Leap Day Thoughts

Happy Leap Day 2008!

Kindergarten

Immersion is the fastest way for Little Geek Girl to learn Swiss-German, but it's going to be a pretty steep learning curve. She doesn't understand the other kids and they don't understand her, so they don't include her in the playing. It breaks my heart to hear her say "The other kids told me to go away." However, we have to resist the urge to go in and try and fix everything. Monday is parent visiting day so we'll get a chance to see how the kids interact.

She's also required to be a little more self-sufficient. They change into their slippers when they arrive and when they go outside to play, they change back to their outside shoes. On Fridays they go the gym for PE and change into their gym clothes. She's always had trouble removing her shirts and so now we're working on helping her figure it out.

Apartment Hunt

We're still in the hunt for an apartment. One showing Tuesday evening. Two showings on Wednesday. Two showings on Thursday. Another showing tonight (Friday). Another showing tomorrow (Saturday). Except for one of the showings, each required 20 - 30 minutes transit time one way. And then the next day ZDG works on filling out the application (in German!), customizing the cover letter (in German!), photocopying our residence permits and no debt letters, and sends them off. We need to find an apartment to move into by April 1 so the hunt will not abate until an abode is secured. Cross your fingers, light your candles and think good thoughts.

Silly LGG

LGG had no school on Tuesday because the Kindergarten teacher was sick and did not have time to arrange a substitute. LGG visited ZDG at his office while I went to a yoga/pilates class and then afterwards we had lunch together. ZDG went back to work and LGG and I went to feed our leftover bread to the ducks. Unfortunately these ducks were more fearful of humans and didn't get very close to us. However, LGG enjoyed walking in the shallow parts of the duck pond. So much that her boots were soaked. Fortunately they have nice removable liners which I've been trying to dry. Tonight she found them and decided to wear them with her PJ shirt while brushing her teeth. For your viewing pleasure:

"We'll go to Saturn one step at a time, and take breaks!"

Sunday was warm (about 20 C/68 F) and sunny here in Zürich, so we wanted to spend some time outdoors. We decided to take a trip to the Uetliberg, which is a prominent hill on the Albis ridge west and south of Zürich with lots of forest and trails for rambling (it's a bit like Forest Park in Portland, Oregon, in that both are very near their respective downtowns yet forested, cool, and good for walks). ZMG and LGG had not yet been there, so it was a good Sunday destination.

It's an easy 20-minute train ride from Hauptbahnhof to the summit station, where there is a play area with a big climbing structure, a teeter-totter, a motorized swing, and an actual train engine for climbing on:


After a short break there, we headed up the trail to the summit of the Uetliberg for lunch and the view. Along the way, we passed some fanciful light towers in the form of deer with headlights:


Once at the top, we had a great view of the Alps and Zürich while eating our lunch, and I took this picture of ZMG and LGG. That's the Zürichsee and the hills on the "Gold Coast" in the middle background, and the Glarner Alps in the background. The highest point on the prominent hill just above and a bit to the right of ZMG is a little over 3600 meters/11800 feet.


There are two tall towers on the Uetliberg, one of which you can climb on to an observation platform 900 meters above sea level (about 500 meters above Zürich). You can get a great view from there, so we went up and while there snapped this self-portrait of The Geeks.


One of the trails on the Albis ridge is the Planetenweg, or Planets Trail. This is a 1.5-2 hour walk along which you pass scale models of the primary bodies in our solar system at a scale of 1 to 1 billion, starting with a large model of the Sun. It starts along the way from the Uetliberg train station and ends about 7.5 km away with a marker for Pluto's aphelion. Once LGG heard about this, she got really excited and wanted to go see Saturn. I told her that if she wanted to go to Saturn, she would have to walk a long way down the path (it's about 1.5 km one way), and she chirped out the title of this post. After a rejoinder like that, who were we to say no, so we walked off down the trail:


We arrived at Saturn about 45 minutes later, and LGG announced we needed to go see Uranus 'and the 8th and 9th planets, too, Daddy!' So on we walked toward Felsenegg, where there is a cable car down to Aldswil, where there is a train back to Zürich. We took our only major break at an overlook with a fabulous view of the Alps, while LGG munched on bread and crackers and we rested our legs.


In due time, LGG proudly reached the planet Uranus:


And in further time, we reached the marker for Pluto when it is at perihelion, and very shortly thereafter, we reached Neptune:


You can see the Uetliberg with its two towers in the background. Yes, LGG really did walk all that way -- about 4.5 km! -- one step at a time with only one major break and a couple of minor ones.

