There is no shortage of quaint Christmas adventures in Switzerland. My last Christmas foray was attending the Feast of St Nicholas celebration in Fribourg, a healthy hour from home by car. St Nicholas is the patron saint of Fribourg, which honors him the first weekend of December every year, kicking off the holiday season with a Christmas fair, food and drink, and a grand procession through the town.
Fribourg straddles the French and German sections of Switzerland and is, therefore, completely bilingual. All street signs, menus, shops signs, etc, are in both languages. Where I may have a fighting chance in French (although if you've read any of my previous posts, you will understand that is questionable), I do not know one single word of German. So, I appreciated the investment in extra ink. When I get much past Fribourg, I am completely lost because things change to all German.
After a sunny, warm autumn, the feast of St Nicholas was cold, wet and blustery. A fitting start to the holiday season, but not exactly the best weather for wandering around a charming Swiss town. Fortunately, mulled wine seemed to play a big part in the festivities and helped to warm us up as we walked down to the river and then hiked up the hill to (yes, you guessed it) the cathedral.
After poking around the shops and cafes and our brisk hike, we discovered that downtown Fribourg had gone from sleepy and quiet to boisterously crowded. It seemed that every single resident of the town, plus plenty from elsewhere, were lining up along the pathway that St Nicholas would travel from the college to the cathedral. Preceded by plenty of schoolchildren carrying huge candles or playing a variety of instruments and followed by some of his buddies carrying baskets of "delicacies," a college student dressed in white Christmas robes exited the university riding a donkey.
The Christmas robes were pretty magnificent and the donkey was amazingly well-behaved considering the 30,000 people pressing up against the pathway, plenty of huge open flames, and the screeching musical instruments. But, I think St Nick's fraternity brothers had a bit too much fun with the makeup case, as the patron's face was made up more like Voldemort than anything beatific.
I was pretty nervous over the size of the flames on the children's candles, but it turns out that the real safety threat was from the Christmas treats. It turned out that the anise-flavored bread tossed to the crowd throughout the event was hurled with more and more enthusiasm as the parade progressed, so that by the time we caught the procession again near its end, St Nick's helpers were flinging them with direct and painful accuracy.
I am guessing that the college students probably had a bit more mulled wine than we did.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
France Again
This ex-pat thing is a bit like college in that there are a wide assortment of people here who aren't "home," who are eager to explore, and who are not really tied down to the white picket fence. No kids, no spouse (or at least not one who is here) and no soccer games/bake sale/yard-to-mow to keep them from just picking up and going exploring. Fortunately, I'm running into those people and we are throwing phrases around like "how about Turkey in February?" or "maybe we could ski Zermatt next month?" It's awesome!
A little more tame, but certainly just as fun, was my trip across the water this weekend. Right across the lake from me is France, including Alps, the Euro and the famous water of Evian. With the autumn weather still holding out and an open Saturday, it was time to go for a little visit.
Fortunately, I had warned my travel companions that, according to the internet and some Swiss friends, there really isn't anything to actually DO in Evian. I can now attest that that is true. But, we found that strolling along the lakeside, eating tarticlette (not a low-cal lunch) and looking for the famous water fountain were just about all we needed to enjoy ourselves.
And, it was a great day for me to practice my French, since none of my friends spoke any. One of my shining moments was translating the huge seasonal sign posted on the hillside that said, in my mind, "The Largest Christmas Mouth in the World will be in Evian on November 28, 2011." Which just goes to show you how one tiny little letter can change a whole sentence. "Bouche" is mouth. "Buche" is Yule log. Ooops. My friends were all ready to come back later to see the Great Christmas Mouth (sounds sort of like a Charlie Brown special), but when they found out it was just a big Yule log, they lost interest. My French teacher laughed so hard she cried when I told her about the great Christmas mouth. She is looking forward to telling her family when they have a Yule log over the holiday (apparently it's a cake???)
After our return boat ride, we did some wine tasting in Lausanne and ended up at a great restaurant for dinner. Yay! I finally got to eat out! And, it did not include tuna pizza. Voila! Again, my interpreter skills were put to the test with the wine list. There was a red that I took to mean "from the House of the Spleen of the Hunted Game." Needless to say, I did not recommend it. I looked it up later and apparently it meant "from the House that Chases Away the Blues."
My friends don't really trust my French anymore. Ya think?
A little more tame, but certainly just as fun, was my trip across the water this weekend. Right across the lake from me is France, including Alps, the Euro and the famous water of Evian. With the autumn weather still holding out and an open Saturday, it was time to go for a little visit.
Fortunately, I had warned my travel companions that, according to the internet and some Swiss friends, there really isn't anything to actually DO in Evian. I can now attest that that is true. But, we found that strolling along the lakeside, eating tarticlette (not a low-cal lunch) and looking for the famous water fountain were just about all we needed to enjoy ourselves.
And, it was a great day for me to practice my French, since none of my friends spoke any. One of my shining moments was translating the huge seasonal sign posted on the hillside that said, in my mind, "The Largest Christmas Mouth in the World will be in Evian on November 28, 2011." Which just goes to show you how one tiny little letter can change a whole sentence. "Bouche" is mouth. "Buche" is Yule log. Ooops. My friends were all ready to come back later to see the Great Christmas Mouth (sounds sort of like a Charlie Brown special), but when they found out it was just a big Yule log, they lost interest. My French teacher laughed so hard she cried when I told her about the great Christmas mouth. She is looking forward to telling her family when they have a Yule log over the holiday (apparently it's a cake???)
After our return boat ride, we did some wine tasting in Lausanne and ended up at a great restaurant for dinner. Yay! I finally got to eat out! And, it did not include tuna pizza. Voila! Again, my interpreter skills were put to the test with the wine list. There was a red that I took to mean "from the House of the Spleen of the Hunted Game." Needless to say, I did not recommend it. I looked it up later and apparently it meant "from the House that Chases Away the Blues."
My friends don't really trust my French anymore. Ya think?
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Vive la France
My breakfast of Special K and three-week old milk (it turns out that UHT is a wonderful thing!) was probably not the best way to start my journey to the gastronomic capital of the world, Lyon, France. But, as it turns out, it was fitting foreshadowing.
