Sorry about the lack of posts. Writing them turns out to take a lot of time!
A brief re-cap of the past few weeks:
Nico went to Bristol, UK for a week to visit the main office. Corrin and I had lots of good quality time while she was gone. We did boat rides, visited the natural history museum, and of course, went to the park every day. We had a wonderful nanny during the day who is now Corrin's new best friend.
My parents visited for a week. They did fun things with Corrin, and we spent the weekend they were here for in Luzern, which is a pretty cool, if touristy, little town. We spent saturday in Luzern traversing Mount Pilatus. We took a boat to the far side of it (Alpnachstad) and rode the steepest cog railway in the world up to the top. The railway takes about 30 minutes to get the top, and the steepest grades are 48%. Parts of the railway are literally cut into the side of sheer cliffs. We went back down the other side of the mountain via cable car, which was also pretty cool. On Sunday, my parents took Corrin back to Zurich via train, and Nico and I rode our bikes back to Zurich, through hill and dale (literally). The ride was quite beautiful, about 40 miles, and we got back mere minutes ahead of an angry looking thunderstorm.
Last weekend we went to Lugano (yes, we are visiting only cities that start with L on this trip). Lugano has two funiculars that start from town - one going up Mount Bre, and the other going up Mount San Salvatore. We rode both of them. (Corrin likes trains).
Friday is my last day of work. On Saturday, I'm off to ride through the Alps with a fellow from work. The following Thursday, we all leave for Greece. We've decided to spend our last 5 days just lounging around Zurich, conserving energy for Greece.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Weeks 2&3: Lausanne, Gruyere, Zurich, and trains
The past two weeks have been fun.
Last weekend, we did an overnight trip to Lausanne. The train ride was about 2 hours. Corrin likes trains, a lot. After she got into her seat on the train, she looked out the window and said "Train's not moving!!" Followed by: "I hope the train starts moving!" Sure enough, the train started moving, which prompted her to say "This train's moving fast!!". Corrin was well-rested, so we were able to pass the time fairly peacefully, pointing out cows to her as we sped past open pastures.
On arriving in Lausanne, we set out on foot from the train station to the lake. Along the way we stopped at a playground that Corrin wanted to check out. She approved heartily of Lausanne's recreational facilities. We hung out at the lake for a bit, and then set off in search of food. This proved to be a bit of a wild goose chase, as one vegetarian restaurant after another suggested by the guidebook turned out to be closed. Eventually hunger got the best of us and we had to stop at a thoroughly mediocre street cafe. I pigged out on some really terrible ravioli and didn't feel so good the rest of the afternoon.
After our moderately nourishing, if not exactly gastronomically remarkable meal, we headed for the hotel to drop off our bags. The hotel turned out to be way out of the center of town, and didn't look like much from the outside, but was in fact extremely clean and quiet, and the clerk was friendly. Relieved of our luggage, we returned to the beach, and Corrin got a solid hour of swimming in in Lake Geneva.
The next day, we wandered down towards the beach again, and found a narrow gauge railroad in a park. They were just opening it up for the day, and of course Corrin had to ride. She told us she wanted to ride it by herself. Perhaps she was emboldened by all the other toddlers embarking on their own. But when the driver rang the bell and prepared to pull the train out of the station, a look of panic came over her face, and she proceeded to scream the whole way around the circuit, which was about a 5 minute ride. We think it didn't occur to her until the last minute to wonder where this train was going to take her.
Permit me a brief intermezzo for some observations on playground etiquette in Zurich vs. Lausanne.
At about noon on Sunday, we left Lausanne on the train for Gruyeres (via Montreux and Montbovon). Gruyeres has a medieval castle and the HR Giger (of Alien fame) museum. We took turns watching Corrin while the other one visited the Giger museum.
After the museum, we stopped at some little touristy restaurant that had ice cream and stuff. Corrin had some ice cream, Nico and I split the fromage assortif and also had the strawberries and cream. The cheese plate turned out to contain a half a loaf of bread and approximately a pound of rich cheeses. As if that wasn't enough, the strawberries and cream was equal parts berries and cream - by volume. I mean we're talking half a pint of cream per person. And this was really heavy cream. It had the consistency of thick honey.
From the restaurant, we walked lazily back to the train station, and made our way back to Zurich.
Last week was relatively quiet. Nico and Corrin explored Zurich by bicycle. We had pizza from the Kosher pizza joint down the street. (Called "Milk & Honey"). Corrin and I discovered a new park.
This week, Nico is in England visiting ClearSpeed, so Corrin and I are on our own. We've been having fun so far, though the weather could be better. Corrin has a nanny named Claudia during the day while I work. They seem to be hitting it off very well.
