I'm drinking their stout, and it's not half bad. A little overcarbonated, but other than that, a excellent beer.
http://www.b-a-s.fr/page/accueil.html
There's a few others that I've found in the the supermarket, I'll have to try them.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Poor Man's Fondue
We had another lovely food oriented weekend here. We picked up a small wheel of Mont d'Or cheese and baked it until it was gooey inside. When dipped boiled potatoes into the melting goodness and ate it all up. The only thing that is lacks compared to fondue is that toasted cheese cracker that forms on the bottom of the fondue pot.
I discovered another good beer, Appenzeller Holzfass Bier, from those crafty brewers at Brauerei Locher AG. It was a perfect match for the hearty potato and speck soup that Natalie made on Friday.
We are both looking forward to Vienna this weekend. It's a shame we can only spend the weekend there, but it should be quite fun.
I discovered another good beer, Appenzeller Holzfass Bier, from those crafty brewers at Brauerei Locher AG. It was a perfect match for the hearty potato and speck soup that Natalie made on Friday.
We are both looking forward to Vienna this weekend. It's a shame we can only spend the weekend there, but it should be quite fun.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Food-centric weekend (yes this describes most of our days)
Yesterday, we decided not to go the Bern and were planning on going to the market in Ferney Voltaire to have oysters and white wine for breakfast again. When we got up, however, it was pouring, so we hung out at home until everything cleared up and watched a little bit of American tv from this past week. At around 11, it was clear so we headed into town to walk through our local market and then head into Geneva. We got to the bottom of the hill only for Matt to realize that he left his wallet back at home so we had to head back up (he did buy me an eclair to make up for this). Since there wasn't another bus for awhile, we ate lunch here and chilled out for awhile and then tried again. This time we successfully made it into Geneva, tried to do some shopping at H&M, but were dissuaded by the lines. We then went to the different department stores and picked up some necessities (bread, cheese, wine) at Coop city and headed into Ferney to eat dinner.
On Thursday, we went to have pizza to celebrate my passing the bar and were planning on having champagne afterwards, but I was completely exhausted and just wanted to relax and pass out. So Saturday was more of a celebratory night. We have also been craving spicy food and had heard that there were a few good Indian restaurants in Ferney so we tried one. When they brought the picked hot pepper condiment, we began eating it with a fork. We also got nan avec fromage, which is just absolutely amazing and filled with brie. After a great dinner, we took the bus home and split a bottle of champagne, while chilling out.
Today, we bussed into Geneva again to attend the expat expo and picked up a lot of flyers from various organizations, along with bagels and hummos from an American style bakery. We then headed to the autumn bio (organic) outdoor market in Ferney. We arrived, and had not had lunch, so got a few crepes with an espresso (for Matt) and cider (for me). Forgetting I was in France and thinking that this was an outdoor market in the fall, I was expecting hot cider while instead it was fermented cold cider. It was a fantastic mistake though as the cider was bubbly, fresh, and really delicious. We bought vegetables, chevre, and bread, and then explored the wine sellers. They all invited you to do tastings, although compared to tastings in the U.S., they would just hand you a full glass of wine to try. It is an interesting experience -- these wines are really good (the NY Time has even developed a crush on them), but the labels for the bottles from these small producers seem to be made on inkjet printers. Since I have complained about the price of everything here, let me say that these wines from the vineyards were really well-priced, especially for how good they are. We also picked up some lavender honey and a honey spice cake and my stomach is growling thinking of dinner tonight.
On Thursday, we went to have pizza to celebrate my passing the bar and were planning on having champagne afterwards, but I was completely exhausted and just wanted to relax and pass out. So Saturday was more of a celebratory night. We have also been craving spicy food and had heard that there were a few good Indian restaurants in Ferney so we tried one. When they brought the picked hot pepper condiment, we began eating it with a fork. We also got nan avec fromage, which is just absolutely amazing and filled with brie. After a great dinner, we took the bus home and split a bottle of champagne, while chilling out.
Today, we bussed into Geneva again to attend the expat expo and picked up a lot of flyers from various organizations, along with bagels and hummos from an American style bakery. We then headed to the autumn bio (organic) outdoor market in Ferney. We arrived, and had not had lunch, so got a few crepes with an espresso (for Matt) and cider (for me). Forgetting I was in France and thinking that this was an outdoor market in the fall, I was expecting hot cider while instead it was fermented cold cider. It was a fantastic mistake though as the cider was bubbly, fresh, and really delicious. We bought vegetables, chevre, and bread, and then explored the wine sellers. They all invited you to do tastings, although compared to tastings in the U.S., they would just hand you a full glass of wine to try. It is an interesting experience -- these wines are really good (the NY Time has even developed a crush on them), but the labels for the bottles from these small producers seem to be made on inkjet printers. Since I have complained about the price of everything here, let me say that these wines from the vineyards were really well-priced, especially for how good they are. We also picked up some lavender honey and a honey spice cake and my stomach is growling thinking of dinner tonight.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Why is the Mariachi singer screaming like Hitler?
We are watching a show that is the Bavarian equivalent of Lawrence Welk and is completely surreal, not only because it is in German. It is a musical variety show and when we first turned to it, there was a man with feathered blond hair singing some sort of love song in German. Tons of women from the audience (wearing dirndls) kept coming up bringing him flowers and giving him kisses, except for one, who brought him a bag of chili cheese chips. I have no idea and neither does Matt as to the significance of the chips. Eventually, there was a large group of women standing around the guy, all swaying in time to the music. Then, in a move designed by some horrible public relations person, children with downs syndrome in lederhosen came running up to hug the singer.
Next, an older woman named Dagmar came out and sand a song with a bunch of dancers dressed like Vegas showgirls behind her and two young men continually kissing her hands.
Next came a few German brothers singing very earnestly while the women in the audience (all in dirndks) swooned.
Next came a guy who began singing with flamenco dancers in the background and then passed by a mariachi band, where to be funny (??) some guy started yelling at him in German and sounded as though he was issuing the orders to invade Poland (again).
Then, the marching bands arrived, including one whose name Matt began giggling at as soon as he saw because its name translates to "the blowing orchestra," which while true, is still a "no really" sort of name, the equivalent to "the musician orchestra." After them came a parade of women bearing linzer torte on platters.
Lesson for the evening: the Germans may be way more perverse than the French (in our limited, not intending to stereotype entire countries and cultures, opinion). C'est vrai.
Next, an older woman named Dagmar came out and sand a song with a bunch of dancers dressed like Vegas showgirls behind her and two young men continually kissing her hands.
Next came a few German brothers singing very earnestly while the women in the audience (all in dirndks) swooned.
Next came a guy who began singing with flamenco dancers in the background and then passed by a mariachi band, where to be funny (??) some guy started yelling at him in German and sounded as though he was issuing the orders to invade Poland (again).
Then, the marching bands arrived, including one whose name Matt began giggling at as soon as he saw because its name translates to "the blowing orchestra," which while true, is still a "no really" sort of name, the equivalent to "the musician orchestra." After them came a parade of women bearing linzer torte on platters.