I arrived at the train station early so I could buy my ticket, only to find out that the ticket window did not open until 8:00 and my train was at 8:01. Tried the ticket kiosk, but, alas, you cannot buy international tickets there. hmmmm. My travel companions had the same problem, so we solved it by getting kiosk-printed tickets to Geneva with the intention of buying our Lyon tickets from there. Too bad the line at the Geneva ticket windows was so long that we didn't get to buy our
Lyon tickets until the very minute that our train was leaving.
So, rather than having a long lunch in Lyon, we walked around Geneva for two hours waiting for the next train. Not all bad, since I likely won't spend much time touring Geneva (profit hath no honor in his hometown). We explored some of the quaint alleys (right) and hiked up a hill to a church. (I think you will hear me say that a lot ..."I hiked up a hill to a church"...as that seems to be what every town and city in Europe has. A historic church on a hill.)
Finally time to catch the train to Lyon, we loaded up on sandwiches purchased at the train station. I think the others were disappointed, but I LOVE train station sandwiches. Seriously. This one was "jambon cru," which is sort of like prosciutto. I was secretly glad that we were getting train station sandwiches.
Our first stop in Lyon was at Les Halles de Lyon. Apparently this is a foodie's paradise. It is an indoor food market. It is said to be where all the top chefs in Lyon go to choose their best ingredients. It was p
retty amazing. Cheeses (left, most I've never even heard of!), meats (including whole dead rabbits, with fur), fruits and vegetables (nothing crazy there), oyster bars, wine bars, desserts (that truly looked like works of art), chocolate, olives, and beautiful breads.
The most intriguing and morbidly fascinating spot in the entire place was a wine bar that had entire deer legs clamped onto the bar. You ordered your wine and then the bartender would take a knife and serve you slivers of meat he sliced directly off the leg (with hide and hoof still attached, mind you). I opted to go around the corner (out of view of the deer legs) and get a glass of Tattinger champagne at the tamer wine and
salami bar.
After the foodie exploration, we hiked up the hill to the (you guessed it) church(es). We stopped by St Jean (right) where an enthusiastic band of young people was playing marching band music in the square. Then, we took the funicular up an even bigger hill to the most famous landmark in Lyon. The Basilica of Our Lady of Fourviere (Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourviere) was, of course, beautiful, but the view was even more amazing. We could see all of Lyon. Nearby was the Tour Mettalique, a mini version of the Eiffel Tower, which was built only four years after its more famous sister. It's now essentially used as a TV relay station.
A bit below the church and tower was an amphitheater, parts of which dated back to Roman times. We walked down through the ruin and I thought it was pretty cool that the theater is still used. They've augmented it with a few platforms for lighting, but other than that, it is all stone. I think you would have to bring some major couch cushions if you intended to sit through an entire performance on those seats, though.
More walking back down to the city where we found the Bartholdi Fountain, an amazing creation depicting a female charioteer (naked, of course...this is Europe) with four devil-like horses. For the Americans reading this, Bartholdi is the same person who created the Statue of Liberty. Supposedly, the fountain represents France controlling the four great rivers of the country. The horses have claws coming out of their hooves. A bit freaky. Not a good day for hooves for me! First deer, now creepy horses.
Knowing a European dinner lasts two hours minimum and that our train would leave at 7:30, it was time for us to settle down to a famous Lyonnaise dinner. Hmmm, where to find a non-tourist restaurant that was open at 5:00? Hmmmm, nowhere. After quite a bit of walking, asking and hopefully poking our heads in asking "ouverte?" we ended up headed back to the train station. My fellow travelers stopped by the Halle to pick up treats for the ride home. Meanwhile, not keen on the hairy deer legs, I found my favorite European version of fast food...a turkish kebab shop... up the street. One doner to go, please!
So, the end of a day exploring the epicurean center of the world found us perched on a railing in the train station eating out of to-go bags. Perhaps not what we had in mind, but an amusingly ironic way to end the trip.
I arrived at the train station early so I could buy my ticket, only to find out that the ticket window did not open until 8:00 and my train was at 8:01. Tried the ticket kiosk, but, alas, you cannot buy international tickets there. hmmmm. My travel companions had the same problem, so we solved it by getting kiosk-printed tickets to Geneva with the intention of buying our Lyon tickets from there. Too bad the line at the Geneva ticket windows was so long that we didn't get to buy our
Lyon tickets until the very minute that our train was leaving.So, rather than having a long lunch in Lyon, we walked around Geneva for two hours waiting for the next train. Not all bad, since I likely won't spend much time touring Geneva (profit hath no honor in his hometown). We explored some of the quaint alleys (right) and hiked up a hill to a church. (I think you will hear me say that a lot ..."I hiked up a hill to a church"...as that seems to be what every town and city in Europe has. A historic church on a hill.)
Finally time to catch the train to Lyon, we loaded up on sandwiches purchased at the train station. I think the others were disappointed, but I LOVE train station sandwiches. Seriously. This one was "jambon cru," which is sort of like prosciutto. I was secretly glad that we were getting train station sandwiches.
Our first stop in Lyon was at Les Halles de Lyon. Apparently this is a foodie's paradise. It is an indoor food market. It is said to be where all the top chefs in Lyon go to choose their best ingredients. It was p
retty amazing. Cheeses (left, most I've never even heard of!), meats (including whole dead rabbits, with fur), fruits and vegetables (nothing crazy there), oyster bars, wine bars, desserts (that truly looked like works of art), chocolate, olives, and beautiful breads.The most intriguing and morbidly fascinating spot in the entire place was a wine bar that had entire deer legs clamped onto the bar. You ordered your wine and then the bartender would take a knife and serve you slivers of meat he sliced directly off the leg (with hide and hoof still attached, mind you). I opted to go around the corner (out of view of the deer legs) and get a glass of Tattinger champagne at the tamer wine and
salami bar.A bit below the church and tower was an amphitheater, parts of which dated back to Roman times. We walked down through the ruin and I thought it was pretty cool that the theater is still used. They've augmented it with a few platforms for lighting, but other than that, it is all stone. I think you would have to bring some major couch cushions if you intended to sit through an entire performance on those seats, though.
More walking back down to the city where we found the Bartholdi Fountain, an amazing creation depicting a female charioteer (naked, of course...this is Europe) with four devil-like horses. For the Americans reading this, Bartholdi is the same person who created the Statue of Liberty. Supposedly, the fountain represents France controlling the four great rivers of the country. The horses have claws coming out of their hooves. A bit freaky. Not a good day for hooves for me! First deer, now creepy horses.
