Hope I got that right. It should translate to mean bike market (used bike sale). Anyway, we went there to look at used bikes. Not much for the kiddo because she really needs a 16" AND training wheels. She cried. Excessively.
The place was packed when we got there at 9:20 and we left with nothing. But we do have a better idea of what kind of used bike to find there and we did see many bikes in the SFr 100-200 range. Nothing to write home about but they'd get you around Zurich.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
IKEA - Zurich
Our adventure for today was to the IKEA in the suburbs of Zurich. The IKEA website is somewhat confusing so let me just tell you how to get there.
Go to Zurich Bahnhof Stadelhofen and take the S12 toward Winterthur. The first stop is Stettbach and this is where you want to get off. Next take the 787 bus from upstairs and since Stettbach is the last stop on the line, you can't get on the wrong bus. :) Take this to Industriestrasse and you will see the trademark IKEA blue & yellow. Get off and walk in the front door!
I have to say, this is the messiest IKEA I have ever seen. Usually IKEA makes me want to go home and organize but this one had empty shelves that were hanging incorrectly and the atmosphere was generally unSwiss. heh
More about IKEA later, the kid is demanding attention.
Go to Zurich Bahnhof Stadelhofen and take the S12 toward Winterthur. The first stop is Stettbach and this is where you want to get off. Next take the 787 bus from upstairs and since Stettbach is the last stop on the line, you can't get on the wrong bus. :) Take this to Industriestrasse and you will see the trademark IKEA blue & yellow. Get off and walk in the front door!
I have to say, this is the messiest IKEA I have ever seen. Usually IKEA makes me want to go home and organize but this one had empty shelves that were hanging incorrectly and the atmosphere was generally unSwiss. heh
More about IKEA later, the kid is demanding attention.
Boating around Zurich Lake
Since everything is closed on Sunday, we decided to take a mini boat trip around Zurich Lake. There is a short-ish trip that just goes in a big circle and takes 1.5 hours. The trip is called "Kleine Rundfahrten" and is part of the Zurich public transportation network. That means, with a zone 10 pass, you only need to purchase either a zone 40 or zone 50 pass (depending on direction) for around SFr 4 per adult.
Just because it is public transit doesn't mean beer, wine and food isn't available. The prices are a bit steep but if a glass of white wine is what you need, it is available. :) They also have sparkling apple juice for the pregnant Americans and kids.
I forgot to mention, you can buy zone 40/50 tickets on the boat if you have a zone 10 pass and there is a ticket window at the departure point, Burkliplatz, for complete tickets.
Details (in German) are available at zsg.ch.
Just because it is public transit doesn't mean beer, wine and food isn't available. The prices are a bit steep but if a glass of white wine is what you need, it is available. :) They also have sparkling apple juice for the pregnant Americans and kids.
I forgot to mention, you can buy zone 40/50 tickets on the boat if you have a zone 10 pass and there is a ticket window at the departure point, Burkliplatz, for complete tickets.
Details (in German) are available at zsg.ch.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Stay in English Blogger!
Seemingly randomly, Blogger tries to switch the language to German.
Why Blogger, why?
I am assuming they go off the IP address and decide since I am in the Swiss German speaking part of Switzerland, I should speak German. Well, I guess I should but I've only been here a coupe of weeks. Gimme a break, will ya?
Why Blogger, why?
I am assuming they go off the IP address and decide since I am in the Swiss German speaking part of Switzerland, I should speak German. Well, I guess I should but I've only been here a coupe of weeks. Gimme a break, will ya?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The flea market at Burkliplatz (Zurich)
Just back from the Saturday flea market at Burkliplatz, in search of English language books. I read on the interwebz that fiction was generally available at the flea market for a few SFr each so I thought it was worth a try. So glad I left the kid at home because I never would have found anything with her being all over the place.
My haul? Four books that I probably wouldn't have bought otherwise for a grand total of SFr 3. I bought:
Agatha Christie: At Bertram's Hotel
The Nanny Diaries
The other books were too awful to buy. There were two books about people being persecuted by oppressive governments, one trashy romance novel and something that was so worthless, it has completely slipped my mind.
Maybe I came too late and all the English books were snapped up by early birds at 6 AM.
Still no camera. :(
My haul? Four books that I probably wouldn't have bought otherwise for a grand total of SFr 3. I bought:
Agatha Christie: At Bertram's Hotel
The Nanny Diaries
The other books were too awful to buy. There were two books about people being persecuted by oppressive governments, one trashy romance novel and something that was so worthless, it has completely slipped my mind.
Maybe I came too late and all the English books were snapped up by early birds at 6 AM.
Still no camera. :(
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Review: McDonalds at Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
S and I went shoe shopping at lunch time, a magical time in a 4 year old's life. Get them food for fear of a meltdown. She has been rather fussy about eating lately so I thought, hey, let's check out McDonalds.
We went to the McDonalds near the main train station, Bahnhofstrasse. Walk in and the menu looks different and a little difficult to decipher. S decided on a nugget Happy Meal, which, according to the menu, was SFr 6.90. (The exchange rate, after fees is about 1 to 1) o_O OK. I bought a grilled chicken snack wrap meal with a Coca Cola and fries and the total came to SFr 20.20. Hmm. Pretty expensive meal.
S decided she wanted to sit on the second floor, so upstairs we went and the only seating we saw was at a communal table with a few teenagers. They didn't seem annoyed that a mom and 4 year old sat with them but I don't speak German, so what do I know?
