"11 Things Americans Can Learn from the Swiss"

I came across this article today in one of the blogs that I follow over here, it provides an interesting perspective on some of the differences in daily life between our American and Swiss lives... happy Sunday reading y'all :)

A little ski accident and Europe's scariest ski slope

All of the expats here have stories of their ski accidents, some have broken legs, some have torn ACLs, some have gotten some cuts and bruises..... it seems some sort of ski accident in the alps is a right of passage in the expat world, so something was bound to happen.  Well folks, Ryan had his first ski accident. He collided with one of his friends on a ski slope and superman-ed out of his bindings and landed face/arms first into the hard packed slope. THANKFULLY he had just bought a helmet the week before so nothing serious happened (i.e., no concussions or worse), but he did end up with some cuts and bruises. Rest assured, he is doing fine now, but is still feeling the after affects of a really sore body. This was pretty much the extent of the physical damage, so all in all he's pretty lucky that such a major fall resulted in only a few cuts and bruises!

The accident happened on Saturday and we originally had plans to go skiing with our friends in Verbier (the Swiss alps as opposed to the French alps that we have been skiing mostly in recently) on Sunday. After the accident happened, Ryan the trooper didn't want to miss out on a fun ski day with friends, so he decided he wanted to push through the pain and still go skiing. He decided that as long as he could just "take it easy" and go slow and not fall, then he wouldn't be in pain. So off we went to Verbier. And then this happened....

We neglected to see this sign before we went down what we found out afterwards was one of Europe's most dangerous ski trails, the Tortin.  In our defense, we don't just blindly go down trails, our friend did warn us that it was difficult. Let me tell you, this trail was the steepest, hardest trail I have ever been on. It is not only steep but it is covered in moguls the size of cars. Poor Ryan was wincing the entire way down.  Amazingly, we all made it down without falling, even though it did take us a solid 30 minutes to get down. I have found in general that most trails in the alps are actually rated easier than trails in the US (i.e., a black here is never really a black in the US), with the exception of THIS TRAIL. Word to the wise, if you come skiing here, DO NOT go down this trail unless you are very experienced. I do have to say though that the bright side to this trail is that once you finish with the pain and agony, it has a gorgeous cruising run at the end of it, really one of the best I have ever been on... maybe once I become a more experienced skiier, we will decide to take on the Tortin again...

In search of Kate and Wills in Windsor, UK

A few weeks ago, I went to Windsor in the UK. Given my obsessive love of castles, I was delighted by the fact that I might be able to check out Windsor castle... and track down Kate and Wills, obvi.

Windsor is known for being the queen's "weekend" residence. We actually think she was home when we were in town because the flag was flying on top of the castle, which is typically the sign to the public that she is present.  Anywho, queen aside, Kate and Wills must not have heard of my arrival (sigh), alas, I decided to explore the castle's vast expanses for a few hours.

Changing of the guards parade in "downtown" Windsor

I also spent part of a day in London

The new meaning of "ski chalet"

A few weekends ago Ryan's coworkers planned a ski weekend in Chamonix (the Mont Blanc area as previously mentioned a few blog posts ago). Being naive to the meaning of a true ski "chalet" I just thought we were renting a house for the weekend... but I was wrong (in a good way)! Chalet Tissieres is a full service chalet, which means that included in your room price is champagne upon entering, a private chef that cooks a 3-course dinner and breakfast, free wine, rides to and from the mountain, someone to CLEAN after you, ski rental store that comes to the chalet to rent your skis to you, and a gorgeous chalet (and hot tub!)

After doing a ski weekend this way, I don't know if I would ever go back to the traditional rental, it was a TON of fun and actually a really good deal. Here's a little secret, if you come visit in the summer, Chalet Tisseres offers a summer special, for 40 Euros per person/night (yes, this was my obligatory once-every-blog post, "come visit us" shameless plug!)

Here are some pictures from the weekend....

Starting out with appetizers at dinner time at the chalet

Lunch time at one of the Chamonix ski resorts, Grand Montets

On the chair lift in the ski area,  Les Houches, with Mont Blanc in the distance, it looked a lot more impressive from this side of the valley! 