Knowing a European dinner lasts two hours minimum and that our train would leave at 7:30, it was time for us to settle down to a famous Lyonnaise dinner. Hmmm, where to find a non-tourist restaurant that was open at 5:00? Hmmmm, nowhere. After quite a bit of walking, asking and hopefully poking our heads in asking "ouverte?" we ended up headed back to the train station. My fellow travelers stopped by the Halle to pick up treats for the ride home. Meanwhile, not keen on the hairy deer legs, I found my favorite European version of fast food...a turkish kebab shop... up the street. One doner to go, please!
So, the end of a day exploring the epicurean center of the world found us perched on a railing in the train station eating out of to-go bags. Perhaps not what we had in mind, but an amusingly ironic way to end the trip.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Friday Night Date
Don't everybody get excited. My Friday night date is with the laundry and a glass of wine. I have to say that, after three weeks, this is not entirely unwelcome. It is my unwinding time from the week and, believe me, there is something very comforting about knowing you will have clean clothes, towels and sheets for the week.
The necessity to do laundry got me out of the office early today, by 5 p.m. (17:00 to you Swiss), only for me to come home and find that the laundry room key the building supervisor puts in my mailbox each Friday WAS NOT THERE!!! Waaaaaaa? Somebody stole the laundry room key! Fortunately, she has extras. Unfortunately, she was not going to be home for almost an hour. C'est la vie. Time to have a glass of wine and figure out what to have for dinner.
I'm going to France tomorrow for a day trip (beats Nevada, which was the only foreign day trip I could make from home). I think it's going to rain all day. But, there are worse places to spend a rainy day...hmmmm, Nevada comes to mind again....
The necessity to do laundry got me out of the office early today, by 5 p.m. (17:00 to you Swiss), only for me to come home and find that the laundry room key the building supervisor puts in my mailbox each Friday WAS NOT THERE!!! Waaaaaaa? Somebody stole the laundry room key! Fortunately, she has extras. Unfortunately, she was not going to be home for almost an hour. C'est la vie. Time to have a glass of wine and figure out what to have for dinner.
I'm going to France tomorrow for a day trip (beats Nevada, which was the only foreign day trip I could make from home). I think it's going to rain all day. But, there are worse places to spend a rainy day...hmmmm, Nevada comes to mind again....
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Saturday in Photos
Not any interesting stories this week, but thought you would enjoy some pictures from Saturday...
Started the morning with a trip to the farmer's market (at right) for bread, cheese and some beautiful veggies. For those keeping track at home, the new cheese for the week is Appenzeller. Delicious! Really nutty flavor. I'm a fan. In fact, I like it better than Gruyere. Although, there are about 75 different cheesemakers who make Appenzeller and all have their own recipes, so I may never get this exact cheese again.
Then it was off to the train station and a day trip to Lausanne. Another farmer's market, some window shopping in the alleys and a really steep hike up the hill to
city hall (below)
where there was
a street band playing
just below the
cathedral.
where there was
a street band playing
just below the
cathedral.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Car Shopping
It will soon be time to say good-bye to my sweet Audi and come back to the real world of Practical Patty. So, now that I've gotten to the point where I don't hyperventilate every time I have to go to the grocery store, it was time to branch out and go to the car store. I had done most of my shopping online, so this was not browsing day, this was buying day.
The dealership with the car I want is in Geneva, which is a bit over an hour away. Driving there this evening, especially during rush hour, was a bit more than I could handle. Not good to hyperventilate WHILE you're driving. So, I took the train. That's always a great cultural experience for me. I mostly stare out the window and try to eavesdrop on other people's conversations to see if I can understand any French. And, today, I would say the answer is...no. Although, every now and then I picked out a word, which is better than my ears were two weeks ago!
Normally, you can take the train all the way to Geneva. Easy peasy. But, today while we were sitting in Lausanne, I looked at the train schedule on my iPhone and realized if I were going to make my connection in Geneva, I was going to have change to a faster train out of Lausanne. Uh oh. Check my watch (actually check my iPhone because the train time is EXACT in Switzerland.) It's two minutes until the other train leaves and I'm not sure where the platform is. Double uh oh. So, the quick risk analysis...get off this train and try to catch the other train and, if I don't, probably not be able to make it back to this train before it leaves. Or, stay put and take a later connection out of Geneva when this train finally gets in.
RUN!
Down the stairs, quick look at the schedule, platform 7, escalator is full so run up the stairs. See the train is still there. Run a little faster. Hop up the steps and doors close behind me. YES! Small victory, but hey, another little adventure in my small little life. And, now at least I know that there are actually times I will want to change trains in Lausanne.
I finally made up my mind on which car I wanted at the dealership. The part of me that thinks I should be hip and cool considered the coupe hardtop, especially given there are not kids or dogs in my car daily anymore. The practical part of me that knows I am really not hip and cool wanted the small SUV crossover.
Room for my bike or skis plus suitcases; or cuteness that is a little easier to park? Practical Patty wins again. For everything except the parking, the SUV fits me. It reminds me of my beloved SUVs from home that toted my bike to Sunday rides, skis to Tahoe, and, yes, kids and/or dogs to everywhere. I can only do so much change at one time. But, if I ever have a SECOND car, it's the hardtop for sure!
"You took the train???" So says the car salesman when I left. I guess a guy who makes a living on cars is not a fan of public transportation. But, I'll say that riding the train home (without a train change in Lausanne) was much more relaxing then driving would have been. Plus, I can't eavesdrop in the car.
The dealership with the car I want is in Geneva, which is a bit over an hour away. Driving there this evening, especially during rush hour, was a bit more than I could handle. Not good to hyperventilate WHILE you're driving. So, I took the train. That's always a great cultural experience for me. I mostly stare out the window and try to eavesdrop on other people's conversations to see if I can understand any French. And, today, I would say the answer is...no. Although, every now and then I picked out a word, which is better than my ears were two weeks ago!
Normally, you can take the train all the way to Geneva. Easy peasy. But, today while we were sitting in Lausanne, I looked at the train schedule on my iPhone and realized if I were going to make my connection in Geneva, I was going to have change to a faster train out of Lausanne. Uh oh. Check my watch (actually check my iPhone because the train time is EXACT in Switzerland.) It's two minutes until the other train leaves and I'm not sure where the platform is. Double uh oh. So, the quick risk analysis...get off this train and try to catch the other train and, if I don't, probably not be able to make it back to this train before it leaves. Or, stay put and take a later connection out of Geneva when this train finally gets in.
