Travel Excitement

I still have a hard time believing it, but we have another week in Switzerland under our belts. Some days it feels like we have been here a long time, others like we're just on vacation...

We had a wonderful weekend recently! Although Friday was a little taxing for both of us. After CJ got home from work on Friday we headed out in search of IKEA. And we actually found it this time, so go us! Along the way we also finally figured out the bus system. In Zurich, public transportation is comprised of trains, trams, and buses. The bus was the last piece of the puzzle, and we figured out how they work... I think. But don't worry. Unlike taking the RTA in Cleveland, the well-maintained Zurich buses will not get you killed.

Once at IKEA we were again struck by the fact that we know NO German. Zippo. Luckily, we had used the U.S. IKEA website to try and narrow down our search. Plus we pretty much just walked through the entire store and looked at everything. Needless to say, we were in IKEA almost 4 HOURS?!?! Terrible. On the positive side, we had a very nice chicken nugget dinner (only 3 francs each!) with some apple pie for dessert.

Oh, did I mention we didn't even buy anything? But we did pick everything out. In order to have everything delivered on time, we have to use (not the IKEA delivery system) a guy IKEA contracts out with. Which means we can't order more than a day in advance. So, since we need our purchases delivered next Monday (moving day... YEAH!) we have to go back this Saturday (everything here is closed on Sundays). Oh well, this probably means more chicken nuggets!!

If I had to use one word to describe Saturday, it would be AWESOME! We went to Luzern (also sometimes spelled Lucerne). It was our first trip out of Zurich, and it couldn't have gone better!! Everything there was beautiful! And we had wonderful weather too!

We spent a lot of time walking around the city and Old Town. Some of their more famous sites include the Water Tower and Chapel Bridge which was built in 1333 and runs across the Reuss River.

Here is my favorite shot of the bridge:

Another of their most famous sites is the Dying Lion Monument. It is a monument to the Swiss Guard who were killed during the storming of the Tuilleries Palace in Paris during the French Revolution. It was a beautiful memorial.

Next we went to see the Nine Towers. They are a part of Musegg Wall and were built in 1386 as part of the rampart wall to protect the city. You can climb three of them... we only climbed the first one, and that was enough to early make me pass out! Ps. I am terrified (read: TERRIFIED) of heights! Here is a view from the ground (take my word... it was tall):

I almost had a panic attack thinking about climbing this...

CJ always knew that I was afraid of heights, but I don't think he ever saw it in action until Saturday. Anyways, here is the view from the top... which I obviously did NOT take.

After this, we took the train to Alpnachstad, where we caught the world's steepest cogwheel railcar up Mount Pilatus (7000 ft.)! I know, you're wondering how I survived this. But, I was still okay at this point because we were still essentially on the ground. Here is how we got up the mountain:

It sure was a beautiful view going up!!

At the top there were some trails you could take or places to eat. We took one trail to the very top... and I did not do so well here. I stayed safely away from the WOODEN railing that only went waist high! Did I mention there was a TON of snow up there that no one seemed concerned about? After walking through the mountain and having lunch we took the gondolas down the mountain. Much faster, and more terrifying. CJ thought it was funny I gripped the rail the whole way down! Halfway down we walked through the trails before going the rest of the way down the mountain and then back to Luzern.

Overall, a GREAT weekend. This weekend we will probably get out and see what Zurich has going on for Halloween... although I don't think it's much. Much more of an American holiday. But, I'll let you know! I'm off for now because it looks like a beautiful (and dry) day out! If you want to see the rest of the Luzern pictures, or any more from Zurich, you can go here:

MORE PICTURES :)

And I'll let everyone know how things go with the move!

First Weekend

So I got to Zurich on Wednesday, and already on Friday I had something to do. Friday I went to work with CJ for cultural awareness training. It was not so bad... really. At least the first half. The majority of the day we spent learning about the difference between the German-Swiss (who are apparently always on task) and the French-Swiss (who are not). Personally, I would have appreciated something a little more practical like how do you work the washing machine (see below), but what we did was good too I guess. The best part of the day was meeting a lot of really nice people who are in our same position. After the training we went out with everyone to a Mexican (yes, I said Mexican) restaurant for drinks and appetizers. It was really fun to have people to go out with again... especially ones who spoke English!

The rest of the weekend the weather was crappy! We were no match for the cold and rain without most of our winter clothing. CJ was looking a little chilly walking around in just his spring jacket. Also, I think he has only one sweater.

When we woke up Saturday we had to do laundry. Gone are the glorious days when I can walk into a room in our own apartment and wash a load while we go out. Here, our laundry is in the basement. I considered it a minor miracle that no one was already using it on a Saturday morning, so we paid our money (only 1 franc to wash and dry a load!) and gave it a shot. It is important to keep in mind that I cannot read German. None. Since the directions were also in French, I had a tiny hope of recognizing about half the words. It was a tough battle with the washing machine... I couldn't tell you which cycle we used. But, in the end, I got it to work!! You are probably thinking, wow, this girl is way too excited to be doing laundry. And you're right. But I guess it is the small victories for now. :)

After defeating the evil washer and dryer, we set out to explore more of Zurich. We went over to our new neighborhood in Oerlikon - Birchstrasse 145 (where we will FINALLY get to move in on November 2nd) to check out our new surroundings.

Here are a couple pictures of our new apartment building:

We are the middle set of windows. It's considered the first floor, but here, the ground floor and the first floor aren't the same. I will post pictures of the inside once we move in. Also, the best part of where we will be moving is how close it is to where CJ works (when he's in the office). This is a picture from right outside our new place, to show how close we are to PWC!

The rest of Saturday we spent walking around Oerlikon. We were very happy with the shopping center that is close by. And there are still a bunch of really cute streets with lots of shops closer to the heart of Oerlikon. We tried to make a trip to IKEA, but got lost. We may try and get there this weekend. We need to order some things for the new place, and are going to need to have them delivered.

We thought about going to Luzern on Sunday, but the weather had NOT improved. Here is what I mean:

We did walk around again a little closer to home, so I have some other pictures to share! I just love walking up and down all these old streets!!

Just Arrived

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my new blog. As I'm sure it will become obvious, I have never had a blog before. However, being newlyweds and moving to a new country together seemed like a good time to start one. I am going to try and keep everyone (especially our family and friends) updated on whatever we may be doing in Switzerland and around Europe by posting and adding lots of fun pictures. My flight over here went very smoothly, and even though it took eight hours, it didn't seem so bad. (That means everyone better start booking their flights to come visit!) CJ met me at the airport and we immediately started making all the necessary errands. I had to register with my new canon (which is the part of town in which you reside), fill out some paper work, and later we got to go look at our new, permanent apartment. I really like it, and will post pictures once we move in (after November 1st). Then we got to the good stuff... we walked around the city for a little bit. Not only is it extremely beautiful, and CLEAN, but they have some really expensive shopping (i.e. I bought nothing). Also, just so you all know, there were a TON of people wearing the boots that I wanted that CJ said were ugly... good thing I bought them before I came! :)

Here are some pictures of our new home:








CJ is my hero because he figured out a way for us to watch American tv, so I am going to leave you all for now. I will try to post some more pictures after this weekend... hopefully we will get to be out exploring even more!