Solothurn

There are some mountains just south of Basel, the Jura. You may have heard of the word jurassic? That's because they found dinosaurs in them there hills. Anyway, today I didn't visit them. I went a little bit south (via Olten) to visit Katie, who is an assistant in Solothurn.

It's not a big city. Nor a big town by UK standards if we're honest. But it is really nice to look at. It's prevailing theme is "baroque" and the streets are lined with beautiful houses and churches, all set up against the Aare.

As it's still Advent, we spent the time wandering around and drinking Glühwein. What else would we do? We have made more energetic plans to visit the Jura once the snow goes away...

Weihnachtsgebäck

A Brit abroad will do a lot to recreate that special feeling of being on home soil for the run-up to Christmas. This Brit may have spent his time happily downing a lot of Glühwein and stuffing his face with Zimtsterne, but there's a little piece of home that has been missing.

Fortunately, M was here for the past three weeks and brought a lot of British loot in his suitcase, like sweets, converse, stuffing mix and mincemeat. Oh yes, you read the last two correctly. Yesterday is was freezing cold again in Basel and the fairy cake tin I bought from Migros almost froze to my hand on the walk home, but the afternoon was spent quite happily baking mince pies and listening to Christmas music on the 'tube.

The reaction to one of my favourite foods was expectedly strange. I can't help but feel that English food tends to have a strange taste to it- think of mincemeat and brown sauce, for example. I once read that in the past British cooks would happily mix sweet and savoury flavours (like the do in North African cuisine now). Anyway, my housemates didn't come across as convinced by mincepies. I wouldn't mind, but on Monday I'm cooking a Christmas dinner with most of the trimmings, and there's a Christmas Cake for dessert... Hopefully they'll be too drunk by then.

Bären in Bern

My time in Switzerland is plodding on slowly towards the Christmas holidays. Aside from dodging the rain that has now replaced the snow, my days have consisted largely of taking language notes on presentations at work and showing clips of Cheryl Cole to show the students how geordies should sound.

Yesterday we decided to go on another daytrip and caught the train south to Bern, the federal capital. Of course we looked at things like the Swiss parliament buildings and the river Aare, and strolled around the Old Town. But there was another aim to our trip: the Bärengraben, or bear pit, for the bear is the animal after which Bern is named (incidentally, so is Berlin). So we wandered down not expecting much but saw one of the bears, and can safely say we know the answer to the age-old question, because there wasn't any woods.

Frankreich

Yesterday morning as I was eating breakfast before work I got a text from one of the other asistants, asking if I wanted to go to Colmar in France to be Christmassy for the day. As the festivities are edging ever closer and France is a lot cheaper than Switzerland, M and I headed up on the train a few hours later.

To be honest, most (/all) or our time was spent drinking vin chaud as it was only 2€ a cup rather than 5chf (3 pounds) at cheapest. I also got to try the previously unknown mulled white wine. This was also delicious. Unfortunately, plans to buy cheese and meat and wine for today were scuppered because we were too tipsy to remember to go to a shop. Oh well. It was a fun day, and we certainly felt a bit more Christmassy on the train home last night.

Schnee

Whilst it may seem to some of you as though this has recently been a weather blog, I assure you that we do more here than talk about the weather. Or not. Late last week the first snows hit Basel and Saturday was spent sheltering from a blizzard. Some of the snow is still here, though hasn't become the slush that it would have were this England. There's more set to follow. Whilst you all may have snow in your respective locations too, not many of you also have Glühwein on tap like we now do here in Switzerland. It sucks to be yous.

Das Wetter II

So, it seems we're on the cusp of a change, weather-wise. When I first came to Basel, way back in July, the temperature was in the high twenties/early thirties most of the day and you could do very little outside. By the end of September it had started to drop, though last weekend it topped a wonderful 18c. These days may be over for 2010, as the image of the forecaste above from this morning shows.

Wir Sind Helden

This week a very special Welsh lass visited me in Basel. Chiefly to go to a gig, but also to sign off and mosey around Switzerland for a few days. After meeting her on Monday and leaving her to go to work, we journeyed to Zürich on tuesday ridiculously hungover from the day before, to see the German band Wir Sind Helden. We've both seen them before. They were brilliant. The room we were in was probably the smallest place I've seen a gig, and they played for almost two hours. One of my favourite songs was their last. Awesome.