RUN!
Down the stairs, quick look at the schedule, platform 7, escalator is full so run up the stairs. See the train is still there. Run a little faster. Hop up the steps and doors close behind me. YES! Small victory, but hey, another little adventure in my small little life. And, now at least I know that there are actually times I will want to change trains in Lausanne.
I finally made up my mind on which car I wanted at the dealership. The part of me that thinks I should be hip and cool considered the coupe hardtop, especially given there are not kids or dogs in my car daily anymore. The practical part of me that knows I am really not hip and cool wanted the small SUV crossover.
Room for my bike or skis plus suitcases; or cuteness that is a little easier to park? Practical Patty wins again. For everything except the parking, the SUV fits me. It reminds me of my beloved SUVs from home that toted my bike to Sunday rides, skis to Tahoe, and, yes, kids and/or dogs to everywhere. I can only do so much change at one time. But, if I ever have a SECOND car, it's the hardtop for sure!
"You took the train???" So says the car salesman when I left. I guess a guy who makes a living on cars is not a fan of public transportation. But, I'll say that riding the train home (without a train change in Lausanne) was much more relaxing then driving would have been. Plus, I can't eavesdrop in the car.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Food
So, I truly don't have enough experience with Swiss food yet to make much intelligent comment. But, I'll make a few observations.
We've already covered that the cheese is amazing. My Emmentaler is almost gone, so I will branch out a bit and have some new cheese to report tomorrow. The gorgonzola and mascarpone is simply amazing spread on crusty brown bread. Works for breakfast, lunch AND dinner! Yesterday in the farmers' market, I passed a booth that was full of all kinds of cheese. None of which I've heard of before, and I thought I knew cheese! I've put the farmers' market on my to-do list for next Saturday and the cheese booth will be a priority stop.
The chocolate really doesn't need my references, since it's pretty much famous the world over. If you're not a chocolate fan in the U.S., it's because chocolate in the U.S. is, well, mostly not really chocolate. In fact, I don't even like U.S. milk chocolate. But, I can't eat enough of it here. I've been limiting myself to two pieces per day, but I did cheat tonight and have three. Hope I can get into my car tomorrow, to say nothing of my pants!
On the "I'm not sure if I'm into this" list, would be the pizza I had last night. After nearly two weeks of real cooking (those who know me will laugh), it was finally time for me to go out to eat. And, since I'm still too inept to order in French (I actually can order, I just can't understand a word I'm told), I settled for making myself a frozen pizza at home. So, I chose a pizza by the picture because, even though I can stumble through reading some French, this box was German! But, it looked something like chicken and tomatoes and mozzarella. Upon first taste last night, it really tasted more like tuna. But, I was hungry, so down it went. This morning, I dug up the box to see if there was any French on it. Yep, on the back of the box, sandwiched between the German and Italian was a phrase that I interpreted to mean, "you will love this if you like fish." uh huh. Run to my French dictionary and translate the word I did not recognize, which ended up meaning "tuna."
Tuna on a pizza. Huh. I will not judge.
Which brings me to my final thought on food today. While the Europeans are freaking out because they think we Americans will end up with three livers and alien babies because of genetically modified food, I am a little more worried that I will end up poisoned here. Perhaps, as the daughter of a veterinarian, I have a bit more knowledge of pathogens than I should. The grocery store refrigerators are not very cold, and I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the fresh cheeses are made with unpasteurized milk. Which explains why it did cross my mind that the tuna pizza really WAS chicken. Fortunately, I could not think of a pathogen that made chicken taste like tuna, so I carried on.
Happy to report I am still alive and well fed, but still not sure if I will buy that pizza again.
We've already covered that the cheese is amazing. My Emmentaler is almost gone, so I will branch out a bit and have some new cheese to report tomorrow. The gorgonzola and mascarpone is simply amazing spread on crusty brown bread. Works for breakfast, lunch AND dinner! Yesterday in the farmers' market, I passed a booth that was full of all kinds of cheese. None of which I've heard of before, and I thought I knew cheese! I've put the farmers' market on my to-do list for next Saturday and the cheese booth will be a priority stop.
The chocolate really doesn't need my references, since it's pretty much famous the world over. If you're not a chocolate fan in the U.S., it's because chocolate in the U.S. is, well, mostly not really chocolate. In fact, I don't even like U.S. milk chocolate. But, I can't eat enough of it here. I've been limiting myself to two pieces per day, but I did cheat tonight and have three. Hope I can get into my car tomorrow, to say nothing of my pants!
On the "I'm not sure if I'm into this" list, would be the pizza I had last night. After nearly two weeks of real cooking (those who know me will laugh), it was finally time for me to go out to eat. And, since I'm still too inept to order in French (I actually can order, I just can't understand a word I'm told), I settled for making myself a frozen pizza at home. So, I chose a pizza by the picture because, even though I can stumble through reading some French, this box was German! But, it looked something like chicken and tomatoes and mozzarella. Upon first taste last night, it really tasted more like tuna. But, I was hungry, so down it went. This morning, I dug up the box to see if there was any French on it. Yep, on the back of the box, sandwiched between the German and Italian was a phrase that I interpreted to mean, "you will love this if you like fish." uh huh. Run to my French dictionary and translate the word I did not recognize, which ended up meaning "tuna."
Tuna on a pizza. Huh. I will not judge.
Which brings me to my final thought on food today. While the Europeans are freaking out because they think we Americans will end up with three livers and alien babies because of genetically modified food, I am a little more worried that I will end up poisoned here. Perhaps, as the daughter of a veterinarian, I have a bit more knowledge of pathogens than I should. The grocery store refrigerators are not very cold, and I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the fresh cheeses are made with unpasteurized milk. Which explains why it did cross my mind that the tuna pizza really WAS chicken. Fortunately, I could not think of a pathogen that made chicken taste like tuna, so I carried on.
Happy to report I am still alive and well fed, but still not sure if I will buy that pizza again.
