Stormy Saturday

Der Wetter im Zürich

We woke up this morning to heavy winds and rain, courtesy of a storm named 'Emma'. We had sustained winds in excess of 60 kph (35-40 mph) at times with occasional much stronger gusts; the TV reported winds up to 190 kph (120 mph) in the mountains of Austria today. There are lots of small branches down around town, and some larger ones scattered around as well, and at times it was raining sideways. Things began to calm down by early afternoon and the sun even broke through by mid-afternoon.

We ourselves had no problems, but the buildings next door weren't so fortunate. They have been under renovation since we moved in, and have been wrapped in plastic for several weeks. The strong winds tore apart some of the plastic, which then flapped furiously and very loudly. The fire department showed up, no doubt having been called by one of our neighbors, and made sure nobody was in imminent danger. Then we experienced one of those 'not in the USA things': on a Saturday morning, two whole crews from the renovation company came and spent the next couple of hours in the wind and rain taking down all the plastic and rebuilding some of the other damage. It is now much quieter thanks to their work.

Here's a side note for LGG's cousins in the States: Swiss fire trucks are bright yellow-green - almost chartreuse - with red-orange stripes saying Feuerwehr (fire department). The trucks are more compact than in the States, and look almost muscular as a result. We'll get pictures the next time we can.

Apartment Hunt Continues

On Friday night, we visited an apartment we really like. It's very central, with easy access to services, and yet in a quiet residential neighborhood. It's on the ground floor, so no worries about LGG bothering the downstairs neighbors, and it's practically across the street from a big playground and the kindergarten. It's older, so it has many nice little architectural touches, but has been renovated recently enough to feel modern. And it's affordable! We spent a couple of hours today drafting a cover letter that tries to tug as many strings as possible, assembling the application, and mailing it off. Wish us luck; we hopefully will know soon.

ZDG and LGG are spontan-you-us

We also visited an apartment this afternoon, and afterward, LGG and I decided to be spontan-you-us. Rather than heading back home with ZMG, we headed off to an indoor playplace near downtown Zürich. Unfortunately, they were full due to a kid's birthday party, so we went off to the nearby Starbucks - rauchfrei ist gut - for coffee and warm chocolate. We sat and talked while eating, and then had a nice chat with an American woman who came from Denver (!) and now lives in one of the small towns along the lake just outside Zürich.

After a while, LGG and I headed off for home. Rather than taking the most direct route once we left the tram, we wandered a bit in the streets of Höngg. And here's where LGG again showed how grown up she can be sometimes. She said, 'Dada, I'm glad you have a new job. We can spend a lot more time together now, since you're not taking trips and working so much. I love you, Dada!' (Bonus points on the heart-string-tugging, kiddo.) Then she follows it up with a big kiss and hug, and immediately the five-year-old resurfaces: 'Oh, wow, look at the worm, Dada! It's moving! Better hide, worm, or the birds will eat you!'