Archive for March 2009
March 31st, 2009
Emily and I started our search for a permanent apartment in Zürich last week, and we already got one! Of the five places we looked at, this one was by far our favorite. It is in a good location near Goldbrunnenplatz (map) with a tram stop out front and easy access to the bus to Emily’s office. It is also newly renovated this year with a whirlpool bathtub and our own washer/dryer. There are plans to add a 2 x 4.3 meter balcony off of the kitchen/dining room in a couple months, which will make the apartment even better!
We are very excited about our new apartment. Now we just have to wait for our furniture to finish its long journey across the Atlantic before we can move in.
Some pics of the new place:
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March 31st, 2009
Funny story: Remember how I said we chose to visit Oslo because it was the cheapest weekend flight available? Well, after we booked the trip we discovered that Norway is actually one of the most expensive countries in the world! So we took the cheapest transportation to the most expensive destination. Oh the irony!
Despite the cost (which actually was quite similar to Zürich), we enjoyed our short trip to Oslo. It is definitely still winter in Norway; it snowed on Friday and caused our flight to be delayed by about an hour. By the time we got there, though, the snow had stopped. We actually got really lucky with the weather because it was supposed to snow all weekend, but instead it was mostly sunny with no snow!
On Saturday, we spent most of the day wandering around the city and doing some shopping. For lunch, we found a great restaurant along the harbor and sat outside. All the restaurants had outdoor seating with fur seat covers and heat lamps. Since Norway has great seafood and it is rather hard to come by in Switzerland, we ordered a seafood feast for lunch involving king crab, mussels, and shrimp. It was delicious!
On Sunday, all the shops were closed (like in Switzerland) so we played tourist. We took a sightseeing boat cruise through the Oslofjord. We got off the boat on “Museum Island” and went to a couple of museums – Kon-tiki and Viking Ship. The Kon-tiki museum was interesting and something that I didn’t know anything about. It is all about a Norwegian adventurer, Thor Heyerdahl, who sailed across the ocean in a reed boat (among other things). The Viking Ship museum has three real, full-size viking boats on display.
Although it was just a quick trip (made even shorter by the delayed flight and daylight savings time-change), we had a good time and enjoyed Oslo. I would definitely like to return to Norway sometime in the summer and check out the famous fjords.
I should also note that it is only March and I have already met my travel goal for the year of visiting 3 new countries: Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Norway. Yipee!
Pictures from Oslo on Flickr
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March 24th, 2009
It is hard to believe that we have been living in Zürich for over a month now. The time has gone by very quickly, and it has been surprisingly easy to adapt to our new life. I think a lot of our recent travels have been to developing countries, so by comparison Switzerland doesn’t seem that much different from the United States. Also, Zürich is a particularly easy place to get around anyway; it is a small, walkable city with efficient public transportation where almost everyone speaks English. So the transition has been very smooth so far.
That being said, there are still many differences between living in San Francisco and living in Zürich. This is not a comprehensive list but here are some of our initial observations:
- German. Ok, this one is obvious but it is a constant reminder that we are not in the US. Luckily, almost everyone speaks English and it is easy to get around. Switzerland is an interesting place to try to learn a language because it is common to hear high German, Swiss-German, Italian, French, and English in the same day (or in the same restaurant).
- Smoking in bars and restaurants is allowed. Every night we come out smelling like smoke. This is definitely one thing I miss about San Fran. Apparently this is only in Switzerland because the EU has passed a no smoking in bars/restaurants law.
- Tax is included. The price you see is the price you pay. I love this. Much more transparent.
- Tipping is not required. The restaurants (and other service jobs) actually pay their employees so there is no need to tack on an extra 20% to your bill. We have heard that the general rule is tipping is not required, but it is customary to round up for good service (so if the bill is CHF $48 you just pay with a $50 bill).
- Trains are the easiest way to get around. Trams in the city are frequent and punctual. Also, there are trains running just about everywhere in Switzerland and Europe. It is great not having a car!
- Water is not brought out automatically at restaurants. Even though the tap water in Zurich is very high quality (they say you can drink out of Zurich Lake), everyone seems to drink bottled mineral water. Very strange. Oh, and bottled water usually costs as much or more than a beer (so you can guess which we usually end up drinking…).
- You have to pay for ketchup (even at a McDonalds or Burger King. And yes, I have already been to both of those fine establishments. What is it about travelling abroad that makes McDonalds so much more appealing?).
- The ground floor is not the first floor, it is floor zero.
- 24 hour clock (military time). No AM/PM.
- The metric system. Ok, at least I expected this one, but I still don’t really know how warm 5 degrees Celcius is (or my height in cm or my weight in kg).