The rest of her stay we spent in cafés, not understanding Swiss, going to the border, cooking for my flat, cowering from the hated corporate type and laughing more than I have in a long time. I saw her off this evening and am now shattered from the visit and having to get up early for work. Life is so hard.

Rivella

Anyone who has been lucky enough to visit Helvetica will no doubt have seen bottles of the mysterious looking beverage pictured above. It is, as the name suggests, Rivella, one of the great, Swiss enigmas. It's taste is hard to describe- whilst my friend and I were investigating it, the best reply we got was that "red is the original". Good to know, but not very helpful.

One day, not so long ago, I took the plunge and tried the blue variety (diet Rivella). It was strange, almost like watered down red bull mixed with apple juice. Suprisingly refreshing. But woe! After drinking a whole bottle of red, my stomach revolted. "Why?" I hear you ask. Let me explain. One of the main ingredients in this strange concoction is Milchserum, or whey. It seems my increasing intolerance of lactose stretches even to Rivella. There is little to no hope of me
eating either Raclette or Fondue whilest I'm here.

Fortunately, the smart folks over at Rivella have developed yellow Rivella, which is made from soy bean serum and is not only suitable for vegans, but is also lactose-free. Huzzah. My occasional strayings from my usual soft-drink of choice (Coke Zero) can now include Rivella.

Give it a go. I dare you.

Waffenstillstand

Today is Armistice Day in the UK, and many of you may have paused at 11am for two minutes of silence to mark the day. There are no doubt thousands of poppies being worn across the land, in a variety of different colours. And that woman (what's on wor stamps n monies) will have led a memorial service in London town.

Here it's a different story. The last war Switzerland actively took part in was back in the C19th, and the country has been neutral since 1815 (one year less than Sweden). So today there have been no poppies, no silences and no memorials. The First World War simply didn't happen here, and life continued as normally as it could. As it does today.

Infamie

So my housemate Aeschi So.* works for the Solothurner Zeitung and has involved himself in such activities as collecting branded tissues, distributing tote bags, reviewing train stations and discovering a scandal that rocked the foundations of the Miss Solothurn competition. Sometimes, he gets to cover court cases. As part of his job as a journalist, Aeschi has to protect the identities of those concerned by inventing pseudonyms that appear in the newspaper. So it was with great pleasure that I found a certain Richard M. appearing in an article about a recent court case. I just wonder how he comes up with the new names...

*Names changed by the editors.

Demokratie

Switzerland is (apparently) one of the most directly democratic countries on earth. What this means in theory is that every Swiss citizen has the right to vote on any number of issues- from shop opening times to the infamous minaret ban. In practise this often allows the mob, rather than common sense, to vote on any number of issues- from shop opening times...

Since being here there have been several referenda in Basel Stadt, my lovely home-canton (not that that's a real thing), and shortly there will be one nation-wide: Eidgenössische Volksinitiative «für die Ausschaffung krimineller Ausländer (Ausschaffungsinitiative)» Or, whether foreign criminals should be expelled from the Confederation.

The whole thing has drawn discussion from all sides. Those who support the original proposal of the SVP (Swiss People's Party), the alternative proposal of the federal council which is seeking to limit the extent of the law, and those who oppose both the proposal and the alternative.

The outcome is of great interest to me- not because I intend to commit any crimes, but also to see how the world will react if (as is likely) the SVP-backed proposal is voted in. Either way, I won't have to see the posters expressing support for the proposal once the vote has taken place. They're just too sinister:

"Creating safety"

Genf

Yesterday I journeyed south with M on my second visit to Romandie. Our destination: Geneva. Despite the struggles of an early rise (for a Saturday), we were soon on the 0903 train from Basel SBB and rolled up just under three hours later.

We first had some lunch and then wandered down to the lake to see the famous fountain. It was massive. Then we walked into the old town and just ambled up and down the streets, basking in the 17c sunshine. This was, of course, very conductive to sitting on a terrace drinking beer, and it doesn't take us long to jump at such an opportunity. More wandering was followed by more beer and Chinese food, before we got the train back up to the NW.

It was a great day, even if I didn't understand a word of what was going on around me. But who wants to speak French, anyway?

Die Eltern und die Herbstmesse

So it's been just over a week since my parents went back to Blighty after their first taste of Switzerland. I met them on Sunday in Zürich and spent the afternoon there, and on Monday we journeyed to Lucerne in hope of clear skies and stunning alpine vistas stretching out before us from the top of Mt. Pilatus. How wrong we were. Despite fog, cloud and lots of cold rain, we still had a wonderful day, and my parents seemed to enjoy it.

