Geneve & France

Last night we got back from a lovely long weekend in France. We made a last minute decision to go and visit two friends from our time in Japan. One lives in Geneve, the other works in a ski resort in France.

After taking an evening train down, we spent a night in Geneve, wandered around the lake the following day, then took an afternoon train on to France.

The ski resort where our friend works is called La Rosiere, which is near Bourg Saint Maurice. We arrived there late at night because there had been an accident on the train tracks,  and then our train broke down. However, we made it in one piece and it was well worth the wait, as the next morning we woke up to this:
 

I took this photo from the lounge window of where we were staying. Our friend works in a ski shop and lives in the apartment above it. Not the worst view in the world is it?

The ski shop:

Here's a map with blue lines indicating the route we took (ignore the red lines)

I've never been skiing before, and being 3 months pregnant, this wasn't the time to start, but we did go snow shoeing, which was fun and the views were amazing. 

 We had a wonderful time here, it was very relaxing and the blue sky was incredible. Last night, after our long trip, we arrived back in Zurich and were greeted with more snow...just when we thought Spring might have been making an appearance. 

Next week I'm heading back to New Zealand for a short trip and then when I get back to Zurich, we move into our new place! Photos of both coming soon.

Street Parade in Oerlikon

This afternoon we went to another open home and decided to stop off for lunch and wander around the neighbourhood of Oerlikon. It turns out that was a clever idea, as we just happened to come across a street parade!











We're not sure what it was all about but there is a festival in Basel this week that sounds similar to what we saw. http://fasnacht.ch/?pm_1=21&mid=21

Here's a shaky video I took.



There were lots of children dressed up in costumes who were enjoying the festivities, and candy the people were throwing to them. We picked up a few treats that came flying our way too.







After the parade was over, everyone went into a square and lined up for sausages and bread rolls, while one of the bands continued to play.

I love that we're back in a country where you can stumble upon this kind of merriment!

First week in Zurich

Our first week in Zurich has come and gone and it's been a fairly successful one. We have a nice modern temporary apartment to call home for the next 2 months, Swiss bank accounts have been opened, applications for permits are in, and all that's left is to get health insurance sorted.

Today we did a self-guided walking tour of the old city. The green route below outlines where we walked. The yellow circle is ETH (hubby's work) and the black circle is just below where we are living. We have a tram stop 2 minutes from our apartment, and it takes about 10 minutes to get to ETH from there.

City view from ETH (click on photos to enlarge).

 

It was rather cold but we had plenty to look at to keep ourselves busy for 5 hours.

 

  

  

The excellent food also helped keep our minds off the cold. On the menu today was a sausage and bread, fries, a cheese tart and gluhwein. We followed that up with a look (only) at some tasty sweet shops.

 

 

Not a bad first outing for a couple of newbies. So far Zurich gets a big thumbs up from both of us. 

Panama & the final days in Atlanta

We had a very exciting and eventful 2 weeks in Panama and are now back in Atlanta getting ready for the move to Zurich.

We left for Panama on Dec 29 and had one week in Gamboa (near the canal) roaming around the jungle collecting ants for my husband's work. We went down with two young students from the university, and met up with an American couple who live down there and who helped us out with administration, collecting etc. They also showed us around Panama City and took us to a New Years Eve party and we became great friends and were very sorry to have to say goodbye at the end.

 

Our accommodation was simple but nice and it was just a short walk to everything (Gamboa is an extremely small town). In the mornings we would get ready and pack our lunches, then head off into the jungle. We saw many different animals including agoutis, howler monkeys, capuchins, otters, heaps of frogs including poison dart frogs, snakes, spiders and much more.

All in all, it was a wonderful time in Gamboa. The jungle was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, and having my 30th birthday in such a wonderful place was the icing on the cake.

After the collecting work was finished, we said goodbye to the couple and took the 2 students back to the airport and then continued on our way to the other side of Panama, near the Colombian border, to a group of islands called San Blas or Kuna Yala Comarca. This was our holiday part of the trip and our last chance to see some sun and warm weather for some time!

We stayed on a main island with the Kuna Yala people, in a dirt floor hut with no running water and a toilet that was a shack over the sea (you could see the fish swimming below!). The people fed us 3 meals a day and took us, in motorized canoes, to other small islands every day. All the islands we went to were inhabited by one or two families only. Some days there were lots of visitors, and other days we were the only ones there. Each of the islands we went to could be walked around in under 10 minutes, had beautiful clear water and white sand, and hammocks to lounge around in. The total cost per day for this great experience was 20USD. I challenge you to find an island paradise for less! Granted, I did get sick and ended up in hospital once back in Atlanta, but leave it to my delicate stomach to find fault with something. Anyhow, it was totally worth it, Panama is a beautiful country with so many things on offer & we were so lucky to have 5 days to ourselves, lying on a beautiful beach, discussing our future and the busy year ahead.

