Spring has sprung

My blog posts seem to move with the seasons and with the threat of summer in the air i think it's time for another post (although I really should be posting more often), especially as i'm sitting on my balcony in a patch of sun. The last couple of weeks in Zurich we've had more and more sunshine and less and less cold and grey which makes me happy :) all the trees are starting to get their shoots and my spring tulips are growing fast! With Spring/Summer comes a change of atmosphere in Switzerland, the country comes alive with people spending as much time as possible outside... cafes sprout up all over the place, late picnics by the lake, frisbee in the park and of course, braais on the balcony... Summer in Europe rocks :)

Stu and i are looking at our options for our European summer holiday this year and although I would kill to chill out on some tropical island somewhere, our holiday this year has to unfortunately include some dentist work for me, so it looks like Budapest for us but we plan to extend it to include Vienna and Krakow as well. Anyway for now it's just in the planning phase, so we shall see what we come up with :)

I'm going to get back to soaking up the sunshine... have a fantastic Sunday :)

One year on...

This week is a year since my permanent arrival to Switzerland, I can barely believe it's been a year already... they say, time flies when you are having fun... well it hasn't always been fun but it's definitely been a year to remember!

The first half of the year was difficult... it was cold, very cold and grey, i also had the stress of organising our wedding and adjusting to living in a new country whose native language is not English and where foreigners aren't exactly welcomed with open arms (i was even attacked by a little old lady in the supermarket... probably my lowest point)! But summer arrived and things just got better from there... I had made some awesome friends i met through afternoon drinks and the sun was shining, how could things not get better! :)

Now, things are pretty good even though winter is back and so is the cold, very cold and grey! The main reason for the change is the fact that i have a job now... thanks to my fabulous friend Paula who hooked me up with the job, i am now a teacher at a preschool for English speaking kiddies, McTots and i'm loving it! :) It's a great feeling to be able to earn my own money and contribute to the household finances, it also gives me something to do during the day, not sure i'm cut out to be a stay at home housewife... all is good in the world again :)

So here is to another good year of cheese, chocolate, skiing and wine in Switzerland... I've already had my residency permit extended for another year, so there is nothing stopping me now :)

As the first snow falls

It seems summer is slowly but surely coming to an end, to great sadness... i'm not sure i'm ready for cold, dark and grey! The first snowfall of the season has already fallen on the Alps and yes, it is beautiful but it signals the end of the long summer days, the end of winding down the day sitting along the river with a beer and the end of wearing slops :(

Although not a particularly hot summer except for about 3 weeks where the temps were getting into the 30s... i think it's the long days of blue sky and sunshine that i love more than the heat.

From paddling and swimming in the lake, jumping off the bridge into the river fully clothed, picking raspberries, riding bikes along the lake, hiking in the Swiss country side or up to the highest point in Zürich (Ueitliberg) to joining in the festivities of Zürifest and Streetparade, summer has been eventful and i look forward to next summer! :)

Please come back quick :P

Is that the sun i see?

After what seemed like a neverending stream of cold and grey days, the big, burny thing in the sky is starting to make a regular appearance and the trees and plants are responding by turning a lighter shade of green :) Winter was hard, more because of the lack of sunshine than the cold... the benefit of cold is fresh and fluffy snow... well before it turns to black sludge that is!

Flowers are popping up everywhere

I'm really looking forward to summer in Europe... the atmosphere changes dramatically, everyone is out and about, spending long nights sitting in beers gardens along the river, swimming in the lake, hiking the beautiful hills of Switzerland and soaking up the vitamin D :) hopefully we'll be making use of my Schengen resident card by doing some travelling around Europe... stay tuned!

Even our balcony got a makeover in time to welcome summer

Intriguing stenciling in Zürich

I mentioned in a previous post about the abundance of graffiti in Zürich. The graffiti is fascinating and ever changing... the colours and the messages are definitely eye catching but i've discovered a smaller form of graffiti that i find intriguing and in some way... beautiful, stenciling of small figures and messages that pop up in the most random places.

