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.