All is Right with the World
I ran today. After three months of moving logistics and work travel that didn't allow for a single extra hour to even look at my running shoes, the time had come to get back at it. I thought I would go for a little jog along the lake. Almost seven miles later, I was back home. Don't worry, I didn't run all of that. I stopped at one point to lean on the bridge (gasping for air) to watch the crew teams exercising on the lake. I walked through the farmer's market (where people thought I was insane because I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt while it was 1 degree C). And, sometimes I just walked so I could breathe. Three months is a long time!
But, it was so great to get back out there. It was a cool (cold?), crisp, sunny October day. Perfect for a run (or a run/walk). I ran all the way out to my new apartment. Just to make sure I still liked it. I do.
Besides the run, I did a little grocery shopping (new store!) and bought a hair dryer. Yes, that is a pretty mundane accomplishment, but all my electronics will have to be new because of the difference in voltage here. Electric adapters are for tourists.
Finally, I ended the day with a drive up onto the hill just north of me. Mostly so I could practice driving around here, get the lay of the land and take this picture (right) for all of you. I can't be sure, but I bet there is skiing up there somewhere. I've decided I have two goals for my time here in Switzerland. Neither of which has to do with the actual job that put me here, because the work stuff is a given. First goal, become conversational in French. Second, become a much better skier. I hope your Saturday was just as right with the world! A bientot!
But, it was so great to get back out there. It was a cool (cold?), crisp, sunny October day. Perfect for a run (or a run/walk). I ran all the way out to my new apartment. Just to make sure I still liked it. I do.
Besides the run, I did a little grocery shopping (new store!) and bought a hair dryer. Yes, that is a pretty mundane accomplishment, but all my electronics will have to be new because of the difference in voltage here. Electric adapters are for tourists.
Finally, I ended the day with a drive up onto the hill just north of me. Mostly so I could practice driving around here, get the lay of the land and take this picture (right) for all of you. I can't be sure, but I bet there is skiing up there somewhere. I've decided I have two goals for my time here in Switzerland. Neither of which has to do with the actual job that put me here, because the work stuff is a given. First goal, become conversational in French. Second, become a much better skier. I hope your Saturday was just as right with the world! A bientot!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Good News!
There is good news all around.
First and foremost, my third load of laundry is in the washing machine. Of course, this means that my Friday night social life is non-existant, plus I'm a bit worried that my fourth load won't make it through the cycle before the 10 p.m. cutoff. If you are concerned that a single woman has FOUR loads of laundry to do, don't forget that I couldn't do laundry during my alloted time last week. Even though it may sound like a dismal Friday night, it wasn't so bad. Left work early (by 5:30), came home and started the first load of laundry, poured myself a nice glass of wine (still working on the bottle I bought with my laundry detergent) and cooked dinner, and then Skyped.
Second, but even more important (although I have to say I'm pretty excited about the laundry), I got accepted for the apartment for which I applied! Woo hoo! On our way to see another apartment yesterday, my agent got a call from the owners saying I could have the flat if I wanted it. Next week, I still have to meet with the second of three sisters who own it. I think I just have to avoid swearing and spitting and I'll be confirmed. Of course, if you hear from me next week that I was eventually declined, you'll know I somehow gaffed.
I will point out that those of you who think I am high maintenance (and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE), take notice that I got an apartment the very next day after I got here. There are people here who have been here for months and have still not found an apartment they like. The apartment is not fancy, but it had a certain coup de foudre for me. I think I'm going to love it.
Third, work has been great. I landed in the middle of a bit of a crisis issue and have been embroiled in taking over the management of that since I got here. Not the best way to meet people, but at least you meet them quickly. I'm getting to know my way around the office and even learned a pun in French yesterday. At least I'm not bored!
Fourth, I just discovered that there is a second layer to my box of chocolates!!! I thought I was almost done, but I'm not. As soon as I discovered that, I started taking the stairs up and down from the laundry room instead of riding the elevator.
Speaking of which, gotta run. Time to switch a load. A bientot.
First and foremost, my third load of laundry is in the washing machine. Of course, this means that my Friday night social life is non-existant, plus I'm a bit worried that my fourth load won't make it through the cycle before the 10 p.m. cutoff. If you are concerned that a single woman has FOUR loads of laundry to do, don't forget that I couldn't do laundry during my alloted time last week. Even though it may sound like a dismal Friday night, it wasn't so bad. Left work early (by 5:30), came home and started the first load of laundry, poured myself a nice glass of wine (still working on the bottle I bought with my laundry detergent) and cooked dinner, and then Skyped.
Second, but even more important (although I have to say I'm pretty excited about the laundry), I got accepted for the apartment for which I applied! Woo hoo! On our way to see another apartment yesterday, my agent got a call from the owners saying I could have the flat if I wanted it. Next week, I still have to meet with the second of three sisters who own it. I think I just have to avoid swearing and spitting and I'll be confirmed. Of course, if you hear from me next week that I was eventually declined, you'll know I somehow gaffed.
I will point out that those of you who think I am high maintenance (and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE), take notice that I got an apartment the very next day after I got here. There are people here who have been here for months and have still not found an apartment they like. The apartment is not fancy, but it had a certain coup de foudre for me. I think I'm going to love it.
Third, work has been great. I landed in the middle of a bit of a crisis issue and have been embroiled in taking over the management of that since I got here. Not the best way to meet people, but at least you meet them quickly. I'm getting to know my way around the office and even learned a pun in French yesterday. At least I'm not bored!
Fourth, I just discovered that there is a second layer to my box of chocolates!!! I thought I was almost done, but I'm not. As soon as I discovered that, I started taking the stairs up and down from the laundry room instead of riding the elevator.
Speaking of which, gotta run. Time to switch a load. A bientot.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Anniversary
I've passed the one-week mark! Still with a job, no parking tickets yet and I carried on a two-sentence conversation today in French. So, all is good. I realized driving home (yes, driving!) tonight from work, stopping at the grocery store, paying for my parking place in the grocery store parking lot (yes, true), shopping, checking out, driving past the little winery down the street (at left), getting into my tiny apartment garage spot and coming up to my temporary apartment that I have done every single one of these things before! (Except pay for the space in the grocery store lot. Who knew? So, I've actually EARNED parking tickets this week, just haven't GOTTEN one.) It's a good feeling to have some familiarity. When not every single thing is new, it is a bit less overwhelming.