We reached Felsenegg shortly thereafter (6 km down the trail from the Uetliberg) and discovered that the cable car was closed for maintenance. Note to selves: next time, read the signs at the train station and make sure things are open! After a fair bit of "well, now what?" we decided to march on toward Pluto's aphelion, near the hamlet of Buchenegg, another 1.5 km on. We hoped to catch a bus down to the train station and head home.

Great idea, except as you're probably guessing, there's no bus at Buchenegg. Who needs a bus when there's a cable car at Felsenegg? Note to selves: next time, bring a better map and a bus schedule. There wasn't any other choice but to walk down the hill toward Sihlau, where we knew there was a train station, and hope there would be a train to Zürich soon.

LGG was clearly done for the day, so I handed off some stuff to ZMG and put LGG on my shoulders. After a further few km -- the distance is hard to guess since we no longer had the solar system to guide us and we were going down a very steep trail -- we reached Sihlau and yes! a train station. Even better, a train to Zürich was due in about 10 minutes, and about an hour after arriving at Sihlau, we were resting at home.

The lessons for the day were: (a) better maps, better schedules; (b) make sure the cable car is working before you walk all the way to it; and (c) the Solar System is a damn big place, even if you cross it one step at a time and take breaks!

Happy Birthday, Little Geek Girl!

Little Geek Girl celebrated her fifth birthday this weekend! She and I started it with a trip to Sprüngli, home of some of the best chocolate in Zürich, to pick up her birthday cake and a bunch of Luxemburgerli, which are small cookies similar to macarons and filled with a variety of yummy pastes with a mousse-like consistency. They are really good, really addictive, and unfortunately fragile - so sorry, but you'll have to visit Zürich if you want to try them.

After our trip, it was time to open presents. She made out like a bandit, of course, with lots of toys and other good stuff. Here are some shots:

Yeah, more tanktops -- very nice for warm days like this weekend!

A new rainbow swimsuit perfect for trips to the hallenbad oder freibad.

A very happy LGG with her new wand and pony bag.

This dragon sings! It flaps its wings! It makes noise! It has an off switch!

After presents, ZMG made some snacks and LGG and I blew up balloons for a small party with another family that we're friends with here. They came over with their two kids and we spent a very nice few hours together, talking, laughing, and playing with toys. It was also a beautiful and very warm February Saturday, so we went out to a small park near our flat where there are rocks that LGG loves to climb on. She and OFK1, OFK2, and OFD (Our Friends' Kid1 and 2 and Our Friend the Daddy) and I played hide-and-seek and generally were silly while all of us were laughing and chatting and probably driving the passing walkers and bike riders crazy.

We then returned to have cake, ice cream, Luxemburgerli, snacks, and beer (this is Switzerland!). Our friends were kind enough to snap this portrait of The Geeks:

And here's the moment for LGG to blow out her candle and celebrate turning fünf Jahre alt:


Amusingly enough, the kids decided the chocolate cake was a bit too rich, but the vanilla ice cream and rasperries were great. Oh, darn, more chocolate cake for the parents!

We had a really nice Saturday afternoon together, and LGG was very excited to have friends come to her party.

Afterward, we had fun calling The Grandparents and telling them about the day, and calling our friends back in the US whose younger son shares the same birthday as LGG, and taking turns singing Happy Birthday to each other.

And the good footnote: my dad was out when we called The Grandparents, but he was home when we called the next morning. Since LGG technically turned five early Sunday morning Zürich time, my dad got to be the first of The Grandparents to talk to LGG when she was actually five. He was very pleased, and so was she.

All in all, a good birthday for our Little Geek Girl.

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was a big one for LGG: her first day of kindergarten. She's attending a regular Swiss state kindergarten, rather than an international school, because we want her to be more integrated into the Swiss system and to make friends beyond just our circle of international friends. Then, of course, there's the fact that international schools are definitely not in our price range.

Her school is similar to a public school kindergarten in the US, but with less emphasis on reading, writing, and 'rithmetic and more on learning through play and learning respect and good behavior. Kids shake their teachers' hand when coming into the school and when leaving, for example. Also, kids aren't expected to read or write until first grade.

Swiss kids need to have some specific supplies: hausschuhe, slippers worn inside the classroom; kindergarten tasche, small bags for carrying a snack to school; gym clothes for Fridays with a bag to hold them; and small reflective vests. If they are lucky enough to have indulgent relatives living back in the US, they also get ladybug raincoats and matching rain boots. Here's a picture of LGG sporting her tasche (courtesy of ZMG's parents) and her vest over her raincoat, all ready for the first rainy day:



Here's a picture from early this morning with me and LGG getting ready to head off to school. Note the lack of rain gear: it has been beautiful in Zürich the past few days.


