Schwierige Situationen

So Saturday night my friend Daniel (from Starbucks) invited me to his birthday bbq along Zurichsee. Nice little pool house and lake access, complete with beautiful views of the lake and alps. We went for a quick swim early in the evening before enjoying some Sangria and grilled meat, and a nice night of conversation. There were about 10-15 people there, all very nice friends of Daniel from various places in and around Zurich. The fun part of the night, was the fact that of his 15+ friends, only one was a native English-speaker (a huge guy named Joel from the West Indies, who recently finished his career in NFL Europe, playing linebacker for the Barcelona Dragons and the team from Frankfurt, Germany). So the other guests, while all fluent in English, were carrying on their conversations in mostly Swiss German and High German, with a little Italian mixed in for good measure. Well, after my 2nd or 3rd Sangria, I decided to give my German a whirl, and I started chatting up one of the partygoers. Tasha was a Zurich native, and she was very nice in conversing with me in high German, helping me out a bit along the way. After the first conversation (in all German), I gained a ton of confidence, and got into a conversation with a nice guy named Fabian, who came from the Italian region of Switzerland, known as Ticino. Fabian was very friendly and very patient (with my German), and we ended up having a 45 minute conversation about jobs, politics, the environment and various other topics, totally in German. What a rush! Now, my German has been steadily improving over the past few months, but this was the first time I was immersed in all German speakers, and to my surprise, I was able to not only keep my head above water, but I was having some decently meaningful conversations! After a few more one-on-one conversations, I jumped into a group conversation about living in Switzerland. This proved to be much more difficult, as the pace of the conversation picked up, and the different dialects and accents became tough to decipher. Probably caught every other word in the conversation, but it was still a great experience. By 10:00pm, my head hurt from concentrating and translating for almost 4 hours (surly, the fruity drinks had nothing to do with my headache). I headed home having gained a few new friends and a newfound confidence in my second language skills.

A Long Bike Ride and Some Ancient Egypt

Another eventful week, as I continue to explore all Switzerland has to offer. Wednesday, in upper 20s temps (mid 80s F), I played another round of golf at Golfpark Holzhauzern, with my friend Scott. Started off playing well, but I couldn't keep it up through the whole round, as the high temps got to me during the last four holes. Still a decent round on a beautiful course. I'll play one more round before flying back to the US.
Thursday, Kristina flew back to Philadelphia for her friend Jocelyn's bachelorette party in AC. After getting her to the airport, I headed uptown to check out the Tutunkamen Exhibit, which is in town through September. Though it's a fascinating historical exhibit, I was expecting to see some real artifacts, but it was made up of replicas and photos, which were still very interesting. Overall, I'm glad I made the trip.

Since we first moved to Thalwil, I've wanted to bike round the Zurichsee. I'd been told it was about a 3.5 hour trip on a road bike, but I only have a mountain bike so I'd have to take it a bit slower. Yesterday I finally decided to make the trip. After packing a PB & J sandwich, some raisins, a water bottle and a book in my backpack, I set out on the road. After biking for about 2 hours through the towns of Ruschlikon, Kilchberg, Zurich, Kussnacht, Meilen, and Uffretikon, among others, I reached the beautiful lake town of Rapperswil. Here I decided to take a break for lunch and do some reading. I found a cozy bench along the lake and relaxed for about an hour. Then I headed off for the rest of my journey. Biking along the lake, I passed through the towns of Pfaffikon, Bach, Au, Richterswil, Wadenswil and Horgen, before arriving back in Thalwil about 5 hours after I had left. What an awesome trip. The tired legs are totally worth it. Can't wait to do it again soon.

Dan's Visit Part II - Guest Blog

During his recent visit, my good friend Dan expressed interest in being a "guest blogger" on this site. As his writing abilities far exceed mine (you may have caught his recently published prize winning essay for "Delaware Today"), I gladly accepted his offer. Enjoy!

John and Kristina (with a "K"),

Please accept this email as my thank you note and guest blog post. I
am greatly appreciative for my time with both of you and the
graciousness with which you housed me for four to five days. Allow me
to recount the highlights of my trip:

July the 9th

I arrive in Switzerland by way of US AIR coach class service, ticket
prepaid. After clearing the efficient customs queue, I met John in
the airport greeting area. He was rocking out to his i-pod and seemed
happy with my arrival. We took the train from the airport to Thalwil,
during which ride John informed me that my trip would be none a
relaxing one, but instead an action-packed, physically grueling
adventure. Having only slept for a couple hours on the plane, I
declined to object.

