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.

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.

Vonage sucks!

Vonage sucks! No SIP access, softphones are no longer free, and a $140 fee to cancel, including a "rebate recovery" fee.

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

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.

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!

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.

This post has nothing to do with Geneva

But here is my canine dream:

Matt calls them the police dog team of "Puffy and Jowls".

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.

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.

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.