- Everything is closed on Sundays. There is one grocery store open (Migros under the train station) and it is packed. Restaurants and movie theaters are the only places open so that is what everybody seems to do.
- Expensive. We had heard this before we came and can now verify that it is true. Eating out is especially expensive, at least relative to the US. You can eat for CHF $20 – $40, but there just aren’t any cheaper options here.
- Cars always stop at the crosswalk for pedestrians. If you are anywhere near the crosswalk, the cars will stop for you. You can basically just start walking across the road without looking (if you want).
- The weather. The weather has actually been surprisingly mild so far, but it is still an adjustment from California weather. We just caught the tail end of winter here so it was a good time to move. We are already starting to see signs of spring and are looking forward to warmer weather and being able to sit outside at cafes and restaurants.
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March 20th, 2009
I’ve always wanted to just throw a dart in a map and go wherever it happens to land. I love the spontaneity and randomness of it. It’s the perfect excuse to visit someplace that you might never have gone to otherwise, perhaps someplace off the beaten track. The other night, I finally did it…sort of. Let me explain.
Emily and I wanted to go someplace next weekend, but we didn’t really care where. We know that we will be living here in Switzerland for a while so there will be plenty of time to explore all of Europe. To help us decide, I invented a new game – I call it “Kayak Roulette”. Basically you make a long list of destinations, check the prices for each one on Kayak.com (PS – I love Kayak), and whichever turns out to be the cheapest flight is the winner!
I made a list of about 25 cities around Europe and plugged each one into Kayak. I was only looking for flights that would leave after work on Friday and return in the late afternoon on Sunday. After trying them all, the winner was…drumroll please…Oslo, Norway! We got direct flights with good times for $199 CHF, which was over $100 cheaper than anywhere else. Neither of us have ever been to Scandinavia before or really know anything about Oslo or Norway. Oslo was not top on our list of must-see desinations, but I think that makes it even better. Now we have an excuse to explore a new city in a new country that we might never have gone to otherwise.
So if you want to travel but don’t know where to go, try Kayak roulette!!
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March 18th, 2009
On Sunday Duke won the ACC championship and I was able to watch the game live online on ESPN360. I had used ESPN360 before to watch games in the US, but there the service is entirely dependent on which internet provider you use. If your provider pays for ESPN360 service then you can watch the games for free; if not, then it is impossible to watch at all.
When I got to Zürich, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the business model is different in Europe and you can buy a monthly pass to watch all the live games for CHF$19/month (~US$17). After some initial technical issues (I recommend upgrading to the latest version of Flash), the live streaming worked very well. I would definitely recommend this service to any sports fan!
Also, all the March Madness games will be available online for free in High Quality (HQ) at http://mmod.ncaa.com.
Enjoy! Go Duke!
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March 16th, 2009
Emily and I have been itching to get out and explore Europe ever since we got here. On Saturday, we finally got out and explored another country…well, technically, at least. We woke up on Saturday morning and decided to take a daytrip but didn’t know where to go. After looking at a few options, we decided to go to Lichtenstein and were on a train half an hour later. We took a one hour train from Zürich to Sargans, followed by a half hour bus ride from Sargans to Vaduz, the capital of Lichtenstein.
Lichtenstein is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is located in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria, and as far as I can tell is completely indistiguishable from Switzerland. Just about everything is the same: money (Swiss Francs), language, terrain, etc. The border between Switzerland and Lichtenstein is not marked and you do not have to go through customs or immigration when you arrive. You just go from one town in Switzerland to another one that looks almost the same, except it happens to be in a different country. Luckily, for tourists like us, they are willing put a stamp in your passport (for CHF$3) at the tourist information office.
To be honest, the only real reason to go to Lichtenstein is just for the novelty of it. Vaduz is a nice town and Lichtenstein is a pretty country, but there is no compelling reason to go there (unless you collect stamps or want some fake teeth, both local specialties). But now we have another country under our belt and we can check Lichtenstein off of our list. Hopefully there will be many more European travels in the near future (we are already looking into trips to Berlin and Italy).
More pictures from Lichenstein on Flickr.
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March 7th, 2009
Emily and I moved out of the hotel and into a temporary apartment on Thursday. We are enjoying having a little bit more space and being able to cook again! While the restaurants are good here, eating out every night was starting to get a little old (and expensive!). One of the things that I will miss most about San Francisco is the amazing food (and the prices). I thought I would write down some of my favorite restaurants in San Fran before I forget.
Best SF Restaurants
- Burma Superstar – Most Unique. I had never eaten Burmese food before (and I was slightly scared of it) but this place is amazing. Samusa soup, tea leaf salad, noodle dishes, curries, and amazing coconut rice. A must try when in San Fran.