The next two, oh wait, three days of their visit were spent in Basel. I had work on some of the days, so they were partly left to their own devices, but generally we wandered around the city in the sun, taking in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Herbstmesse. This is Basel's autumn fair, and has been held every autumn for over 500 years. Impressive. It involves rides, food stalls and people selling their handicrafts. It draws lots of people. But there's something tempting about wandering through Petersplatz munching on one of many foods on offer, with the knowledge that your housemates are annoyed at how long it takes them to get to uni... but realy. Crowds aside, it was quite fun.

And now my parents are safely back in England and the weather has turned. I think winter's fast approaching...

Heidelberg

So my parents (hello!) have been and gone, and I shall update about their visit in the morning. Today I shall share the joy of Hallowe'en with you all. Yesterday I journeyed up to Heidelberg, in Germany, to stay with two friends from Sheffield. Rather than engaging in sight-seeing, my fleeting visit featured such activities as panic-buying wigs in Claire's Accesories because we still needed costumes, buying a lot of Bullit energy drink to mix with our Bojerow andGorbatschow vodka, only eating two-and-a-half hotdogs (cold from the jar for dinner) because we were too scared to go into a kitchen full of people speaking French, being the only people aside from some Americans who were wearing costumes at a Hallowe'en party in a club, and dancing the night away despite this. Today was, of course, spent mainly trying to function as normal people. On the whole we failed.

Vitra

So when I registered I was given a rather handy book of vouchers, covering everything from a free ferry ride over the Rhein to two free glasses of bubbly at one of the theatres in town. Rather good value considering the 25 francs they charged me for the, admittedly handy, piece of paper I got. As M is visiting, we have been taking advantage of the free museum entry this book has given us, and have been to the Foundation Beyeler, Museum Tinguely and the Vitra Design Museum. They have all been interesting and are completely different to one another. After looking at the various models and designs of buildings around the world in the Vitra Museum, M and I did the only thing two people used to the high prices of the Confederation can do. We went shopping, and lugged sweets, detergent and booze back over the border. Cheers.

Luxemburgerli

Once again, M is visiting me here in the confederation. We decided to take a little trip today and, armed with his new rail card, we rolled up to Zürich on the 1307 train. It was cold. It was wet. Most cafés were full. However, we did have a pleasant afternoon wandering around the city and popping in and out of different places, if only to stay as warm as possible.

As we were in Züri, we (well, I) decided that we should pop along to Sprüngli and pick up a box of their famous, melt-in-yer-mouth Luxemburgerli. They are delicious. We have a rather tasty night ahead...

Auf dem Thunersee

Another month, another lake. Or so it seems. From Monday until yesterday I had two visitors from the wastes that lie north of the border. Catherine and Lukas had decided to pop in to Basel on their Eurotrip, and I had something a little bit special for us to do. One of my teachers had given me three vouchers for an heavily reduced day pass on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, the lakes that flank Interlaken up in the Bernese Oberland. We decided to head south and, after buying the vingnette to drive on the Autobahn, rolled up in Thun an hour so later. We sailed along the lake, basking in the sun and soaking in the beauty of the Alps, looming to the south. The whole journey lasted about two hours, giving us enough time to have a beer in Interlaken before heading back to Basel (via. Germany for a cheap Chinese take-away). Merci!

Ausländerausweis

To live in Switzerland as a foreignor you have to jump through suprisingly few hoops. I opened my bank account without a fixed address, and despite having fourteen days to register and doing so on my thirty-third in the Eidgenossenschaft, I didn't have to pay any kind of fine. Yesterday there was a letter waiting for me on the kitchen counter (because I left the house on Sunday to sellotape my name to the letter box downstairs), containing my permit to remain. I do, however, have to get out once the last minutes of 31.7.2011 have ticked by...

Ostschweiz

Switzerland is an odd little place. It takes about two or three hours to get from one edge of the country (say, Basel) to another (Lausanne, Lugano), where it is often completely different. To take advantage of what may have been my last chance for a long time to travel for a couple of days, I headed to the third edge of Switzerland, to Sargans in St. Gallen, to visit my friend Becky.

It's a nice little town not too far from Austria and Liechtenstein, surrounded by mountains and lakes and vinyards. We took an evening stroll up to the castle and enjoyed the views over the borders before wandering back through the old town to Becky's house, where we enjoyed a delicious curry and drank a little too much wine.

