The last ten days have been ones of comings and goings. We had the pleasure of Sara's company for five wonderful days. More accurately, I had that pleasure for five days and Henry had it for half of that in situ and half in absentia (he had a meeting in Frankfort). Sleep and laundry took the top spots on Sara's agenda, but catching up with us was not far behind. She allowed us to wine and dine her and to show her a few more Zurich sites which she could not see during her short visit here over New Year's. The main attractions were a boat ride on the Zurich See, outdoor (and semi-indoor) markets, and a visit to the Lindt-Sprungli chocolate factory. Sara definitely brought the sunshine with her, both literally (we haven't had so many consecutive decent weather days before or since) and figuratively (her smile can light up any space, especially ours--as my father used to say, she was "a sight for sore eyes"!). Even though Sara was concerned that our hausgemachte fondue would taste the same as she remembered from having cheese fondue when she was six years old, i.e., like American Swiss cheese (the kind with the big holes, which Sara abhors--not the holes, but the stuff around the holes), this time our fondue was once again a big hit! (Fondue may well end up being the thing we will miss most when we move from Switzerland to Germany!) While Henry was away (this way, he did not have to feel bad about being dragged along or feel bad about choosing not joining us), Sara and I attended a dance performance called "Rock the Ballet"--modern ballet accompanied by songs sung by Queen and Michael Jackson, among others. The dancers, six men and one woman, were fantastic--they were unbelievably athletic, limber, and graceful.
Sara is now back in the US, after 7 months abroad. Prior to her departure from Zurich, she was more concerned with culture shock than with the fact that she remains displaced because our house is rented. Also, when she returns to school in Chicago, she will have to switch mental gears from German and French back to Hebrew, which she studied during her first two years of college and will continue this spring. As Sara is wont to say, "she'll figure it out." Hopefully, winter will be sufficiently over in Chicago (sometimes, it's not over until May), so that her reconnection with the US will be somewhat eased.
I seized the opportunity to switch language gears when Henry and I left for Lausanne just a few hours after Sara departed. It helped that Sara left her French dictionary with us. Last Friday, Henry gave a talk at the Lausanne version of the federal technical institute that Henry is visiting in Zurich. I spent the day taking in museums that did not exist when I was last in Lausanne, nearly 40 years ago. The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee is in Lausanne, so as a world sports fan (well, maybe not curling, biathlon (cross-country skiing and shooting), and cricket), I ventured off to the Olympic Museum, which is in a park overlooking Lake Geneva. I very much enjoyed a view of Olympic history without the mostly American-only perspective displayed on television by NBC. However, that did not stop me from using one of two free (included with the cost of admission) video clips from their library to watch one of my all-time favorite figure skaters, American Paul Wylie, skate to a silver medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics (probably only my two daughters will get a chuckle from that--sorry, an inside joke that would take too long to explain!). The other was of the men's track sprints in the 1968 Summer Olympics which caused an uproar among US Olympic Committee members when two US medal winners gave a black gloved Black Power salute on the medal stand while the national anthem was played. Once again, the running commentary was not NBC, and thus far more matter-of-fact. While in the park, I stopped at another museum, which displayed an exhibition of photographs of Los Angeles, from 1865 to 2008. What was particularly fascinating was the thematic manner of the display, e.g., Los Angeles, the Dream; Los Angeles, the nightmare; Los Angeles, the sun and beach; Los Angeles, reality or fiction; and so on. The third museum I visited, Collection de l'Art Brut, was the most interesting. The collection truly is a demonstration of the age old question--what makes something art? Personally, I don't see how a canvass of white paint is "art." This museum presents its revolving collection of works by individuals who generally have had no formal art training and tend not to be influenced by cultural expectations or directives. Many have produced their works while confined in mental institutions. They often use what materials they find around them, be it pencils, wood, or dried grass. One artist might have a fixation with numbers, while another might have a fixation with the most intricate of doodles.
