day tripper

So today I went to the alps. Tanja and Michael came up with this great idea: we could take a train to another town and catch the ferry (the ferry and the train station are next door to each other, conveniently), take the ferry through a section of the alps to Lucerne, walk around Lucerne, and then take the train back to Zurich. Then we planned to have a rooftop barbecue for dinner back in Zurich with our friend Nicola.

Being -- you know -- foreign, I wondered if it was possible to do so many things in one day, and without a lot of hassle, and still have time to do a roofdeck barbecue that night. Indeed, there was no hassle at all. We walked in the morning to the train station in Zurich at a leisurely hour -- 10 a.m. -- and I bought a ticket for the whole day: the train (both ways) and the 3-hour boat ride, which came to 82 Swiss francs. And after a day of adventuring, we were back in time in Zurich to make a barbecue on the rooftop, and we did.

Now, mind you, if in the USA there was such an offering like this: you know, a comfortable train, a 3-hour ferry ride, alps, medieval town to walk through at the end, etc. -- it would be a huge hassle. You'd probably have to order tickets through Ticketmaster weeks in advance, stand in long queues for hours, drive in horrible traffic, go through a metal detector, get served hot dogs and stale pizza on the ferry if you were lucky, and then be greeted by horrible knick knack shops and beggars and people dressed like Heidi trying to sell you plastic Matterhorns. But it wasn't like this at all. It was really, really cool...

The ferry was indeed a 3-hour drive on Lake Lucerne, and through the alps, or some of them. It wasn't crowded....there were plenty of people, but not a mob scene. And the ferry stopped many times along the way in tiny alpine villages where people hopped on board to go to Lucerne. Each of these villages had features that made them seem really interesting to visit: you could ferry to them, or train to them for an evening (dinner) or a longer visit in a hotel on the lake. And these hotels looked splendid in a very elegant and distinctly European kind of way. These kinds of getaways are entirely do-able if you live there.

In addition, the ferry had a restaurant where we were served wine and salad and strong cheeses and ham and so on...it was affordable and good. There was an outside deck where we could look at the scenery, or we could sit inside. It was a great day for someone like me, who likes trains and boats.

Then we arrived in Lucerne. I'd never been there before. Villages like this must have been the inspiration for Walt Disney, who made a fortune from building fake castles.

Totally cool city. We walked across the ancient wooden bridge and along the lake front, where --like any European city with a waterfront-- restaurant after restaurant served people at tables outside, right along the water. After we walked through old town for awhile, we walked uphill to the towers of the old city wall, and climbed inside one of them to look at the landscape of Lucerne. Then we went back to the waterfront, had a drink at one of the cafes outside, hopped on the 5:10 train back to Zurich, and we were back at the apartment in time to barbecue and eat salad and wine on the roof with Nicola. It was a cool day...very special for me, but normal, I think, if you live here.

Friday: the digest version

The short version of how I spent Friday:
Early in the day: Kunsthaus museum, the Peter Fischl/David Weiss exhibition. Very whimsical, funny, unexpected. Everyone was chuckling at the different exhibits in the show. Fun!
Next: Lunch at Globus
Then: walking around on the "other" side of the river, where all the name-brand shops are located... and where I saw limo drivers waiting for their employers to finish their shopping sprees
Next: walking in the outdoor theatre by the lake with Tanja and Michael....from what I understand, this is an annual event that features magicians and people who do fire tricks, and outdoor food and entertainment.
Next: eating at a hidden "alternative" restaurant in an old factory by the lake, known as the "red factory," or "rote fabrik." We sat outdoors on benches for dinner, though it was kind of cold. It was the best of alt-Zurich culture.
Then....back into the main town on the tram because we were cold and tired.

Tomorrow: Lucerne.

walking around

When I got up on Thursday, there was a lot of action going on outside my window. Have I mentioned before how all my vacations usually include a construction project going outside my window? Well, this one fits the pattern. However, one pleasant difference is that the building I'm in is constructed really well, so the sawing, jackhammering, and --look in the photo -- this crane outside, hoisting construction materials to some men who are standing at my eye level -- wasn't that intrusive. Amazing! Compare that to my experiences in Paris, where I heard everything on my street and the adjacent ones, and of course, suffered from that awful grocer.

So what did I do on Thursday? I walked around. Even though I bought a tram pass, I decided to walk. The danger of that, of course, is that I drifted into shops along the way and bought things. One of the things that I bought was a pair of long pants. Nothing exciting, but something that actually fit and will give me something clean to wear on my trip home.

However, I made a discovery: unlike in some countries when you try on clothing in a shop, in Switzerland the closed curtain in your changing room is no barrier to other people, whether it's the helpful shopclerk or another customer. I was surprised when the saleswoman barged unexpectedly into the changing room shortly after I pulled up the zipper on the first pair of pants, but after that, I was expecting her....and she arrived behind the curtain again and again. So did another customer, who began taking off her clothes inside there with me. If I did this at home I'd set off screams and probably get shoved from the room or even get thrown out of the store, but that's what makes changing cultures so much fun.

After spending a lot of money for very few items, I decided to use the public restroom in the train station. I have to say this is the cleanest public restroom I've ever seen in my entire life. The name says it all. You have to pay to go inside through the turnstile. While it's not uncommon in parts of Europe to have to offer change to someone to use the toilet, this place was entirely different. Once inside, there was a huge fountain area for washing up, and behind that, several doors with red or green lights over them, indicating their availability. The bowls inside were sudsy from just having been cleaned. And when you're done, an employee rushes inside after you and scrubs it down again. A bit neurotic, I agree -- I felt almost guilty for having bodily functions -- but I nominate Mc Clean for being the cleanest public bathroom in the world.