However, life in Ostschweiz isn't as peaceful as one might think; the afternoon was punctuated at regular intervals by a chaotic din, coming first from a distance and then from right outside of the house. It was the local herders moving their cows to and from a show. The cacophony was the product of the lowing of the cattle, the hammer of sticks to keep them in line and the rattling of the bells tied around the cows' necks. Perhaps one of the most Swiss things I have seen since coming to Switzerland...

Wohngemeinschaft

Not pictures of the whole flat, but of my room. Today at around 1600 the IKEA men rolled up outside and delivered my furnature for me. The matress and wardrobe, and the bookcase I didn't pay for are now set up and full of my stuff. It feels good to not only have a proper matress, but to be unpacked after leaving Hartlepool on the 8th of August. There is a slight worry that all of my diy-ing was of substandard quality and that I might wake up like I did that fateful morning in Utrecht, but I might be lucky...

Südschweiz

Lugano and the Festa d'Autunno

This weekend I journeyed south with two other assistants, to the Italian-speaking canton, Ticino. The train was direct from Basel and wound through the mountains down to Lugano, where it seems an autumnal wine festival was taking place. We spent our time sautering around the town, gazing across the lake, eating ice cream and sipping beer. The atmosphere was so nice and everyone was really friendly and out-going. It made me want to learn Italian.

Lago Maggiore, Locarno

After a night of sleep in a rather cosy hostel room, we headed on to Locarno, where my fellow assistants took part in an 8km power walk. I couldn't go along because of the continuing problems involving the Maestro, so I took myself and Anna Karenina off to various cafés, where I occupied myseld until their return. We went for a walk along the lake and around the town before eating more pizza. However, we decided that we would rather kill the remaining four hours until train travel was free in another town.

Castelgrande, Bellinzona

We headed a bit further north to Bellinzona, which was on the train line back to home, but also has three castles looming above it. We went up to the one closest to the town, and explored the towers, walkways and crags. This is the view looking from a walkway back up to the main building, with the very atmospheric, mist-wreathed hills looming in the background.

Angemeldet

So on Friday I moved to my new flat after a month on the other side of the river. It involved three return trips by tram hauling my life across the city, and a fruitless visit to IKEA where my card was rejected because my bank had given me a 1chf limit on my card. Both the IKEA and bank issues have now been sorted, and tomorrow I should have some furniture to fill my room. Pictures to follow.

Of course, this also meant that I was able to register in Switzerland, and the little stamp above proves it. All I need to do now is wait for my Ausländerausweis L and I will be set, paperwork wise...

Daheim

Whilst technically not at home, I graced the shores of Blighty for a few short days this week. I flew out from Basel on Monday night and was met by M at Gatwick. We got the train to his house and spent the evening eating olives, bread and a selection of cheeses.

Tuesday dawned and was awesome. I went map shopping in Covent Garden and bought a map of the Jungfrau region, we ate sushi for lunch and then spent the evening watching Sister Act the Musical (sadly without Whoopie, but amazing nonetheless) and dining at Veraswami, said to be the oldest surviving Indian restaurant in the UK. The scallops I had for my starter were perfect and the curry that followed was one of the best I've ever eaten.

Yesterday was more relaxed and we spent in ambling around Oxford Street. I bought some much needed new jeans and fell in love with a cookbook titled "A Zombie Ate my Cupcake"; I don't know whether to start with the gingerbread graveyard cupcakes or the meringue bones with dipping 'blood'... Later we met with Leo (hoi mevrouw!) and her boyfriend in Camden for some booze en een beetje Nederlands and followed this with cocktails.

This morning I was a little bit worse for wear, but it didn't stop me from making my ten a.m. appointment to get my hair cut. The rest of the day was spent lazing around, searching for a wallet and a passport and eating sushi, before I flew Luton - Zürich and got the train back to Basel.

Tomorrow promises to be a busy day- I'm moving into a new flat.

Also, Grüezi to any readers who've stumbled here via Heidi's blog. I hope you enjoyed it...

Heisse Maroni in Luzern

So last night there was some talk of meeting up in Zürich for drinks with the other assistants but because of the trains it would have meant only being together for an hour, so we decided on a trip today, and at 1405 I stepped off the direct service to Lucerne. I met with two of the other assistants while I was there, and we spent the day wandering around and eating cake. Time well spent.

It was cold, but we walked along the edge of the lake and over the river a couple of times, taking in the two ancient bridges, and a walk along the battlements. Across the lake you could see the snow-topped peaks of Rigi and Pilatus looming in the clouds.