On Saturday and Sunday, I had to step up my French speaking skills as we spent the rest of weekend having reunions with members of the French Swiss family who hosted me on their farm for six weeks during the summer of 1970. After nearly 3 months with German surrounding me, I was finally "in my element." Madame Goldfrank (Mamaroneck HS French teacher) would have been proud of me, but it's just as well she didn't hear me--when I couldn't think of the correct word or conjugation, I made it up! Whatever, I was well understood and could carry the load for those family members who did not speak English. As is the case when I try to speak German (when I can't think of the word in German, I automatically go first to the French word), the same happened in reverse when trying to speak French. By the time we arrived back in Zurich on Sunday evening, I was exhausted from the language gymnastics! Nevertheless, it was a wonderful time had by all, culminating with a genuine home-grown Sunday meal on the farm--chicken, potatoes, raspberries, and schnapps. We hope some of the family will come for a visit in Munich!
With just a few days before the upcoming arrival of our next guest, Beth Jay, I managed one more day of skiing--a day trip to Flumserberg. Among the various ski areas to which I have traveled this winter, this one is definitely the most convenient by train from Zurich. I was able to get up at a sane hour and still arrive at the gondola by 9:30AM. The snow (on the ground, that is) was wonderful, but it snowed all day. That in itself was not a problem. Rather, it was the wind that repeatedly gusted so hard I could barely push myself down the slopes in some spots. One benefit of the weather conditions was that there was barely anyone on the mountain. Therefore, even if I couldn't see, I didn't have to worry about running into anyone!! In the afternoon, I discovered an identifiable trail with trees on both sides (no, none in the middle like at many American ski areas). It was great--I could not only see, but no one else was on it. Maybe with all of the wide open slopes that make up most of the ski areas I've now been to in Switzerland, Swiss skiers haven't figured out that the visibility is far better when skiing next to the trees, not to mention that it is far less windy! I finally gave up when I started getting nervous on the lifts--even the gondolas were swaying in the wind! Had this been the US, I imagine the lifts, other than T-bars, would have been closed hours earlier due to the heavy winds.
Okay, back to my German language adventures. While riding the train to my skiing destination, I tried to work on my German by reading one of the many free daily newspapers. I came across a fine example of how German words sometimes grow to ridiculous lengths-Doppelbesteuerngsabkommens, which takes three words to translate into English--double taxation agreements (I think!).
Gotta clean up for our next house guest!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Catching up
We had a few days of "this and that" before our next visitors, Linda and Marc, arrived. We held back on fondue until we could share it with Linda and Marc, but we did seek out and find several good restaurants. One was Mama Leoni's, which was not too far from the Reform Synagogue (one of only two in Switzerland--most others appear to be Orthodox) at which we attended services. The restaurant was a Michelin Red pick, and, as usual, Michelin was on target. Yes, it's another Italian restaurant, but Zurich, not to mention southeastern Switzerland (where Italian is the main language), has lots of them.
We finally had sun and relative warmth in Zurich on Saturday. We walked along Lake Zurich and the Limmat River (which flows through the city), and enjoyed seeing the many cafe tables and chairs fill the sidewalks. Even better, people were leisurely imbibing their cappuccinos, beers, bottled waters, etc. and savoring sweet offerings as they, too, took in the sun's rays. Benches line the river banks and they were filled as well. As we strolled, we witnessed our first Swiss protest march (equal rights for women, we think, but perhaps it was a march for whoever wanted to protest). We couldn't quite figure out the common theme among the various placards and flags. In any event, between the relatively sedate marchers and the limited, though visible, police presence, it was almost a non-event for those of us who remain somewhat German language challenged.
On Sunday, we met up with our Del Mar friend, Rod (who lives in Einsiedeln), and headed for real warmth, i.e., south of the St. Gotthard pass. We found more sun and warmth at Lake Maggiore. The train from Zurich was packed--not just with the skiers who exited the train near the Pass, but with many others heading for warmer weather. According to Rod, this weekend exodus continues to grow into the summer. We left the well-beaten path at Locarno and went just a few kilometers south to Ascona. We found another excellent restaurant at the edge of Lake Maggiore, where we discarded our jackets, (at least I) rubbed in the SPF 50 sunblock, and had a three-hour lunch (more so because, for whatever reason, the waiter apparently had no interest in "turning over the table" than because we insisted upon lingering). The setting was perfect. The only oddity was the sharp contrast between the restaurant staff's leisurely pace and the doggedness of a group of new customers who "seized" our table. When we stood up from the table and as the waiter disappeared inside to run the credit card, the new customers swarmed in out of nowhere and sat down at the table before we had the credit card back and our belongings collected, and before the table was cleaned and re-set. When the waiter returned with the receipt, he was appalled to see that the table was already re-occupied. I can only imagine what the waiter thought, but given that restaurant and cafe proprietors in this culture show no apparent concern over a customer nursing a coffee or other beverage for what could be hours, the waiter most assuredly thought the new customers had rather bad form!