Now that we are back, the madness is creeping back in again. We have now moved twice since we left our house just before Christmas (a sewage problem caused us to pack up in a hurry and move out), and will be moving for a third (and final) time tomorrow. Fortunately we have some kind friends who have let us use their places while they have been away. Tomorrow we move in with a couple and their 1 year old son.

The good news is that I now have my re-entry permit for the States, which is designed to not cause problems because I'll be out of the country for a long period (green card holders aren't meant to live in other countries!) We also found out today that we have temporary accommodation lined up. It's only until the end of March unfortunately, so we'll have to get on to finding a permanent place very quickly. Otherwise, we're pretty much all packed and sorted and a count up at this stage shows 3 suitcases, 2 packs, 2 carry on, and 4 boxes. Not too bad for all our worldly possessions.

So, this may be good bye from Atlanta. We'll be able to get back in touch fairly quickly once we arrive in Zurich as the apartment has internet. Until then, take care and see you in Zurich sometime soon!

Things I'll miss, things I won't.

With 11 days left in our house, and the feeling of nostalgia creeping in,  I decided to create a short list of things I will and will not miss about America. I thought I would make a list now and then see if these things stay the same, or change, once we have been in Switzerland for a while. So here goes, in no particular order, 5 things I will miss:
1. The view from our house.
We have an empty lot across the street from us and it has provided many hours of wildlife watching from our lounge and dinning room.
2.  The wildlife.
Among my favourites are the Cardinals and Bluebirds but without a doubt the squirrels and
chipmunks weigh in at number 1, having provided so many hours of entertainment and
photography. Now before you think I'm off my rocker here, let me just say that in New Zealand the
only woodland friend you will find in your backyard is the occasional hedgehog. That's it. So when
I came to America and woke up to find little critters all over the place, I was, and still am, totally
taken by them.
3. Our friends and family.
Enough said. You guys will all be missed & I'm so grateful that I got to meet and spend time
with so many of you, and to see so many different places in the U.S. You now have a place to stay in
Zurich, take us up on it!
4. My kitchen.
Yes, I call it "my" kitchen. Many hours have been spent in it and I know I will be lucky to have one
half its size soon.
5. The weather.
I think Georgia will forever be a great place in my mind, simply because of the weather. I've never
lived anywhere with such beautiful and short winters. I am sure number 5 on my list will be missed
even more once we touch down in Zurich and find that Winter is not over by February!

Now for the things I will not miss. Again, in no particular order.
1. The water.
Ok, so maybe this is top of my list. So it's free at restaurants & is always topped up without you
having to ask, but frankly, it should be free. It's disgusting. I will happily pay the 5francs it costs in
restaurants in Switzerland if it is good clean water that has no smell or taste. Honestly, I will be
happy to pay!
2. Our landlords.
Anyone who's had more than 5 minutes of my time will have surely heard about our swimming pool
in the basement, if not, I'll save you a rant and simply say that I will not cry at not having to deal
with incompetent landlords (oh, fingers crossed we don't get a Swiss version).
3. Eating out.
Eating out in the States is not something we made a habit of, simply because the quality of the
food, the portion sizes and tipping, often make it not worth the belly ache (literally) and the money. I
know eating out will be expensive in Switzerland but I at least hope that these 3 things will not be an
issue.
4. Accessibility to shops.
I will not miss having to jump in the car every time I want to go more than a 1 mile radius of our
house. We loved having all sorts of shops at our finger tips when we lived in Japan, and are eager to
get back to that accessibility.
5. USCIS
For those of you who don't know what this joyful government department is, it is the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services. A place I know better than I would like. Of course my
journey with USCIS is far from over, but I will at least be taking a good year off from having to
deal with them (touching wood as I write).

So, there it is, my list of things that will and won't be missed. Do you have any stories of things you missed or didn't miss when you moved to a new country?

(P.S. I wanted to post some of my squirrel photos but due to technical difficulties I cannot. So instead, here are a few shots from some countries we have visited.)

Kyoto, Japan

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Kruger National Park, South Africa

Borobudur, Java, Indonesia

The Swiss adventure begins

Our move to Switzerland is beginning. Last week we handed in our notice to our landlord and this week I have started putting things in boxes. We leave for Zurich on January 31 but have a lot on before then. We have 3 weeks before my husband's brother and girlfriend arrive for Christmas, and 4 weeks before we move out of our house and go to Panama for a few weeks (for my husband's work & a vacation). Our last day in our house will be Tuesday December 29, which is the same day we leave for Panama, so we need to have everything packed/sold/ready for Zurich by then. The good news is that we have pre-sold all of our furniture (except for our bed) to a friend of ours, and have hopefully got a place to stay for a couple of weeks when we return to Atlanta in mid-January. The house is slowly transforming, with some rooms emptying out and others filling up with boxes.

We will also have to sell the Chrysler in January, saying goodbye to our American gas guzzling friend and hello to an excellent Swiss public transportation system, hoorah!

For now though, the beautiful Southern weather must be enjoyed and soaked up as much as possible because while we were getting sun burnt here just a few weeks ago, I see that snow and oh so low lows are the norm in Zurich right now.