Lesson for the evening: the Germans may be way more perverse than the French (in our limited, not intending to stereotype entire countries and cultures, opinion). C'est vrai.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
La Pharmacie
I am nowhere near the first (or millionth) person to write about the particularities of the French pharmacies, but they are worth all of the commentary. The pharmacie is a strange combination of an actual pharmacy and beauty store combined with amazing customer service. First, if you want any sort of medication at all (or even items like contact lens solution), you must walk up to the pharmacist and ask for what you want or describe your symptoms and have them give you something. This is increasingly strange because, while it applies to very basic medication like Advil, it also applies to things that in the U.S. must be prescribed by doctors, like codeine (yes, Mom, I remember that I am allergic to codeine, it is just an example). Also, many beauty products, particularly skincare, are considered to be essentially medications, or as important as medications, so if you walk in and begin to look at the various body lotions or face creams (or even cellulite cream, which is hugely popular here, it seems), a pharmacist will come to assist you. You tell her what your skin issues are or what you are looking for and she will recommend things and have you test them out there. Pharmacy brands here are also not the super cheap ones. It is not as expensive as the private beauty brands with their own "by-appointment-only" boutiques certainly, and most drugstores carry a range, but it is more expensive then what one can get at the grocery store or Coop city. Even though it is a pharmacist assisting you and taking this process very seriously, it is not clinical -- when I last bought lotion, she expounded about the smell of some of them or the sensual experience of using another. Then, when you check out, like in a department store in the U.S., you get tons and tons of free samples.
I should all mention that this isn't in one of the big or fancy pharmacies, but the small one in our little town. Oh, and the beauty products here are pretty amazing, which may explain the statistic I read that the average French woman spends something like 20% of her income on various beauty products and perfume.
I should all mention that this isn't in one of the big or fancy pharmacies, but the small one in our little town. Oh, and the beauty products here are pretty amazing, which may explain the statistic I read that the average French woman spends something like 20% of her income on various beauty products and perfume.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Gruyeres
Yesterday, we got out of town and went to Gruyeres for a day trip and to celebrate the start of fondue season. We took an incredibly picturesque train ride over to Gruyeres and went on a tour of the cheese-making facilities. The cows graze in the lower pastures in the winter and pastures higher up on the mountains in the summer. We got to see a lot of the cows, who were madly grazing. They are moved, in part, to ensure that they eat a wide variety of grasses and flowers, since those flavors are reflected in the cheese. The Gruyeres milk and cream is absolutely amazing -- its very high in fat and the taste is better than any other milk or cream I have had. After that tour, we walked up to the town itself and had a small lunch of chocolate fondue with fruit. After lunch we wandered around the town a bit and went to the Castle and city walls.
I really enjoyed the visit to the castle. It was constructed around 1000 and based on the Savoie model of incredibly thick walls and a central, interior courtyard that all the rooms faced into. The last major renovations for the castle were completed in the 1400s. We got to see a rotisserie spit and the tour guide told us that they were unsure exactly how old the mechanism was, but that the museum archives included the bill for its repair from the 15th century. We got to walk through some of the fireplaces, since they were about 6 feet deep, 8 ft high, and 10-12 ft wide. We got to see the Burgundy cloaks taken as spoils of war, hear about battles with the armies of Bern and Burgundy, see suits of armor, and look at graffiti from where the counts made treaties or recorded other events by either writing or etching them on the interior walls.
After a look at the very old, it was time for an experience with the modern, so we went to the H.R. Giger museum and bar. I did not know much about Giger before the trip, except that he designed the alien from "Alien," and regret that the museum did not give more information about him, instead just showing his work with little context. While I appreciate the intricacy of his work and the need for art that is disturbing and thought-provoking, I did not really enjoy the museum. I thought the furniture was fantastic, but the art (particularly the adult only room). I did like some of Giger's collection of art and really liked the furniture he designed. While I was not a fan of the museum, I really liked the Giger Bar. It was certainly still dark and eerie, but the design was detail oriented and impeccable. They also had great beer (for Matt) and hot chocolate with meringues (for me). We proceeded to walk around some more through the town and around some of the walking trails and saw the decorated cows for a festival and heard men playing alpine horns, which was surprisingly beautiful.
For dinner, we went to Le Chalet for fondue. There are a few superstitions about fondue. First, you never ever ever drink cold water with fondue because it will cause a stomachache. This belief may actually be true, or it may just be an excuse to drink Swiss white wine. Either way, you drink either hot tea or wine with the fondue and many people have a Coke afterward. Second, there is a season for fondue. While it is possible in some places to get fondue out of season, it is rare that people order it or restaurants offer it. Thankfully, since it has not gotten cool (especially high up in Gruyere) then fondue was appropriate. The meal starts out with a plate of cured, dried meat for everyone at the table (this sounds bad, but it was very similar to Prosciutto or Coppa ham) along with bread, butter, and a bowl of picked onions and cornichons. The next course is the fondue -- Gruyere cheese with either wine or kirsch and made much better with a good deal of pepper. Along with the fondue is more bread and boiled fingerling potatoes. At the end of the course, the last bit of cheese bakes into something like a toile and is scraped from the pan and eaten alone. For dessert, I had raspberries with cream, which was even more decadent and wonderful than the fondue. We headed back, stuffed and happy (though anticipating very strange dreams from the Giger museum).
There are photos up at our Flickr account.
Here are links to some of the places we visited:
Chateau Gruyeres
Giger Museum
Giger Bar
La Maison du Gruyeres (the cheesemaking demonstration)
Le Chalet restaurant
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Snippets
A few things from today:
-In perhaps an incredibly revealing tidbit about where we live and French attitudes, I learned tonight where to buy good beer: the Santoriz. That is, the health food store. I, for one, am not surprised that beer is a health tonic!
-The milk farmers in France and Switzerland are protesting for a variety of reasons, including lack of price protections for milk. This morning, as we were walking down the super steep, small road next to the Mairie, I started smelling something amazing and realized that in the middle of the night, the farmers placed a large sign up across from the Mairie and dumped quite a lot of hay over the sidewalk.
-A few days a week we both head into Geneva early and wait for the bus in the same place and at the same time as all the high school students. I love the ritual of greetings -- every time a new person arrives to the group, they have to do the three cheek kisses with every other person. When the groups get larger, there can almost be no conversation because each time a new person comes in, they have to stop for several minutes to greet everyone. This is not just a teenage thing; if I leave work with a group of coworkers, we all have to exchange the kisses and individual pleasantries before saying goodbye. It is also interesting because it is perfectly appropriate to exchange the bises (cheek kisses) with a person with who you are still vouvoye with (i.e. one that you do not call "tu" but "vous"). Interesting, there are also different terms for different types of kisses. Bises are the cheek kisses, bisous are romantic kisses.
-It is expected that some people do not have cars and use the bus for all of their transportation needs. Therefore, the buses allow people to bring items not allowed on buses at home. For example, one's dog can ride the bus, but you have to buy it a full price ticket. This is how we found ourselves on the bus at 7:10 this morning listening to a series of plaintive meows as a young guy had his cat in a carrier on his lap. On the big bus, everyone was crammed in and his carrier was on the floor, so most people didn't notice it and whenever the cat yeowled, the riders glared at the guy who was listening to loud heavy metal on his headphones, thinking the sounds were part of his music.
-In perhaps an incredibly revealing tidbit about where we live and French attitudes, I learned tonight where to buy good beer: the Santoriz. That is, the health food store. I, for one, am not surprised that beer is a health tonic!