As if on schedule, the cold and rain/snow returned after the weekend. Undeterred, I took a short trip to St. Gallen, wandered through the old town (just about every Swiss city has an "old town", but some have more tourist oriented shops than others), visited a few museums, a couple of churches, and the abbey library, and had lunch at Am Gallusplatz (another Michelin Red recommended restaurant). At the end of the 19th century, 50% of the world's textile production came from St. Gallen. The city is still known for its lovely embroideries. A special quilt exhibit was the highlight of my visit to the city's textile museum. As our friend, Rod, predicted, the city's main cathedral, which is known for its ornate interior, did not hold a candle to the over-the-top rococo decoration of the monastery in Einsiedeln. The abbey library, on the other hand, was very impressive, not only for its rococo interior, but even more so for its wonderful collection of "ancient" books dating as far back as the 700's. Because the wood, parquet floor is also somewhat of a spectacle (but nowhere close to as impressive as the walls and ceiling), all visitors are required to don slippers before entering the library. I couldn't get myself out of the city until I had a hot chocolate made with 70% cocoa. It was definitely the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted--at least until later in the week, when Marc, Linda, and I happened upon a shop called "Chocomotion". The hot chocolate cost almost twice as much as in St. Gallen (no surprise--Zurich is one of the most expensive cities in Europe), but it easily took the top spot on my hot chocolate list!
Linda and Marc got our personalized meandering tour of Zurich, which of course featured our hausgemachte fondue. We also had good enough weather (but not quite good enough for Henry, who stayed home and worked and/or dreamt equations) to take a boat ride on Lake Zurich. While it was still a bit overcast and chilly on the water, we enjoyed the scenery perfectly well from a spot inside the cabin. Linda and Marc rented a car on Friday, and I joined them on a drive to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Zentrum Paul Klee, which houses several thousand works by Swiss native son, Paul Klee, was our first stop. One of the fascinating aspects of this relatively new museum (which would comply with the ADA in the US!) is the use of movable exhibit walls. As the exhibit themes change and the curators periodically switch out portions of the Klee collection, the walls can easily be moved to accommodate different display designs. Following the recommendations of the clerk at the museum information desk (despite the friendly ridicule I receive from the rest of my family for the frequency with which I stop at information booths, "the 'i's' have it", and this one was well worth the stop), we strolled to a park overlooking the Aare River and Bern's old town and had lunch at the Rosegarten Restaurant at the top of the hill. We continued our stroll across the Aare and through the old town. Along the way, we visited the famous "Bernese Bear" which is housed in a large pit at the river's edge. "Ba(umlaut)rn means "bear". The duke who created the city in the late 12th century decided to give it the name of the first animal killed on his hunt in the area. The bear is also featured on the canton's flag. Frankly, the bear looked bedraggled and both looked and was imprisoned. Poor bear! Although Bern's old town is very commercial, the highlight is the 15th to 17th century clock tower, where mechanized figurines put on a little performance every hour.
Speaking of clocks, I also visited Zurich's very interesting clock and watch museum. Actually, it's the Beyer family's private collection. Clocks and watches from ancient times until the 20th century are on display. Some are extremely ornate, while others are noteworthy in their simple precision. No, folks, there are no Casio digital watches in the collection!
It has been wonderful having guests, despite the extra laundry and cleaning chores, and we look forward to Sara's arrival tonight. Abroad since the end of August 2008, she is stopping in Zurich to sleep and do laundry. We will accept as much parent-daughter bonding as Sara is willing to offer, and visa versa.