Winter wonderland

The world's best invention has arrived

This is probably one of the most exciting announcements I've made so far on this blog... get ready for it...WE FINALLY HAVE OUR OWN WASHING MACHINE IN OUR APARTMENT!

Before you go and make fun of me for this terribly exciting announcement, let me explain. For 4 months, every time we have needed to do laundry, on our weekends we have had to stuff our dirty clothes into our big suitcases, drag them 8 minutes down the road, up and down curbs, across puddles, and across streets, and into the laundromat to do laundry with bums. The worst part is that it was $40 each time we did laundry!! Highway robbery, I know.

Clearly hating the laundromat

So after a long time debating and researching different brands of machines, we finally decided on a Siemens washer/dryer combo.   Combo machines have a bad rep for being able to actually dry clothes decently. So buying a combo machine was a bit of a risk in the first place. The second risk was buying it from the shadiest retail store in town, 'Maxi Discount'...

Here's how delivery day went down.  Our landlord required that a professional, certified plumber install the washing machine in the apartment to avoid any mechanical issues that could arise with a less experienced person installing the machine. So....

1. I call Maxi Discount the day before to say that we only need delivery service, not installation service.
2. But of course the next day Maxi Discount still arrives at the apartment with an installation guy.
3. Ryan (who is home to let the delivery guys in) insists that their installation guy is not allowed to install the machine based on the requirement of our landlord. 
4. Maxi Discount guys proceed to threaten Ryan by saying that we will lose the warranty on the machine if they don't install it. 
5. Ryan calls me and ask me what to do. I say that I have no idea, try to ask some colleagues with experience and they say they have no idea. So Maxi Discount guys leave and we lose the warranty on machine. 
6. Professional plumber arrives an hour later and tries to install machine, and surprise, surprise - its broken (it cannot drain any water).
7. Professional plumber speaks no English so Ryan calls me, hands the phone to the plumber and I hand the phone to my secretary at work and they speak to each other in French and eventually everything is translated and the message is conveyed that the machine is definitely broken and we need to call Maxi Discount guys again to have them deliver a new machine (keep in mind Maxi Discount guys just told us that we lost the warranty on the machine, so there is no way they are going to bring us a new machine now...) 
8. We decide we have had enough of this ridiculously frustrating machine already and we leave it half full with water to go skiing for the weekend and decide to just deal with the headache later.  
9. We return to the apartment on Sunday night and Ryan pushes the on button and it works PERFECTLY. No idea why it was broken one day and fixed the next, but oh well... just another day in confusing expatriate paradise! Somehow every process here ends up being extremely frustrating but rewarding at the end in a strange, surprising way :)

The punchline for those that were bored to tears by my story above - we now have a washer/dryer combo (which dries excellently) that you can use whenever you come visit!

A day of skiing in Chamonix, France

Today we went with a few friends to the ski area of Chamonix which faces Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe (approximately 15,000 feet). Chamonix is only an hour drive from Geneva, so its a great day trip. Skiing here was a really fun experience, the weather in our area has been absolutely gorgeous and warm the past few weeks which means no snow (which is a big change from the super rainy November/December we had). Although the snow was a bit slushy, you really can't beat skiing in 55 degree weather with these stunning blue skies and views in my mind! I am looking forward to exploring more of the ski areas in the Chamonix/Mont Blanc area this coming winter, there are apparently many to choose from.

One strange observation I had though is that as we were skiing and looking across at Mont Blanc, after all of the "hype" it receives for being Europe's tallest mountain, it didn't seem all that high to me.... I actually asked Ryan at one point whether it was possible that I was just getting de-sensitized with all of these amazing views (horrible, I know!). So after we got home tonight I started researching this odd observation.  I found that this was because we were in fact skiing at already around 9,000 feet and therefore the additional 6,000 feet didn't seem that much farther up. Oops, I guess that should count as one of my blonde moments of the week. The good news is that after my educational googling session, I REALLY want to come back and check out this whole area more extensively in the summer, it is covered in a permanent glacier so in the summer you can walk onto the glacier and walk through "glacier" tunnels and check out the fantabulous views (and yes I just made up that word), how cool! 