One note worth mentioning: Swiss kids are expected to make their own way to school by first grade, when they are seven. However, we live across a big street from LGG's school, and it was the first day, so we walked her there. She was very eager, refusing to let either of us carry any of her bags or other gear, and leading me most of the way there. I guess she has missed going to school since we left the US.

When we arrived, her teacher welcomed LGG to class, sadly by calling her the wrong name -- which we rapidly fixed. Afterward, ZMG and I left and LGG had her first time away from us since we arrived. It was a mixed bag, with some successes -- LGG reports that she and a classmate 'made a bird together today, Daddy!' -- and some hard spots. We expect LGG will have a couple of hard weeks and then hopefully things will improve.

A Foggy Day in Zürich Town

We woke up to this view out our window on Friday morning. Normally, we would see Uetliberg and other hills out the windows, but that day the valley in which much of central Zürich is located was filled with fog.


What a difference a fifteen minute walk uphill makes. This is the view from my office window about 30 minutes after the first picture.

The Uetliberg is the hill in the center of the picture. Our temporary flat is somewhere in that fog bank on the right side of the shot.

Hats for buddies

ZMG is an accomplished crocheter who regularly makes blankets and other goodies for friends who have new babies. And, as you can see from her latest creation, for Little Geek Girls whose buddies ('They are not babies, Daddy!') want to play baseball even though we are in Zürich:



That's Roo on the left and Chameleon on the right, for those who want to keep track of these things. Yes, you are seeing that right: ZMG crocheted baseball caps for stuffed buddies.

As she herself put it, 'A Ph.D. in biology and I'm making baseball caps for stuffed animals.'

Thankfully, LGG is about to start kindergarten, so maybe ZMG can find some time to meet other adults. And make hats for their human babies.

Feed the Birds

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but we have a cleaning lady. Well, the people we're subletting from do and they want to keep her, so we have her also. Wednesday mornings she comes for a couple of hours to clean. Little Geek Girl does not like the vacuum cleaner (we put her in her room when we vacuum) so we usually go out.

Yesterday we didn't have a plan so we just headed towards the tram. On the way to the tram I noticed that our local bakery was open. Last week they had been closed for the ski holiday and I thought they were closed through this weekend, but fortunately for us I was wrong. We picked up a spinach croissant thing for me, a cat shaped bread for LGG, a green tart thing, and some bread for the house. We then hopped on the tram. Originally our plan had been to ride to the end, but I remembered that rain was forecast for the rest of the week so I decided to get off and walk towards the lake. We stopped to eat our lunch with a nice view of the lake. LGG's kitty was more sweet than savory, but it's so hard to get her to eat when we're out and I wanted her to eat something more filling than crackers. Okay, she'll eat chicken nuggets when we're out, but we don't want to do that more than we have to. Our green tart thing (about 2 inches in diameter) was pleasantly filled with chocolate.

Then we proceeded to feed the birds with the old bread that I had packed. In the States we would buy a loaf of sliced Oroweat bread and it would last a week due to the preservatives. They have sliced "toast" bread here, but it is dry and tastes like cardboard. However, the fresh bakery bread is yummy, but also dries out quickly. If you can't eat it fast enough, then you feed the birds. Last week we went down to the Limmat River and fed the ducks down there. There aren't that many ducks and they're pretty calm. However, the seagulls, pigeons, and swans by the Zurichsee are a whole different flock. Or maybe just the seagulls. The seagulls would come quite close and a couple grabbed bread out of our hands. We saw several people come feed the birds with their bags of dried bread bits. We spent a couple of hours by the lake.

On our way to the tram we visited Globus am Bellevue just to look (gourmet food market, restaurants, and kitchen wares) and the Coop grocery store to pick up more groceries. I almost always have a tote bag with me to carry our hats, mittens/gloves, and scarves, and to hold another tote for groceries. Then home again, home again, jiggety jig.

And now for Something That Doesn't Happen Very Often

Please forgive a complete switch of topics.  As ZMG's post said, we had a fun time on Sunday, rambling through the woods on the Käferberg near our temporary apartment.  During our walk, we kept hearing car horns honking in the distance - decidedly not something that we've experienced before here in Zürich.  We knew that the government of Kosovo was expected to declare independence from Serbia, though they hadn't done so officially when we left.   We figured the horns either meant that some sports team from Zürich or Switzerland had won a major event, or that Kosovo had declared itself independent, and our bet was the second.

