most of which I would never personally ride!

But I did enjoy watching all the people. Especially the faces that said "What in tarnation are they doing up there?" Or whatever the Schweizer Deutsch equivalent is.


And, of course, there was artery-clogging food galore.

Although after watching these pigs on a spit...

I almost became a vegetarian!

But they did have some healthy choices.

Got milk?

And many booths offered fresh fruit. Although I am not certain how healthy it is after you dip it in chocolate, sprinkle nuts and add whipped cream.

After walking around for a couple of hours, it was time to sit in the shade at one of the many beer/wine gardens.

Ya know, the local red wine wasn't bad after the 2nd or 3rd glass.

And it was fun to watch this Swiss-Style Oompah Band. Especially as they were so obviously having fun themselves!

Boys and Their Toys

As we were running to catch our train this morning, GLH insisted that I stop to take two photos of this super-special Porsche parked on a street in our village.

He required a photo of the front:

And a photo of the back:

What is with men and cars?

Fortunately we managed to board the train approximately 20 seconds before it departed.