T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
Julie After two years here, I finally made it to the Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate factory in Kilchberg, just outside of Zurich. You can’t actually go inside the factory (which may or may not be run by Oompa Loompas), but you can (1) walk by it and breathe in its insanely chocolaty smells, and (2) visit … Read more
Even when one has the luxury of full-service movers (paid for by a kind and generous employer), there’s still plenty to stress about before they arrive and while they are packing. What can’t we live without for 2 months? Is it all over in the “safe” corner? Where are my shoes? Don’t let them pack … Read more
I’m obviously guilty of blog neglect these days. Most of my energy has been going into (1) getting ready for last Friday’s art opening (which went really well) and (2) getting organized for the move. We’re preparing to say goodbye to the vast majority of our belongings for about two months while we wander the … Read more
As seen at the Brasserie Federal in Zurich’s main station.
Have I mentioned how very, very excited I am to be moving to a place where they speak REAL GERMAN? Yeah yeah yeah, I know there’s an incomprehensible Bavarian dialect that lurks around, but when you’re not talking to drunk farmers, High German is the default language in Munich. High German, the German I know, … Read more
Munich! Congratulations to Munich for being chosen as the home of our next expat adventure. It was a tough decision, but we are really looking forward to getting to know Bavaria a little more intimately. The beer gardens, Oktoberfest, the drunken tourists, the drunken locals… and I’m sure the city has some non-beer-oriented stuff going … Read more
Our days in Zurich are numbered. What is there left to do before we move? What places do we want to go one more time? What things to do, foods to eat, people to see? What are we forgetting? How much chocolate do we need to buy before heading to the US for the holidays? … Read more
As it turns out, the Swiss are pretty good at it, too. So tonight we went to a Wir Sind Helden concert. Now don’t get me wrong – Wir Sind Helden is definitely one of my all-time favorite German-singing bands. Right up there with Xavier Naidoo and the late great Falco. But I’m not such … Read more
When we weren’t pulling our hair out trying to plan travel this weekend, we were off enjoying some lovely winter-like activities. Zurich is a fabulous place to be in the winter, assuming you like, um, winter. I am sorry we will be leaving before the real winter starts, but at least we are getting a … Read more
Looking for a good time? Try booking a 4-country, 10-flight, 15-city trip using 500 different airlines and a million different travel websites. Around the holidays. I need a personal assistant. Update #1: OMG! For the first time in about 10 years of trying, American Airlines frequent flier miles have proven useful. Direct flights and everything! … Read more