I also had my first taste of roasted chestnuts today (hence the title). The taste was strange but I liked it... unfortunately the Swiss apple-wine I tried wasn't as palatable.

Herbstferien

So today was the last day of school before the Herbstferien, and it really does feel more like autumn today than it has in the last week or so; the temperature has dropped, it has been raining and I could see my breath on the walk home. Autumn is my favourite season, and I hope it's a good one.

We (that is four of the English teachers and myself) celebrated finishing for the holidays by going for an Apéro after work today- a couple of beers, a bowl of bread with a dish of olives and cheese, and a platter of cured meats. The conversation was good, and they all gave me lots of tips of places to go in Swtizerland when my parents come, and in general.


On the way home I picked up some food from the Coop and decided to go for something different than the usual cans of beer. I haven't had any wine since I arrived here a month ago, and picked up a bottle of Swiss wysse wii, or white wine, from the Vaud. It's not bad... in fact, I rather like it. A good introduction to Swiss wine...

In den Bergen

"Interlaken itself is only of passing interest, with precious little to see or do..." is how my Rough Guide to Switzerland describes where I (or rather, the SBB) took myself yesterday. I'd finished work by 11am and was seized with a sense of adventure and the desire to see mountains and put my new railcard to use. Not too long later and I was sat on the 1301 train bound for Interlaken Ost. Why didn't I heed to warnings of my tourguide!?

It seems that there is "precious little" in Interlaken, and after wandering up and down the main street and having some food, I decided to walk behind the trainstation and along the Aare to the east. I'm glad I did, because the little path along the river opened up to the rather fetching Brienzersee. Unfortunately it started to get dusky and I headed back to the station to catch the first train after 7pm that I could (making my journey home free). I will go back, though, if only to walk along the bank of the lake a bit more. Interlaken can stay where it is.

Banking

So today at school I recieved several things. The first was my Swiss NI number. I can now boast a collection of three NI numbers in various places in Europe. The second (via my mentor teacher) was the four letters from the Basler Kantonalbank, which I signed up for last week. Not only does this mean that I have a Swiss account at the tender age of 22, it means that I CAN BE PAID. Huzzah. All I need to do now is pass on this info to my wonderful employer, and wait for the monies to come trickling in at the end of the month.

Im Ausland

Does it even qualify as being abroad when abroad is so close to home? Yesterday we took an afternoon walk to a bit of woodland just the otherside of the German-ran trainstation. It was really nice, with lots of little paths and a river running through it, and a cabin for a Stange of the local brew, Feldschlösschen, on the way home. Some of the woodland is on the border. We walked to and into Germany - my phone changed to a German network and everything - before heading back into town for a wander in the evening sunshine. I think I should walk to France soon, too...

Auf dem Genfersee

Yesterday I got up at an ungodly hour to meet some members of staff from my school in the SBB station and catch the 7.30 train down to Lausanne, on Lake Geneva. We arrived three hours and several changes later and first visited the Collection de l'Art Brut, which is a collection of outsider art, produced by those without contact with the art scene, inmates of prisons or assylums, and inculded such things as puppets made from bread, a drawing 12m tall and a wedding dress made using a sewing needle and bedsheets, unthreaded and knitted back together.

After lunch we travelled by boat along the lake to Vevey. It had been raining all morning but when we got out on the lake, the mountains and vinyards were wreathed in a blue mist and the whole thing was amazingly captivating. In a way, I'm glad it had been raining. Though I'd like to see the lake again in the glory of sunshine.

Then it was the train back to Basel after a quick look around Vevey, back to a city full of football fans. Fortunately things were a lot quieter here in Kleinbasel and we enjoyed a beer by the Kaserne before coming home.

Rheinfähre

In Basel there a four little ferries that go back and forth across the Rhine. One of them, the Leu, goes from below the Münster to the opposite bank, over here in Kleinbasel. Yesterday we took it before walking along the river to come home. It was so cool. Especially because they are powered solely by the river- the angle of the rudder is changed to push the boat back and forth, dragging it along a cable suspended above the water. I want to go again!

Die Wohnungsjagd ist Vorbei

Today I spent the day in Bern(e), but more on that later...

... I recieved an e-mail asking me if I wanted to be the new housemate in a WG I viewed last weekend. I have said yes.
I feel so relaxed right now. The whole stress of finding a room has just been lifted.

