T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
OK, I admit it. I’m old and lame. I didn’t do any all-night partying, despite the fact that the trams were running all night long and the Fäscht officially ended at 5 AM each morning. I skipped the choreographed fireworks and the air-guitar contest (this is probably my biggest regret). But I’m just not a … Read more
It’s time for the Züri Fäscht, a gigantic festival which takes over downtown Zurich once every four years. Bratwurst stands, concert stages, carnival rides, and caipirinha stands have sprouted up all over the place in anticipation of an estimated 2 million visitors this weekend. For a city with a population of less than 400,000, that’s … Read more
This past weekend we were the lucky attendees at Hoochfest, an all-day backyard barbecue thrown by our friends Ashley and Sebastian. There were long wooden tables, tons of food, insanely delicious homemade brownies, and party games. But the real star attraction was the beer, home brewed in the basement specifically for the occasion. Before you … Read more
You just have to make it yourself. I went to El Maiz (a Mexican shop in Zurich) and stocked up on some basic Mexican ingredients: black beans, corn tortillas, jalapeños, queso blanco, and red and green salsa. Last night I made spinach and mushroom enchiladas, black bean salsa, and fresh guacamole. Scott whipped up some … Read more
Going to the movies in Switzerland is different from the US. Your ticket (which costs around 17 francs) is for an assigned seat, which I like because it means you don’t have to arrive early to get a good spot (assuming you planned ahead and got your tickets online). Before the movie you will be … Read more
Last week this clock went up in the Zurich train station. It counts down the minutes to the kick off at the first game of the Euro 2008, a year away. 5.4 million soccer fans are expected to swarm into Switzerland for this event (which the Swiss are co-hosting with the Austrians), coming close to … Read more
On Saturday I rolled my jetlagged behind out of bed and headed out to the Christopher Street Day (CSD) celebrations that were taking place in downtown Zurich. CSD is the local version of a Gay Pride parade, and gets its name from the NYC street where a major police raid took place in 1969.
I was in the US for so long that a lot of changes happened back home in Switzerland. For one, Switzerland lowered immigration restrictions for western Europeans. The Germans are coming! Well, even more of them than there already are. Migros started carrying a vegetarian version of Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, the local veal and mushroom sauce … Read more
Last year I wrote about the inauguration of the NOVA 3D light sculpture in the Zurich main train station. This marginally entertaining installation has become a lot more interesting since then, now that its interactive capabilities have been enabled. By touching a glass screen on the side of the groups meeting point sign, you can … Read more
The 20 Minuten* bin was still overflowing with fresh papers… …and the Bahnhof** was deserted. It was ass early. * 20 Minuten is a free commuter newspaper that comes out early each morning. The bins are usually empty by the time I leave the house. ** Bahnhof = train station. I spend a lot of … Read more