An American work colleague and I today were sharing what we are and are not willing to learn. He refuses to switch over to Celsius, which doesn't really bother me. But, I refuse to use a French keyboard, while he has adapted just fine. (The "z" and "y" are switched, plus all the symbols are mixed up. I had several days of signing my name "Pattz" before I thought, screw this, and reprogrammed my computer to an English keyboard.) Anyway, it made me think that there will be certain things that I will (and/or should) embrace and some others that are not mountains I am willing to die on. I'm working on the language, trying to adapt to the social norms (or at least figure out what they are), and using metric. But, I'm sticking by my keyboard, with a vengeance. I could probably wax poetic about the literal and figurative meaning of all that, but I think you get it.
For those who have been waiting for the latest cheese update...today was Emmentaler and Gorgonzola with Mascarpone. Yum!
Time to watch some TV
...or... not...
Good grief! Here comes another episode of Eye on Macedonia on CNN The World. Who would guess that it was a regular feature on the only English speaking TV station that I get. While you are all watching Jersey Shore (actually my friends are above Jersey Shore...except those of you who KNOW WHO YOU ARE), I'm watching a 49-episode (it seems) documentary on the socio-political impacts of the emergence of Macedonia from its Soviet history. OK once, but I think the next 48 episodes will be painful. Remind me to search for online TV!
So, instead I'll Facebook. Maybe the only website that is actually accessible in Europe??? I should have Netfix and Playlist call them for advice.
Bye for now. Happy anniversary to me. :-)
Monday, October 17, 2011
Voila!
The laundry key is found! I looked for it all weekend, well, except when I was sleeping, which means I didn't actually look for it that long. But, I finally found it today. In the pocket of one of my suitcases. I have NO idea why I put it in there, but I'm sure there was some sort of blurred logic occurring that first day. Now, I have no excuse to miss my laundry appointment this Friday, thank goodness! You have no idea how relieved I am. Seriously, this has been a bit of a stressor for me!
Other (non-work) victories today...
I found out where the visitor parking is. And, I found out where the rental car return is, which will be good to know when I have to say goodbye to the Audi. I did have a shocking thought over the weekend, though. I will have to fill it up with gas, to say nothing of my own car when I get one. Another small hurdle to cross when the time comes.
I met a car at an unmarked intersection and did not run into it, thanks to my son! He found an overview of Swiss driving rules and emailed me the link, which I did read this weekend, when I wasn't sleeping or looking for the laundry key. In the area where my apartment is, none of the streets have stop signs, yield signs, stoplights, etc. Just four roads that come together. Thanks to Michael, I found out this is very common and you must yield to the person on the right, no matter how big your road is or how small his road is. It makes for very alert driving.
I haven't run out of food. This probably has more to do with cooking for one than anything to do with Switzerland. That could be a blog all by itself, but I'll put that one off for awhile until I know more about it! It may sound like running out of food could not happen, but I do think it is possible. I had all intentions to stop by the grocery store on my way home from work. I even drove, instead of walking. But, alas, I ended up at the office until after 7:30 (see blog #1) so ate out of the leftover containers tonight (see blog #2). It still baffles me that I managed to air ship plastic leftover containers, but not one single sweatshirt.
And, final victory of the day, I enjoyed the view from my office. Voila...
Other (non-work) victories today...
I found out where the visitor parking is. And, I found out where the rental car return is, which will be good to know when I have to say goodbye to the Audi. I did have a shocking thought over the weekend, though. I will have to fill it up with gas, to say nothing of my own car when I get one. Another small hurdle to cross when the time comes.
I met a car at an unmarked intersection and did not run into it, thanks to my son! He found an overview of Swiss driving rules and emailed me the link, which I did read this weekend, when I wasn't sleeping or looking for the laundry key. In the area where my apartment is, none of the streets have stop signs, yield signs, stoplights, etc. Just four roads that come together. Thanks to Michael, I found out this is very common and you must yield to the person on the right, no matter how big your road is or how small his road is. It makes for very alert driving.
I haven't run out of food. This probably has more to do with cooking for one than anything to do with Switzerland. That could be a blog all by itself, but I'll put that one off for awhile until I know more about it! It may sound like running out of food could not happen, but I do think it is possible. I had all intentions to stop by the grocery store on my way home from work. I even drove, instead of walking. But, alas, I ended up at the office until after 7:30 (see blog #1) so ate out of the leftover containers tonight (see blog #2). It still baffles me that I managed to air ship plastic leftover containers, but not one single sweatshirt.
And, final victory of the day, I enjoyed the view from my office. Voila...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Weekend One
Despite my best intentions to get a lot done this weekend, it seems that all I did was sleep. Jet lag finally caught up with me. Plus, I was greatly tempted to nap by the arrival of my quilt! I unpacked all my air shipment boxes on Saturday morning. It was sort of like Christmas. I did not remember what had gone into the air shipment. By the end, I was just throwing things into piles (anyone who visited me the last few weeks in California can attest to that!)
I discovered quite a random assortment of items in the shipment, including things that should have been there, like my little safe and my 2011 financial records, as well as some things that made me wonder, huh? Like an assortment of plastic leftover containers. I obviously was not aware that there would not actually be any food from which to actually have leftovers. Plus, surely I could have made do without them? As it turns out, there are already TWO of them in the fridge with some leftovers in them, so score one for me.
And, at the bottom of one of the boxes was folded my quilt. I think there was a nostalgic bit of the California me that knew I would need a piece of home when I got here. It is the quilt I've had since I was a young wife. There are bits of it torn from where Adam (one of the dogs of my life) decided to use it as a chew toy and I've never been domestic enough to fix it. Nonetheless, it was my perfect security blanket under which to nap both Saturday AND Sunday. Bliss.
I guess it says something about my priorities that the napping comes before the actual doing in this blog. I did manage to travel to Lausanne (by train because I was afraid to drive and actually more afraid to park), find the Bureau d'Etrangers (or something like that) and get myself registered for my "biometrique." Honestly, I don't actually know what I did. I only know that HR gave me instructions (in French) and that I needed to do this. Perhaps I have now signed myself up for the Swiss army or to be a contestant on Switzerland's Got Talent. There is no telling.