Sure enough, within about three minutes of our arrival at Bucheggplatz after our walk, a car drove by with the horn honking and an Albanian flag waving out the window.  When we got home and went online, we found that Kosovo had declared independence.  We also checked out our favorite online forum for life in Switzerland, www.englishforum.ch, and found this thread about celebrations going on around Switzerland.  On the spot, on the fly news.  We also learned that there are perhaps as many as 200,000 Kosovans living in Switzerland, which explains the exuberance here.

It was really interesting and touching to hear the celebrations in Zürich, and I can barely imagine how much more intense it must have been in Kosovo itself.  Regardless of the ultimate outcome, the celebrations on Sunday were quite something to experience -- I've never heard firsthand the birth of a new country before.

Shopping and Walking Weekend

This past weekend we participated in two of the Swiss weekend pastimes: Saturday shopping with everyone else, and a nice Sunday afternoon walk.

Shops are closed on Sunday, so if you want to shop on the weekends, it's going to be on Saturday. Saturday morning I made a quick trip to the grocery store and then Zurich Daddy Geek, Little Geek Girl, and I went to shop for kindergarten supplies, and electronics (since we sold/donated/gave away most of our incompatible electronics).

Our first stop was a shoe store that happened to be by the bus stop. We picked up a pair of "Hausschuhe" for LGG, slippers that they change into when they get to school. Also a PE bag to store her clothes for Friday gymnastics. Since we were in the neighborhood, we strolled past an apartment that had just been listed, but decided it was too close to a busy street, so we will not pursue it. We took the bus and tram to another neighborhood where we could do another walk-by of a potential apartment. This one is also on a busy street, but not as busy as the other one, so we will visit it tonight.

By this time LGG was very hungry (she had only had a banana for breakfast), so we stopped by the bakery and purchased her a roll shaped like a turtle. That satisfied LGG's hunger as we took the tram to downtown where we stopped for sausages at the Sternen Grill. Cold outside and chaotic, but good brats. Also, LGG had a Swiss hot dog -- a long roll with a hole poked in it, filled with ketchup and the hot dog.

We then took the tram to Bahnhofstrasse which is the main shopping street of Zürich. A query on an email list had suggested the department store Manor as a source for painting smocks, but they were out. We did go upstairs to check out the restaurant/cafeteria, and next time we need to eat and it's cold outside, we're going there. We then went to Coop City where we found a painting smock. We still need a small snack bag/backpack, but LGG and I will try to pick one up during the week. Then it was time to go to Media Markt. However, ZDG and LGG had another plan.

We stopped at Sprüngli for some treats. This being our second visit, we knew to hover like vultures and take the first available seat. We secured a table, LGG started drawing, and we waited for our hot chocolates, coffee, and pastries. LGG and I each had a hot chocolate, while ZDG had a cappuccino. Normally LGG loves whipped cream, but this was the thick unsweetened stuff, so I had to make the sacrifice and eat some of hers. The hot chocolate was thick and rich and very good. I had a mocha eclair and ZDG shared a slice of chocolate cake with LGG. Sufficiently fortified, we hopped on the tram for SihlCity.

SihlCity is an American-style mall. It has a babysitting place that we thought might be fun for LGG to go because she is currently lacking in other playmates. As we expected, she was very reluctant to go, and ZDG and LGG had a little chat for a few minutes to see what the problem was.  In the end, LGG was worried about not being able to speak German with the other kids, but intrigued by the toys and games, so she agreed to go, but only if ZDG stayed nearby for a while.  After a few minutes, ZDG and I left to shop.  We came back after an hour and were greeted by LGG shouting from the back of the room: "I'm not ready, come back later!"  So we left her for another hour, and after that hour, we still had to convince LGG to leave with promises of a return visit soon.

While she was playing we purchased a AA battery charger for the digital camera batteries, and clippers so I can cut ZDG's hair (instead of paying CHF 25 - 50/ month). We also looked at vacuum cleaners, electronic toothbrushes, microwaves (well I did while ZDG looked at computer stuff) in anticipation of needing them once we move into our own place.

Sunday was a day of rest. I cut ZDG's hair and we went for a long leisurely stroll along the Käferberg. If you look at a satellite map of Zürich, it is surrounded by a bunch of green blobs. Those green blobs are wooded hills filled with walking paths. We had fun finding frozen ponds, scuffing the leaves, and testing our balance on the various fitness course stops.  And of course LGG asking "Can we go to the play place again tomorrow, Mama?"