Oh, but a word about the pricing. There are two entrances: one for men and one for women. On the men's side, the pricing on the window says that it costs 1 Swiss franc to use the toilet. On the women's side, it costs 2 francs. Women have to pay twice as much. So, sit for a moment with your favorite beverage in your hand and ponder the social, biological, and political nuances of this pricing scheme.

And now about the trams. The trams are everywhere....they come often. They're comfortable. And if you're in the area of Central, you have to be really careful. They're coming from every angle and as a pedestrian or even a passenger, you have to look carefully and move quickly to avoid being hit by a tram or a car. I've bought a one-week tram pass that I'm apparently supposed to punch once for every 24-hour period that I want to use the tram. However, I'm not using it as much as I thought I would so far, and after I punch my pass, I feel like I should be riding the tram as much as possible to get the maximum benefit from it. Now here's something else you should know about the trams in Zurich: you have to push the button on the outside of the car to open the door to get in, and there's a button on the inside that you need to push to get out. If you don't, you'll be staring at a closed door and get left behind.

The Laundry Challenge

Anyone who's ever stayed in another country long enough to do laundry knows what it's like to be confronted with a laundry machine that speaks a different language than yours. Well, today, I decided to go downstairs in the apartment building and visit the Swiss laundry machine. After all, it's still cold out, and I only have two pairs of long pants. So I have to wash the dirty pair again.

First, I had to decide: is this the right soap? Is it soap at all? Luckily, the product labels are also in French, and this looks OK and not like bleach or something.

Then there's the control dashboard...what buttons should I choose to get ready for takeoff?

Then there's the soap tray....three slot options....hmmmmm. I think if I pour the soap in the middle slot, that should be OK.

Finally, after I make my selections, will the machine just start? What's the button with the "key" symbol on it? It turns out that opens the door again. Well, it looks like the machine is starting on its own...I looked up "Haupt" and I think this means "leader wash" or maybe "pre-wash"?

rainy day in Zurich

It pretty much rained all day today -- hard! -- but there was a brief break midday, and I took a few pictures.

I walked around part of the old town...first stopping in some shops (where I had a woman show me some black tshirts that ranged from 150-260 Swiss francs....how much is that? Probably almost $200). I saw a furniture store that I couldn't resist....check out the zebra sofa...and was baffled by a shop that appeared to be an upscale restaurant on one side, and on the other side, apparently sold pillows.

I also met my friend Tanja for lunch in a really cool vegetarian salad-bar place called "tibits." But it wasn't a typical salad bar....it had a lot of already-made, really yummy food, some of it Swiss, some of it Indian, all of it good.

Finally....here's a view from the window of the apartment, through rainy windows.

figuring things out

After a morning of heavy rain and lightning, I've finally drifted out of bed. I'm alone in the apartment, trying to figure things out. This apartment is very nice and I'm afraid of doing something wrong.

For example:
I made coffee in the coffeepot. Now I need to clean it. How do I open it without breaking it or getting coffee everywhere?

This sponge is cool. Is it for washing dishes? I hope so. This stick (to keep your hands off the sponge) is clever.

Why are there two flushes on the toilet?

Schweiz

It's raining...but it's a quiet lull. I am in a thick, clean apartment with white walls that are solid like bunkers. The windows are dense and quiet. The floors are clean wood that don't resonate when you walk on them. There's a machine in the kitchen that makes bubbled water, poured straight from the tap, that tastes as good as Badoit. The fixtures are beautiful. The tram comes every six minutes. I am in Switzerland.

last day in Paris...

I spent my last day in Paris cleaning the apartment, running errands (I bought a cheap fleece pullover so I don't freeze to death), and then met my friend Pascale for an evening at Cafe de l'Industrie in the Bastille. I really like this place....and so do a lot of people....it's totally jammed! It normally occupies two buildings on facing corners, and right now only one of them is open, so the remaining one is standing room only. We got a table at 6:45, where Pascale insisted that we get drinks first (dinner before 8 is a no-no!).

I had carpaccio....brave, because my digestive tract is still a mess....but it was delicious...and she had steak tartare. I'll miss Paris, but not the grocer (he's closed on Mondays, thankfully). And I missed a few of the things I like to do when I'm here. But onwards....on Tuesday...to Switzerland.

Below is a photo of the slippery, winding stairs I traversed several times per day to my apartment. You wouldn't want to hang onto the banister too hard, though...it's loose! And there's a huge window between every landing, so if you fall, guess where you'll go?

a few more photos

Here's some more photos of our walk through the 18eme and the 20eme arrondissements...you still find some old one-family Parisien homes here, mixed with new, modern apartment buildings. Parc de Belleville is awesome, and if you climb all the stairs to the top, you have an aerial view of Paris...plus a great view of all the lush landscaping on the levels of the park itself.

I didn't take any photos of it, but we walked through what seemed to be an African squatters' area, with a huge, rundown apartment building filled with African men, clothes hanging off all the balconies, and corn on the cob -- with the corn eaten off of it -- thrown everywhere on the ground.

This graffiti artist was in a tiny alleyway in the lower part of Belleville, not far from the Belleville metro stop. It looked like it had also been a squatters' area but was starting to get renovated, as was the area at the other end of the block which had been Tunisian, maybe....? But all the shops looked closed and there was construction equipment everywhere.

a few photos

Before my time on Swisscom runs out, here are a few photos I took on walk with my friend Pascale today in Menilmontant and Belleville...