-The milk farmers in France and Switzerland are protesting for a variety of reasons, including lack of price protections for milk. This morning, as we were walking down the super steep, small road next to the Mairie, I started smelling something amazing and realized that in the middle of the night, the farmers placed a large sign up across from the Mairie and dumped quite a lot of hay over the sidewalk.
-A few days a week we both head into Geneva early and wait for the bus in the same place and at the same time as all the high school students. I love the ritual of greetings -- every time a new person arrives to the group, they have to do the three cheek kisses with every other person. When the groups get larger, there can almost be no conversation because each time a new person comes in, they have to stop for several minutes to greet everyone. This is not just a teenage thing; if I leave work with a group of coworkers, we all have to exchange the kisses and individual pleasantries before saying goodbye. It is also interesting because it is perfectly appropriate to exchange the bises (cheek kisses) with a person with who you are still vouvoye with (i.e. one that you do not call "tu" but "vous"). Interesting, there are also different terms for different types of kisses. Bises are the cheek kisses, bisous are romantic kisses.
-It is expected that some people do not have cars and use the bus for all of their transportation needs. Therefore, the buses allow people to bring items not allowed on buses at home. For example, one's dog can ride the bus, but you have to buy it a full price ticket. This is how we found ourselves on the bus at 7:10 this morning listening to a series of plaintive meows as a young guy had his cat in a carrier on his lap. On the big bus, everyone was crammed in and his carrier was on the floor, so most people didn't notice it and whenever the cat yeowled, the riders glared at the guy who was listening to loud heavy metal on his headphones, thinking the sounds were part of his music.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Hedonistic Weekend!
On Friday, our friend Dave came into town on leave from serving in Iraq. We had thought he wasn't coming in until tonight so we had made some plans for the weekend, but just decided to do as much as possible in a short period of time.
Friday night, as Matt was taking the bus in from Gex, Dave and I grabbed dinner at Scandale and then, Dave was zonked and headed to his hotel. Matt arrived in town and we went to a fantastic party hosted by a co-worker at an apartment in the Old Town. The party was pretty fantastic -- I met an attorney who was in law school at Vanderbilt when I was in grad school there and there were fascinating people to talk to. There was a lot of dancing and much fabulousness. Matt and I had decided we would take the Nocturne bus home which was also an adventure (though fairly tame). The bus runs at about 1 and 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights and is pretty much the drunk teenage bus. There is a security guard on it and a special handler, in addition to the driver, so it was the most well behaved group of drunk 18 year olds you can imagine. I was regretting our decision when it was 2:30 and we were hiking up the mountain, but the party was great fun, so it was worth it.
Saturday, we went with Dave to the outdoors market in Ferney-Voltaire, which is supposed to be one of the best in the region. The reputation is well deserved as there is a huge variety of sellers -- fresh pasta makers, cheesemakers selling parmesan from Parma, many farmers, bakers, and butcher, and, my favorite, the fishmongers. One of the first things I noticed (which I knew about in advance, but was still odd) is that the food is a lot less sanitized -- as Matt says, the food still looks like what it came from. If you buy a chicken, it still has its feet and head (with feathers!) attached. At the fishmongers, many things are still alive. We saw a little boy staring at a crab that was walking around and then he started telling the fishmonger that it was running away. The fishmonger picked up the crab and put it in front of the little boy so he could get a better look at it. The best best part by far is that the fishmongers sell raw oysters and set up small tables. We got a half dozen (at 11 am and of course, it comes with wine), watched the guy open each of them, and put them on a small tin plate. I love oysters and eat them any change I can (when it seems like they will be safe) but I have never had any that were so fresh, briny, and absolutely perfect alone with no horseradish or even lemon juice. We purchased a lot of food and all headed back to our apartment so I could cook a late lunch. We had langoustines (again, with the honesty about food, these were whole, with heads and antennae attached. I made Dave clean them), sauteed leeks, and pasta with lemon sauce. We also got some Epoisse cheese but were stuffed after meal so we have not tried it yet. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and recovering from the large meal.
Today, Dave came over and we had a big breakfast and all hung out watching the biking World Championships which are currently going on on the other side of Switzerland. The Swiss are very excited that their own Fabian Cancellara won the time trial. I am ecstatic about Kristin Armstrong's win and Cadel Evans had a great finish today that was fun to watch. We also began following some of the Swiss and French news websites as the Roman Polanski story came out, because it had become especially huge here. The French statements and treatment of this is striking and not necessarily surprising, but still seems very strange. Less of it seems to be about Polanski and more that the French ministers are upset that Switzerland seemed to plan to arrest him when he came to the film festival and did not consult with France concerning their plans. We are wondering if Switzerland is planning on quid pro quo-ing with the U.S. and giving up Polanski if the U.S. leaves UBS alone. Since all of this is going on, I think we are going to spend the evening watching Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.
Next weekend we are going to Gruyere for a dairy tour and several cheese and fondue tastings. I think the weekend after that we may head to Zurich, Barcelona, or Berlin. I would love to go to Barcelona or Madrid, but have a feeling that we will be heading to somewhere German speaking. Merde.
Friday night, as Matt was taking the bus in from Gex, Dave and I grabbed dinner at Scandale and then, Dave was zonked and headed to his hotel. Matt arrived in town and we went to a fantastic party hosted by a co-worker at an apartment in the Old Town. The party was pretty fantastic -- I met an attorney who was in law school at Vanderbilt when I was in grad school there and there were fascinating people to talk to. There was a lot of dancing and much fabulousness. Matt and I had decided we would take the Nocturne bus home which was also an adventure (though fairly tame). The bus runs at about 1 and 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights and is pretty much the drunk teenage bus. There is a security guard on it and a special handler, in addition to the driver, so it was the most well behaved group of drunk 18 year olds you can imagine. I was regretting our decision when it was 2:30 and we were hiking up the mountain, but the party was great fun, so it was worth it.
Saturday, we went with Dave to the outdoors market in Ferney-Voltaire, which is supposed to be one of the best in the region. The reputation is well deserved as there is a huge variety of sellers -- fresh pasta makers, cheesemakers selling parmesan from Parma, many farmers, bakers, and butcher, and, my favorite, the fishmongers. One of the first things I noticed (which I knew about in advance, but was still odd) is that the food is a lot less sanitized -- as Matt says, the food still looks like what it came from. If you buy a chicken, it still has its feet and head (with feathers!) attached. At the fishmongers, many things are still alive. We saw a little boy staring at a crab that was walking around and then he started telling the fishmonger that it was running away. The fishmonger picked up the crab and put it in front of the little boy so he could get a better look at it. The best best part by far is that the fishmongers sell raw oysters and set up small tables. We got a half dozen (at 11 am and of course, it comes with wine), watched the guy open each of them, and put them on a small tin plate. I love oysters and eat them any change I can (when it seems like they will be safe) but I have never had any that were so fresh, briny, and absolutely perfect alone with no horseradish or even lemon juice. We purchased a lot of food and all headed back to our apartment so I could cook a late lunch. We had langoustines (again, with the honesty about food, these were whole, with heads and antennae attached. I made Dave clean them), sauteed leeks, and pasta with lemon sauce. We also got some Epoisse cheese but were stuffed after meal so we have not tried it yet. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and recovering from the large meal.