Lunch on the terrace of the ski restaurant mid-mountain

Cheers to new friends and a gorgeous day of skiing! (Mont Blanc is behind us 

The view from the top of the Chamonix ski area, you can see where the snow begins and ends in the valley below

Cheesy mountain top picture :)

More views...

All day the very top of Mont Blanc had this "halo" of a tiny cloud around it

Breaking in the afternoon for crepes and a drink on the summit

Clearly this is a google image, but this is the glacier that I want to come visit in the summer!

Again another google picture and again another item on our summer must-do list, you can ride a cable car to the very top of this mountain top and look out onto the glacier and Mont Blanc.... unreal! (Mom, this is the summit from the Rick Steeves special...)

Home for the holidays

This past week we flew home to NH to spend the holidays with family and friends. It was a quick and busy trip but it was wonderful to spend time with those that we love that we haven't seen in a few months. Its crazy to realize how much we have missed everyone in just a few short months. As much as we love living in Switzerland so far, our hearts will always be in the US with our family and friends!  We spent the first half of the week in Gilford and the second half of the week in Manchester/Bedford.

My family

Ryan's family

Since most of the people reading this blog are probably most interested in hearing about our adventures after we left to the US: after 3 planes, 2 trains, 22 hours, and a fabulous trip in Envoy class back to Geneva (thanks Susie!), we arrived back home just in time to celebrate the new year. Ryan's coworker and his girlfriend came over to our apartment for a traditional Swiss raclette and chocolate fondue dinner. After dinner, we walked outside of our apartment building to enjoy the city's official new year's eve "party". Coincidentally, the street that our apartment is on was the epicenter of the party, so there were several concert stages and bars set up on our street. Also, the amusement park called "Luna Parc" that has been located on our square for the past few months was in full swing, so after we rang in the new year in the square with some champagne with the crowd, we decided to check out a few of the rides and games....

Champagne at midnight in the square

This was quite the thrilling ride if you couldn't tell by our faces :)

Happy new year and "Bonne année"! I hope that 2013 brings you much love, happiness, and joy :)

Paragliding in the Swiss Alps (Verbier)

Last weekend as we were skiing in Verbier, we came across a group of paragliders that were taking off from the ski slopes. What a beautiful, peaceful way to take in the scenic views - I definitely want to consider doing this at some point...

A Swiss winter wonderland

We have been busy winter bees over the past few weeks.  The weather has been really terrible in the city but that means LOTS of snow in the mountains. So lots of snow + Mama K and Andrew visiting = adventures up in the Alps. I can't even describe how beautiful the landscape is once you are up in the Alps, it takes your breath away. Its one thing to see the mountains in the distance everyday and its another thing to be on top of them!

The first weekend my mom and Andrew were here we spent the weekend exploring the mountains in the Lake Geneva area (i.e., sort of close to home). We started by taking a train up to the top of Rochers de Naye, a scenic mountain top area with a mountain top observatory, visits with Santa Claus, yurts that you can stay over night in, and a marmot habitation area (I know what you're thinking.. what a strange combinatin).

 Next, we ventured by train to the region of Gruyere (yup, the actual birth place of Gruyere cheese). The town of Gruyere itself is this adorable little medieval town in the middle of the mountains. It has only 200 residents and a cheese factory and education center.

Cheese cellar where the gruyere cheese stays to age

Then next we went to eat fondue at a traditional restaurant in town

And then stopped by a bar in town that was designed by HR Giger, the guy who created the "Alien" movies, this was definitely the strangest bar I have ever been in and very cool but out of its element in this quaint medieval town

Then after the cheese and fondue, we moved onto the Nestle chocolate factory for a tour of the factory and all you can eat chocolate tasting (do you notice a trend here.. this weekend was dubbed "fat weekend", but boy was it delicious!)

The chocolate tasting room at the factory

The wall of chocolate at the end of the tour

So after fat weekend 2 weeks ago, we jumped on the opportunity to burn off all of those calories with a ski trip to Verbier this latest past weekend. The skiing was like nothing we have ever experienced, feet and feet and feet of fluffy powder with amazing views and wide open trails.  We went with two of our friends and we were happy to have Andrew with us for our first Swiss alps skiing experience. We had so much fun that we're already starting to look into renting a ski chalet for the winter next year - which means you should start scheduling your ski trips now ;)

Yo!! (this is Ryan)

Sooo, this is way overdue...  I hope no one was holding their breath.  This blog is great and I love what Lauren has put together – I should have participated a bit sooner…buttt I have been contently following!!  She is doing an awesome job documenting this once-in-a-lifetime adventure --- all the entries, pictures, and captions are amazing and something we will def be able to look back at.