We finally had sun and relative warmth in Zurich on Saturday. We walked along Lake Zurich and the Limmat River (which flows through the city), and enjoyed seeing the many cafe tables and chairs fill the sidewalks. Even better, people were leisurely imbibing their cappuccinos, beers, bottled waters, etc. and savoring sweet offerings as they, too, took in the sun's rays. Benches line the river banks and they were filled as well. As we strolled, we witnessed our first Swiss protest march (equal rights for women, we think, but perhaps it was a march for whoever wanted to protest). We couldn't quite figure out the common theme among the various placards and flags. In any event, between the relatively sedate marchers and the limited, though visible, police presence, it was almost a non-event for those of us who remain somewhat German language challenged.
On Sunday, we met up with our Del Mar friend, Rod (who lives in Einsiedeln), and headed for real warmth, i.e., south of the St. Gotthard pass. We found more sun and warmth at Lake Maggiore. The train from Zurich was packed--not just with the skiers who exited the train near the Pass, but with many others heading for warmer weather. According to Rod, this weekend exodus continues to grow into the summer. We left the well-beaten path at Locarno and went just a few kilometers south to Ascona. We found another excellent restaurant at the edge of Lake Maggiore, where we discarded our jackets, (at least I) rubbed in the SPF 50 sunblock, and had a three-hour lunch (more so because, for whatever reason, the waiter apparently had no interest in "turning over the table" than because we insisted upon lingering). The setting was perfect. The only oddity was the sharp contrast between the restaurant staff's leisurely pace and the doggedness of a group of new customers who "seized" our table. When we stood up from the table and as the waiter disappeared inside to run the credit card, the new customers swarmed in out of nowhere and sat down at the table before we had the credit card back and our belongings collected, and before the table was cleaned and re-set. When the waiter returned with the receipt, he was appalled to see that the table was already re-occupied. I can only imagine what the waiter thought, but given that restaurant and cafe proprietors in this culture show no apparent concern over a customer nursing a coffee or other beverage for what could be hours, the waiter most assuredly thought the new customers had rather bad form!
As if on schedule, the cold and rain/snow returned after the weekend. Undeterred, I took a short trip to St. Gallen, wandered through the old town (just about every Swiss city has an "old town", but some have more tourist oriented shops than others), visited a few museums, a couple of churches, and the abbey library, and had lunch at Am Gallusplatz (another Michelin Red recommended restaurant). At the end of the 19th century, 50% of the world's textile production came from St. Gallen. The city is still known for its lovely embroideries. A special quilt exhibit was the highlight of my visit to the city's textile museum. As our friend, Rod, predicted, the city's main cathedral, which is known for its ornate interior, did not hold a candle to the over-the-top rococo decoration of the monastery in Einsiedeln. The abbey library, on the other hand, was very impressive, not only for its rococo interior, but even more so for its wonderful collection of "ancient" books dating as far back as the 700's. Because the wood, parquet floor is also somewhat of a spectacle (but nowhere close to as impressive as the walls and ceiling), all visitors are required to don slippers before entering the library. I couldn't get myself out of the city until I had a hot chocolate made with 70% cocoa. It was definitely the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted--at least until later in the week, when Marc, Linda, and I happened upon a shop called "Chocomotion". The hot chocolate cost almost twice as much as in St. Gallen (no surprise--Zurich is one of the most expensive cities in Europe), but it easily took the top spot on my hot chocolate list!
Linda and Marc got our personalized meandering tour of Zurich, which of course featured our hausgemachte fondue. We also had good enough weather (but not quite good enough for Henry, who stayed home and worked and/or dreamt equations) to take a boat ride on Lake Zurich. While it was still a bit overcast and chilly on the water, we enjoyed the scenery perfectly well from a spot inside the cabin. Linda and Marc rented a car on Friday, and I joined them on a drive to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Zentrum Paul Klee, which houses several thousand works by Swiss native son, Paul Klee, was our first stop. One of the fascinating aspects of this relatively new museum (which would comply with the ADA in the US!) is the use of movable exhibit walls. As the exhibit themes change and the curators periodically switch out portions of the Klee collection, the walls can easily be moved to accommodate different display designs. Following the recommendations of the clerk at the museum information desk (despite the friendly ridicule I receive from the rest of my family for the frequency with which I stop at information booths, "the 'i's' have it", and this one was well worth the stop), we strolled to a park overlooking the Aare River and Bern's old town and had lunch at the Rosegarten Restaurant at the top of the hill. We continued our stroll across the Aare and through the old town. Along the way, we visited the famous "Bernese Bear" which is housed in a large pit at the river's edge. "Ba(umlaut)rn means "bear". The duke who created the city in the late 12th century decided to give it the name of the first animal killed on his hunt in the area. The bear is also featured on the canton's flag. Frankly, the bear looked bedraggled and both looked and was imprisoned. Poor bear! Although Bern's old town is very commercial, the highlight is the 15th to 17th century clock tower, where mechanized figurines put on a little performance every hour.
