Gruetzi, Zurich!

First off, let me say two things:

1. Happy Mothers' Day!

2. We've posted two blogs simultaneously, so make sure you go back one and read the one titled "Au Revoir, Luxembourg" before reading this one (or else things won't make sense).

So, we left off at leaving Luxembourg, right? Well, the drive down to Zurich (about 5 hours) was pretty uneventful until we got about 30 minutes from the border of Germany and Switzerland. I started hearing these strange "popping" noises as we were driving on the highway. Almost like it was starting to rain, but there weren't any clouds in the sky. Then I noticed that the windshield was getting harder and harder to see through...what the hell?

We drove through what must have been the highest concentration of bugs in the world at that particular moment. It was like a snow storm, only with these huge bugs. Honestly, I've never seen anything like it. I swear that one hit the windshield right in front of me and I could hear it yell "Ouch!" You should have seen my car once we stopped. In fact, you can...check out our pictures link above.

So we got to Zurich late in the evening of Thursday, April 26th. We decided to stay at our new apartment that evening even though we didn't really have any furniture. Ag had packed an overnight bag for us, with a shower curtain, toilet paper, towels, sheets, plates, food, beer, etc (basically the essentials). I had a feeling the movers would be there early Friday morning (they had said 8:30 or 9:00am) and I didn't want to stay at a hotel and then try to drive over to the new place in the morning…not knowing where exactly where we were going! So we camped out on the floor of our new bedroom and threw a DVD on the computer.

My inclination was right! The movers called Aggie's cell at 7:30am. They were out front and ready to move everything in if we were ready. Two hours later, the guys had the move complete. They did an excellent job and we were really pleased with their services.

I had taken a few days off and since Tuesday, May 1st was a holiday here in Zurich, I was starting work on Wednesday, May 2nd. Therefore, from Friday till Tuesday, Ag and I just really enjoyed each other's company, put together furniture (oh, did we ever!), explored the city, etc. It was such a wonderful feeling not having any worries and just relaxing with Aggie that when my first day rolled around, it was hard to get out of bed!

So, we have now been here for 2 weeks. Hands down, we love our apartment. We met our land lady (Frau Gschwend) and I'm pretty sure she owns this building (an old, renovated mansion) and just collects rent and hangs out. She's got a fake orange tan, an Italian guy that seems to hang out with her and do odd jobs around the place (we think he's her Italian Stalion), and Ag swears that her eyeliner is tattooed on her face, but all in all she seems nice. As of now, we've gotten all of our furniture put together, the TV and internet set up (although we're having some technical difficulties every now and then) and the bed delivered and assembled. The only thing left is that we haven't gotten our couch yet. Once that happens, we'll be all set.

We really like the city and feel it's going to have lots of opportunities for us….work wise and activity wise. There are lots of things to do and places to see. The bike path along the lake (not to mention the lake itself) is beautiful. Snow capped mountains are in the background and on clear days they look unbelievable. There are always lots of people walking around near the lake and surrounding areas, and the beach is really close to our place too. Plus, there are quite a few parks around for lounging around, playing volleyball, etc.

The public transportation here is excellent, with a mixture of trams, buses, and ferry boats all put to good use (I'm debating on whether or not I really need my car). Everything is really clean and efficient. The only bad thing is that we live on the top of a fairly steep hill, so to get home from the tram stop outside our place is on par with summiting a small mountain! We've decided that unless you are part Billy Goat, there's no way to avoid being winded by the time you get home.

They are recycling nuts here and really, you don't have a choice but to recycle. Let me explain. To throw anything away in the trash you have to use a Zuri Sack. A Zuri Sack is a trash bag that you purchase at the counter from the cashier at the grocery store. The bags come in three sizes and your trash can only be disposed in these bags. If you use other bags, you will be found and they will fine you. (Apparently, our friends say, they will go through your trash and look for mail with your name on it so they can send you a fine!) In a Zuri Sack packet, there are 10 bags and they cost 20 CHF….that is about $16 USD, people! As I have said, it forces you to recycle….

Work is going well so far (knock on wood!). I am happy with the setup and everyone seems to be alright. Everything is handled in English so I definitely feel I am in the loop on things which is a major plus. We'll see...I've only been here a week, so no one has really given me anything important to do yet.

This place is amazing, but it's extremely expensive. We went out to a Mexican joint for Cinco de Mayo last Saturday and had 4 Coronas with dinner. Normal size beer bottles that you would get in the States. The alcohol on our tab was 30CHF…basically $6.25 for one beer. NUTS! The grocery store isn't much better but Aggie is working some magic and finding ways to save….we will be eating tuna meatballs instead of real meat balls. A pound of meat is anywhere from $12-13USD and chicken is just as expensive…pork and turkey seem to be a little bit more affordable. So, we'll make some slight adjustments and see how things work out.

This weekend we are planning on going to a Cheese Festival about 1.5 hours outside of Zurich. We have heard these are fun things to attend as the cheese is a bit cheaper and even more fresh and delicious than in the stores.

So that's it from our end for now. Until next time, auf Wiedersehen!