I thought I would go grocery shopping when I got back from Lausanne, but the stores close at 5:00 on Saturday. I walked into the grocery store at 4:55, but didn't get anything purchased. Fortunately, I have enough food to get me through until about Tuesday. If I haven't gotten anything new by then, I can always live on chocolate since I now have three welcome boxes. You've got to love a company that welcomes you with chocolate. Plus, when I arrived home from a long, tiring week on Friday, there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting on my doorstep. Courtesy of Nestle. Flowers, chocolate and a great job. It's better than a date. Well, at least better than a bad date. :-)
I discovered quite a random assortment of items in the shipment, including things that should have been there, like my little safe and my 2011 financial records, as well as some things that made me wonder, huh? Like an assortment of plastic leftover containers. I obviously was not aware that there would not actually be any food from which to actually have leftovers. Plus, surely I could have made do without them? As it turns out, there are already TWO of them in the fridge with some leftovers in them, so score one for me.
And, at the bottom of one of the boxes was folded my quilt. I think there was a nostalgic bit of the California me that knew I would need a piece of home when I got here. It is the quilt I've had since I was a young wife. There are bits of it torn from where Adam (one of the dogs of my life) decided to use it as a chew toy and I've never been domestic enough to fix it. Nonetheless, it was my perfect security blanket under which to nap both Saturday AND Sunday. Bliss.
I guess it says something about my priorities that the napping comes before the actual doing in this blog. I did manage to travel to Lausanne (by train because I was afraid to drive and actually more afraid to park), find the Bureau d'Etrangers (or something like that) and get myself registered for my "biometrique." Honestly, I don't actually know what I did. I only know that HR gave me instructions (in French) and that I needed to do this. Perhaps I have now signed myself up for the Swiss army or to be a contestant on Switzerland's Got Talent. There is no telling.
I thought I would go grocery shopping when I got back from Lausanne, but the stores close at 5:00 on Saturday. I walked into the grocery store at 4:55, but didn't get anything purchased. Fortunately, I have enough food to get me through until about Tuesday. If I haven't gotten anything new by then, I can always live on chocolate since I now have three welcome boxes. You've got to love a company that welcomes you with chocolate. Plus, when I arrived home from a long, tiring week on Friday, there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting on my doorstep. Courtesy of Nestle. Flowers, chocolate and a great job. It's better than a date. Well, at least better than a bad date. :-)
Friday, October 14, 2011
Hits and Misses, but a Good Day
My achievements today:
I drove to work. This may seem like a trivial event, but the 90-second trip took a bit of planning and a lot of nerve.
First, the Audi is great. I would highly recommend it. Very comfortable. But, by European standards, also very big. It barely fits into my assigned parking spot. It is so tight that I was not sure if I would be able to get into my car. Fortunately, only having tomato sauce to eat may have actually helped me squeeze into the driver side door.
Second, this may seem obvious, but every street sign is in French. I do know how to read some French, but did not realize how slow I am. By the time my mind has registered that there is a street sign, registered that it is in French, looked at the accompanying symbol and tried to figure it out, and then started to read the sign, I am already past it. I am quite wary of the red X's, but they don't always mean "no entry." In fact, they mostly mean "no parking." (See the previous post about this) but that is not so easy to figure out while going by. I think the background color (blue versus white) means something, but I don't know what yet.
Third, I have a special parking space at the office that is accessed with a remote control. From previous visits over the years, I knew that there was a driveway on the west side of the building, so I headed there. As it turns out, there are two driveways, exactly next to each other. I had visions of ending up in the wrong one, with the CEO behind me waiting for me to back out and head for the other one. Again, the signs clearly (?) described each parking lot. It's a good thing one said "visiteurs." That's not me!
Finally, I did have a small success in finding a parking space in town after work, paying for it correctly (I think!), and purchasing white wine and laundry detergent. At least what I believe is laundry detergent. Which....brings me to today's failure....
My failures:
I have one hour left in my laundry time and I have not done any laundry. I apparently have a special key that records my laundry charges. Beats the heck out of me if I know where it is. I do have the key that gets me into the room, but, alas, no way to run the machines. So, I guess it's socks and undies in the sink this weekend and another try next Friday...once I find the key or the rental company gives me another one.
But, I won't end on a downer. There was a great discovery along with the laundry saga. Although a small bottle of laundry detergent cost $18, it was refreshing to discover that the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc was less than that! Woo hoo, good wine that costs less than laundry detergent. That's a good day.
I drove to work. This may seem like a trivial event, but the 90-second trip took a bit of planning and a lot of nerve.
First, the Audi is great. I would highly recommend it. Very comfortable. But, by European standards, also very big. It barely fits into my assigned parking spot. It is so tight that I was not sure if I would be able to get into my car. Fortunately, only having tomato sauce to eat may have actually helped me squeeze into the driver side door.
Second, this may seem obvious, but every street sign is in French. I do know how to read some French, but did not realize how slow I am. By the time my mind has registered that there is a street sign, registered that it is in French, looked at the accompanying symbol and tried to figure it out, and then started to read the sign, I am already past it. I am quite wary of the red X's, but they don't always mean "no entry." In fact, they mostly mean "no parking." (See the previous post about this) but that is not so easy to figure out while going by. I think the background color (blue versus white) means something, but I don't know what yet.
Third, I have a special parking space at the office that is accessed with a remote control. From previous visits over the years, I knew that there was a driveway on the west side of the building, so I headed there. As it turns out, there are two driveways, exactly next to each other. I had visions of ending up in the wrong one, with the CEO behind me waiting for me to back out and head for the other one. Again, the signs clearly (?) described each parking lot. It's a good thing one said "visiteurs." That's not me!
Finally, I did have a small success in finding a parking space in town after work, paying for it correctly (I think!), and purchasing white wine and laundry detergent. At least what I believe is laundry detergent. Which....brings me to today's failure....
My failures:
I have one hour left in my laundry time and I have not done any laundry. I apparently have a special key that records my laundry charges. Beats the heck out of me if I know where it is. I do have the key that gets me into the room, but, alas, no way to run the machines. So, I guess it's socks and undies in the sink this weekend and another try next Friday...once I find the key or the rental company gives me another one.