Today, Dave came over and we had a big breakfast and all hung out watching the biking World Championships which are currently going on on the other side of Switzerland. The Swiss are very excited that their own Fabian Cancellara won the time trial. I am ecstatic about Kristin Armstrong's win and Cadel Evans had a great finish today that was fun to watch. We also began following some of the Swiss and French news websites as the Roman Polanski story came out, because it had become especially huge here. The French statements and treatment of this is striking and not necessarily surprising, but still seems very strange. Less of it seems to be about Polanski and more that the French ministers are upset that Switzerland seemed to plan to arrest him when he came to the film festival and did not consult with France concerning their plans. We are wondering if Switzerland is planning on quid pro quo-ing with the U.S. and giving up Polanski if the U.S. leaves UBS alone. Since all of this is going on, I think we are going to spend the evening watching Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.
Next weekend we are going to Gruyere for a dairy tour and several cheese and fondue tastings. I think the weekend after that we may head to Zurich, Barcelona, or Berlin. I would love to go to Barcelona or Madrid, but have a feeling that we will be heading to somewhere German speaking. Merde.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Aujourd'hui, je suis fatiguee
Both Matt and I have started French classes and his are twice a week at 8 am so we get to leave the house really early on these days and I attempt to take a brief nap on the bus. Then, since it is too early to eat (hmm, that sounds like a good reason), I get a pain au chocolat at the cafe at work. Work has started to get a bit busier, which is wonderful, though results in longer days and being zonked by the time I get home.
Last Saturday, we took the bus into Geneva in order to do some shopping and met up with some friends. We walked to the old town, which is beautiful (picture here) in order to go to a cafe we had heard about. It was, however, closed and so we went to "Chez ma Cousine," otherwise known around here as "the chicken place." It is a local chain that has 4 main dishes on the menu -- 3 salads with chicken and one meal of 1/2 a roast chicken, frites, salad, and bread. Matt and I each ordered our 1/2 a chicken and got to relax for awhile in the crowded restaurant and listen in on the very strange English conversations going on around us. I think the people at the table next to us forgot that many people in Geneva are either expats or speak English, because their conversation was riotus -- details of their various relationships (including some adulterous ones), some lawbreaking, lots of work details, etc.
We were walking back and saw a bunch of people walking through the street protesting. To be honest, I am not sure what since they were not saying anything, just occasionally howling like coyotes. It was also incredibly orderly: they had two police escorts, stayed on the sidewalk, and waited at the crosswalk until the walk light flashed. Perhaps these protesters could come teach Critical Mass about obeying traffic laws.
This weekend is the Oktoberfest celebration for expats in Geneva. I cannot tell you how excited Matt is. I am just happy about the brats.
Last Saturday, we took the bus into Geneva in order to do some shopping and met up with some friends. We walked to the old town, which is beautiful (picture here) in order to go to a cafe we had heard about. It was, however, closed and so we went to "Chez ma Cousine," otherwise known around here as "the chicken place." It is a local chain that has 4 main dishes on the menu -- 3 salads with chicken and one meal of 1/2 a roast chicken, frites, salad, and bread. Matt and I each ordered our 1/2 a chicken and got to relax for awhile in the crowded restaurant and listen in on the very strange English conversations going on around us. I think the people at the table next to us forgot that many people in Geneva are either expats or speak English, because their conversation was riotus -- details of their various relationships (including some adulterous ones), some lawbreaking, lots of work details, etc.
We were walking back and saw a bunch of people walking through the street protesting. To be honest, I am not sure what since they were not saying anything, just occasionally howling like coyotes. It was also incredibly orderly: they had two police escorts, stayed on the sidewalk, and waited at the crosswalk until the walk light flashed. Perhaps these protesters could come teach Critical Mass about obeying traffic laws.
This weekend is the Oktoberfest celebration for expats in Geneva. I cannot tell you how excited Matt is. I am just happy about the brats.
Vonage sucks!
Vonage sucks! No SIP access, softphones are no longer free, and a $140 fee to cancel, including a "rebate recovery" fee.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
We were skunked at the bike swap meet. A lot of overpriced clunkers, and everything too small for me. We did find a cute local chain that serves chicken, chicken and more chicken, and do it quickly with good beer. We browsed a few bike shops and a few shoe stores. No bike for me, but Natalie did get some shoes that will hopefully get better traction on the section of the road that's around a 20% grade. We went over to the home of one of Natalie's colleagues, where we discussed Lars von Trier and Geneva politics, drank beer, snacked and overheard a fight in the street. A lot of fun.
Finished the weekend off today with pork chops with a pan sauce served with home fries. I love the fact you can get good produce even at the neighborhood corner store. b
Finished the weekend off today with pork chops with a pan sauce served with home fries. I love the fact you can get good produce even at the neighborhood corner store. b
Monday, September 14, 2009
True Colors
So we headed into town Sunday afternoon, and had some time to kill. Walking through Gex we headed a lot of people squealing tires around, and a car smack a parked car getting out of a parking lot. I think, that's nothing that odd, most cars around here have nerfing scraps on all four corners. We got into Geneva after a uneventful 40 minute bus ride.. We walked towards the lake, where a good old game of 3-card-monty had a sizable crowd on the boulevard. We walked out onto a quay, where a couple guys were smoking up. We walked back into town, towards the hotel were we were meeting a colleague, and saw several streetwalkers, on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The most amusing was they were the most modestly dressed streetwalkers I've seen, in most cities they won't even stick out on a late Friday or Saturday night. It's interesting how cities change when the summer tourist season ends.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Holiday!
Today was absolutely delightful and I am ecstatic that I have tomorrow off work too! We got up around 8:30 and spent a lot of the morning being lazy; watching French cartoons (they actually help with learning French because the vocabulary is basic and they speak slower) and I did some reading. At about noon we decided to walk into town to get some lunch and go to the grocery store. We went to this pizza place that we walk past every day and that always smells fantastic. We walked in and it was packed full of people speaking Italian, which also seemed like a good sign. The pizza was absolutely fantastic -- thin crust and cooked in a wood oven. It was busy and with our pizzas and having a cup of tea/espresso after lunch, we were there until about 2 pm. We went to the grocery store, but it (and the butcher and the bakery) were all closed for lunch until 3. In some ways, this is incredibly frustrating that places are closed for between 90 minutes and 3 hours in the middle of the day. It is often, however, the same person who runs the store all day so giving them a break doesn't seem like a bad idea. We walked back to the apartment. I did some straightening up, and was ecstatic to realize that 1) the Drive-By Truckers have a new album out; 2) there are a bunch of live DBT and Patterson Hood performances available for free at the internet archive project; and 3) that my favorite public radio show, American Routes, ever has finally put their archives online, so I can listen to any of the shows for the past 10 years whenever I want!
After some downloading, I realized that we really didn't have anything to eat for dinner and decided to trek back into town and go to the butcher, grocery store, and bakery. I went to all three and explored the town some, headed back, and made chicken and leeks with a cut up melon on the side. Now I am listening to the American Routes episode on songs about road trips.
Also, I am sure many of you would like to hear from Matt on the blog too. He will probably blog something in the next few days.
Hope all of you are having a great Thursday and getting ready for the weekend!
After some downloading, I realized that we really didn't have anything to eat for dinner and decided to trek back into town and go to the butcher, grocery store, and bakery. I went to all three and explored the town some, headed back, and made chicken and leeks with a cut up melon on the side. Now I am listening to the American Routes episode on songs about road trips.