A short while later we arrived in Thalwil, and after a quick pit stop,
were ready to head to Zurich. Not by car, nor train, as that would be
too safe, but instead by bike. I advised John that I hadn't ridden in
some time, knowing he was well aware that I lacked any athletic
ability or the sense of balance that appears to be inherent in
everyone else. John responded by suggesting we wear helmets, and off
we were. I cannot quite be sure what happened next, but a bike
accident involving me and a curb occurred. My right big toe, knee and
elbow will never be the same though I suspect I will lose the limp in
the near future.

After a quick pit stop and some makeshift first aid, we arrived in
Zurich and ate and drank like kings. At the cost of kings too -- John
was truthful in stating that food is expensive in Switzerland. It was
great to relax outside at Zurich pubs and catch up with a great friend
living half way around the world. After we were thoroughly fed, we
limped to the nearest train station and boarded the train, bikes and
all. That night we relaxed in Thalwil (after a quick swim in the lake
and a few games of ping pong), eating pizza and playing Trivial
Pursuit. Kristina joined us in the evening, exhausted from a lengthy
day at the Swiss office.

July the 10th

Determined to make me "play through the pain" of my bike accident
injuries, John and I set out for a mountain hike on the Rigi. Like
the characters of "Down and Out in Paris and London," our lunch
consisted of a chunk of bread and cheese. With that, we were on the
train headed up the mountain, an accession of approximately 1800
meters in elevation. At the top, we witnessed people jumping off the
side of the mountain with parachutes on, and drifting around courtesy
of the wind, it was very cool.

We began our descent downward which we later determined to be
approximately six miles. The trails were well-marked and though
crowded at the top, we had the descent trail almost to ourselves the
entire way down to Weggis. With an injured knee and toe plaguing me,
we took it slow. Even without the injuries, the trail was often
difficult, being very steep with unsure footing. Nonetheless, we
persevered, and neither one of us fell or was injured (further).

We arrived in Weggis too tired to do anything and chose to rest and
wait for the arrival of our ferry boat. On time as all things Swiss
are, our boat left Weggis at 5:42pm and took us to Luzerne. Luzerne
is a neat city/town, which one could easily mistake for Zurich (as
both look the same and are on the water), but for its identifying
landmarks. We walked through the town and its shops and sat for a
rest by the water with the ducks. We then caught a train to Zoog to
meet up with Kristina for dinner.

Kristina and I each ate a delicious cordon bleu, and John ate a steak
which came out on a sizzling slate platter and cooked right before our
eyes. The food was delicious -- I ate every bite of a cordon bleu
which could feed a family of four. Only the company was better.
Thereafter, we headed back to Zurich for more Trivial Pursuit.

July the 11th

We slept a little later on Friday morning -- finally, John had allowed
me a moment of rest! Once awake, we did some swimming and played some
more ping pong. Then we walked into Thalwil's shopping area to do
some shopping, pick up lunch and prepare for our trip to Munich,
Germany. After a quick bite and a pit stop at the Lindt Chocolate
factory store, we were en route to Munich. Driving in Switzerland is
an anomalous experience in Europe, orderly and considerate. Somehow
though, John's driving skills had worsened.

We arrived in Munich and checked into our hotel. As storm clouds
blackened the sky above, one thing became apparent, we needed to find
a pub and quickly. We sat at the bar at this pub around the corner,
and stayed there most of the night, enjoying their food and drink, as
well as the interactions between the locals as well as the lovely
ladies of Germany. Germany is a great place. In what may be the
highlight of John's year, the bartender asked him if he was American,
and then, asked him why he was "fluent in German." After bouncing
around to another bar or two, we ended up back at the same place after
closing time. The bartender advised us that since they were closed,
he could only give us half a drink. Germany is a great place.

July the 12th

We woke early the next morning to tour Munich. Arriving at one of the
most famous brew houses at 10:30am, we immediately observed a 90+ year
old woman drinking a pint, as well as two children under the age of 5
splitting a pint. We each drank an early morning liter of beer.
Germany is a great place. After that, we headed to the BMW World and
checked out all the BMW has to offer.

We arrived back in Switzerland around dinner time and met up with
Kristina. After some delicious local pizza we played our final games
of Trivial Pursuit. After a grueling final three games, John took the
series. I went to bed sad that night, knowing my next adventure would
be a plane ride home.