I had hoped to post pictures, but I keep forgetting the USB dongle for my camera in the bedroom after Corrin is in bed, so I haven't been able to download any pictures. We'll post them eventually, don't worry.
Faithfully yours,
Mark
Last weekend, we did an overnight trip to Lausanne. The train ride was about 2 hours. Corrin likes trains, a lot. After she got into her seat on the train, she looked out the window and said "Train's not moving!!" Followed by: "I hope the train starts moving!" Sure enough, the train started moving, which prompted her to say "This train's moving fast!!". Corrin was well-rested, so we were able to pass the time fairly peacefully, pointing out cows to her as we sped past open pastures.
On arriving in Lausanne, we set out on foot from the train station to the lake. Along the way we stopped at a playground that Corrin wanted to check out. She approved heartily of Lausanne's recreational facilities. We hung out at the lake for a bit, and then set off in search of food. This proved to be a bit of a wild goose chase, as one vegetarian restaurant after another suggested by the guidebook turned out to be closed. Eventually hunger got the best of us and we had to stop at a thoroughly mediocre street cafe. I pigged out on some really terrible ravioli and didn't feel so good the rest of the afternoon.
After our moderately nourishing, if not exactly gastronomically remarkable meal, we headed for the hotel to drop off our bags. The hotel turned out to be way out of the center of town, and didn't look like much from the outside, but was in fact extremely clean and quiet, and the clerk was friendly. Relieved of our luggage, we returned to the beach, and Corrin got a solid hour of swimming in in Lake Geneva.
The next day, we wandered down towards the beach again, and found a narrow gauge railroad in a park. They were just opening it up for the day, and of course Corrin had to ride. She told us she wanted to ride it by herself. Perhaps she was emboldened by all the other toddlers embarking on their own. But when the driver rang the bell and prepared to pull the train out of the station, a look of panic came over her face, and she proceeded to scream the whole way around the circuit, which was about a 5 minute ride. We think it didn't occur to her until the last minute to wonder where this train was going to take her.
Permit me a brief intermezzo for some observations on playground etiquette in Zurich vs. Lausanne.
In Zurich, mothers congregate at the playground, turn their kids ages 2 and up loose, and sit around a picnic table smoking cigarettes and drinking beer from cans. In Lausanne, the typical behavior seems to be to accompany your child to the swing-set, to give them pushes between drags on a cigarette. It should be noted that this approach does not leave a free hand with which to hold a glass of Pinot Noir.
We credit the French influence in Lausanne for the closer proximity of tobacco consumption to children; yet I hasten to add that we've seen pregnant women smoking in Zurich.
At about noon on Sunday, we left Lausanne on the train for Gruyeres (via Montreux and Montbovon). Gruyeres has a medieval castle and the HR Giger (of Alien fame) museum. We took turns watching Corrin while the other one visited the Giger museum.
After the museum, we stopped at some little touristy restaurant that had ice cream and stuff. Corrin had some ice cream, Nico and I split the fromage assortif and also had the strawberries and cream. The cheese plate turned out to contain a half a loaf of bread and approximately a pound of rich cheeses. As if that wasn't enough, the strawberries and cream was equal parts berries and cream - by volume. I mean we're talking half a pint of cream per person. And this was really heavy cream. It had the consistency of thick honey.
From the restaurant, we walked lazily back to the train station, and made our way back to Zurich.
Last week was relatively quiet. Nico and Corrin explored Zurich by bicycle. We had pizza from the Kosher pizza joint down the street. (Called "Milk & Honey"). Corrin and I discovered a new park.
This week, Nico is in England visiting ClearSpeed, so Corrin and I are on our own. We've been having fun so far, though the weather could be better. Corrin has a nanny named Claudia during the day while I work. They seem to be hitting it off very well.
I had hoped to post pictures, but I keep forgetting the USB dongle for my camera in the bedroom after Corrin is in bed, so I haven't been able to download any pictures. We'll post them eventually, don't worry.
Faithfully yours,
Mark
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Corrin and Nico arrive
Corrin and Nico arrived Wednesday morning. We had hoped Corrin would sleep on the plane, but apparently she decided to stay up all night dancing and singing in the aisles instead. Her favorite songs are "Old McDonald Had a Farm", an improvised/scat version of the alphabet song, as well as an original composition, "Singing my Song." The last one goes like "Singing my song, Singing my song, Singing my song", and then the refrain is "All day! All day!" Anyway, at least she wasn't screaming the whole time.