Also, I am sure many of you would like to hear from Matt on the blog too. He will probably blog something in the next few days.
Hope all of you are having a great Thursday and getting ready for the weekend!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Much randomness
First, thank you to Colleen for the use of MPRE materials. I received my score report and got 50 points higher this time. On a 150 point test that is a big deal. Now, to hear about the bar exam.
Thursday and Friday this week I am off work (or as they say here "on holiday") for the Jeune Genevois, which commemorates a fast in 1567 in support of Protestants in Lyon. I do not believe that people fast much, nor do I believe it is celebrated in France, so hopefully things will still be open. It will be lovely to have a four day weekend and we are planning on doing some hiking around and getting the apartment further in order. Also, we will go back to the market and find the guy who sells his homemade pasta and purchase all of it for a carbohydrate induced coma.
French classes for us both begin next week and the classification system is strange and includes both beginners and false beginners. We have classes at different times, but can study together and copy each other's workbook answers.
So the two questions or things people want to talk to me about upon learning I am American / hearing me bumble the French language are:
1. American politics, especially why there is no form of public health care, what people think of Obama, and whether Americans actually like Sarah Palin
2. (This is a quote heard several times) "Why are Americans so fat?"
As I am sure you have figured out, some of the things that are taboo to discuss with people you barely know in the U.S. are fair game for people here. Talking about politics especially seems to be a national pastime.
Thursday and Friday this week I am off work (or as they say here "on holiday") for the Jeune Genevois, which commemorates a fast in 1567 in support of Protestants in Lyon. I do not believe that people fast much, nor do I believe it is celebrated in France, so hopefully things will still be open. It will be lovely to have a four day weekend and we are planning on doing some hiking around and getting the apartment further in order. Also, we will go back to the market and find the guy who sells his homemade pasta and purchase all of it for a carbohydrate induced coma.
French classes for us both begin next week and the classification system is strange and includes both beginners and false beginners. We have classes at different times, but can study together and copy each other's workbook answers.
So the two questions or things people want to talk to me about upon learning I am American / hearing me bumble the French language are:
1. American politics, especially why there is no form of public health care, what people think of Obama, and whether Americans actually like Sarah Palin
2. (This is a quote heard several times) "Why are Americans so fat?"
As I am sure you have figured out, some of the things that are taboo to discuss with people you barely know in the U.S. are fair game for people here. Talking about politics especially seems to be a national pastime.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Surprising things about Switzerland
We found this list and have experienced some of these things (graffiti, local language, paperclips are "trombones") and not others (the cow shows), but it is fascinating nonetheless.
Check out the list.
Check out the list.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
We played with my iSight Camera!
We also uploaded a few pictures to OUR FLICKR!. I promise, no pictures include naked German men doing yoga. Pinky swear.
Saturday and ready for bed
Today was another exciting Saturday. We got up early, ate some bread with butter and jam and then proceeded to watch cartoons in French, including a translated Thomas the Tank Engine and a show about a lot of cars including one named Roary. Cartoons are nice because with the subtitles on, we can figure out what is going on. For instance, this morning, Roary had to go work at a farm and help a truck in order to get eggs for this man's breakfast. Then, we went down to the weekly outdoor market in Gex. It is a much smaller version of what you imagine when you think of a French outdoors market -- there were fishmongers, fromageries, a variety of breads, sausages, and other produce. We got some tomatoes, strawberries, and fresh gnocchi. Then we walked a mile back up the mountain, put everything away, and had some lunch. Then we walked back down to town and waited for awhile for a bus to Ferney-Voltaire, because I had scheduled a haircut. We walked around Ferney-Voltaire for a long time, window shopping, going into a few stores (Bonjour le sac Longchamp) and just meandering about. I went in for my haircut and began trying to explain to the stylist what I wanted in French ("refreshee ma coupe,
I must interrupt this, because there is a completely nude man on the German tv channel we are watching, who is wearing a ginat black afro wig and doing yoga. We are not watching a weird channel, but the equivalent of German PBS and the show we were watching is about the history of Berlin. They interrupted the show for that vignette. That was very very odd.
Anyway, I got out a few of my French sentences to the stylist, feeling proud of myself, and he responded with "We can speak in English if you'd like" which was very helpful because I had forgotten the French word for "wavy" and was getting scared. I got my haircut, which is spectacular (perhaps tomorrow I will get Matt to take a picture and I will post it) and we walked around some more to wait for the bus to go back to Gex.
In Gex, w walked halfway up the mountain, then stopped in a restaurant. I am finally realizing that Matt doesn't dislike wine, he is just a horrible snob. We ordered a cheap half bottle of the local vineyard's Pinot Noir, which turned out to be five years old and very very delicious. We ate a leisurely dinner and then trekked back up the mountain, only to collapse on the sofa and watch German television. Tomorrow, we will cook the gnocchi, sleep in and call my folks, I think.
Bon Soir.
I must interrupt this, because there is a completely nude man on the German tv channel we are watching, who is wearing a ginat black afro wig and doing yoga. We are not watching a weird channel, but the equivalent of German PBS and the show we were watching is about the history of Berlin. They interrupted the show for that vignette. That was very very odd.
Anyway, I got out a few of my French sentences to the stylist, feeling proud of myself, and he responded with "We can speak in English if you'd like" which was very helpful because I had forgotten the French word for "wavy" and was getting scared. I got my haircut, which is spectacular (perhaps tomorrow I will get Matt to take a picture and I will post it) and we walked around some more to wait for the bus to go back to Gex.
In Gex, w walked halfway up the mountain, then stopped in a restaurant. I am finally realizing that Matt doesn't dislike wine, he is just a horrible snob. We ordered a cheap half bottle of the local vineyard's Pinot Noir, which turned out to be five years old and very very delicious. We ate a leisurely dinner and then trekked back up the mountain, only to collapse on the sofa and watch German television. Tomorrow, we will cook the gnocchi, sleep in and call my folks, I think.
Bon Soir.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Okay I wrote this 2 days ago, but voila
Yesterday was moving day, which is a lot easier when all of your belongings fit into 4 large pieces of luggage and a couple of small backpacks. It is, however, harder when you are moving to a place that is a mile hike up a mountain from the bus stop. We decided to take a taxi so we could get all of our things in one trip and just arrive. We got in at about 3:30, got the keys, spoke to our landlord on the phone to get instructions for everything and we were in. Dinner last night was some bread and cheese and wine and we did a bit of unpacking and getting settled, but mainly just watched French TV, marveling at the commercials (a man sees a group of drag queens waiting to get into a club and recognizes his Papa, an advertisement for an ear spray to replace Q-Tips (pour l'hygiene des orioles), and ads for cheese with health warnings. We went to bed early in order to get up early for the bus.
Today started as a bit of a wreck. We got to the bus on time, but realized to our chagrin that though it is the same bus line and buses that operate in Geneva, here they only take Euros. The bus driver made us promise to buy tickets in Geneva at the end of the ride and we went. We got to my work and I went inside to use the bank to get cash. I got paid today so I used my shiny new swiss bank account ATM card, withdrew francs, got the receipt, and was informed that I withdrew my account by that amount. Chastised, I withdrew money from my U.S. account, gave it to Matt for grocery shopping and 30 minutes later when the bank opened, I went to return the money to them. They thought this was a little bit funny, especially since by that time my paycheck came through. I thus learned two lessons today: first, unlike the U.S. (or maybe what I am used to dealing with), direct deposits come in not at midnight, but sometime later in the morning. Second, UBS ATMs will let you withdraw more cash then you have in your account.
