December in Zurich

Over the past few months we've been asked many times - "how do you like Zurich"? As our travels took us all over Europe, we haven't had a chance to accurately answer that question. A good part of December has been spent "home" in Zurich. By the time we leave for the holidays, we'll have actually spent as much time here in December as the combined days of October and November. Due to this long stretch in Zurich (including our first weekend), it is time to give a dose of Zurich...

This city is extremely well thought out in every sense. Public transportation here is phenomenal. The train station is centrally located providing tram connections to anywhere in town you'd need to go. If you spend a few minutes at the central train station (Hauptbahnoff) you'll notice that Zurich is a critical European rail link. At all hours the train station is jammed with people hustling to catch the train. Sundays typically make for crowded trains, as people are finishing up their weekend trips, hikes, and other excursions. Early morning trains bring the most diverse crowds; daily commuters rushing to the financial capital brush past teens and university students looking to catch a train home after a full night in the clubs. The airport is a 13 minute train ride from the central station and runs extremely efficiently. Catching a flight is a breeze.

Food has been interesting here. Fondue and chocolate our staples of the Swiss culture, but other then that you come across some very international restaurants (Italian, Asian, French and German influences). Restaurants are typically really expensive, so we often eat at home. A couple of our favorites are a quiche from the train station cafe and hot pretzel from a biergarten. Supermarkets provide a challenge for non-German speaking newcomers. When picking out produce in Zurich each consumer is responsible for weighing and tagging each item for purchase; of course, no signs (not even in German) mention this. One learns this the hard way. A tomato and zucchini were the "unmarked" culprits during the first grocery purchase back in September. Armed with a basket of goods about a half dozen people waited anxiously behind in the checkout lane. The store clerk scanned all of the items, except the vegetables mentioned above. As she came to the tomato and zucchini, she raised her voice, shook her head and asked "where is your price tag"? (this inquiry was rattled off in Swiss-German). The response was a tongue-tied blank stare. Apparently she understood that "language" and stormed off to get 2 price tags for the controversial vegetables. Looking back the line increased to 8 people, all shaking their heads. Hello new neighbors we are the Thiede's!!!!

Trip #2 to the grocery store, included a covert trip to the produce section watching veterans pick out, weigh, bag and properly tag their vegetables. Turns the process is fairly simple, just intimidating for new residents. Authors note - this is has come up in conversation several times already with other ex-pats, who made the same error.

This past weekend brought our first visit to the movies. Another learning process. Swiss movies are expensive - 36 CHF (over $30!) for two of us. The ticket gives you the choice of assigned seating, like a musical or ballgame - for that price it should. The film was in English, but added German and French subtitles (very common). An hour into the movie our film paused and an advertisement appeared, encouraging us to break for ice cream. The theatre emptied. The two of us sat dazed, wondering if 36CHF only bought half the film and why anyone might want ice cream on the coldest day of the year. Ten minutes later our fellow cinema patrons returned, ice cream in hand for Act 2. It should also be noted, that theatre laughter is funny in any country. Seated in close proximity was a university student who had a Pee Wee Herman cackle, which was only topped by intermittent snorts 2 rows in front of us.

The Swiss really seem to get into Christmas. We arrived back from Prague in early December and festive lights dominated the skyline. Besides the Christmas markets mentioned on previous entries, there are some unique highlights of the holidays here. A local couple introduced us to the legend of Schmutzli. This is Swiss sidekick of St. Nicholas (or Samiclaus as he is called here), dressed in black and brown, covered completely in soot. Schmutzli deals with those children who have been "naughty" that year. After hearing of this legend the effect seems more powerful then a simple lump of coal. This weekend Schmutzli was in the streets of Zurich, right next to St. Nick. On a happier note, just off the main drag here lies the "Singing Christmas Tree". Carolers of all ages line up to belt out festive songs on rafters decorated with greens and Christmas lights. Holiday shopping has similaraties to the US as Saturday (10 days until Christmas) made for crowds that would give 5th or Michigan Avenue crowds a run for their money.



Temperatures are below freezing now, which has limited exploring the past few days. Sunday we did see a running race throughout town, which had a beautiful course throughout Old Town Zurich. Apparently Zurich's next road race starts at midnight Jan 1, 2008 where runners are encouraged to rent their own headlights. While this might shock some, the Swiss pride themselves on outdoor activities - so only the timing seems odd. Every day you'll catch someone biking, carrying hiking sticks, snowboards or skis.

All in all, Zurich has been outstanding, making a great base for European travel. More to come...