Speaking of clocks, I also visited Zurich's very interesting clock and watch museum. Actually, it's the Beyer family's private collection. Clocks and watches from ancient times until the 20th century are on display. Some are extremely ornate, while others are noteworthy in their simple precision. No, folks, there are no Casio digital watches in the collection!
It has been wonderful having guests, despite the extra laundry and cleaning chores, and we look forward to Sara's arrival tonight. Abroad since the end of August 2008, she is stopping in Zurich to sleep and do laundry. We will accept as much parent-daughter bonding as Sara is willing to offer, and visa versa.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Back to Blogging
Long time, no blog entries. Guests, skiing, and more guests have interfered, but certainly not unpleasantly. Indeed, we had delightful visits from one of Henry's sisters and two brothers-in-law, and I had three more good skiing days at Davos/Klosters.
Janice and Neil drove down from Berlin for a few days, where they have been visiting Janice's son, Ben. Any guests staying with us in Zurich for more than a day are treated to our "hausgemachte" fondue, served right from the stove (due to our lack of a fondue pot), and Janice and Neil were no exception. We have become regulars at the Mom and Pop cheese, wine, and mini-grocery store just up the street from our apartment. Henry and I are known to the owners as the couple that loves cheese fondue. While they grate and mix the number of grams of fondue cheese we want, we chat about this and that in an assortment of English, French, and German. In the process, I found out, for example, that Mom (of Mom and Pop) was a ski racer in her youth. Mom also makes wine recommendations and gives tastes from their array of cheeses. Generally, we leave the shop with our fondue mix, fondue wine, fondue bread, fondue garlic, and a fresh apple tossed in by Mom for her good customers.
Fortified by the fondue, Janice, Neil, Henry and I left the next morning for a lovely drive to Luzern and its wooden, covered bridges. We then drove along the edge of the Viervalstatter See (the lake at which Luzern sits), with striking mountain panoramas at every turn. Using a GPS, we were guided to the parking lot below the cable car that would take us to the mountain village/ski area at Stoos. As we entered the parking lot, the ever reliable GPS voice directed us to "now, take the ferry!" In a manner of speaking, the cable car "ferried" us up to Stoos. From there, we were afforded outstanding views of the mountain ranges surrounding us and a lunch of tagesuppe and the local brew on tap. One can rarely go wrong with that combination--company included!
Having the car certainly gave us flexibility in our excursion, but upon our return to Zurich, we were reminded of the reasons why many city folk do not own cars and they manage quite well with public transportation and plain old "fuss" power. We got stuck in rush hour traffic as we approached Zurich and then could not find a legal parking space (i.e., having a daily parking permit, which we had, and parking only within the blue lines painted here and there along the street--we've seen parking tickets on cars just inches outside the blue lines). Neil solved the latter problem by parking illegally in the alley next to our building, then watching from our apartment and sounding an alarm the moment he saw a driver heading toward one of the cars legally parked nearby. He rushed out to his car, yelling at Janice to come outside and stand in the now empty space to prevent any other cars from slithering in ahead of him. Janice saved the day (or at least the parking space) as Neil maneuvered in reverse to secure the space just ahead of another driver facing the same predicament. Now, whenever I see an empty parking space in front of our apartment, I want to contact Neil and Janice and watch them repeat their seamless performance!
No sooner did Janice and Neil leave (and laundry done) when brother-in-law Alan arrived for an overnight stay before returning to Berkeley. We were lucky with another mostly sunny day as we took Alan, via the funicular Rigiblick, for a hillside view of Zurich, the Zurich See and environs, and a pleasant walk home. We later discovered that Jimmy's Pizzeria, not very Swiss-sounding, but just a block away from our apartment, served very good food!