Anyway the problem is all remedied, and I have Euros for the bus tomorrow and what seems like a zillion different wallets in my purse and change purses (There are 2 and 5 franc coins). The rest of the day went fairly smoothly and I consoled myself with a chocolate tart at lunch while I sat outside and read Green Mars on my phone. Work was productive, and I headed up.
Day 1 climbing the mountain was an excursion. I know you all think I am exaggerating, but it is a mile walk all at around a 10% grade. I arrived home to find that Matt had purchased pasta, fantastic olive oil and parmesan cheese from Italy, and chocolate topped biscuits. I cooked dinner and we are now watching more French tav awaiting talking to Matt's parents over video chat and seeing Dexter and Haakon. Matt is super tired: he walked and bused in with me, did the grocery shopping, bused back, and got to carry groceries up the hill. Pouvre Matt.
Today started as a bit of a wreck. We got to the bus on time, but realized to our chagrin that though it is the same bus line and buses that operate in Geneva, here they only take Euros. The bus driver made us promise to buy tickets in Geneva at the end of the ride and we went. We got to my work and I went inside to use the bank to get cash. I got paid today so I used my shiny new swiss bank account ATM card, withdrew francs, got the receipt, and was informed that I withdrew my account by that amount. Chastised, I withdrew money from my U.S. account, gave it to Matt for grocery shopping and 30 minutes later when the bank opened, I went to return the money to them. They thought this was a little bit funny, especially since by that time my paycheck came through. I thus learned two lessons today: first, unlike the U.S. (or maybe what I am used to dealing with), direct deposits come in not at midnight, but sometime later in the morning. Second, UBS ATMs will let you withdraw more cash then you have in your account.
Anyway the problem is all remedied, and I have Euros for the bus tomorrow and what seems like a zillion different wallets in my purse and change purses (There are 2 and 5 franc coins). The rest of the day went fairly smoothly and I consoled myself with a chocolate tart at lunch while I sat outside and read Green Mars on my phone. Work was productive, and I headed up.
Day 1 climbing the mountain was an excursion. I know you all think I am exaggerating, but it is a mile walk all at around a 10% grade. I arrived home to find that Matt had purchased pasta, fantastic olive oil and parmesan cheese from Italy, and chocolate topped biscuits. I cooked dinner and we are now watching more French tav awaiting talking to Matt's parents over video chat and seeing Dexter and Haakon. Matt is super tired: he walked and bused in with me, did the grocery shopping, bused back, and got to carry groceries up the hill. Pouvre Matt.
Monday, August 31, 2009
A case of the Mondays?
Yesterday was moving day, which is a lot easier when all of your belongings fit into 4 large pieces of luggage and a couple of small backpacks. It is, however, harder when you are moving to a place that is a mile hike up a mountain from the bus stop. We decided to take a taxi so we could get all of our things in one trip and just arrive. We got in at about 3:30, got the keys, spoke to our landlord on the phone to get instructions for everything and we were in. Dinner last night was some bread and cheese and wine and we did a bit of unpacking and getting settled, but mainly just watched French TV, marveling at the commercials (a man sees a group of drag queens waiting to get into a club and recognizes his Papa, an advertisement for an ear spray to replace Q-Tips (pour l'hygiene des orioles), and ads for cheese with health warnings. We went to bed early in order to get up early for the bus.
Today started as a bit of a wreck. We got to the bus on time, but realized to our chagrin that though it is the same bus line and buses that operate in Geneva, here they only take Euros. The bus driver made us promise to buy tickets in Geneva at the end of the ride and we went. We got to my work and I went inside to use the bank to get cash. I got paid today so I used my shiny new swiss bank account ATM card, withdrew francs, got the receipt, and was informed that I withdrew my account by that amount. Chastised, I withdrew money from my U.S. account, gave it to Matt for grocery shopping and 30 minutes later when the bank opened, I went to return the money to them. They thought this was a little bit funny, especially since by that time my paycheck came through. I thus learned two lessons today: first, unlike the U.S. (or maybe what I am used to dealing with), direct deposits come in not at midnight, but sometime later in the morning. Second, UBS ATMs will let you withdraw more cash then you have in your account.
Anyway the problem is all remedied, and I have Euros for the bus tomorrow and what seems like a zillion different wallets in my purse and change purses (There are 2 and 5 franc coins). The rest of the day went fairly smoothly and I consoled myself with a chocolate tart at lunch while I sat outside and read Green Mars on my phone. Work was productive, and I headed up.
Day 1 climbing the mountain was an excursion. I know you all think I am exaggerating, but it is a mile walk all at around a 10% grade. I arrived home to find that Matt had purchased pasta, fantastic olive oil and parmesan cheese from Italy, and chocolate topped biscuits. I cooked dinner and we are now watching more French tav awaiting talking to Matt's parents over video chat and seeing Dexter and Haakon. Matt is super tired: he walked and bused in with me, did the grocery shopping, bused back, and got to carry groceries up the hill. Pouvre Matt.
Today started as a bit of a wreck. We got to the bus on time, but realized to our chagrin that though it is the same bus line and buses that operate in Geneva, here they only take Euros. The bus driver made us promise to buy tickets in Geneva at the end of the ride and we went. We got to my work and I went inside to use the bank to get cash. I got paid today so I used my shiny new swiss bank account ATM card, withdrew francs, got the receipt, and was informed that I withdrew my account by that amount. Chastised, I withdrew money from my U.S. account, gave it to Matt for grocery shopping and 30 minutes later when the bank opened, I went to return the money to them. They thought this was a little bit funny, especially since by that time my paycheck came through. I thus learned two lessons today: first, unlike the U.S. (or maybe what I am used to dealing with), direct deposits come in not at midnight, but sometime later in the morning. Second, UBS ATMs will let you withdraw more cash then you have in your account.
Anyway the problem is all remedied, and I have Euros for the bus tomorrow and what seems like a zillion different wallets in my purse and change purses (There are 2 and 5 franc coins). The rest of the day went fairly smoothly and I consoled myself with a chocolate tart at lunch while I sat outside and read Green Mars on my phone. Work was productive, and I headed up.
Day 1 climbing the mountain was an excursion. I know you all think I am exaggerating, but it is a mile walk all at around a 10% grade. I arrived home to find that Matt had purchased pasta, fantastic olive oil and parmesan cheese from Italy, and chocolate topped biscuits. I cooked dinner and we are now watching more French tav awaiting talking to Matt's parents over video chat and seeing Dexter and Haakon. Matt is super tired: he walked and bused in with me, did the grocery shopping, bused back, and got to carry groceries up the hill. Pouvre Matt.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Exhausting Saturday
We got up a bit late this morning, rushed to have breakfast (there were croissants!) and decided we would head into town. We went back to the room, Matt took a short nap, we both read a bit, and then we got ready and headed out. We walked around and made our way down to Geneva and went to the train station to look inside H&M (they have so many man-scarves, it is unreal) and then decided we were hungry and took a very roundabout way to Rue de Lausanne. We found a little restaurant, Ze do Pipo, which specializes in Portugese food. We sat down, ordered 3 dl of wine to split (seriously, it is cheaper than water. Also, I love this picking the size of the carafe of wine. 3dl = 2 small glasses). Matt had the poisson du jour which was a butter poached perch and I had the piri piri chicken. We had our salads, ate our entrees, then split a chocolate mousse and had coffee and tea. It was delightful to get out of the midday son and to lounge about a bit more.