Improbably, their flight (out of JFK) arrived over an hour early. I met them at the airport, brought them home, and put them to bed for two hours. Corrin was cranky when she woke up, but pretty quickly decided she had enough energy to go down to the waterfront and chase swans for an hour. By 9pm (having slept 2 hours out of the previous 30), we were able to get her to sleep, but only for a short time. She woke up again by 10:30 or so and really didn't sleep much the rest of the night. She's now finally adjusted: in bed before 9 and sleeping the night through.
Every day after dinner we take a walk to one of the many nearby parks. Parks here are much more fun (read: dangerous) than they are in the states, and also much more crowded. There are kids everywhere here.
On Saturday, we went downtown to do a bunch of shopping for exciting things like clothes hangers, rainboots, and socks. We had lunch at a Hiltl, a vegetarian restaurant that has been in business since 1898. It was delicious.
Today (Sunday) we went to the Zoo with my co-worker Mike and his family. They have a daughter Corrin's age named Sloane. Corrrin and Sloane are friends now. The Zoo was pretty good. We saw flamingos, fish, many tiny primates, an elephant, alpacas, a snow leopard, a tiger, a lion, alligators, and so on in that fashion.
Monday, May 7, 2007
The Three Bears go to Zürich
Nico, Corrin, and I are spending May and June in Zürich this year. I'm working here, and we'll be doing various fun things on the weekends.
(In case you don't understand the title of the blog: When Corrin was born, she seemed very much to us like a small frog. But within a matter of only a month or so, it became clear that she was not, in fact, a frog. We realized that, in actuality, she was a bear. After she had been a bear for some time, Michelle and Naomi came to the somewhat obvious conclusion that we must, all three of us, be bears. So, now we're the bears.)
In fact, Nico and Corrin aren't even here yet. They arrive this week. So I've been hanging out more or less by myself, stocking the kitchen, learning my way around the city, working a few days, and so forth.
So what exciting things have I done?
Ich habe um deise Wochende um den Zürichsee radgefahren. Es war 70 km.
This weekend, I rode my bike around lake Zurich. It was about 45 miles. Lots of traffic though, so I don't think I'll be taking Corrin on this ride.
Ich habe um Donnerstag mit mein Freund Mike ins eine Kneipe Bier getrunken.
On Thursday, I drank beer in a pub with my friend Mike.
(My German is terrible, so if you have corrections to offer, don't hesitate.)
Enough about what I've done, here are some strange things I have discovered about the Swiss:
I'm going to make a serious effort to post here once a week while we're in Zürich. We'll see how that goes.
(In case you don't understand the title of the blog: When Corrin was born, she seemed very much to us like a small frog. But within a matter of only a month or so, it became clear that she was not, in fact, a frog. We realized that, in actuality, she was a bear. After she had been a bear for some time, Michelle and Naomi came to the somewhat obvious conclusion that we must, all three of us, be bears. So, now we're the bears.)
In fact, Nico and Corrin aren't even here yet. They arrive this week. So I've been hanging out more or less by myself, stocking the kitchen, learning my way around the city, working a few days, and so forth.
So what exciting things have I done?
Ich habe um deise Wochende um den Zürichsee radgefahren. Es war 70 km.
This weekend, I rode my bike around lake Zurich. It was about 45 miles. Lots of traffic though, so I don't think I'll be taking Corrin on this ride.
Ich habe um Donnerstag mit mein Freund Mike ins eine Kneipe Bier getrunken.
On Thursday, I drank beer in a pub with my friend Mike.
(My German is terrible, so if you have corrections to offer, don't hesitate.)
Enough about what I've done, here are some strange things I have discovered about the Swiss:
- They seem to drive as aggressively as possible while still obeying the exact letter of every traffic law. For example, they respect pedestrian crossings, but if you are still in the cross walk when the light for the cars turns green, expect to get honked at. Drivers will floor it coming out of stop lights, but my co-worker tells me that you will get honked at for driving over the speed limit here. Unfathomable. They also have preternatural parallel parking ability. I walked past a line of 5 or 6 cars that must not have had more than a foot between any two of them.
- You have to throw your trash out in Züri-Säcke, white trashbags that cost about 2CHF a piece. This is how you pay for garbage collection. That's all perfectly normal, but what's interesting is that the garbage collectors will actually dig through your trash to find out who you are, should you try to put an unapproved trash bag in a dumpster. Not only that, but apparently your neighbors will report you if they see you using a bag other than a Züri-Sack.
- We've all heard that the Swiss are clean, but after you've been here for a week you start to realize just how clean they are. I took the trash out for the first time today, and the inside of the dumpster was clean. The mind boggles.
I'm going to make a serious effort to post here once a week while we're in Zürich. We'll see how that goes.
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