In a fashion reminiscent of Henry's and my years of heading off in different directions, just hours after Alan left for San Francisco, I took the train to Klosters Dorf and Henry flew to Vienna for a meeting. I lucked out with my choice of hotels and my timing of this ski adventure. As part of its service to its guests, the hotel offers a ski guide on Mondays and Tuesdays--the first two days of my three-day ski trip. Four of us (three gents--Brit, German, and Swiss--and me) signed on to ski with the guide. We skied together, without the guide, for the third day as well. With the exception of the guide, Ina, who skied like every run was a slalom race course (she had practice at Taos Ski Valley, having spent a high school year in Clovis, New Mexico, on an exchange program), we all skied at about the same level. Technique-wise, I was probably the best of the four (certainly on the few bumps we found), but the others had far more success keeping within seeing distance of Ina, even though two of them were 10-15 years my senior! Although I ate my meals with the Brit, whom I met when we were picked up at the train station by the hotel shuttle upon our initial arrival in Klosters Dorf, I took advantage of the many opportunities I had to speak German. I enjoyed chatting in German with the reception desk staff and with my German and Swiss skiing partners. The German, a dentist who grew up in what used to be East Germany (and dreaded studying Russian as the mandatory second language in school), spoke limited English. Although he insisted that my German was better than his English, we managed to communicate well enough. In any event, at the fast pace at which Ina skied, we managed to ski two of the five Davos/Klosters ski areas--Parsenn (by far the largest and having the best access from Klosters) and Jakobshorn (accessible from Davos). Among the highlights was the stop for spiked coffee (and in my case, hot chocolate) at one of the several mountain restaurants on our ski to the back door of our hotel. Another highlight was our tour through the igloo hotel on the slope near the top of Parsenn. No joke--you can spend between 150 and 500 Swiss Francs a night for the pleasure of staying in an igloo (sleeping bags and throne shaped (with snow) portable toilets included). Sauna, fondue dinner, and mulled wine are also offered. Our visit to Jakobshorn (reached by bus or train) confirmed the wisdom of my decision to stay in Klosters Dorf. Davos is a real city and has lost its mountain village quaintness. Not a big late-night carouser, I did not miss the see and be seen scene! We skied Parsenn again on the third day, but finished off with the 12km run from the top of the Parsenn area down to the village of Kublis, a 20-minute train ride from Klosters Dorf. Two more observation from my skiing trip which have nothing to do with skiing--A popular expression was "Merci, vielmals," a combination of French and German, meaning thank you very much. I suppose this is in recognition of the multi-lingual Swiss society. Also, one of the hotel receptionists remarked that she could understand my English better than my Brit associate's English. It must be because I have an English accent (inside joke for those of you who have seen the movie, Princess Bride!).
Before I get more behind on my blogging, I'm posting now, and will update further at a later date.
Janice and Neil drove down from Berlin for a few days, where they have been visiting Janice's son, Ben. Any guests staying with us in Zurich for more than a day are treated to our "hausgemachte" fondue, served right from the stove (due to our lack of a fondue pot), and Janice and Neil were no exception. We have become regulars at the Mom and Pop cheese, wine, and mini-grocery store just up the street from our apartment. Henry and I are known to the owners as the couple that loves cheese fondue. While they grate and mix the number of grams of fondue cheese we want, we chat about this and that in an assortment of English, French, and German. In the process, I found out, for example, that Mom (of Mom and Pop) was a ski racer in her youth. Mom also makes wine recommendations and gives tastes from their array of cheeses. Generally, we leave the shop with our fondue mix, fondue wine, fondue bread, fondue garlic, and a fresh apple tossed in by Mom for her good customers.
Fortified by the fondue, Janice, Neil, Henry and I left the next morning for a lovely drive to Luzern and its wooden, covered bridges. We then drove along the edge of the Viervalstatter See (the lake at which Luzern sits), with striking mountain panoramas at every turn. Using a GPS, we were guided to the parking lot below the cable car that would take us to the mountain village/ski area at Stoos. As we entered the parking lot, the ever reliable GPS voice directed us to "now, take the ferry!" In a manner of speaking, the cable car "ferried" us up to Stoos. From there, we were afforded outstanding views of the mountain ranges surrounding us and a lunch of tagesuppe and the local brew on tap. One can rarely go wrong with that combination--company included!