I have had a few days to reflect on my visit to Switzerland, and I
have several observations. First, John and Kristina are great people,
a lot of fun to spend time with, and very good friends to have. This
I already knew, but my trip was a welcome reminder. Second, I think
John and Kristina have an amazing opportunity and I am glad they were
able to take advantage of it. Third, living in Switzerland has forced
John and Kristina to grow as people and face many challenges, which
they have done very well and become better people for it. Fourth,
Switzerland is a very well-run, cool country from which we could learn
a thing or two. Fifth, the Swiss sure play a lot of Trivial Pursuit.

Guys, thanks so much for such a great time, cannot wait to see you in
the U.S. soon. For those reading the blog, do yourself a favor and
book your trip ASAP, you don't know what you're missing.

Thanks again for a great trip,

Dan

Breaking the Law

As it rained yesterday, and I stayed inside most of the day doing laundry, I'll share a story about the Swiss trains:
On the way home from a 4th of July party, I was issued a CHF80- citation on the train. I had a valid round trip ticket, but I wasn't aware of a rule about late night travel. Passengers who ride the train home after midnight are required to purchase an add-on to their ticket, known as a "nachtschlag". Not knowing I needed the "nachtschlag", I simply got on the train from Zurich to Thalwil. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when the checker questioned my ticket and issued me the citation. But the Swiss have their rules, and they're strictly enforced. Lesson learned. Yesterday I went to pay my fine, only to find that I have to wait for a receipt to come in the mail. Still not totally sure how to purchase the "nachtschlag," but in the future, I'll certainly make sure I take care of it...

Agony and Ecstasy

It's been a busy week here in Zurich, with my good friend Dan visiting for five adventurous days. And I mean adventurous.
It all started when I took Dan on a treacherous bike ride through the rough streets of Zurich, Switzerland, a ride which resulted in a dramatic (and uncoordinated-looking) one-bike accident and several gruesome injuries to my good friend's right leg. Fortunately, the traffic-stopping incident occurred right in front of a mini-mart that sold big band-aids. Dan was quite a trooper, cleaning the fresh wounds with water and some handi-wipes, before bandaging up and powering on. We biked into Zurich, had some beers to numb the pain, and continued on with our adventures. After lunch in Zurich and some more biking, we headed down to the lake for a quick swim and some ping pong. Our ping pong fun was halted when a few sharks jumped in the game to challenge me. After disposing with a young Swiss bride/asylum seeker from Kosovo, I dropped two of three games to a talented and experienced Swiss player with an excellent ground game. I blame the wind...
After a pizza dinner, we finished the night with the first two of five Trival Pursuit matches. Great first day, and I must say Dan was quite the trooper, never using his bleeding (and presumably painful) right leg as an excuse not to participate in an activity.
The next day I decided to put Dan's leg to the test. We took a train to the top of the Rigi, a peak with a beautiful view of Zug, Luzern, the surrounding Swiss Alps, and something like 8 large lakes. Breathtaking views all around. After snapping photos and watching a paraglider jump off the peak, we began our descent toward the town of Weggis. What we thought would be a leisurely 3-hour stroll down the mountain turned out to be an exhausting reverse climb down steep and rocky terrain. Some of the most beautiful views I've seen yet in Switzerland though, and totally worth the trip. After a nice boat trip from Weggis, we toured Luzern briefly before catching the train back to Zug for dinner at one of Kristina's and my favorite restaurants, Baren. After the waitress hung a bib around my neck, I enjoyed a steak that cooked on a hot stone on the table, while Kristina and Dan had the delicious cordon bleu. Finished the night with some beers and another game of Trivial Pursuit.
Friday brought us to Munich, a short 4 hour drive from Zurich. We enjoyed thirst-quenching dunkel (dark) beers and delicious meals at J.W. Augistiner Brau, and we had another beer at the cavernous Rathskeller, located underneath the Glockenspiel building.
After missing the Hofbrauhaus Friday night (it closed just as we arrived), we decided to head over Sat morning to get a few photos. Much to our surprise, the Hofbrauhaus was not only open at 10:30am, but there were probably 50+ people there enjoying beers. Not wanting to miss the fun, we each ordered a 1-liter Hofbrauhaus Original and enjoyed the scenery. By the time we finished our beers (around noon) the entire place was packed with people enjoying "early lunch", which mostly consisted of a pretzel and bratwurst combo meal. Pretty awesome. After the HB, we headed to BMW Welt (the BMW museum in Munich) and the old Olympic site. It was a quick trip to Munich, but great company made it good fun.
We left Munich around 2:00pm, and stayed low key in Thalwil that evening, eating pizza and playing some more Trivial Pursuit. (By the way, I won the best-of-five series with Dan 3-2.)
Sunday Dan flew home, battered and beaten, but with a bunch of great experiences to show for it. I enjoyed his visit so much, I went home and crashed on the couch for a 2 hour recovery nap. Sunday night, I helped my friend Mike build his new Ikea kitchen island. Almost finished. He's just waiting for the countertop and a few other pieces to be delivered Tuesday.