The nugget Happy Meal was about what you'd expect - 4 nuggets, fries and an apple juice box. The snack wrap meal. Well. The snack wrap was bigger than the ones in the US and they used real produce. The lettuce was actually a spring mix with arugula and the tomato tasted like tomato. (I am allergic to tomatoes and forgot to ask for no tomatoes. Oops)
I also got a free commemorative Coca Cola glass - made with real glass, not plastic.
To get into the bathroom, you needed a code. There was 1 code for both the men's and the women's room but only the mens room opened with the code. Most of the women left but I couldn't leave with a child that had to pee. Nope, bad idea. So we used the men's room when it was empty and boy was this guy surprised when he walked in and S was washing her hands. I probably broke some Swiss law right there. Oh well, when a small kid has to pee, you take them. Period.
We went to the McDonalds near the main train station, Bahnhofstrasse. Walk in and the menu looks different and a little difficult to decipher. S decided on a nugget Happy Meal, which, according to the menu, was SFr 6.90. (The exchange rate, after fees is about 1 to 1) o_O OK. I bought a grilled chicken snack wrap meal with a Coca Cola and fries and the total came to SFr 20.20. Hmm. Pretty expensive meal.
S decided she wanted to sit on the second floor, so upstairs we went and the only seating we saw was at a communal table with a few teenagers. They didn't seem annoyed that a mom and 4 year old sat with them but I don't speak German, so what do I know?
The nugget Happy Meal was about what you'd expect - 4 nuggets, fries and an apple juice box. The snack wrap meal. Well. The snack wrap was bigger than the ones in the US and they used real produce. The lettuce was actually a spring mix with arugula and the tomato tasted like tomato. (I am allergic to tomatoes and forgot to ask for no tomatoes. Oops)
I also got a free commemorative Coca Cola glass - made with real glass, not plastic.
To get into the bathroom, you needed a code. There was 1 code for both the men's and the women's room but only the mens room opened with the code. Most of the women left but I couldn't leave with a child that had to pee. Nope, bad idea. So we used the men's room when it was empty and boy was this guy surprised when he walked in and S was washing her hands. I probably broke some Swiss law right there. Oh well, when a small kid has to pee, you take them. Period.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Why I Wanted My Camera Today
S and I were walking around town and we stopped to get a pastry.
First of all, poppy streusel is gross. Second, and perhaps most important, there were hornets (BEES!) eating the icing off the iced pastries. And I do mean more than one. Maybe 10? They had landed and were sitting there sucking the icing off the pastries. I pointed it out to S and the other customers just chuckled. It is like I am in a foreign country or something.
*panic* LOL
First of all, poppy streusel is gross. Second, and perhaps most important, there were hornets (BEES!) eating the icing off the iced pastries. And I do mean more than one. Maybe 10? They had landed and were sitting there sucking the icing off the pastries. I pointed it out to S and the other customers just chuckled. It is like I am in a foreign country or something.
*panic* LOL
My Camera is Broken
:( And it is only a week old. I'd exchange it for a working one but I am 5000 miles away from where I bought it. Contacted Nikon in the US to see about getting it fixed and they were very, um American, about it. So I called the Swiss version of Nikon, found someone who spoke English and they said - eh send it in. Will do tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Prepaid Cell Phones in Switzerland
Yesterday I bought S a gelato cone and walked into a cellphone store to buy a prepaid. In Switzerland, one cannot get a contract phone without a residence permit and those take about a month to process once you register (see last post).
For just under SFr 30 (about $30), I got a prepaid phone, SIM card and SFr 10 credits. The phone is just a cheapie Nokia but it will suffice until we can get a residence permit and a contract. The husband is bitter that he can't get a phone with internet yet but he'll live.
Oh, and I had to show my passport to get a prepaid so be prepared.
For just under SFr 30 (about $30), I got a prepaid phone, SIM card and SFr 10 credits. The phone is just a cheapie Nokia but it will suffice until we can get a residence permit and a contract. The husband is bitter that he can't get a phone with internet yet but he'll live.
Oh, and I had to show my passport to get a prepaid so be prepared.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Registering with the Polizei
Yes, that does say registering with the police, which is mandatory in Switzerland. We were unsuccessful today but we got a list of documents to bring back to our local polizei station to register and receive our permanent visas/permits. Sounds a little crazy to this American, but hey, who am I to judge?
To register, we need to present all of us (including the kid) and:
1. Our passports
2. Our rental agreement
3. Employment agreement
4. Some random paper from the immigration office that husband's employer has
5. S's birth cert to make sure we didn't steal her
6. Our marriage license
7. One passport photo per person (available for SFr 8 from the train station)
Note: I already provided 5 & 6 to the immigration office but they need it again.
We have to, by law, register within 14 days of arriving in Switzerland.
This whole process took 1/2 a day because the Swiss consulate told us to go somewhere else and it was on the other side of the city. Frankly, I was glad to leave the first office building because the entrance was glass and there were no less than 10 bullet holes through the glass. o_O
To register, we need to present all of us (including the kid) and:
1. Our passports
2. Our rental agreement
3. Employment agreement
4. Some random paper from the immigration office that husband's employer has
5. S's birth cert to make sure we didn't steal her
6. Our marriage license
7. One passport photo per person (available for SFr 8 from the train station)
Note: I already provided 5 & 6 to the immigration office but they need it again.
We have to, by law, register within 14 days of arriving in Switzerland.
This whole process took 1/2 a day because the Swiss consulate told us to go somewhere else and it was on the other side of the city. Frankly, I was glad to leave the first office building because the entrance was glass and there were no less than 10 bullet holes through the glass. o_O
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)