Having the car certainly gave us flexibility in our excursion, but upon our return to Zurich, we were reminded of the reasons why many city folk do not own cars and they manage quite well with public transportation and plain old "fuss" power. We got stuck in rush hour traffic as we approached Zurich and then could not find a legal parking space (i.e., having a daily parking permit, which we had, and parking only within the blue lines painted here and there along the street--we've seen parking tickets on cars just inches outside the blue lines). Neil solved the latter problem by parking illegally in the alley next to our building, then watching from our apartment and sounding an alarm the moment he saw a driver heading toward one of the cars legally parked nearby. He rushed out to his car, yelling at Janice to come outside and stand in the now empty space to prevent any other cars from slithering in ahead of him. Janice saved the day (or at least the parking space) as Neil maneuvered in reverse to secure the space just ahead of another driver facing the same predicament. Now, whenever I see an empty parking space in front of our apartment, I want to contact Neil and Janice and watch them repeat their seamless performance!
No sooner did Janice and Neil leave (and laundry done) when brother-in-law Alan arrived for an overnight stay before returning to Berkeley. We were lucky with another mostly sunny day as we took Alan, via the funicular Rigiblick, for a hillside view of Zurich, the Zurich See and environs, and a pleasant walk home. We later discovered that Jimmy's Pizzeria, not very Swiss-sounding, but just a block away from our apartment, served very good food!
In a fashion reminiscent of Henry's and my years of heading off in different directions, just hours after Alan left for San Francisco, I took the train to Klosters Dorf and Henry flew to Vienna for a meeting. I lucked out with my choice of hotels and my timing of this ski adventure. As part of its service to its guests, the hotel offers a ski guide on Mondays and Tuesdays--the first two days of my three-day ski trip. Four of us (three gents--Brit, German, and Swiss--and me) signed on to ski with the guide. We skied together, without the guide, for the third day as well. With the exception of the guide, Ina, who skied like every run was a slalom race course (she had practice at Taos Ski Valley, having spent a high school year in Clovis, New Mexico, on an exchange program), we all skied at about the same level. Technique-wise, I was probably the best of the four (certainly on the few bumps we found), but the others had far more success keeping within seeing distance of Ina, even though two of them were 10-15 years my senior! Although I ate my meals with the Brit, whom I met when we were picked up at the train station by the hotel shuttle upon our initial arrival in Klosters Dorf, I took advantage of the many opportunities I had to speak German. I enjoyed chatting in German with the reception desk staff and with my German and Swiss skiing partners. The German, a dentist who grew up in what used to be East Germany (and dreaded studying Russian as the mandatory second language in school), spoke limited English. Although he insisted that my German was better than his English, we managed to communicate well enough. In any event, at the fast pace at which Ina skied, we managed to ski two of the five Davos/Klosters ski areas--Parsenn (by far the largest and having the best access from Klosters) and Jakobshorn (accessible from Davos). Among the highlights was the stop for spiked coffee (and in my case, hot chocolate) at one of the several mountain restaurants on our ski to the back door of our hotel. Another highlight was our tour through the igloo hotel on the slope near the top of Parsenn. No joke--you can spend between 150 and 500 Swiss Francs a night for the pleasure of staying in an igloo (sleeping bags and throne shaped (with snow) portable toilets included). Sauna, fondue dinner, and mulled wine are also offered. Our visit to Jakobshorn (reached by bus or train) confirmed the wisdom of my decision to stay in Klosters Dorf. Davos is a real city and has lost its mountain village quaintness. Not a big late-night carouser, I did not miss the see and be seen scene! We skied Parsenn again on the third day, but finished off with the 12km run from the top of the Parsenn area down to the village of Kublis, a 20-minute train ride from Klosters Dorf. Two more observation from my skiing trip which have nothing to do with skiing--A popular expression was "Merci, vielmals," a combination of French and German, meaning thank you very much. I suppose this is in recognition of the multi-lingual Swiss society. Also, one of the hotel receptionists remarked that she could understand my English better than my Brit associate's English. It must be because I have an English accent (inside joke for those of you who have seen the movie, Princess Bride!).
Before I get more behind on my blogging, I'm posting now, and will update further at a later date.
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