Fore!

Just got back from playing my first Swiss round of golf. Teed off at 10:20am with Scott, an American who I met at a weekly pickup bball game. We were paired with two Swiss guys, Danny and Isadore, who were quite friendly, and let me speak German with them all day. Despite overcast skies and occasional drizzle, the course was absolutely beautiful. We had views of the mountains surrounding Luzern & Zug, including Pilatus, the Rigi, and the Zugerberg (in the photo). Can't say enough about the views. And the course was in great condition. Better than most public courses in the US. Toughest part of the day was calculating the change from meters to yards...makes a bigger difference than I thought it would. Great to be out on the course again...

Latin flavor in Zurich

Yesterday was a bit of a recovery day, as Kristina and I were both out late on the 4th. But we still managed to head into Zurich to check out the Caliente Latin Music Festival. The weather was great, as was the food and music. I had a steak fajita (which looked more like a burrito than a fajita) and something called Sura Spiessli (I think). Speissli is a Swiss term for meat on a stick. I had veal Sura Speissli from an African food tent. The spices on this thing were awesome. No idea what they were, but well worth the CHF10.

Happy Birthday, America

Another exciting week in Switzerland, capped off with a 20 minute fireworks display last night at the American Club of Zurich's 4th of July BBQ.
Spain won the Euro 2008 Championship Sunday night. We watched the game with a couple thousand fans at one of the many public viewing areas in Zurich. I came away thoroughly impressed with the level of interest in the tournament and the organization of events in Zurich and Zug. I kept asking myself if this sort of thing was possible in the US. The only events that could draw similar interest/enthusiasm would be March Madness and the BCS. Holding either of those tournaments in one region of the country would draw a ton of interest and excitement. I hope to add more thoughts on this one later.
After Euro ended, I headed to Milan, Italy on Tuesday to pick up my parents. They had just toured Italy for a week, and they came to Zurich to visit for a few days before heading back to the US. We toured Luzern and Zug on Wednesday, which was Kristina and my 2nd anniversary. Driving up the Zugerberg and watching 5 paragliders float around for an hour was definitely a highlight. We ended the night with a delicious anniversary dinner at the Rathauskeller, our favorite Zug restaurant. Thursday we visited the Lindt-Sprungli chocolate factory in Kilchberg, then we grabbed lunch at a bierhalle in Zurich, and took it easy that night. My parents flew out yesterday morning at 10:30am. I had a great time relaxing with them and touring them around my new home.
After seeing my parents off at the flughafen (airport), I headed into Zurich. Made my first trip to Globus (an upscale grocery store similar to Whole Foods), where I bought a bunch of sushi-making stuff (rice, seaweed, wood roller pads, wasabi, etc). Also picked up a copy of "Hoi," a new book on understanding Swiss-German. Took a run in the afternoon, jumped in the lake and took a nap out in the sun before heading up to an Americans in Zurich July 4th celebration. Kristina had a work picnic to which spouses weren't invited, so I decided to hit up the 4th of July party on my own. Turned out to be a lot of fun. I met some nice Americans living in the Zurich area, and had some interesting conversations about US politics and education, major league baseball and beer. Felt good to talk about "normal" stuff again. Hopefully we'll keep in touch with some of the new friends. The BBQ itself was pretty cool. We had burgers, corn on the cob, brownies, apple pie and ice cream, and there was a raffle, that included a weekend in Paris. Entertainment included a decent "well known country singer Bonnie Jeanne Taylor" and one of the better fireworks shows I've seen in the last 10 years. Hard to believe we were sitting there watching fireworks on a random hill in Switzerland, but it happened. Fun stuff.