All in all a nice weekend. And now it's Monday and time to return to the grocery store and continue the apartment hunt.

Mikkee Mows and Donnod Duck

It's a cold and dreary day in Zürich today and it became a "stay at home" day. It was also laundry day (we ate at a smoky place last night) and that's a subject for its own post. We're fortunate that in our temporary apartment we have our own washer and dryer.

As part of our German lessons, Little Geek Girl and I watch cartoons. (Okay she watches and I try to get stuff done. Or do nothing). Afterwards she often draws what she saw on the TV. Today she watched Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse and therefore drew pictures of all the main characters. The drawings themselves are fun, but what was also cool was to see how she spelled their names.

donnod duck
mikkee mows
minneey mows
dazee duck

I'm guessing that she deduced that since you spell cow c-o-w, then the ou sound in mouse must be o-w.

Short Big Girl

The quote for the day from Little Geek Girl:  "I'm not a little girl.  I'm a big girl that's short."

Day Trip to Lucerne and Mt. Rigi

In Switzerland, Sundays are traditionally the day for going on day trips. Also, we've been here a month now and had not yet made it outside Zürich. It was high time to fix that, and so in the Sunday spirit, the Geeks took a day trip to Lucerne and Mt. Rigi.

The itinerary:

1. Train from Zürich to Lucerne
2. Wander around central Lucerne for an hour while waiting for our schiff (boat)
3. Boat ride to Vitznau, about an hour down the lake
4. Cog railroad from Vitznau to Rigi Kulm at the top of Mt. Rigi
5. Down Mt. Rigi by an unusual method
6. Further down to Arth-Goldau and a fast train home to Zürich

It's definitely a full day trip; we left home about 8:30 and it was almost 20:00 by the time we were home. It was a blast -- thanks for the recommendation, John!

First stop: Lucerne's tourist information center. Armed with a map, we set off to wander a bit of the lakeshore and the old town, stopping off at the Löwendenkmal, a monument in the form of a lion carved into a rock hillside. The lion represents the bravery of Swiss mercenaries killed fighting to defend Louis XVI during the French revolution.

Some pictures from our random walk around central Lucerne:

Swans along the lakeshore


Chapel Bridge and Water Tower (Kapellbrücke und Wasserturm)

After about an hour, we hopped onto a boat for the 50-minute ride down the lake to Vitznau, where we transferred to the Rigi Bahn, a cog railway up the steep mountainside to the summit at Rigi Kulm. There, we had a quick lunch while admiring the view. OK, let's not mince words: the stunningly beautiful view. A small sample:

Part of The Stunning Alps from Mt. Rigi

We also arranged our "unusual method" to descend the mountain: sleds. Mt. Rigi has multiple schlittelweg, or sledding trails, including one that's four kilometers long, which we took down the mountain. Zürich Mama Geek had her own sled, while Little Geek Girl rode with me. Here's a picture of ZMG and LGG sitting on one sled while ZMG contemplates how she can get back down the mountain without exposure to "imminent death".

ZMG and LGG at Rigi Kulm, with The Stunning Alps behind

As it turned out, we had a blast. The sled track is smooth in parts, bumpy in many other parts - we definitely caught air multiple times - and, as promised by John, there were a couple places where we were completely out of control. Also, LGG was entertained by listening to ZMG chanting "I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die" as she flew down the mountain.

ZMG in action sledding down Mt. Rigi

Despite multiple crashes along the way down, LGG decided that we had to make another run, which we did with even more crashes this time. Twice was enough today, though, so we returned the sled at the mid-mountain stop and took another cog railway down the other side of the mountain to Arth-Goldau, where we picked up our fast train to home. All in all, a great day -- thanks, John! -- and LGG has decided we must go to Rigi again when Auntie Geek visits in March.

One month in Zürich

It has been a month since we left the United States and moved to Zürich.  In that time, we have been visiting apartments, playgrounds, and the zoo (twice).  Daddy Geek and Mama Geek also caught the "welcome to Zürich" cold, but fortunately Little Geek Girl avoided it.  We're not going to try and catch up on the last month, but we do have a couple pictures to share.

Here is the big hill up to our temporary apartment.  If we want to avoid it, we can take the bus up past the apartment and then walk down the hill.

After visiting the zoo one Sunday, we were taking the bus home when we looked out the window.  Wow!  Those are the Alps, right there.  And there's the Zürichsee.  We're about a 20 minute tram ride to the edge of the lake.