But, I won't end on a downer. There was a great discovery along with the laundry saga. Although a small bottle of laundry detergent cost $18, it was refreshing to discover that the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc was less than that! Woo hoo, good wine that costs less than laundry detergent. That's a good day.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Great Swiss Adventure Begins
I arrived for my grand Swiss adventure on Monday night, and I am still so jet lagged that I am really only writing this so that I am not too tempted to go straight to bed. I'm in my temporary apartment, with boxes that arrived this morning from my air freight shipment. I am thinking now that I should have put a LOT more in my air shipment as I feel a bit like I'm camping. But, I DID go apartment hunting last night and have already put in an application for a flat overlooking the lake. So much for my thinking I would not need a lake view! It is pretty hard to resist when you walk into the living room and that is the first thing you see. I'll keep you posted on whether I'm accepted for the flat. In the meantime, I'll keep looking just in case.
So far, the good:
The job. It's pretty awesome. Overwhelming and a huge learning curve, but I think I do know what I'm doing, so I hope I don't feel too lost for too long.
The scenery. All I can say is OMG. My office view is of Lake Geneva and the French Alps. It sure beats the view I had from my office in Modesto of the Frito-Lay plant across the street.
The cheese. YUM. Had fondue already (the first night I arrived). A lovely blue at lunch and Gruyere tonight at dinner.
The rental car. My last 30 days in California were spent driving a Ford Fusion. Actually, quite a nice car. But, it's not an Audi. Which is what my Swiss rental car is. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I've only had to drive it once. I'm not so nervous about the driving as I am about the parking. There are lots and lots of different ways to violate the parking rules and I am sure to get a ticket the first time out.
The people. So far, the Swiss are much friendlier than their reputation indicated. For the most part, not many people outside of work speak English, but they've been very patient with my attempts to do business. The guys at the photo shop where I had to get passport pictures taken for my work permit didn't speak a word of English and I was a bit afraid that my French was so bad that I had ended up ordering something completely wrong, but, voila, it was all correct! The power of persistence and a good attitude, on both sides.
The bad:
You cannot access playlist.com in Switzerland because of potential copyright issues!!! This is crushing for me. If any of my children would like to give me an amazing Christmas present, they can go to my playlist on playlist.com and make me an iPod playlist using those songs. I've been searching for a similar site that works in Europe, but haven't found one yet. If anybody can help me, please do.
Grocery shopping. The stores close at 6, so if you tend to work late (like I tend to do), you are out of luck. Fortunately, Nestle gave me a welcoming basket of food when I got here. So, I've been eating spaghetti and tomato sauce (not to be confused with spaghetti sauce, which this is not) for every dinner. Lucky for me I brought my spices with me, so I could create a slightly different dinner each night. I left work early today (5:30) and practically ran to the supermarket. I think I might have bought fabric softener instead of detergent, so I'll have to look that up on the internet and stop by the store again tomorrow for the detergent because...
The laundry. This temp apartment has a shared laundry room with a schedule. That is actually extremely common here. It's very rare to have a washing machine in your flat, and ALL the shared facilities have a schedule. Which means, if you can't wash at your designated time, you're not washing until next week! My time is Friday evening, so I guess I have no Friday happy hour until I get a new flat! So, if anyone want's to Skype on Fridays, I'll be hanging out at the laundry room looking for something else to do. In fact, tomorrow I have a meeting at 5:00, so I'm going to have to go home at 4:00 to get my laundry started, go back for my meeting, and then return home to start the next load. Crazy!
Television. There is one and only one English channel. CNN The World. I am newsed out right now. It's not even particularly interesting. An odd collection of pseudo news and features. I've thought perhaps I could work on my French by watching some French stations, but now, my head just hurts from trying to keep up and I'd love to see an original Law and Order.
Now, off to make a late night snack...that Gruyere is calling my name.
So far, the good:
The job. It's pretty awesome. Overwhelming and a huge learning curve, but I think I do know what I'm doing, so I hope I don't feel too lost for too long.
The scenery. All I can say is OMG. My office view is of Lake Geneva and the French Alps. It sure beats the view I had from my office in Modesto of the Frito-Lay plant across the street.
The cheese. YUM. Had fondue already (the first night I arrived). A lovely blue at lunch and Gruyere tonight at dinner.
The rental car. My last 30 days in California were spent driving a Ford Fusion. Actually, quite a nice car. But, it's not an Audi. Which is what my Swiss rental car is. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I've only had to drive it once. I'm not so nervous about the driving as I am about the parking. There are lots and lots of different ways to violate the parking rules and I am sure to get a ticket the first time out.
The people. So far, the Swiss are much friendlier than their reputation indicated. For the most part, not many people outside of work speak English, but they've been very patient with my attempts to do business. The guys at the photo shop where I had to get passport pictures taken for my work permit didn't speak a word of English and I was a bit afraid that my French was so bad that I had ended up ordering something completely wrong, but, voila, it was all correct! The power of persistence and a good attitude, on both sides.
The bad:
You cannot access playlist.com in Switzerland because of potential copyright issues!!! This is crushing for me. If any of my children would like to give me an amazing Christmas present, they can go to my playlist on playlist.com and make me an iPod playlist using those songs. I've been searching for a similar site that works in Europe, but haven't found one yet. If anybody can help me, please do.
Grocery shopping. The stores close at 6, so if you tend to work late (like I tend to do), you are out of luck. Fortunately, Nestle gave me a welcoming basket of food when I got here. So, I've been eating spaghetti and tomato sauce (not to be confused with spaghetti sauce, which this is not) for every dinner. Lucky for me I brought my spices with me, so I could create a slightly different dinner each night. I left work early today (5:30) and practically ran to the supermarket. I think I might have bought fabric softener instead of detergent, so I'll have to look that up on the internet and stop by the store again tomorrow for the detergent because...
The laundry. This temp apartment has a shared laundry room with a schedule. That is actually extremely common here. It's very rare to have a washing machine in your flat, and ALL the shared facilities have a schedule. Which means, if you can't wash at your designated time, you're not washing until next week! My time is Friday evening, so I guess I have no Friday happy hour until I get a new flat! So, if anyone want's to Skype on Fridays, I'll be hanging out at the laundry room looking for something else to do. In fact, tomorrow I have a meeting at 5:00, so I'm going to have to go home at 4:00 to get my laundry started, go back for my meeting, and then return home to start the next load. Crazy!
Television. There is one and only one English channel. CNN The World. I am newsed out right now. It's not even particularly interesting. An odd collection of pseudo news and features. I've thought perhaps I could work on my French by watching some French stations, but now, my head just hurts from trying to keep up and I'd love to see an original Law and Order.
Now, off to make a late night snack...that Gruyere is calling my name.
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