Below are some photos of stenciling i've found, but i'm always on the lookout for more :)

Gruetzi from Zurich

From my previous post you would've picked up that after many months of talk, anxiety and stress i've finally set foot on Swiss soil... and very nice soil it is! Zurich is a beauitful, efficient city, the countryside with it's green rolling hills and cows, just like a scene from Sound of Music and the people are friendly yet quiet... the language (Swiss-German) is a whole nother story.

the Letten down the road from my apartment

It's been 3 weeks now and i think i've settled nicely into the role of house-girlfriend... my days consist of cleaning, laundry, gorcery shopping, studying, exploring the city and cooking for my wonderful boyfriend, who spends his days working hard (had to add that because i know he'll read this at some point) :) the only thing i'm battling with is the language... but that'll come with time!

During my time here i've made a few observations about the city:

• For a city that is so health and environmentally concious... this is obvious from all the effort that goes into recycling and the number of "normal" sized people on the streets (after my stint living in the states, it was one of the first things i noticed... very few obese people), the Swiss are very relaxed on the smoking issue, most places still allow smoking indoors and in public places, the smoking of weed is also not frowned on and there is a wiff of weed almost everywhere you go (yes, i know what it smells like)!
  

• Sex shops and Erotica clubs can be found on almost every corner (something like McDonalds)... apparently the Swiss have a "healthy" interest in sex, this comes as a surprise considering how tame the Swiss seem to be, obviously this all changes behind closed doors!
  

• Graffiti is another surprise, the Swiss seemed to have imbraced these random, colourful scribles that find themselves on public and private walls... they have graffiti zones in Zurich where people are free to express themselves to their hearts' content, in my opinion a good move... and it actually brightens up some areas that have the potential to be pretty dreary looking.

• Swiss wine... or wii (Swiss-german)/wein (German), it's one of the best kept secrets of Switzerland but it wasn't kept from me for very long, they make some awesome wines... what a combination, Swiss chocolate, cheese and wine :) on my to-do list... exploring the wine making regions of Switzerland.
  

All in all, Switzerland so far has met up to all those expectations i've been holding onto for many years... i do need to spend some time in the countryside, get aquainted with the cows and their bells and experience the magic of the Alps... but that will all come in good time.

a storm moving in over Zurich

the See (pronounced say) with the Alps in the background

Next on the agenda... sorting out my visa issues, my life would be empty without a visa problem hanging over my head!

Just a little side note... this is my 100th blog post, yay me... keep on reading :)

Dubai... the city under constuction

As i write this i am finally in Zurich! :) it's been a long time coming and very happy to finally set foot in Switzerland and be able to be with Stu for an extended period.

I flew out of the US on 20 May and into Jozi on 21 May where i met Stu, we then proceed to surprise friends and family but more importantly... my mom :) it was a very hectic and busy week, with loads of meeting, greeting and admin stuff but an enjoyable week... it was great to see everyone again and i'm happy that Stu got to meet all the important people in my life! :)

Enjoying a few refreshments in the oasis (pool bar)

On 29 May we boarded the plane for Dubai... a quick 2 day stop over on our way to Zurich! As i have a South African passport, i need a 96 hour transit visa for UAE and with no precise guildlines on how to acquire this visa... i was basically holding thumbs that things would work out. After going through the process of handing money over to 2 different people, waiting around and a conversation with an immigration officier following a misunderstanding... 90 minutes later i had my passport stamped and was allowed to proceed! :)

View from hotel room

Dubai is an interesting city... very hot (around 40C) and dusty and there is construction everywhere you look! Skyscrapers and cranes line the horizon as well as those famous landmarks, ie Burj Al Arab and Burj Dubai. The best part of Dubai was the pool bar at our hotel... we spent many hours in the pool cooling off and sipping of "softdrinks" :)

City of construction

Burj Dubai... topped out at just over 800m

On the surface the city looks amazing with all the development and some stunning architecture but when you take a closer look there are faults... some construction has come to a standstill and the buildings are falling apart, many buildings have been put up in a rush and workmenship is sloppy and some buildings are incomplete but are inhabited.

All in all it was an enjoyable 2 days and an eye opener... i can see why people have flocked to the city, i mean where else can you go skiing and half an hour later be tanning on the beach (all in a desert), but i wouldn't call it a holiday destination... from my point of view anyway!

Next stop... Zurich, Switzerland :)