- Q – Best Comfort Food. For some reason SF has an obsession with comfort food and Q is the best of the bunch. Good atmosphere and good food. Try the mac & cheese with tater tots!
- Darbar – Best Indian. Emily and I were regulars here. Everything on the menu is delicious and cheap. Great naan. Chicken makhani (butter chicken) and chicken tikka masala were always our go-to dishes.
- Neecha Thai – Best Thai. This one is more sentimental than for the actual food. Good local place with very friendly staff. Pad thai and massaman curry are all we ever ordered.
- Jake’s Steaks – Best cheesesteak. Whiz wit, the real deal.
- Mama’s on Washington Square – Best brunch. I love the crab eggs benedict.
- Gary Danko – Best meal. By far the most expensive place I ate in San Francisco (maybe ever). Only ate here once.
- Bobo’s Steakhouse – Best steak. I only ate here once and it was the last week I was living in San Fran. Second most expensive meal I had in SF. Get the bone-in filet, trust me.
- Myconos – Best Greek. We have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Myconos. Love the food, hate the service. But we keep coming back because the food is great.
- Okoze Sushi – Best Sushi. I don’t eat sushi (no raw fish for me, thanks), but Emily loves it. She is a bit of a sushi connoisseur and this is her favorite sushi restaurant in SF so I thought it deserved a spot on the list.
Best SF Taquerias
- La Taqueria – My favorite Mission spot. All the ingredients seem fresh and high quality. I go for the tacos here, not the burritos. Get a crispy taco with either carne asada or carnitas. You won’t regret it.
- Taqueria Cancun – Two locations. I frequented both. Great carne asada super burrito.
- Taqueria Papalote – Slightly more classy than the average taqueria. High quality food. Good burritos.
- Taqueria San Francisco – Only found out about this one right before I left town. Solid carne asada burritos.
- Rico Mex – I’ve only ever had the breakfast burritos here, and they are amazing. The eggs are cooked to order and it is only $3 for a chorizo and egg burrito. You can’t beat that.
Best SF Lunch Spots
- Muracci’s Japanese Curry – I had never heard of Japanese curry before this place, but now I am hooked. Delicious.
- Naan ‘n Curry – Great Indian buffet. Chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, vegetable curries, naan, fruit, soda….all for $10.
- Oasis Grill – Amazing chicken shwarma. To go only. On nice days, great to grab food here and eat outside in the plaza by the Ferry Building.
- Taylor’s Automatic Refresher – Best burger. A little expensive for lunch, but it is a good place to splurge. Try the Western Bacon Blue Ring burger and garlic fries. Especially good on nice days when you can eat outside.
- King of Thai Noodle – Great place to grab a quick, cheap Thai lunch.
- Escape from NY Pizza – Best pizza by the slice in SF. Big slices, cheap.
- Boudin Sourdough – Very SF. Clam chowder or chili in a sourdough bread-bowl. I like the O’Farrell St. location way better than the Market St location.
- Tara – Another good Thai restaurant. Way better than the nearby Osha Thai.
- Manhattan Hub – Good deli/sandwich place in the Financial District. Went here often.
- Chipotle – Ok, I know I’m not supposed to admit this, especially in SF where Mission burritos reign, but I love Chipotle. It was also the best place downtown to get a burrito (without walking down to Taqueria Cancun or getting on the BART).
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March 6th, 2009
Last Friday, we took the 1 hour train ride over to the city of Bern. Emily had some meetings in the Bern office and we were planning on going there over the weekend anyway for the Bärner Fasnacht, which is the big Carnival celebration. A few of our friends from Zurich came over too and we all went out together with some of Emily’s colleagues from the Bern office.
The festival was a lot of fun. One main street was completely blocked off for pedestrians only and was lined with tents selling beer and Swiss street food. Every block there were bleachers with a brass + percussion band playing (the bands were in full costume as well). Each band would play a few songs then march down the street to the next set of bleachers as another band came and replaced them.
I thought people liked to get dressed up in San Francisco, but I think Bern could give them a run for their money. People went all out here. Just about everybody was in full head-to-toe costumes, and a lot of them looked to be homemade. Unfortunately, our group only had one chicken hat to share as our costume. Next year we will be better prepared!
The next day we walked around and explored Bern before heading home in the afternoon. Bern is a small, picturesque city along a river with the Alps overlooking it in the distance that also happens to be the capital of Switzerland. But the most distinguishing feature of Bern has to be the bear pits. Apparently the bear is the city’s mascot and the bear pits have been around since 1480. We saw one bear laying around in the somewhat depressing concrete pit. I heard, though, that the pits are being replaced by a larger bear park later this year.
See all the pictures from Carnival in Bern on Flickr
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