Then we made our way on further, ostensibly to find the Apple store so I could get Snow Leopard. We eventually found our way there but also went by the jet to set on a bench for a bit and use the free wireless. We also wandered up and down the Rue du Rhone, which is the street with all the designer stores and jewelers. We saw the store that was robbed last week by the Pink Panthers (article here and gazed at all the lovely watches and jackets and such. Then we walked by the Lake again and went on the walkway out into the lake and sat around for a bit. Finally we walked home, stopping at the Coop on the way back for some provisions for tomorrow.
By the time we arrived, my legs were aching and I was ready for a nap. Matt entered all the places we walked into Google Maps and it made sense that I was a bit tired, since we walked almost 10 miles. I took a brief nap, we had dinner, and here we are.
We took a few photos today and I created one of those Flickr accounts that I hear are popular. I will try to add some labels at some point. Here is the link: Our Flickr.
Hope everyone has a great rest of their Saturday!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Matt and Natalie and Figuring out how to get places
From a conversation today:
me: I want to get a notebook for working on french stuff
Matt: ok. hop down to coop after work.
it's super easy to find.
me: How do I get there?
Matt: simple.
go out the upper door at the ILO
me: like where we were on my first day?
Matt: Yes.
walk all the way in front of the building, and then follow the path on your left.
me: define the front of the building
Matt: all the way across the front of the building, yes.
the side that faces the fenced off reflection pond
that's the front
me: like go out the door and turn left
Matt: yes.
me: and then on the other side of the building there is a staircase
ok
Matt: yes, when you get to the bottom, take a right.
that's Allee David Morse.
you'll go past the Hong Kong mission
and come to Route de Ferney
take a left on to Route de Ferney, and cross the route at the very first zebra crossing.
and go up the staircase.
me: are their signs?
Matt: you'll be in a parking lot and the building front of you is a small indoor mall.
yes, for the allee.
and there are signs to get back to the ILO too
marked...
ILO
me: the staircase is in the mall or the parking lot?
me: I am confused
Matt: lol.
go out ILO
walk across the front of the building, past the other exit.
walk away from the other exit, take a left at the statue, this path takes you to Allee David Morse.
take a right on Allee David Morse.
walk to Route de Ferney
take a left, cross at the first Zebra Crossing.
go up the small staircase and you'll be in the parking lot across the road from a small indoor mall with a Coop and pharmicie
me: what statue?
Matt: lol
you know the upper level exit where you went in the first day?
me: yes
Matt: go across the front of the building to the other exit.
got that?
me: yes
Matt: ok, at the other exit, walk directly away from the building.
go straigh until their a path on your LEFT
me: which direction away??
Matt: DIRECTLY AWAY
me: every direction at the edge of a building is directly away
Matt: lol
me: unless you walk into the building, you are walking away from it
Matt: sigh
me: I want to get a notebook for working on french stuff
Matt: ok. hop down to coop after work.
it's super easy to find.
me: How do I get there?
Matt: simple.
go out the upper door at the ILO
me: like where we were on my first day?
Matt: Yes.
walk all the way in front of the building, and then follow the path on your left.
me: define the front of the building
Matt: all the way across the front of the building, yes.
the side that faces the fenced off reflection pond
that's the front
me: like go out the door and turn left
Matt: yes.
me: and then on the other side of the building there is a staircase
ok
Matt: yes, when you get to the bottom, take a right.
that's Allee David Morse.
you'll go past the Hong Kong mission
and come to Route de Ferney
take a left on to Route de Ferney, and cross the route at the very first zebra crossing.
and go up the staircase.
me: are their signs?
Matt: you'll be in a parking lot and the building front of you is a small indoor mall.
yes, for the allee.
and there are signs to get back to the ILO too
marked...
ILO
me: the staircase is in the mall or the parking lot?
me: I am confused
Matt: lol.
go out ILO
walk across the front of the building, past the other exit.
walk away from the other exit, take a left at the statue, this path takes you to Allee David Morse.
take a right on Allee David Morse.
walk to Route de Ferney
take a left, cross at the first Zebra Crossing.
go up the small staircase and you'll be in the parking lot across the road from a small indoor mall with a Coop and pharmicie
me: what statue?
Matt: lol
you know the upper level exit where you went in the first day?
me: yes
Matt: go across the front of the building to the other exit.
got that?
me: yes
Matt: ok, at the other exit, walk directly away from the building.
go straigh until their a path on your LEFT
me: which direction away??
Matt: DIRECTLY AWAY
me: every direction at the edge of a building is directly away
Matt: lol
me: unless you walk into the building, you are walking away from it
Matt: sigh
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Progress Report on Dae
If you would like to see how difficult of an adjustment Dae has had to being without us, read NGS' blog post on the subject here.
Haakon!
At the age of three and after previously running from them, I would like to congratulate Haakon on catching his first mouse. He is not incompetant, just (as the French would say) en retard. Indeed Haakon est en retard.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
NEZ
So I have started having some allergy problems that has led to my eyes looking like red saucers and is requiring me to carry around tissues with me wherever I go. This morning, Matt went to the Pharmacie to try to get me some antihistimines and apparently had one of those "joy of communicating in a foreign language" moments. I am sure he started with something like : Ma femme a les allegies et je voudrais le medicine." Apparently, she then tried to determine which brand of allergy medicine he would prefer and there was a great deal of gesturing and pointing. I keep imagining her asking about symptoms and Matt just pointing to his face and yelling "NEZ" over and over.
Continuing on the "Geneva is so expensive" theme, a box of Kleenex at the Tabac is 5 franc. I justified my recent itunes purchase by explaining it was cheaper than a coke. Not even a bottle of coke, but a can of coke. Besides, its the new Top Chef and thus irresistible.
Other than that the last two days have just been get up, eat breakfast at the center (a SMALL bowl of cereal, orange juice, hot tea, and 2 slices of bread with butter and jam) before heading to work, then working all day and then coming back and sneezing. So I will leave you with this picture of a field that we take almost nightly walks by. Again, life in Switzerland is hard.
Continuing on the "Geneva is so expensive" theme, a box of Kleenex at the Tabac is 5 franc. I justified my recent itunes purchase by explaining it was cheaper than a coke. Not even a bottle of coke, but a can of coke. Besides, its the new Top Chef and thus irresistible.
Other than that the last two days have just been get up, eat breakfast at the center (a SMALL bowl of cereal, orange juice, hot tea, and 2 slices of bread with butter and jam) before heading to work, then working all day and then coming back and sneezing. So I will leave you with this picture of a field that we take almost nightly walks by. Again, life in Switzerland is hard.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday in Geneva
Having found an apartment, we rejoiced and have spent a fairly lazy Sunday. We hung out downstairs on the fast internets so that our room could be cleaned since we were out of washcloths. We ate a brief lunch here of some very very stinky raw milk cheese that neither of us could stomach, some greek yogurt with honey, and some zwieback. For dessert we each had a couple of biscuits.