Anyway, I need to finish my celebratory beer and hit the hay. It seems I sometimes teach on Saturdays...

Basler Mehlsuppe

Some of you may know that I'm a fan of the old Beutelsuppe, so I was more than happy to give not only a new taste of soup, but one that is also related to my new home a try this afternoon. According to a new guidebook I bought today, it's traditionally served during the Basler Fasnacht, which is the city's carneval. Unfortunately, a soup made mainly from roasted wheat didn't really taste very nice, so I doubt I'll be giving this another go.

In other news, I bought my rail card today, giving me half-price fares and free travel after seven p.m. Also got my ticket to go off to Bern tomorrow for the induction day. It cost about 18 francs, which I think is quite bargainous, though I do have to catch a train at half seven tomorrow morning... not looking forward to that too much.

Also, seems I can't register, but today I went into a bank and asked what I'd need to open an account, and it seems I only need a passport. I will double check this, but it'd be great if it was true.

Week One

I arrived in Basel on Saturday and have spent my time variously eating, sleeping, drinking beer and viweing rooms. Still not got anything permanent but have a room for September (which I'm sat in now) so I feel a lot more relaxed about this whole venture.

First day of work was today- it went well. Staff seem nice and the school is easy to find your way around. Also discovered that I don't need a housing contract to get a residency permit. So I can go and register tomorrow and get an account set up over at the Basler Kantonalbank and wait for my monies to come trickling in.

It's so hot today.

To quote the dame...

"It's all just a little bit of history repeating"

So tomorrow's the 'big move'. I'm a little bit nervous and scared but overwhelmingly excited for the next ten months. I guess this is also where this blog actually comes in to its own?

Das Wetter

When M and I were in Basel on the rather fruitless househunting holiday the weather was scorching hot and despite spending most of my time sheltering from it under trees, I came back with a bit of one of those tan things. Though it did mean that I got to spend the evenings drinking beer by the Rhine. Fortunately it seems to have cooled down a bit there now, though. I did read that Basel has some of the hottest weather in Switzerland... I wonder what it'll be like in the winter. I'm hoping for a bit of snow. Not too much, just a light dusting. For photos and stuff, obviously.
I'm sure it's not only the English who talk so much about the weather..?

The date of arrival is coming ever closer. I am flying from Gatwick to Basel on the 28th. 'Til then, I'll be living it up in London town.

First Impressions

I spent four wonderful (and slightly melting) days in Basel last week. It seems to be a really nice city with lots of winding medieval streets with glimpses of the Rhine flowing down below. The trip was mostly filled with beer, walking, sitting by the river, dodging in and out of shops and filling in crosswords. The search for a flat wasn't so fruitful, but I have gotten over the low point and have started sending out e-mails again, so we shall see!

Tomorrow

I still need to pack. I have written down instructions telling me how to get to the rooms I'm going to look at. I have discovered that Swiss plugs might be different to how I thought they would be. Most importantly, though: there's a Vapiano in Basel!

Planning and Money

I guess not that much will be going on on here until I actually get to Switzerland, but today M and I sorted out some more stuff for our little sojourn to Basel on Sunday. We've printed out our tickets and boarding passes etc. and got some money changed over. Francs are very gaudy. My housemate described it as the "messiest currency I have ever seen". I don't know what I think about it...

Wohnungsjagd

I'm not really one to sleep on the streets and have decided that it would be best to start looking for a room in Basel. Emails have been sent. Emails have been recieved. I have talked on Skype to people... and yesterday M and I booked to go to the city for four days from the 27th of June so I can hunt around in person. Exciting times!

It'll be good to have a big of a look around the city, too. The only think we have decided to do (aside from look at rooms, obviously) is to swing by the zoo. They have three types of penguins! And snow leopards! And porcupines and lizards and jelly fish and llamas...

I also picked up the new edition of The Rough Guide to Switzerland today, too. The first thing listed as one of the "twenty-three things not to miss" is accompanied by a picture of a cow in a field... this might be a funny old year.

Introductions

So it seems that I have found myself almost at the end of my degree and I am about to face the world armed with a command of German (useful), Dutch (quite useful) and a rather in-depth knowledge of German literature since the Enlightenment (not very useful, but interesting nonetheless).

So what does one do armed with this and the previous experiences of living abroad limited to the North German Plain and a city that's a stone's throw from the Wadden Sea? One throws caution to the wind and takes up residence in the much more southern Cantons of Switzerland...

... this is what happens.