I don’t even really know where to start – I feel like I just woke up.   We took this huge process head on 10 months ago …but everything is awesome and def settling down a bit.  We have successfully moved ourselves 4000 miles, navigated the apartment (flat) market, transitioned into a new lifestyle/culture, and met lots of great people.  Its all been hectic and overwhelming, but very rewarding at the same time. 

Like I said before, Lauren has done a great job following us each step of the way, so I don’t want to retell all of her great stories or post any of the same pictures – so I will touch upon some of my favorite things! 

We love our apartment and Pumpkin is happy and fuzzy as ever.

Of course, this is Europe and we have a smaller than normal bath tub with a shower wand and no shower curtain.  Me in a small confined tub area with a high pressured hose that isn’t fixed to the wall doesn’t work that well...

Lauren and I have assembled more Ikea furniture than anyone should in a lifetime.  Slowly and painfully we got beaten up by tables, chairs, and fixtures – this lasted for a month until we finally caved and hired the Ikea assembly team to take care of the last few pieces.

Wine happens to be a personal favorite of ours.  What’s better than wine festivals!  These are not uncommon and we have already found ourselves at a few of them.  For some reason they always seem to be a great time…  If you know me well, you know I could never turn away a bottomeless wine glass with what seems to be an infinite amount of wine.

We met our friends in London to tour and watch the Pats crush the Rams at Wembley.  Eric took one for the team months ago, waking up at 5am one morning to score some of the best seats I have experienced.  London was a lot of fun and as a whole we thought it was a very cool city.  Although it is a huge city it reminded us a lot of Boston.  It seemed to have a similar layout and geography with things that we like to do…but the weather is exactly as advertised – dreary and cold.  Gronk Spike!

The difficult things about being away are family, friends, and Americanized holidays…such as Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving.  BUT, the normal routine of getting up early to prepare dishes and drink mimosas and seasonal brew with whoever was around wasn’t in the cards this year. The solution…4 roasted chickens, a huge pan of Moms homemade stuffing, 5 Kg (11 lbs) of Moms potato casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, gravy, cranberry sauce, and plenty of local wine.  Lauren and I even stayed up til 215am baking pumpkin and apple pies (and burning the top of my hand on the oven).  To join us for the feast was Lauren’s Mom and bro Andrew (our first visitors), Boston friends Sam and Eric, Lauren’s colleague and his girlfriend, and our new French friends.  No one went hungry and the general consensus was that we could do it again.

I could go on and on about interesting things we have done and experienced…you will just have to come and see for yourself (we have plenty of room).

 If you have followed this blog since the beginning, you have now probably read about the one real hesitation we faced when deciding to take on this assignment…the biggest question, “what will Ryan do if he goes?”  One would assume the answer would be that I would just find something to do, but it isn’t that easy.  The economy is not good; it’s expensive to sponsor foreigners to work; and you are constantly fighting an uphill battle against the foreign governments, agencies, and rules.  The deck was stacked against us.  All I could do was give it my best try, but now I feel like I won the lottery.

In the past few months, Lauren has eluded to the fact that I had a promising lead in an area that I was very interested in.  The only thing between me and the desk were the legal permits and visas.  Through patience, hard work, and a whole lot of luck - I am officially employed!

Everything worked out and it is my dream job.  I have settled in well and things are starting to seem less foreign and more normal…it is a good feeling.  I told myself through this whole process that I had to be cautiously optimistic and had to temper my excitement until I was at a desk AND I have received a paycheck because you have to expect the unexpected.  Within the past month, I checked off the second part of that statement and got my first paycheck…in Swiss Francs!  Now it’s real!

So now the cat (not pumpkin) is out of the bag and I have fulfilled my first posting duty that Lauren signed me up for – I promise it will not be another 47 days until my next post - stay tuned and talk soon.