For a brief digression on food. First, biscuits (or a slightly sweet cracker/cookie with a slab of dark chocolate on top) are amazing. I want to eat them all day with breaks for the second item. Second, Lindt Fleur de Sel chocolate. I believe this may be sold in the U.S. as Sea Salt chocolate. It reminds me of the Trader Joe's sea salt and turbinado almonds that Kelly and Pat introduced us to, but (sorry TJs), much better.
Yesterday, to purchase this chocolate and more biscuits and food for the rest of the weekend, we went to Coop City. Coop City is a Target, grocery store, and Macys wrapped up in one package. It is four stories high and has everything from wine to sweaters. There is also (this being Switzerland, I suppose), a separate section for chocolate and biscuits and other sweets. Matt had warned me that the junk food in Europe is bad, but he was incorrect. The salty junk food does not seem very good, but I am a-okay for sweets. After getting those items, we went down a floor to buy food and wine. Beef is very expensive here ($50 a lb), but the produce is absolutely spectacular. We have had some of the best raspberries and nectarines I have tasted: big, juicy, and incredibly flavorful. It is good that the food in the grocery store is reasonably priced, because everything else (restaurants, movies) are very very expensive. Like 9 fr for a beer in a pub and 18 fr for a matinee movie ticket expensive. Oh la la. Coming up next weekend, we pack our few suitcases and take a couple of bus rides to Gex.
The technology for talking to our families is also working pretty well. I have had a couple of Vonage conversations with my parents and we did Google video chat with Matt' mom. Sadly, part of the point of doing a video chat was to see the dog, but he did not even wake up and laid there through the entire thing sleeping so hard his eyes were rolled back into his head. At least I know he is very very happy. He may not be as happy as Dae, who I hear has fallen head over heels for Ted. Wiley, that one.
For a brief digression on food. First, biscuits (or a slightly sweet cracker/cookie with a slab of dark chocolate on top) are amazing. I want to eat them all day with breaks for the second item. Second, Lindt Fleur de Sel chocolate. I believe this may be sold in the U.S. as Sea Salt chocolate. It reminds me of the Trader Joe's sea salt and turbinado almonds that Kelly and Pat introduced us to, but (sorry TJs), much better.
Yesterday, to purchase this chocolate and more biscuits and food for the rest of the weekend, we went to Coop City. Coop City is a Target, grocery store, and Macys wrapped up in one package. It is four stories high and has everything from wine to sweaters. There is also (this being Switzerland, I suppose), a separate section for chocolate and biscuits and other sweets. Matt had warned me that the junk food in Europe is bad, but he was incorrect. The salty junk food does not seem very good, but I am a-okay for sweets. After getting those items, we went down a floor to buy food and wine. Beef is very expensive here ($50 a lb), but the produce is absolutely spectacular. We have had some of the best raspberries and nectarines I have tasted: big, juicy, and incredibly flavorful. It is good that the food in the grocery store is reasonably priced, because everything else (restaurants, movies) are very very expensive. Like 9 fr for a beer in a pub and 18 fr for a matinee movie ticket expensive. Oh la la. Coming up next weekend, we pack our few suitcases and take a couple of bus rides to Gex.
The technology for talking to our families is also working pretty well. I have had a couple of Vonage conversations with my parents and we did Google video chat with Matt' mom. Sadly, part of the point of doing a video chat was to see the dog, but he did not even wake up and laid there through the entire thing sleeping so hard his eyes were rolled back into his head. At least I know he is very very happy. He may not be as happy as Dae, who I hear has fallen head over heels for Ted. Wiley, that one.
Apartment
We may have found an apartment across the border in Gex, France. This photo is (I kid you not), taken of the view of the yard. Gex is absolutely beautiful and seems to be a haven for bicyclists. We will have a basement apartment in one of these chalets with 1 bedroom and tons of windows and a double set of doors in the living room that opens onto this view. It is a bit of an uphill hike from the bus stop and and buses to Geneva run every half an hour to an hour, with less on the weekend, but we can walk into the town of Gex to go to cafes and get groceries. While Geneva is nice, the opportunity to live in a beautiful French village for a few months (at half the cost of a studio in the City) seemed too good to pass up. Matt is already looking at bikes and having the internal debate of whether he wants a mountain bike or a road bike.
Here is another photo taken in the town. We will live halfway up the mountain:
I started work this week and will not be blogging about my job, but will say that I love the subject area and everyone has been incredibly nice to me. Also, the cafeteria at my workplace makes the world's greatest salads.
We signed up for a bank account (for a variety of reasons, with UBS) and I got a long lecture about their requirements that when I move back to the U.S., I must close the account. They also take banking security very seriously here: my PIN came in a specially sealed package and to do internet banking, I have a special card, pin, and reader that I have to plug into my computer.
I think we are starting to get a bit more used to things here. In 2 weeks both of us start French classes and we went to the English language bookstore yesterday and picked up some "Learning French" CDs. There are still times when things shock me; like that at lunch wine is cheaper than mineral water or coke. My legs have been very sore: on Friday with all our activities, we walked about 8 miles and yesterday also involved a lot of walking. Perhaps that will make up some for all the fantastic desserts we have been eating.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Nous Sommes Arrivés
We arrived on Thursday after an 8 hour flight from Chicago to Zurich and then a brief, low jaunt from Zurich to Geneva. We had a variety of problems in the Minneapolis Airport but absolutely none upon leaving. The flight to Zurich did involve a great deal of turbulence, but overall I was impressed with Swiss Air. The food was certainly better than any other flight I have ever been on. We have been exploring the city which means a great deal of walking since we are staying at a place about 2 miles from the center of the city. We have learned several things including that restaurants do not start serving dinner until 7 pm, that Swiss wine is cheap and good, and that no one seems to be much in a hurry, which has been a calm change of place. It is absolutely beautiful; both the urban spaces and building and the more rural fields. There is also a plethora of pigeons and in our Invader Zim theme, I inquired as to whether Matt had the head pigeons and then every time we heard them I would say "voulez-vous la tête des pigeons."
Friday we went into town and explored both banks of Lake Geneva. Window shopping is ridiculous -- there are tons of high end boutiques mixed in with regular stores (John Paul Gaultier is fairly near a Migros, for example). We saw the ILO (here, the Bureau Internationale du Travail) and the UN (Nations Unies). We ate at a cafe and had ice cream (best chocolate ice cream ever) and went to the grocery store. Yesterday, we went to the Jardin Botanique, walked to the train station, went to a pharmacie and did some reading. It is currently evening and we did a lot of walking earlier today but picked up some bread, wine, fruit, and cheese for dinner. Then I have to iron a suit and make sure that I will wake up in time to get to work tomorrow. Bon soir.
I start work tomorrow and Matt gets to search for an apartment.
Friday we went into town and explored both banks of Lake Geneva. Window shopping is ridiculous -- there are tons of high end boutiques mixed in with regular stores (John Paul Gaultier is fairly near a Migros, for example). We saw the ILO (here, the Bureau Internationale du Travail) and the UN (Nations Unies). We ate at a cafe and had ice cream (best chocolate ice cream ever) and went to the grocery store. Yesterday, we went to the Jardin Botanique, walked to the train station, went to a pharmacie and did some reading. It is currently evening and we did a lot of walking earlier today but picked up some bread, wine, fruit, and cheese for dinner. Then I have to iron a suit and make sure that I will wake up in time to get to work tomorrow. Bon soir.
I start work tomorrow and Matt gets to search for an apartment.
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